"The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ." (Elder David A. Bednar. You can read this amazing talk here.)
Zach left to serve his two-year mission in Athens, Greece, on October 17, 2007 (I can't believe it's been four years already!).
He was going to spend the first eight weeks of his mission in the MTC (Mission Training Center) in Provo, Utah, where he would become pretty much fluent in Greek and would study the missionary lessons daily.
It was a very bittersweet day, but more sweet than bitter.
One of the dreams/goals I've had for my sons (and my daughters, too, if that's what they choose), is that they would serve missions.
So on this day, there wasn't anywhere else I wanted Zach to be, but I was also sad to see him go. I was very joyful and very sad at the same time. Two years is a long time to not see your son, and we could only email him weekly and talk to him on Mother's Day and on Christmas Day. I think those rules are very inspired, because when a young person is on a mission, they are to devote all their time 24/7/365 to serving the Lord, not being homesick or wrapped up in what's going on at home. Very inspired.
Anyway.
I was having a very hard time controlling my emotions. I think I get my emotionality from my Dad. I'm sure of it.
We were walking up to the MTC sign (see first picture) to take some pictures with Zach, and I was having a hard time. I'm also very self-conscious about people seeing me cry. Silly. I know.
Here's where the tender mercies begin.
(Tender mercy #1): As we were walking up to the sign, we passed another couple with an MTC-entering son. They walked past us and then I heard, "Susan?" I turned around and it was my best friend from our Lexington days, Lili. Lili's son, Jesse, was born a week after Zach. I hadn't seen Lili in probably 10 years, but we had talked off and on. Lili was an amazing friend. I was so surprised to see her! And she was having a hard time controlling her emotions, too. We said a few hellos, exchanged some hugs and they went on their way back to the MTC. We took our pictures and went back to the MTC for the orientation meeting.
(Tender mercy #2): When we arrived at the meeting place, we discovered that Lili and her husband, Reid, and Jesse were in our orientation meeting. This is a tender mercy in so many ways. They hold orientation meetings every half hour (although since the bird flu thing they don't hold orientation meetings at all anymore), and for Jesse to be entering the MTC on the same day as Zach, at the same time, well, the odds are very, very small. We entered the meeting with Lili, Reid, and Jesse and sat by them.
Tender mercy #3): Like I said, I was having a hard time. I knew Zach would be well taken care of, because the Lord takes care of his missionaries. But I'm also a Mom. The MTC President, President Boothe, spoke to us and he was awesome! Then his wife spoke to us. It was as if she was speaking just to me. She talked about how all eight (8!) of their children had served missions, and talked about the emotions we parents were feeling. I knew she knew what she was talking about. Then she pointed to the two exit doors: one for the missionaries and one for the families. She told us, "When your son or daughter walks through that door, they are literally walking into the arms of the Savior. He will be with them 24 hours a day every day of their missions as they serve His children." That really hit home. To visualize my son walking into the arms of the Savior was just what I needed (I still get teary when I remember this).
When the orientation meeting was over, we hugged Zach and he walked through the missionary exit door. He didn't look back.
Which is as it should be.
We left Provo, and even though I was a bit teary on the way back to Pocatello (John's company was having their annual company meeting that same week), I felt a great sense of peace.
And though I did miss Zach, I knew he was where he was supposed to be. The two years he was on his mission really flew by, and we were so blessed as a family through his service.
We can't wait to send Parker in 16 months. :o)
And even though we'll miss him, we wouldn't want him to be anywhere else.
Through this experience, I was reminded, again, how the Lord knows and loves each one of us individually, and that He cares about us. He knows what we're going through, and He sends tender mercies to help us all along the way.
Jesse is the only friend of Zach's that was born around the same time as Zach, and therefore, the only person who would even remotely be entering the MTC at the same time. Zach received his mission call on May 31, and had an unusually long period of time between his call and beginning his mission, due to all the paperwork and stuff that missionaries going to Greece have to do. So it's an even more "tender" tender mercy that Jesse would be entering the MTC on the same day at the same exact time.
The Lord knew I needed my friend Lili that day, my only friend who would know what I was feeling on that exact day since none of my other friends had children who had left on missions yet, and He knew how to make that happen.
Tender mercies are real.
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