What a fun week, full of mission prep! This week Mom and Dad got so much accomplished and are getting ever closer to leaving! 22 days now. Not that we're counting or keeping track. Lol. Quick note, if anyone out there would like to follow this blog by e-mail or contact me while Mom and Dad are away, I added links on the right for you to do so. Also, it always helps me feel a bit closer if I know what the weather looks like, so I've added Donetsk's weather as well. Brrr....
This week we moved forward in some small things, but even the small things are starting to feel big. Dad finished his final day at his part-time job! It's been a plucky little job that has helped bring in extra mission money, and keep Dad busy. All the same, it's nice to see it behind us. With that, we emptied our storage unit which had all of Jason and my kitchen things. We brought those home, unpacked and cleaned them. Mom meanwhile, worked on packing up her things. It was a crazy mess, switching "kitchens", but we got it done! It's hard to think of this house being "mine", though my family will be the one here. It will always be Mom and Dad's house to me.
We also got Dad in for a final eye check and ordered an extra pair of glasses for him. Having Mom and Dad be so far away makes it difficult for us to get things to them, and if you've ever been without eyesight for too long, it's miserable. We're trying to prepare for anything we possibly can and get them extra sets of everything they can only get here, for example, glasses. These past few months have proved miraculous with Dad's eyesight. When we got his eyes checked to accept the mission call, he was referred to a specialist because his left eye had a cataracts in it. While they did the surgery to remove the cataracts, they also put in a corrective lens. This gave him perfect eyesight (which he's NEVER had) in his left eye. Now the lens in the left side of his glasses is completely blank. It has been such a blessing, that the surgery not only went well, but provided us with better results than we could have expected. It is amazing to see all the little pieces come together to send them to Ukraine.
Another "little" piece that we have been working on, is luggage. Mom and Dad have been searching for luggage to take with them for a couple months. Everywhere they look, the prices seem high and it's not what they want. This past week, we were rummaging through a DI when we found a near new piece of luggage that Dad fell in love with. Kinda hard not to fall in love, when you can buy it for under $5. Cheer! I'm seeing less things happen by "accident" or "coincidence", while more and more I see the hand of Heavenly Father in our lives. It's truly humbling and amazing. He is hastening His work!
We're also working on planning Mom and Dad's farewell, which is not next Sunday, but the Sunday after. It's crazy to think that it's so close! But it is coming! We're planning on inviting everyone to the clubhouse in the Sundowner Condos after sacrament meeting for treats and visiting. It should be a great time. I can't wait to hear what Mom and Dad speak on! (Hopefully we'll even get to hear a little Russian from them as well!)
Mom and Dad are working so hard on their Russian training. Since Dad has finished his job, they are increasing the number of days they spend in Provo from two a week, to three a week. In addition, they work on their training daily here at home using language programs and all the materials they've received from the Church. Mom has been learning about herself as she learns Russian. She has been feeling frustrated and discouraged that she is not grasping things as quickly or as well as she wants. While they were in Provo this week, she was introduced to a recently returned senior missionary, Sister Peterson. Sister Peterson and her husband served in Russia. Anyone who knows Mom, she makes friends like crazy. She can pretty much talk to anyone about anything. She had a great talk with Sister Peterson and told her the fears she had about learning Russian, not knowing enough, and wanting to be able to communicate. Sister Peterson was very sympathetic and understood completely. She explained that during her mission, she never learned to read in Russian, and only knew a few phrases to communicate. Her husband did a lot of the communicating and reading. They both had a good cry. Sometimes all you need is to be understood. But from that conversation, Mom walked away with renewed vigor to learn Russian. She recently decided that she learns best audibly, which with language is easily enough done. Dad bought a new program to help her called "Pimsleur Conversational Russian". In Provo they're learning a lot of the grammar side of Russian, but this program will help them learn more of the conversational side of Russian. We'll see how much they can seep in with 22 days!
So, Conference weekend! It was a little emotional, this is the last conference Mom and Dad will be home with us! Mom and Dad spent it at home with grandchildren. We had a pizza lunch, games, and just enjoyed having family time together. Dad loved the talk given by President Eyring when he talked about his parents. His Mother, that wanted to move closer to family and his Father that got a job offer in Utah, but turned it down. When his father asked his mother about it, she'd said, "Do what you feel is right." So, he turned down the job offer. She wrote him a letter the next day, reminding him of a promise he had made to move them closer to family if ever the opportunity arose. When he asked her why she hadn't just told him that when he asked, she said, "Well, you were suppose to remember!" Dad was almost brought to tears. A mission had not been a conversation between them, until the Spirit prompted Dad to ask Mom about serving a mission. The Holy Ghost had reminded him of his promise.
We are so lucky to help Mom and Dad serve on a mission. It's amazing to see the blessings come!
