WE HAVE OUR MEDICAL CLEARANCE!!!

Well today was the day we have been waiting for!!! The doctor said the eye looks fabulous and gave his medical clearance. The Stake President has been notified and has already contacted the missionary department in Salt Lake City who will make things happen. Now, we just have to wait for our new date to report to the Mission Training Center. And of course our travel arrangements to Sydney.

Not sure when yet, but I think it will all happen pretty fast now. 

Of course now I am feeling very emotional.

This has  been quite a visit in Limbo. There have been some hard down days when I began to wonder if I was even capable of serving this mission. But as crazy as it has been to wait, in many ways we see the Lord's hand in giving us this extra time. There were just  some things that needed doing. We can immediately say how great it has been to spend these weeks with our daughter and her family. Never will we grow tired of hugs and "I love yous" from everyone in this house. It has also been great to get my photos organized and ready for our daughter to scan. There have been many things, big and little, which would not have happened had we not been delayed. Perhaps one of the biggest things occurred this past Friday.

For some time now one of my younger sisters has been interested in finding our niece who was given up for adoption in 1970. Her mother passed away in 2008 without ever meeting her daughter. There has always been a question of what happened to her.  There has been a void. With the little information we had my sister registered on GSAdoptionregistry.com.  Some "search angels" were able to help with more information. That additional information paved the way for my sister to find and contact our niece through Facebook. It has been a time of wonderful emotion. We have all shed many years as we have connected through Skype, email, messenger, text - isn't modern technology wonderful?  Since our niece also wanted to find her birth family it has been great for all of us.

So, all in all this is a time of heightened happy emotions. It also reminds me how much our Father in Heaven is aware of us, our wants and our needs; and how much He is willing to direct the events of our lives if we will but allow it. His timing is always right. And I am always amazed at the great economy the Lord uses in the simplest of events that touch so many lives.

Due to our wait we have experienced some cold winter weather that we did not expect to experience this winter. It is MUCH warmer in Australia right now! [Yes, we will have to adjust to the warmer weather.] But we have enjoyed the beauties of the season. 

a view of Mt Baker as we drove towards Lynden, WA

                                                                                                                                                             We will miss seeing our beautiful mountains. There is something truly beautiful about snow capped mountains ranges. We will miss our good friends and our great  family in this area but we are anxious to move forward and serve the Lord.