A Marvelous Work

Wow.  I can't believe this day has actually come.  Elder Hansen (yes, he is officially an Elder now) will be reporting to the Missionary Training Center in t-minus six hours!  My heart is extremely full, my head registers disbelief, and my eyes are wet with emotion.

I am emotional because I am excited for him.  I am emotional because I will miss him so much.  I am emotional because I am not there to give him one last hug or watch him walk into the MTC and towards an amazing future.  I am emotional because my dad isn't there to give him a few more words of encouragement.  I am emotional because way too many goodbyes have been said in far too little time.

But what a mighty work this young man will do.  Thinking of a nineteen year old boy in a foreign land speaking an unknown language and testifying of the truth of the restored Gospel is a bit mind boggling.  How can those circumstances bring about life changing events for the people Elder Hansen will come in contact with?  It seems far fetched and improbable, but in fact it is those elements combined with the blessings and spirit of the Lord that will touch the Bolivian people who's hearts and minds are ready to receive the Gospel.

Sending my baby brother to a far away land where he knows no one and will have to do so much on his own is frightening, but I know that he will not be left alone.  I know that he will have a mortal companion and Mission President who will help him stay focused and safe.  He will be blessed with a measure of the Spirit he has never known.  And he will be guided by a third companion, my dad, who will inspire and comfort him each day.

Many people have wondered how Jace can leave and focus on a mission so soon after all that has happened.  But really, how could he not?  As a family we are confident that Bolivia is where Jace needs to be at this moment.  He and our family will be the recipients of innumerable blessings that would only come through this selfless service.  And when has there been a greater need for such extra enlightenment and sanctification?

This is a picture of the newly (as in Saturday, August 29, 2010) dedicated temple in Kiev, Ukraine.  Kiev is where Ryan spent 2001-2003 serving his mission.  In fact he arrived in Ukraine exactly 9 years ago today.  After a wonderful and faithful two years of service, Ryan left the country with the knowledge that first stake was being established and that a temple would one day be built on some of the very ground on which he stood.  Even though he was not present to witness some of the amazing strides that have been taken by the church in Ukraine, the work he did as a missionary there no doubt helped to move the Gospel forward in that country. 

I know that the service Jace gives in Bolivia will have the same long lasting effects.  He may not baptize 200 people or see wards, stakes, and temples erected in the two years he is there, but his presence and his testimony will act as one of many stepping stones in bringing the Gospel to all the inhabitants of the Earth.