I woke up to an email this morning from Landon. It's Sunday and we haven't heard from him since he arrived at the MTC last Tuesday. Here's the wonderful message:
Hi family! Just letting you know that I'm in the MTC and that I'm doing okay. Don't worry. My P Day is Thursday so I will write you then. K bye.
A short and sweet message from my son. That's all I needed! Love him!
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Elder Carroll Is On His Way
What a busy morning we had trying to get out the door and to the airport to drop off Landon to catch his flight to Utah. He got up extra early and got ready. We all just kind of did our thing, ate our breakfast and loaded the car with Landon's luggage. I headed outside with him to get some last minute pictures looking all "official". Stephen gave him a Father's blessing and we said a family prayer. More pictures were taken right before we left. I wanted some good pictures with Landon before we got all "puffy-eyed" at the airport. (I speak from experience with the last Elder Carroll I sent on a mission!)
We took two cars to the airport because Stephen was going to leave directly from the airport to go to an appointment. As we drove down the driveway Landon remembered that we didn't print his ticket. DUH!!!! Frantically we got what needed off the computer and were on our way again. After getting on the freeway we hit some serious traffic. It took me almost 45 minutes to drive what normally would take me 15 minutes. I was feeling anxious and worried that we wouldn't get Landon to the airport in time.
It took us two hours to finally reach the airport and we were cutting it seriously close. I didn't think Landon was going to make it. I had been able to get in the carpool lane as we entered Atlanta and move a little faster since I had Landon and Easton in my car. Stephen wasn't able to move as quickly and he arrived at the airport a little later than us. As I arrived at the Delta baggage check-in spot I told Landon to hurry and jump out and try to get checked in. He ran to the counter while Easton and I got his suitcases out of the car for him and rolled them up to the counter. The check-in lady was so nice and helpful and she hurried. She had us in and out in less than two minutes. In a very emphatic voice she told Landon to run to security and that he would make it. He had to hurry. She handed him his boarding pass and then we walked him to the entrance of the airport. Easton and I quickly hugged Landon and he was off. It was so quick and such an abrupt way to say goodbye to your son who was leaving for two years, but we didn't have a choice. He walked away and we watched. That was it. Stephen missed seeing him off and was sad about that.
Landon was picked up at the Salt Lake airport by Grandma and Grandpa who were happy to drive him to the Mission Training Center in Provo. Landon called us using Grandpa's cell phone to let us know that he had arrived and yes, he did make his flight...barely! He literally sat down in his seat on the plane and left 5 minutes later. Nothing like cutting it close!!!! He ate lunch at Zupas with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Janelle and then straight to the MTC. We wish Elder Carroll safety, success, and our Heavenly Father's blessings to be with him as he begins his journey as a missionary. We love him and will miss him but look forward to seeing the amazing things he will do and the amazing man that he will become.
Here we are Skyping with Landon using Janelle's cell phone while they were eating lunch at Zupas!
Getting Ready to Serve
Monday, February 17, Landon was set apart as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by our Stake President, President Galt. We went over to President Galt's home at 6:00 with the family and Mama and Papa Carroll. It was a special evening with Landon. President Galt asked Mama and Papa to bear their testimonies, and Landon's Mom and Dad as well. It was an evening filled with the spirit and tears as testimonies were shared. President Galt shared some counsel for Landon. He based his thoughts on some scriptures found in the Doctrine and Covenants. There are numerous verses that talk about opening our mouths and sharing the gospel. D&C 33:8-10, D&C 24:12, D&C 30:11, and D&C 30:5. All of these scriptures have the phrase "open your mouth" in them. If we open our mouths the words will come. We will be blessed with the right words to say in order to share the gospel. He encouraged Landon to not be afraid to "open his mouth". We all need to take a lesson from that...not just the full-time missionaries.
President Galt then set apart Landon to be a full-time missionary and to carry the title, Elder Carroll. He blessed him with safety, energy, and the ability to learn the Spanish language. He blessed Landon's mind that it would be open and be able to remember what he is being taught. He blessed Landon to be able to use his talents to share the gospel, specifically his musical abilities. He encouraged him to use his music to help invite the spirit. It was a beautiful blessing and now Elder Carroll is officially ready to serve! He turned over his phone and had to start following the rules of a missionary. What a great young man who is ready to be obedient to the mission rules, ready to learn, and ready to teach the people of North Carolina about Christ!
Elder Landon Carroll with President Andy Galt
It was late in the evening when the actual suitcase packing began. We had everything gathered in piles, now we just had to get it in suitcases. It seemed like there was a ton of stuff to pack and I was a little nervous that we wouldn't get it all in. We worked carefully, using every inch of space in Landon's suitcases, including all the special zipper compartments. After what seemed like hours, we finally were able to close the suitcases and be done. 1:00 am wasn't too bad of a bedtime! Landon seemed pretty calm and definitely for his new adventure of a lifetime. My boy was ready. With an early wake up call ahead of us, we headed off to bed.
Lunch Date
Monday, February 17, 2014
Friday Night Pizza
Bring On the Snow!
This is what our front yard looked like last Tuesday morning! School was canceled and we had no where to go but outside to play. Tuesday's forecast was for snow and a wintry mix in the evening which means ICE! School ended up being canceled the entire week because of the ice. I didn't even leave the house until late Thursday afternoon. I have to say that I really do love snow days. It's a chance to just slow down and spend time with the family. We played games, watched the Olympics on TV and of course, went outside. Stephen and I took a beautiful walk through the neighborhood while Easton and his friends had a blast sledding down the hill and the icy roads in our neighborhood. We stayed warm, had plenty of food and enjoyed our snow vacation. We were fortunate to not have been among the 100,000+ people in the Atlanta who were without power.
Stephen breaks out the 1990's ski outfit!
Easton and his friend, Jamie
Change of Plans
On Monday February 10, 2014 Landon had an appointment with the Stake President at 6:00 PM to be set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He would be attending the temple on Tuesday and leaving for the Mexico Missionary Training Center on Wednesday. The weather forecast for the week included snow and ice in the Atlanta area. Anyone who lives in Georgia knows that a forecast for snow and ice can bring some serious damage. I made a phone call to the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City to check on the status of Landon's flight on Wednesday and to see if they wanted to reschedule it. I knew the airport would not be functioning Wednesday with the incoming wintry weather and that Landon would most likely not be able to fly out. A sweet, reassuring worker in the Missionary department let me know that flights were not rescheduled or changed until they were canceled or delayed through the airlines. Well, OK.....we would just have to wait and see. Almost as soon as I hung up with the missionary department I received a text from a friend letting me know that the Atlanta Temple had decided to close Tuesday-Thursday in preparation of the incoming snowstorm. Well, that really threw a wrench into things. I began to be very concerned about Landon being able to leave on his mission without having gone through the temple. We contacted Salt Lake and they told us to contact our Stake President, which Landon did. President Galt said he needed to make some phone calls and that he would get back to us. We waited almost an hour and finally received his call. We had three options: 1. Wait six weeks and then leave for the Mexico MTC and go to the Mexico City Temple when Landon got there. (The Mexico City Temple was closed for six weeks.) 2. Leave Thursday, go to the Provo MTC and go through the Provo Temple. 3. Leave the following Tuesday, go to the Provo MTC and go through the Atlanta temple when it opens after the storm. After a quick discussion Landon decided he would wait the week and hopefully get to the Atlanta Temple before he left. We really wanted to be in the temple with Landon to experience that with him.
With the decision made we relaxed a little and made the best of the situation. Landon had a great attitude and was happy to just relax and enjoy the beautiful snow that came our way. The ice and snow lasted almost a full week with school being closed the entire week and the temple did not open until Saturday morning. Nothing like cutting it close! We scheduled a session at 3:00. Stephen and I were there with Landon's grandparents, Gene and Sandra Carroll. It was a beautiful session and it was so nice to be there with our son. The temple is a special place and it was a blessing to be able to share in a beautiful moment with Landon.
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