Hello,
I'm the father of a young Elder serving a spanish speaking mission in the Washington Spokane Mission. He has 10 1/2 months to go (yes we are counting). He loves the work and has been blessed with some baptisms and has become bilingual. Interestingly, Our small ward has seen a number of baptisms approximately equal to those he has been blessed to be involved with. Seems the harder he works and more obedient he is, our ward receives a comparable outpouring of blessings.
As a parent of a missionary I won't say it isn't difficult being away from him and not being able to put my arms around him. I miss my buddy! But I know that he is doing His work and building the kingdom. He absolutely loves the people he has met and feels very loved. Thanks to all those members in the area he is serving in who are looking after him, we feel at bit less anxious and we know he is being protected.
I am so grateful for the Gospel which provides such opportunities to serve. As he has learned through sacrifice and hard work and putting the Lord's will first, he has grown considerably. We sent out a boy. In return, we are seeing him become a man of God.
I am deeply humbled by this.
I would be happy to share our experiences with anyone with sons or daughters in the mission field.
Mark
