As parents Tim and I have sent off two
missionary sons to date.
Our oldest son, Tim, went to the Montreal Canada Mission (French speaking) October 2005-2007. It was there that he met the family of his future wife while she (Lisa) was serving as a missionary in Japan.
While they never met in person on Tim's mission, they did write letters to each other periodically while they were serving their missions -- Tim in Canada and Lisa in Japan. Lisa returned home several months before Tim finished his mission and she sent a package to our home that arrived the very day that we were picking Tim up from the airport! When I told him he had a package that came from an L. Brook his only response was a sweet smile. :)
Several weeks after his return our family travelled back to New York (where I am from) and then up into Canada to see Tim's mission area. Tim had arranged for us to stay with several families while we were there and one of them was the Brook family. The day we met Lisa in person was also the first time that Tim met Lisa in person!
After having lunch with Lisa and her sister Tracy at a restaurant called The Works, we toured around with the Brook sisters in downtown Ottawa then went back to their house where we met their parents and two other sisters, Vicky and Susan. Lisa's brother Carl was still serving a mission in San Diego, California.
We stayed the night with the Brook family and in the morning readied ourselves to leave. Before leaving we knelt in prayer with this sweet family and Cathy Brook, Lisa's mother, asked Tim (the Elder) to offer the prayer. There was such a sweet spirit in the room as all of us knelt together. Tim's voice spoke with great emotion and tears began to fall. We didn't know what was happening in that room but in weeks to follow it was evident that Tim and Lisa had something special between them and that
something special led them to be married for time and all eternity in the Louisville Kentucky Temple on August 22, 2008. What a glorious day for the Valenta and Brook families!*This is Tim and Lisa on their wedding day two years ago.
*The above picture of young Tim is my favorite picture from his mission. :)
Our second missionary son is Jordan who is currently serving in the Brazil Belo Horizonte Mission (October 2009-2011). In October he will be out for one year -- that big halfway mark. :) This picture of him is my favorite one so far...
*In the city of Ribeirao da Neves, Brazil.
He will return home in October 2011.
~Sweet missionary moments for our family indeed.~
2 comments:
Can you believe we are halfway through with number two??? Then, a nice break for a year and a half or so, right??
I LOVE the picture of Tim as well! I can't believe Jordan has been gone a year already! It seems like just yesterday he was in primary and I would look at him and think what a cute little guy he was and how he was going to "grow up" and be a handsome and special young man! and indeed he has!!
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