Chris and I are super excited to begin our missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Porto Portugal Mission! We catch an early morning flight Monday, February 10 to Salt Lake, where my brother Keith will meet us and drive us to the Mission Training Center in Provo. There, we enjoy a week with other young and "mature" missionaries in training, focused on the wonderful church publication "Preach My Gospel".
As we tell each other, we have been preparing all our life. That said, I have been surprised at how many details need to be addressed as we have prepared to leave.
Caring for our Home
We are thrilled that our son Adam and his partner Paolo are living in our home while we are away. It takes a big worry off our plate! They moved in with us in December. So fun to have them with us! Love our conversations! And not only are they immaculate housekeepers, they are also amazing cooks. The below lamb chops shown above, together with baked feta and roasted root veggies is just one delicious example!
Tidying up our yard
- A big project was planting flowers and shrubs in the area in our front yard (we took out the lawn and installed rocks last summer). It's been fun selecting plants, setting up the drip, and spreading mulch. Hopefully it will be in full glory when we return!
Packing
- I'm expert at 2 week trips, but packing for a year+ is a different animal. I opened a big suit case a week ago and have just been throwing things in as I think about them.
Farewell
We appreciate the many well wishes from our friends and neighbors; we have felt an outpouring of love!!
We will give our farewell addresses in church on tomorrow (Feb 9, 2025). Our Sacrament Meeting begins at 11:15 am. Our talks will likely begin around 11:35 or 11:40 am. We would love for you to join in person (Alamo Latter-day Saint Chapel), but if that's not possible, you can join via zoom with this link.
Friends are hosting an open house for us tomorrow (Sunday) at our home, from 2-5 pm. We would love to see you there!
Here are some other activities that have captured our focus:
- Trip to the Portuguese consulate in San Francisco to apply for our visa (it came through last week!)
- Obtained a certified AND apostolized driving record, which we will take to Portugal so that we can drive there.
- Zoom calls with our mission president (Estefan Leal - from Sao Paulo, Brazil).
- Zoom calls with the two senior missionary couples we will be serving with in Portugal. They gave valuable advice about what to expect and what to bring.
- A Zoom call with one of Chris' high school friends, who just happens to be serving a mission with her husband in Lisbon. Small world or divine placement? (I'm going with the latter.)
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Comments
Good to hear some details, Dave, anda you and Chris embark on your journey. Look forward to hearing more when your feet hit the ground in Portigal!
Spence
Happy mission to you and Chris. Peace and love. Linda Azure Big Day
Nice to hear from you. Enjoyed reading the details of your trip. Thank you for sharing
Queridos amigos, sinto me honrada e feliz por ter a oportunidade de conhecê-los. Sei de seu amor por esse Evangelho, pois sou fruto desse amor. Espero q muitos outros também ganhem essa oportunidade que eu tive. Desejo alegria, saúde e ânimo nessa causa. Espero encontrá-los novamente. Que o Espírito jamais os abandone. Amo vcs.