"I Hope They Call Me On a Mission!"

The day after Thanksgiving is BLACK FRIDAY, when all of the stores have really great deals to start off the Christmas shopping.  I normally don't kill myself to get out there and get the bargins, but this time I couldn't resist the deals this year.  I was out at 5:00 that morning making rounds to all the stores and called Doug and Austin about 10:00 to see if they could take me to breakfast while they were in St. George delivering Austins truck bed he was selling.  We met at the Cracker Barrel and were in the middle of our breakfasts when Cody called to tell Austin that he had the next two years of his life in his hands.  HIS MISSION CALL HAD COME AND WE WEREN'T HOME!!!  Suddenly we were nervous, anxious, and Austin couldn't drive he was shaking so badly.  We hurried and texted everyone we knew to meet at one o'clock to open his call. 

I rushed home and Austin and Doug delivered his truck bed, then rushed home.  Because I got their first I got to try and see the letter first. 

Sadly, the letter was hidden by the mission packet and I couldn't see anything.  Darn. 

Dear Elder Beutler, You have been called to serve as a missionary. . . .

The letter signed by President Thomas S. Monson himself.  We were kind of hoping he could go somewhere he hadn't been before, but Austin has a great attitude about going wherever the Lord wanted him to go and is excited to serve in Anaheim, California.  I struggled with it for day or so until I was reading the letter again and realized that the Prophet reviews and signs every letter personally.  He double checks each call to make sure the call is what the Lord wants and I know that this is where Austin needs to go to serve.  I'm grateful he is going to be close enough to send packages and letters and that we can easily go and get him when he finished. We are very proud of Austin and his decision to serve a mission.  He is going to the happiest mission on earth!!  (because Disneyland is in their mission).  He is going to have a great experience.  Congratulations Austin!!