Mom's Thoughts

Today is the big day. Matthew left the Peru MTC at 5:45 this morning, August 23, 2011, for Ecuador. This is the destination he has been working towards all of his life. Even as a little boy in Primary as he sang, I Hope They Call Me on a Mission, this was the day he was singing about. The MTC has been a marvelous experience with lots of gospel study, missionary training, and most of all, learning to feel the spirit of the Lord. Matthew has experienced all of these things and has seen and felt the Lord's hand as he has struggled to learn Spanish. He has learned that there is no way to study the Book of Mormon without reading. Matthew has learned that the Lord really does love us and he is concerned and helps us even without us being aware. This young man is a focused, hard working, self sufficient young man but he also knows how to get down on his knees and ask for help daily. He has asked for father's blessings many times in his life and he has seen the answers fulfilled in those blessings. One of those blessings was the night before he left for the MTC on June 21. This blessing told him that he would be a great missionary and to work hard and put his trust in the Lord. The Lord told him, through this blessing, that he loved him and that he was pleased with the choices he had made in his life. I, as his mother, am also very pleased with the choices he has made. I love each of my beautiful daughters and am so proud of the accomplishments they have made in their lives and the way they are living. Matthew, as my only living son, is a bright shining joy as he has chosen to heed the Lord's call and serve. Go Forth and Serve my faithful son. Our prayers and love are with you every minute of every day.