El Salvador!

We finally opened Josh call tonight!  He is going to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the El Salvador San Salvador mission!  He will be speaking Spanish, and he will report on late January.

This is wonderful!  I had all my friends dial up my siblings (that were in MST or PST) and Bruce's siblings on cell phones.  It must have been chaotic over the phone, but I wanted all of them to hear.  I can't believe he will be speaking Spanish.  What a blessing!

Out of the nearly 100 guesses, nobody guessed El Salvador, so we don't have to give away a jug of apple cider.  Ha ha

The time has come...

The call has arrived.  We have a letter sized envelope addressed to Elder Joshua Bruce Holmstead from the Office of the First Presidency sitting in our kitchen.  That is amazing!!

We will be opening Josh's mission call tomorrow night - Friday - after the local college football game.  Please come to our house, one and all, and join us!

Mission Call on its way

We got word that the call is coming in the mail!  It is likely it will arrive in our mailbox on Thursday morning.  Unfortunately, Josh is in Rexburg, and still trying to figure out his classes, so he won't be here until probably Friday night or Saturday.  Bruce has already said he would steam it open.  I don't know I can talk him out of it.  Ha ha  I've updated the predictions list on the last blog - there were 97 guesses at last count, with somewhere North America (which includes Mexico and Central America) having the most votes.  Very fun stuff!!

Where will Josh go?

The long-awaited day has come!  Elder Joshua Bruce will be his getting his mission call to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the next few weeks (probably on 9/15).  His availability date to leave is 12/19/11 (after he goes to BYU-I for another semester).  

So, it’s time to hear all of your predictions.  I decided that the winner wins a free opportunity to milk Buttercup for a week.  Or, as Bruce suggested, you get the rights to Joshua’s firstborn child.  Well, maybe a jug of cider at the Cider Festival??  And first dibs on the homemade doughnuts?  Ha ha 

At the least you’ll get bragging rights.

You are all invited over when he opens his call.  And it will be the real thing - we don't plan to open it beforehand.  We'll let you know exactly when that is.

Both Bruce and I felt it a great privilege to serve the Lord on our missions.  When I met Bruce after he had served his mission, I told him that I was planning on serving a mission too. Instead of wanting me to stay home, he was very excited for me, and in the end, he was willing to postpone getting married for a year and a half in order for me to be able to serve a mission.  It means a great deal to our family that Josh would be willing, worthy and ready to serve as well.  We already feel a warm feeling of love for the people he will serve - wherever it is in the world.  (Of course, if they spoke Spanish, there would be just a smidgen of extra excitement in my little Mexican heart - ha ha!)

Here are the predictions:

Lorena - Bolivia, La Paz (if this happens, you will see a re-enactment of the Book of Mormon scene where Ammon faints)
Bruce - Hong Kong (the closest to China he could get)
Joseph - Germany
Jesse - Portugal
Mary - North Dakota
Peter - New York
Libby - Spain
Jarom - Sao Paulo North, Brazil
Lindsey - Venezuela
Cedric - Wichita Kansas
Carol - Florida Orlando - Spanish speaking
Matt and Chantel - Brazil
Whitney - Japan
Stetson - California Arcadia - Spanish speaking
Gale - Vancouver, B.C.
Mindy - Taiwan
Tom - Ukraine
Adam - Sao Paulo South, Brazil
Grace - Japan
Darcy - Korea Seoul
Stephanie Ann - Spain
Jacob - Poland
Sterling - Oregon
Capri - Taiwan
Connor - South Africa
Carlie - Philippines
Dalin - Utah
Samantha - South Dakota
Robert - Ireland
Alicia - Guatemala
Mayra - Mexico Durango
Hno. M. - Utah
Goldie - Spain
Paul - Mexico
Murlene - Spain, Madrid
Shauna - Spain
Shellie - Thailand
Adele - Washington (state)
Dania - Peru
Linda - Brazil
Carlie - Chile
Kenna - Bolivia (a wise guess)
Shelly - Bolivia (another wise guess)
Barbara - Ecuador
Sophia - Paraguay
Amber - Guatemala City, Guatemala
Todd - Australia, English speaking
Josh (cousin-in-law) - Uruguay Montevideo oeste
Bow - California Sacramento, Jive speaking
Curtis - Oklahoma
Michelle - Idaho Pocatello, English speaking
Carl - Japan
Carol - Columbia
Tracie - Russia
Lorna - Mexico
Natalie - Ukraine
Andrea - Wisconsin
Theran - Washington D.C. South
Richard - Michigan
Clarissa - Texas
Whitney - Australia
Isaac - Turkey
Elaine - Spain Madrid
Elder Josh - Alabama
Rex - Ukraine
Conal - Washington D.C. South
Kristie - Taiwan
Clark - Milan, Italy
Rachelle - Mexico City
Michelle - Argentina
Julie - Hong Kong
Jennifer - Taiwan Taipei
Aaron - Spain Madrid
Bruce - Truth or Consequences, New Mexico - Navajo speaking (Josh's grandpa went Navajo speaking!)
Monique - Houston, Texas - Spanish speaking
Rodney - Lisbon, Portugal
Craig - Samoa
Jenette - Madagascar speaking Malagasay
Hannah Sophia - Barcelona, Spain
Caralee - Paraguay
Vickie - New York
Leslie - Czech Republic
Teresa - Montreal, Quebec
Laura - Brazil
Kevin - New Zealand
Chris - France, Toulouse
Joshua Wayne - Brazil
Lynsie - Florida
Renae - Brazil
Marcy - Bolivia (my friends are wise)
Carson - Canada
Caleb - Washington (state)
Alyssa - Florida
Ethan - Australia
Angie - Denver, Colorado Spanish speaking
Kalli - Honduras
Laurel - Argentina
Tyson - Wisconsin