Michael has been called to serve in the Korea Seoul Mission!

He will report to the MTC on March 23rd. We couldn't be more excited.

In 2001 my dad was called to be mission president over the Korea Daejeon Mission. Our whole family was asked to go to Salt Lake so that he could be set apart. Elder L. Tom Perry set my dad apart as mission president and Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi set my mom apart as his companion. Elder Perry shook hands with each member of my family while we were there. When he got to Michael he said, "Study Korean the three years that you are there so that you can go back as a missionary." Ever since we have all believed that Michael would serve his mission in Korea. We all realized that he could be sent elsewhere and that he was willing to go where ever he was needed.

We expected Michael's call to come on Wednesday, so when it didn't we were disappointed. My dad suggested that my mom call the post office to see if more mail had come in since our delivery that day. The man who answered the phone told my mom that there would be no more mail today, but if she called before 8:30 AM and it was there, then we could come pick it up instead of waiting for home delivery. Thursday morning my mom called the post office at 8:15 and was told that the mission call was there! My dad went straight to the post office and then immediately got it sent off through FedEx overnight to Hawaii, where Michael is attending BYU-Hawaii.

Michael picked up the package the next day, Friday around 5 PM. He walked over to the Hawaii temple and sat down under a tree to open it by himself. He said people were walking by him and probably wondering what he was doing crying under a tree.

A little before 6 we got on iChat via Apple Computers in four different locations; Hawaii, Orem, Layton, and New York. We could tell as soon as we saw Michael's face that he had been crying. He then read his mission call to us and I don't think there was a dry eye anywhere.

Michael is wise beyond his years and I have no doubt that he will be a remarkable missionary. I am so proud of him for his righteous living and for the amazing person that he is. What a great blessing it is that he will serve in the same mission that my dad served in many years ago.