Eric is spending his entire Spring Break serving a 1-week mission in Vancouver, WA. He's living and working with the full-time missionaries, going door to door, teaching the gospel, the whole bit. He has to follow all the rules that the full-time missionaries follow: no TV, popular music, newspaper, magazines, internet (except for a weekly e-mail home). He has 2 hours of scripture and gospel study in the mornings, tracting (door-to-door) in the afternoons, dinners at Church members' houses, and teaching appointments in the evenings. He left Sunday afternoon and will return Saturday night. He chose to give up sleeping in, earning money with his lawn mowing business, and hanging out with friends.
I'm very proud of him. This was TOTALLY his idea. We didn't push him or coerce him or anything. Like a 2-year full-time mission, it's completely his decision. He can only commit to it if it's his idea. But he is committed to it...it's something he's wanted to do since he was little. I've been purposefully hands-off on the subject. Too many LDS parents tell their boys "You're going on a mission." I couldn't in good conscience make my son go out for two years. A missionary gives his or her heart to the Lord. They commit all their time, talent, and energy to serving Him. They have to want to be there. And Eric does.
It's been hard not being able to contact him. He's been gone for a week at a time several times in the past--Scout Camps, EFY sessions at BYU, etc. But when he was at those things, I could call him if I needed to, even if I never did. Just knowing I could was enough. But now, I have to have faith that he's doing OK. It has increased my daily prayer.
In his e-mail home to us, he said:
Monday we began personal studying and comp studying. Wow it's hard to occupy two hours with studying! After that Elder Larsen and I went tracting for a few hours, and found the joy in having doors slammed in our faces by the dozens. I can't wait to serve a mission! We gave up our lunch hour to tract more, and I think we did pretty well. We had a district meeting, then had dinner at a family's house where we had stuffed pasta shells. After that we went tracting more, and gave a blessing to a girl who's having some sort of surgery. Then we went home and went to bed. I was exhausted.
I need to get going but i'll leave you with this. I know now why Ben (his cousin who is currently serving a mission in Ukraine) is having so much fun in the field. I know what we're doing is true, and I feel the spirit so much stronger than I have in the past.
He's quite a young man. He sets an example of excellence every day that I can only hope to emulate.
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