Seems like only yesterday he was this little guy....
On August 31, 2012 James got a much anticipated letter in the mail.
He had been working on getting his mission papers ready all summer and finally mid August they were submitted. James was told that it takes 2-6 week. 12 days later I checked the mail and found a large white envelope from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. James was at work so I sent him a text. We made plans to gather with Lucy's family later that night so he could open it. Then I had to spend the next 7 hours alone with a letter that was going to change our lives. It was super hard. I actually locked it up in my bedroom so I wouldn't be tempted. We had all made guesses as to where we thought James was going to go. I chose Japan. Everyone else guess from California to Australia. He opened the letter. Held it up so he couldn't read ahead and started reading aloud...
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 Ukraine Donetsk Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months.
You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, January 2, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Russian language.
We are so proud of James. I am going to miss him like crazy and there have already been lots of tears about the idea of him leaving (not just from me) but we know he is doing the right thing. We are excited for him to grow and to learn and to serve other people. What a wonderful experience this will be for him.
