Saying Goodbye

Well, we sent her on her way this morning.  Saying goodbye at the airport was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life.  It was so hard to let go of her knowing that it will be 18 months time before I see her again.  I am going to miss her so much.  She is one of my best friends.  I love to spend time with her.  I love the person she has become and I am so very proud of her.  She was nervous about leaving but she held it together pretty well.  She did not shed a tear until we started to hug her.  She was so brave and so mature.  But, the actual goodbyes were hard.  As she stood there before me a part of her looked like a lost little girl.  Then, in another glance, I saw an amazingly strong young lady ready to conquer the new challenges that will be placed before her.  I find comfort in knowing that she will not be alone.  I know our Heavenly Father will be with her.  I know that there are angels surrounding her.  I know she will always have someone watching over her, its just hard that I can't be the one to do that. I will pray for her every single day and I hope that she will draw strength from those prayers. I pray that she will feel our everlasting love for her while she is away from home.  May God protect her always!!!

Called to Serve

On November 29, 2013 Kylie received her mission call.  She was so excited to finally get the big white envelope in the mail.  We followed the cute little mail lady around town to find out when she would be delivering on our street.  When she finally came to our house she pulled out front and we were waiting on the porch.  She called out from her truck "It Came!!"  Kylie was so happy.  She ran over and got it from her and skipped back to the door.  That night our friends and family gathered at our house for her to open her call.  With much anticipation we sat quietly as she opened the envelope and began to read...."Sister Kylie Searle, 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 Mexico Guadalajara Mission."  WOW!!!  Mexico!!  We were all a little shocked as we processed this information.  I mean, it is the perfect call for her.  The weather is perfect, she absolutely loves burritos, and she would love to learn Spanish so she can talk to Stone when he gets home.  So, we celebrated with her, congratulated her, and hugged her.  And then the wait began...she was not to report to the MTC until April 30.  It seemed like forever away (good for me, but hard for her)  As she waited she had to say goodbye to most of her friends as they left on their own missions.  It has been a long wait for her but now here we are just 2 days away from departure.  Last week she received an email from the Mexico MTC welcoming her.  That would have been great if she wasn't supposed to be reporting to the Provo MTC!! Needless to say, she was shocked, scared, nervous, and confused.  After a few phone calls we got it figured out and came to the realization that she would, indeed, be going to Mexico! How exciting this is going to be for her.  She will be so blessed to be immersed in the culture of the people she will grow to love.  She will have the opportunity to learn the language much quicker, get used to the climate, the people, the food etc. before going out on her own with her first companion.  This is an exciting time in her life and we look forward to hearing about all her experiences.  May God Bless and Protect you my beautiful daughter!!