** DAY 1 -- Today is the Day

From the first time we decided to go on a mission, there has been many lessons of patience and waiting, putting it all in Father's hands.  Finally, this afternoon our stake president will place his hands on our head and set us apart as missionaries.  It has been a very long wait, but today, we will start to realize this dream.
I have been the one who has posted each day up till now, and so Bonnie needs to have her chance to express her feelings now:

We just came from a wonderful Sacrament Meeting and the blessing of our grandson Andrew Marlin Sharp.   As I looked around at all those little ones, held some in my arms and some on my lap, the tears flowed and I wondered, "How does a grandmother leave her 20 grandchildren who are so dear to her?"  It's hard enough to leave our wonderful children and their equally wonderful spouses, but the grandkids?  And I remembered the recent words of Elder Holland..."The little munchkins will still be there when you get home."...or something to that effect.  As we become a missionary family, this experience will hopefully cement in their hearts that spirit of missionary work, sacrifice and love of the Gospel.  So I can go and yes, I'll shed more tears but they will be tears of joy!  

Also, we sang "The Lord is my Light."  The line "my weakness, in mercy, he covers with power," brought more tears as I reflected on my beginning Spanish language skills.  These are very weak to be sure, but again, I'm counting on that covering power of my Savior to make up the difference as I grow and learn this new tongue.  I believe in the gift of tongues.  It will be manifest surely in coming months!

So, in a few hours we will go and get our setting apart.  All will be there, at least all our family.  Then we will be missionaries.

We enter tomorrow morning at 8:30.  Then who knows what.  But this blog will be done.  This has been the PREPARATION blog, that which dealt in all the long hours, days, and even months of preparation.  Tomorrow we will be missionaries.  Our other blog which starts when we can figure things out how to post and such will be:  elderandsisterpartridgeinthedr.blogspot.com