Some exciting things

Great changes have been in the wind for Malachi (and thus, all of us!). He started college at BYU at the beginning of January. He and Abe are now both living at my mom's house in Provo, though Malachi still has a debate class up by us, so he is often home for a day or two on the weekend and sometimes comes to church with us. Abe is very persuasive, though, and likes Malachi to come to church with him (also Abe is the ward clerk so he just snatched Malachi's records from us without permission!😡), so it depends on the week. Either way, we miss Ky a lot! It seemed like he was hardly ever home before anyway, but it actually does feel quite different to have him gone-gone. Sitting at the dinner table feels strange without him. Sitting on the church pew feels strange without him. Having family home evening seems strange without him. Our family just doesn't feel quite the same, and I don't like it! Happy for him, of course—college is just the sort of place Malachi loves and thrives in—but sad that we feel smaller and less complete without our three big boys. They have set the tone at home for so long. We feel their loss!

My mom sneakily took this picture for me on Abe's and Ky's first day of school. Cute to see them heading off together like that!

And here was his first day of New Student Orientation from our end—heading off to Provo on the train. Ah, I miss that boy.

But what do you suppose all these multitudes of shoes signify? Even more changes afoot! (ha. ha.) Ky turned in his papers to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and (almost immediately, it seemed—only a week later!) got his mission call! We waited with great impatience until Wednesday night when he had a break from classes and could come home to open it! He invited a bunch of friends over for the great event, which was fun. Abe didn't want any fanfare opening his, and just opened it quietly on his own, and that was fine too—but it is fun and exciting to make an occasion of it. It certainly increases the anticipation.

Abe stepped up to help Malachi figure out how to get to his call letter from the missionary portal😄

And the assignment is to…Auckland New Zealand! Wow! I wish I had a recording of the happy shrieks and gasps from the listening crowd when he read it. I felt such a strong and immediate sense of "Yes! Of COURSE! It's so perfect!" that I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of New Zealand before. Interestingly, Sam had a spiritual impression about five minutes before Ky read his call: "It's going to be New Zealand." He doesn't know why he was given such an impression, but it was kind of cool to see the Lord's hand at work. I had been praying all week that we, and especially Malachi himself, would know and feel that he was going where the Lord wanted him, and we definitely did! Ky is excited and happy. He will leave in mid-July.