After a full year of waiting, of persevering and keeping her mind focused on serving The Lord on a full time mission, her call came in the mail.October 22, 2014—that envelope came and we all knew that the heartaches of her challenges at proving that her anxieties of her early teen years, would not be be a hinderance to her serving a full time mission, were about to come to an end.
A simple breaking of the seal of the envelope would share what part of the The Lords vineyard, our sweet Sister Lee would be called to serve.
Given that Sister Lee wished for family to be present, and the conflicts of a sister with a very demanding schedule, the opening of the call did not take place for another 24 hours.
Oh the anticipation of not knowing where in the world she would be called to serve!
The following evening in a very tight window of time, we gathered as family, grandparents, aunts and uncle, cousins and a handful of good band friends to hear of the exciting news.
Just prior to opening the call, Maddi's Tuba section leader from her senior year in Marching Band shouted out that she would be called to Florida.
With the opening of the letter, and the untraditional protocol of reading Maddi, blurted out that she was going to FLORIDA! With a cheer and some newfound confidence that Keith is a some sort of a visionary, we cheered and gave her hugs!
Then that moment from mom: "When do you report?"
Maddi: "December 3rd".
I admit it. My heart dropped into my stomach. SIX weeks to prepare? SIX weeks before saying goodbye to our oldest when we were all fully anticipating spending the holidays with our lady, one more time before shipping her off to sunny florida. But there was nothing to be done, other than to make a list of what needed to be done and be ever so thankful that the trial of waiting had ended.
