Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Changes

I've alluded to some changes happening in our family in the past few months. Here's the official scoop.

My parents have been called to be mission presidents for three years in Barcelona Spain. We found out on Thanksgiving that they had been called, but we didn't find out where until January. They will be leaving on June 24th, 2012. It was actually a bit of a shock! I thought since Stuart is still in high school we might have another year before they were called away. But we are excited for them and for what lies ahead.


Shortly after they were called, both Amy and Stu (the only siblings left living at home) decided they both wanted to serve missions at the same time, rather than be left at home parentless. They are both under the required age (Stu is only 17!), but special exceptions are made when your parents are being called as mission presidents.


Amy and Stu put in their papers at the same time and received their calls the same day, so we had a big gathering to watch them and find out the big news. We even had to skype Michelle & Jeff in Mexico on their honeymoon so they could watch the festivities.

First Amy opened her call...



For those of you who don't know, my mom's family is from Norway. Her parents were born there and immigrated to the United States after World War II. Her parents were later called to be mission presidents in Norway and she served a mission under them at that time. We still have family that lives there, and my parents promise us all at least one trip back to the "homeland" in our lifetime to see it all.

So it was kind of a big deal that Amy got called to Norway! I think we were all a little jealous. Out of the 35+ grandkids on my mom's side, she's only the second to get called to serve there. I can't help but think about the impact that living there and learning the language, food and traditions will have on her ability to uphold that heritage with her posterity. What an amazing experience she is going to have!

Next Stu opened his call...



I'll be the first to admit that I thought Stu was going to go either somewhere Spanish speaking near my parents, or stateside (all three of my other brothers have been called stateside). With my parents out of the country, I was really hoping both Amy and Stu would be stateside, just to give me some protective peace of mind by having them close. So it was quite the shock to hear that Stuart had been called to the Ukraine Kiev mission! He still feels like my baby brother. But I know he's going to be a fantastic missionary. He's already learning the alphabet and how to say a few useful phrases, which just shows the kind of enthusiasm he has in everything he does. Ukraine is going to be lucky to have him!

{the festivities}

{the festivities}

{skyping with Michelle & Jeff}

When all is said and done, I can't help but feel like half of my family is about to disappear this summer! I can't help but think about the three years I'm going to have to do things all on my own -- no calling my mom when I'm cooking one of her recipes and I have a question, and no calling my mom when one of my kids are sick and I need advice. And I definitely can't help but think about the three years my kids will be missing their grandparents. By the time my parents come home, Henry will be older than Emme is right now. Will either of my children even remember them? Probably not.

It's also unlikely that my mom will be here the next time I have a baby. I can't bear the thought of delivering a baby without her. It's possible that she could miss as many as five grandbabies' births while she is gone. Five! Not to mention the birthdays, baptisms, christmas's, etc. I feel guilty feeling all of these thoughts because I know they are so selfish! All I am thinking about is myself, and not the missionaries & people of Spain that they will be serving.

The list of pieces of our lives that they will miss while they are gone is large. However, but I know that for each sacrifice there will be a great blessing in return. I have a testimony that the gospel is true and that missionary work is the Lord's work. If Spain is where my parents are needed for the next three years, then they will do great things and be a blessing to the people & missionaries there! I am so blessed to have an amazing mother-in-law and father-in-law who live close and are so loving and caring. And I can tell already that this experience is going to bring the rest of my siblings & spouses closer together.

We will miss you -- Mom & Dad, Amy & Stu -- but we love you so much and we know the Lord has wonderful things in store!


10 comments:

Nurse Heidi said...

Wowzers! That's a whole lot of awesome all at once! My oldest brother Quentin was one of the very first missionaries in the Ukraine Kiev mission. In fact, he was called to the Austria Vienna East mission and sent to Kiev to help open it. He went back recently for the dedication of the temple, a pretty cool thing to see after so many years.

Congratulations to ALL of the missionaries in your family!

Mrs. Langeland said...

I am so excited for your family! What a wonderful experience for you all. Don't worry, I still call Shriley when I'm cooking and need advice. They set it up so they have a local phone number, so they are very easy to reach. I imagine your parents will do something similar. Love you!

Ashley said...

WOW! I'm all teary from reading all of that. Those are big changes, but totally exciting!!! Congrats. I'm sure it will have it's hard times, but you will have triple the blessings to make up for it. Thanks for sharing!

Abe and Lisa said...

Big changes for sure! Wow!! What a great family you have! I'm sure the blessings will be headed your way! That really is so exciting and wonderful. Now you just need to come up with a way to go pick all of them up when their missions end. Get your passport ready!

V said...

I'm still pulling my jaw off the floor that Stu is going so young (days after he graduates!!!! woah)

I really appreciate that you posted the videos. I feel really lucky that I got to share the experience a little through the videos. We love you all.

Tiffany said...

Thank you so much for posting this! Your family is so wonderful, and I loved getting to see these amazing moments in your lives. I couldn't be prouder of Stu and Amy! In my mind, they are still tiny little kids doing troll dances. :)

Daylight Productions said...

How exciting for your family! Your parents and siblings will be great missionaries. It's so weird to see Amy and Stu grown up...the last time I saw them, they were little kids! And it's totally natural to feel the way you do. I would too if my mom were gone for three years, but they definitely will bless a lot of people :)

Rachel said...

Wow! My sister just returned from Barcelona and LOVED that mission. She served her mission at the same time as my parents served a mission in Canada. I won't lie--it was hard to have my parents and sister both gone. My parents missed the births of five their grandchildren, including my middle child. But it was also a good time for my family because we pulled together as siblings in ways we never would have otherwise. And my parents had such a great experience. I wish you the best. I know your family will be so blessed because of the sacrifices you are making.

Sorensen's said...

Your post made me cry...I'll blame it on the pregnancy hormones. I am so excited for your family and can't believe how many Langeland's are going to be GONE! Us remaining will have to stick together, right?

The Martin Family said...

Yep, I am crying too. Your family is so cool. What a blessing for you so many!