Only one week left before we leave.  We'll be spending two weeks in the MTC studying Preach My Gospel and taking computer classes.  Then our driving plan is scheduled to take 7 days at about 300 miles a day.  The last few weeks have been filled with lots of blessings and encouragement from friends and family as well as several unexpected obstacles, set-backs and the death of someone dear.  We feel very blessed to have this opportunity and look forward to beginning our work in beautiful South Carolina.

With summer plans to spend time with grandchildren and family well under way, we left with our fifth wheel on June 16th to head to Idaho and spend a few days with our oldest granddaughter.  Four days later we picked up our two oldest grandsons and spent time exploring Sandpoint, Silverwood, Kellogg, Silver Mountain and the Crystal Gold Mine.  After 10 days we came home for two days and hoped our mission call would arrive in the mail.  It didn't.  Now our plans were to head south to see relatives in Chehalis and then off to Oregon.  The day after we left our wonderful neighbor, Mary Dodge, called us to say that the envelope had arrived.  I looked at Doyle and told him that our call was in and put the phone on speaker.  Mary opened the letter and read only the portion that told us where we were going and when we were to report.  Finally, we knew where the Lord would have us to go and serve. We are going to the Columbia, South Carolina mission.  We have mixed feelings about the humidity, but this is a place we have never traveled to and seeing what the old south has to offer will be so exciting.
We continued our summer plans and had a wonderful time with my sister Linda and her husband Walt and our daughter Kim and her husband Rocky and their children Jenna and Tony.  We also went camping with Doyle's brother Jerry and his wife Barbara.  While in Oregon the beach is a must and we spend alot of time exploring the beaches and area around Newport.  We even discovered a whole new district in Newport called Nye Beach.
We are now home and working feverishly to get our last minute affairs tended to.  We received instructions for missionary prep videos and family history documents that we are also working on.  The days will swifty pass by as we endeavor to make final preparations, I am sure.