Ending and Beginning

Elder and Sister Rhodes: Beginning the Journey

Well, the time has come. My dad and step-mom have been waiting to leave on a mission for a while now. Longer if you add in the delays to sending off papers and actually getting the call. They were originally meant to leave at the end of November to start their service in the India New Delhi mission but no visa meant plans were on hold. Because they had rented out their home, I've been lucky enough to put them up for the past 2 months. However, despite not yet receiving their visas, they left on Saturday for their two weeks of training in Provo, Utah and have fingers crossed that their visas will arrive soon.

This is the second time I've had a parent move in with me during a transition time. Mom lived with me in my little apartment in Cambrian Heights while she was waiting to move into the Tuscany house with Janelle and Rob. I really enjoyed the time we had to spend together.  Now it has been a second time with a parent living with me. Dad and Tina have been great roommates - Dad has been finding all kinds of projects that I've neglected and Tina has made things sparkle and had delicious meals ready.  I've enjoyed the routines, coming downstairs each morning to find Dad sitting on the couch in front of the laptop, enjoying an episode of Murder She Wrote with dinner, daily updates on the efforts to secure a visa, wrap up paperwork, going ons in India from the Wiggs and Sackleys blogs and keeping up with the Learys who are also waiting for their visas. I joked with Dad that he wasn't going to get his visa until we had finished organizing the basement but since that may never be finished (he did help me make a great start!!), I'm glad they didn't have to wait that long before starting out on this adventure.

I'm going to miss them but I know they are well prepared and excited to serve. I'm looking forward to following their updates on their blog.