Ella has been wanting to go on a mission since I can remember. She has always had a desire to serve. When she came home for Christmas break she had gone through the temple in preparation and then submitted her mission papers right after she got back to Cedar City and could upload the passport she had there and had all the paperwork from Texas. From the Sunday it was submitted til the day she received her call, it was a total of 9 days! It came so fast!! I was so grateful for the tender mercy of it coming on a snow day so that the whole family could be together as I knew Ella would not be able to wait until I was off work to open her email!
She had a break in her school schedule and wanted to open it asap! She had wanted to open it just with our immediate family before she opened it with everyone.
We were shocked!! She opened it with us, then called her grandparents in Germany because they would be asleep when she opened it with everyone. Then she called her other grandparents. They were excited for her.She opened it at the Cedar City institute building with her friends and roommates.
She was called to serve in the Laoag, Philippines mission speaking Tagalog and leaving for the Provo, Utah MTC on June 16th. You probably could not have put many other places that I did not expect her to go, but that would have been one of them. The call doesn't seem to fit her personality or what I would have imagined for her at all, but she is excited to serve. All I really wanted was for her to be excited. I was slightly hoping with two citizenships that we wouldn't have to worry about a visa, but the Lord had other plans.
It will challenge her for sure, but I know she will do her best and learn to love the people of the Philippines.
This was my favorite text from her afterward. She really is a great kid and we are so proud of her willingness to serve the Lord.
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