The 16th is Marcia Bahr's birthday (and also my sister, Brenda's, btw). I went to a birthday "tea" that afternoon and grabbed the mail out of the mailbox on my way because I had ordered something for Marcia's birthday and was double checking to see if it had arrived. There was a big white envelope with the other pieces of mail. Since Dad often receives big white envelopes I didn't think much or look twice.
Later, when I was sorting through it, I saw the return address, "Office of the First Presidency" What?! My heart started racing. Quickly looking at the addressee, "Sister Esther Elizabeth Erickson". WOW!
Dad and I and even James had been praying and sometimes fasting for Esther with her future plans. We included a mission in that, but of course Esther never shared that with us. We did have little inklings here and there, but we certainly didn't know papers had already been submitted and that her call was on the way.
Esther was already home from work when I got home from the birthday gathering. I walked into her room showing her the envelope. "Guess what, Mom? I'm going on a mission!" She also called Dad and told him, "I've decided to go on a mission" to which he replied, "great" and then she said, "and my call is already here, or my call came today," or something like that. Dad just said, "Esther!" Or maybe something a little more.
We didn't have too much time to talk, because Esther was getting ready for a date with Russ Egbert, their first date to the Bar J Wranglers with his family too. She had texted some friends about her news and her phone was going a little crazy while she was out. She also told Russ and he said something like, "I guess you'd rather be someplace else."
Sunday morning before church she opened it. We waited until then because Amori had been out of town, and there was something happening after church too. Before Esther read anything, I saw a paper form for a passport so I figured it was foreign.
October 31 was her MTC entry date which seemed like a ways away, but the time went so fast. She continued her landscape work at the Double L until the week after Labor Day. Then she was home a week, and going a little stir crazy, and then she was able to work about 8 days in two weeks landscaping with Amori's work.
Her temple day was August 29th. We thought of going to the Spokane temple and inviting some people up that way, but then just decided to do it here in good ol' Star Valley.
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| These afternoon shots were before the session. Here she's trying to show some leg while she still can! |
Between the time of her call and until she left there were a variety to events and activities including: a trip to Spokane with the family for Eli's baptism and Lewis' blessing. Also a car accident with Amori, a few trips to Idaho Falls for shopping and finishing up dental work, and a trip to Georgia with Amori. Esther came back after a week. She also spent time with Russ from the time she got her call until she left. They played basketball and went bowling one time. Another time fishing with Amori and Jared. Jared came for a weekend before his school started. One night Russ invited Esther for deer hamburgers at his house and then went out shooting. Russ' car died up Grover Park and I took jumper cables. She had to call Frances to get a hold of me, because I had disconnected the phone for FHE because Dad gave James and me school blessings. When I got there with the cables, Esther joked about her pre-mission bad luck. Not just because of the car dying, but also for stitches Russ had to have from a work accident.
There surely was a feeling of opposition, a kind of a pushing upstream feeling at least for me. I think it was more than just pre-mission bad luck. I didn't completely recognize it's full force until we got through it.
We appreciated all the support for her meeting on the 28th and the luncheon afterwards.
Esther's topic for her talk was "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel". She spoke about physical work and compared it to the spiritual work we need to do in order to feel closer to God. She told a story about how she and a friend (Myrisa, who surprised Esther by coming to her meeting) borrowed Grandpa's four wheeler late one night to go for a ride. Because they didn't want to wake Grandpa, they pushed it away from the house before starting it and then stopped a distance away from the house before returning. They pushed it up the hill to Grandma's house, which seemed harder and farther than either of them thought. Esther thought of that experience when she thought of "putting your shoulder to the wheel". Another thought she shared kind of blew me away. She said she knew that God is important in her family. She then shared how her mom, (me) encouraged her to come to the temple one morning early when James was also going for baptisms. We also took Sarai and Danielle. Esther and I waited in the front waiting room on comfy couches and Esther took a nap, sitting up on the couch. After dropping the others off at school, Esther and I came back for initiatory. Anyway, Esther said she appreciated her mom, me! that I put God as a priority. Dad looked at me when Esther said that and told me I should write it down. So I did later in my journal. I treasure her words of appreciation because I haven't always felt she has.
We had over 60 people for the lunch. Our bishop gave us permission to host it at the church. Everyone pitched in to help set up and clean up. I'll try to remember everyone who came:
Grandpa and Grandma - 2
Bart and Janet and family (minus Amori and Shaianne) - 7
Tillerys - 6
Taylors - 6
Nicolina and kids - 7
Jared - 1
Robinsons - 3
Huntings - 9
Post Falls friends - Tanner Short, Myrisa, her friend Quinton, Jena Austin, Mikayla Geraghity, Cassie
Torgeson, Michael Hardy, Glory Ellison (she and Michael are also a Rexburg friends) - 7
Rexburg friends - Jordan Winkle, Chelsea and Tanner (can't remember their last name) - 3
Egbert brothers, Russ, Ben and Will - 3
Dunn family - 6
Kordy Rainey - 1
Us, Dad, Mom, James - 3
Total - 65
We served soup and rolls. Grandma, Janet, Aunt Joyce and I all made a pot of soup. Chrystal made two pots of soup. Grandma made about 2 dozen rolls. I made about 4 dozen rolls. We also had some sliced homemade bread. Nicolina brought bread, Joyce sent some bread and Cheryl Heiner brought bread a couple of days before. Nicolina made about 80 cookies and I made about 70, so we had plenty of cookies too. We served water to drink.
Tuesday Oct. 30th we took Esther to the Jackson airport. All day Monday and Tuesday morning she and I were packing. She was mostly organized. There wasn't too much scrambling. She had been checking her list several times in the week or 10 days before leaving. It felt nice to not have to wake up super early to make it to the airport like we did with all the boys. Her flight left from Jackson about 3:20 p.m. and lines there are small. So we left here about 12:30. Dad picked up James from school and also got some scriptures at the distribution center, returning the paper back ones she bought and exchanging for leather ones. Frances came too.
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