Tomorrow, April 1, my parents will officially have 23 days until they return from the South Pacific. For the last 18 months, they have been serving a mission for the LDS church in the Marshall Islands. In fact, the mission is brand new and was formed about 6 months before they left. My former Stake President and High School principal at LCHS in Panaca was called to be the new mission president. The only reason why my parents went on this mission was that Dad was asked by (what do I call him... Mr. Bleak or Pres. Bleak?? OH WELL!) Pres. Bleak to come and serve with them. Church headquarters actually told the Bleaks to ask who ever they wanted to to come and serve with them. I think my parents were the first ones they asked! Turns out, I was in Panaca before Dad and Mom left and told Dad that as soon as he gets down there, Pres. Bleak will ask him to be is assistant. That's exactly what Dad has been doing the past 18 months, serving as Pres. Bleaks assistant. Anyway, Dad and Mom leave the Marshall Islands in 23 days. They will arrive in Las Vegas on the 23rd of April. Due to the fact that the Marshall Islands are a day ahead of the U.S., they will arrive in Vegas at the time they LEFT the Marshall Islands! Kinda cool eh!
Here's a picture of the group with an Elder who is from Fallon.
Everyone is excited to see Dad and Mom come home.
This is actually their second mission for the church. The last one took them to the other part of the world, to South Africa. There, they were assigned to the Johannesburg Area Office and lived in Cape Town. Dad also served his mission in Cape Town during his younger days AND his mother, my grandmother was born in Cape Town. While they were on this mission, they taught the people there how to do their genealogy and Dad had many reunions with people he met while a young man.
We might be able to convince Dad and Mom to stick around for a while before going on yet another mission. I don't know how long that will last.
TTFN!
