Bitter-Sweet

What a busy week!  I've had very little time to think of the fact that I'll be dropping my son, Kalten (Call- ten) off to go on a church mission for two years.  That might be good or I'd be in tears constantly.  I have no doubt that once we hit the car the tears will come, and more than once.  Sometimes out of pride.  I'm just so proud of my 19 year old that has chosen to serve the Lord for two years before he worries about himself.  I am proud of a son who loves the Lord.  A typical boy of this age would usually be concerned about girls, college, career, video games etc.  I think it's rare to find a young man who loves the Lord so much that he's willing to put his own life on hold to serve others.  The Savior taught, "When you are in the service of your fellow beings you are only in the service of your God."  He also taught, "For whosoever shall save his life shall lose it, but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it."  When he returns I know his life will be much richer because of the things he finds in himself and those things that he learns that will enrich and strengthen him.

I will also cry tears because two years is a long time.  I love him so much!  We've been very close from day one.  He'll be the first to tell you he's a mama's boy.  I do feel like part of me is getting ready to detach a leg or something.  He's part of me.  Yes, two years feels like forever.  Speaking of forever, I have no doubt that us giving him up for this two years will help us on our path to being a forever family.

I will also cry tears because of the unknown.  He really doesn't need me around to take care of him anymore but I still worry about all of my children's safety.  For some reason this scares me.  If something happened to him on his mission I wouldn't see him again in this life.  I can't think about it much more than that.  My heart may explode.  But I do find comfort in knowing that a prophet parent once felt the same, Mosiah 28: 5-7 "And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi.  And king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word.  And the Lord said unto Mosiah:  Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites."
Mosiah too was nervous for his sons to go on a mission.  For those who aren't members of our church it's helpful to know that the sons of Mosiah were Nephites,  Lamanites were their enemies and their desire up to this point was to rid the world of Nephites.  King Mosiah had much more reason to worry than I do.  I would imagine the people in Ohio are wonderful and will help to take care of my son.  It does warm my heart the sentence spoken to Mosiah, "Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life: and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites."  My son will be protected.

My emotions are swimming near the surface.  Most are amazingly good emotions.  I love the Lord, I'm grateful that this son of mine does too.  All our lives will be blessed by his service in sharing this love with others.  Does it get better than this?  I doubt it.

A Parent's Sweet-Revenge

I am very aware that I posted my son's mission call on our family blog Browning Dirt but not here.  Why?  I have no idea.  I could have posted on both.  I guess maybe I thought people with a personal interested in it would go to my family site.  It has been brought to my attention though, that it's "the funniest thing" at least one person, "has ever seen" and it should have also been posted on Youtube for the whole world to see Kevin and I get back at our son for all the years of teasing, joking, embarrassing, pranking etc.  What was I thinking? Lol.  So even though some of you may have already seen this, and because it was strongly advised by my friend Heather, I'm sharing our FAKE mission call prank we pulled on Kalten, here on Tidbits For Trina.   Also it's fitting since his farewell is this weekend.

Here's the short background.  Everyone who knows Kalten can attest to the fact that he'll do anything for a laugh, including but not limited to hiding from his school teacher on top of a cabinet, writing an essay about his hot mom, eating an entire box of Twinkies in about 3 minutes for his senior talent show while his class sang the Twinkie song and constantly putting yellow food coloring in the toilet to make me crazy.

My husband and I have been looking for a way to get back at Kalten (for years), but he's always a step-ahead of us.  Then we got creative.  I wrote a fake mission call thinking it would be funny if he and all who came to hear him read his call thought it was real then slowly realized it was fake- as we added a bit of Star Wars.  We looked at a real one then copied the way it looked enough that it would pass...right down to the letter head and a postal stamp on the envelope.  When his real one came we hijacked it and switched it out for the fake, keeping the real one aside for after the joke.  I've posted what the letter actually said after the video.


         

Here is what it said:

Dear Elder Browning,

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  You are assigned to labor in the Las Vegas, Nevada Mission.  It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months.

You should report to the missionary training center in Provo, Utah on Wednesday June 23, 2012.  You will prepare to teach the gospel in the Calmarian language.  Your mission president may modify your specific call according to the needs of the mission.  

You have been recommended as one worth to serve in the City of Sin.  Because of your diligence in keeping the commandments of God you will serve as a special missionary called to help cleanse this Sodom and Gomorrah like city of its great iniquity.  It will take a superior amount of study and being on guard of the ways of the adversary, to not fall prey to the evil ways of your surroundings.

Your purpose will be to seek those souls who've been tempted and fallen to the dark side and help them come unto Christ.  As you serve diligently your mission president, General Ackbar, will be a strenth and guid to you.  We wish you luck with your future endeavors as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  May the force be with you.

                                                     Sincerely,  

                                                     George Lucas

                                                     President