And so we begin...

We set a goal many years ago to serve a senior couple mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when we retired. Linda's parents passed away within four months of each other in October 2001 and January 2002. Ray's father passed away in May of 2008, leaving his mom a widow.  We both retired in 2009, Ray earlier in the year and Linda in September. We took a nice driving vacation along the California and Oregon coastlines to celebrate and then settled into a routine that included a daily visit to his mom. We felt we could not leave on a mission while she was still living alone. So we began serving as ordinance workers in the Bountiful Temple. We arose before 4 a.m. on Thursdays for the early shift and filled a second shift on Fridays. We treasured our time as ordinance workers and developed many wonderful friendships while serving there.

Ray's mom passed away in September 2010.  This was a turning point in our lives, and thoughts for change included serious consideration about a mission. At the time we were enjoying our temple service so much we decided to wait one more year before departing. That would give us time to complete the temple work for Ray's parents before leaving in the fall (what we felt would be the optimum timing for us).  The time has passed quickly!

On Tuesday, September 6, 2011, we clicked the button on our online application to officially begin the process. This morning we met with our Stake President, and in the next day or two, our application will move on to Church Headquarters for review.  Now we wait for the call - when and where.

More to come!