Call me "Hermana Delis"... :)

Okay, so sorry for the posting drought. But! Good news: we have some calls. :) Christian may or not post what his is...if he doesn't in the next few days, just check his side of the blog (right side). I may or may not have posted where and when he's going... :)

I will, however, tell you where I am going in a minute. First, though, I'm so sorry to have left so many people who care about me in the dark while we all waited for my call. It's been quite the semester, and while it's been crazy and unexpected, I am really thankful to have it as apart of my little collection of memories. I learned a lot. I know a lot better why I want to serve. I feel like I'll be a lot better because I feel a lot less ready to go. Funny how that happens, but thank goodness it did. Anyway, I feel so good about my life going in this way, and that is awesome. I can't ask for much more than that. I am a very lucky girl.

Okay, well do you want to know where I'm going? Okay, fine--I'll tell you. :)

I have been called to serve in the Illinois Chicago mission speaking Spanish! BAH!

The mail came at like 1:56 (not a joke--I was timing it), and before that I had checked it about three times since 11:15. Embarrassing? Maybe so. It's okay, though, I say. Anyway, it came, and I read it, what an experience when it is YOUR call, and with your family no less!! How did I get so lucky? I just don't know.

Before I go on, let me back track. When a future missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints gets a mission call, (1) it is a letter that comes in the mail, (2) it comes from the church headquarters, and it's signed by the prophet--mine is signed by President Thomas S. Monson, (3) it tells you the location you will be serving, what language you will be speaking, when you enter the Missionary Training Center (MTC), and then your purpose as a missionary and the basic expectations. It's like half a page worth of text, and it's a standard letter except to tell you your unique mission, language, and MTC entrance date. Prior to getting the letter you have no idea about anything concerning your missionary service other than you want to go serve. So this is a big letter to get. Lots of anticipation.

Anywho, I have seen multiple "call openings"-- it happens a lot when you are in a freshman ward at BYU. And EVERY time, when you heard the place, you thought to yourself "DUH"--it just made sense that that person was sent there. So I was expecting to read it and think "DUH!" and have this instant connection with the people, the place...like I just belonged or something. Well, it actually didn't happen like that for me. In fact, Spanish speaking in Chicago? What the heck? I never would have guessed. It's going to be something else. Goodness!

So I didn't feel like I had expected. The location-language connection isn't instant for me. However, previously making the decision to serve and then reading that "I have been recommended as one worthy to serve" and reading about my purpose as a missionary--totally instant. It wasn't overwhelming to read the letter, it just made sense. That peace of mind absolutely means the world to me--it's totally happy. I don't have words to describe it really, but it was perfect for me.

And so I guess it's finally official: I'm a future missionary. :) Thanks again to everyone who's been following our little trail to the mission field--I'll probably post a lot more than most of you care to hear about as we get ready to enter the MTC. But more posts to come. I promise. :) Love you all :)

The future Hermana Delis :)

Mom, it's your birthday

Hi! Happy birthday to our mom!! Yes, today is her special day, and Christian and I just wanted to say,

WE LOVE YOU, MOM!!

We are so grateful for all that you do. It is loads, most of which we probably do not quite understand yet. But we hope one day we can raise our families in homes as happy as the one we've been raised in. It has been our world for so long, and we absolutely love it. It will be hard to be away for so long, that is for sure. But it has given us the invaluable foundation we hope we'll just keep building on. Thanks, mom. You mean the world to us!! :)

And for all that I don't quite know how to say, here is a song from Candace:

She hit the nail on the head!! "Not to mention the meeeeals..." Thank goodness for Phineas and Ferb!! Haha :)

30 days and counting!

Hello! Happy Monday!

Well, I blew it with all the build up about when we can turn in the papers--sorry to be crazy. Here is the official turn in day for sure according to President Hall:

September 8!

That's 100 days before we are available to serve, which is the new magic number. So, as of yesterday, that is the official day. :) Sorry I am so confusing. I think we can count on this to be the day, though. I really do! And I can already tell that the name of the game for these next thirty days is patience. Gotta work on it. But we can do it. AH!

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing great and August is just moving along happily for all. :)

Something 'Bout Love

Hi! Katie here. :)

I am so excited to be serving a mission so soon. LDS sister missionaries, I think, are so lucky because the decision to serve is so personal. For me the whole process seems more and more to be rooted in love. The love of my supportive family members, learning to better love the gospel I've been raised in and the Savior, recognizing His love for me and my family and the people I meet, learning to love my own decisions and trusting that the right things will happen. It is just so happy! I feel so much so that it is such a privilege for me to get to serve, and I am so grateful that my summer has turned out the way it has; I have loved it. Anyway, I just can't hold it in today: I love that I get to be a sister missionary! :)

And since we're on the subject of "Things Katie Loves," would you like to know what else I love?

Okay, I will tell you: David Archuleta. And he says that there's "Something 'Bout Love," and if he says it...it must be true. ... :)

See? He's great!! Such a good boy!! As for our "papers" update: because we had to do a few things for our medical papers, the earliest they can be sent in is tonight. SO, sorry for the anticipation build-up last post, but tonight really could be the night! I'll keep you updated. And maybe David Archuleta will write a song about us getting our mission calls that I can post on the blog next time we hear about the progress! I guess we'll just have to wait and see... :)

So I say to myself, "Self, we almost have some mission calls!"

Hi! Happy today!

Well, big news today. :) Christian and I went in tonight for our final interview before being issued a mission call! The logistical process of "becoming a missionary" is fairly simple, but it is very structured. It involves multiple meetings with various church leadership to establish recommendations, completing physical and dental examinations, and filling out a personal contact information and an interests/leadership section (KIND OF like what you would see on a college application). And so we've done all we were asked to, and the very last step is to meet with the stake president for a final interview. And tonight we did!

Not only was today the last step of the paperwork process, but we got a little bit of a surprise. President Hall said that he was going to try to submit our paperwork TOMORROW so that we can get be in the cue to be issued a mission call by the General Authorities NEXT THURSDAY, which means we might have our mission calls before the end of August!! Before we all get too excited: because of when our availability date is (Christian's birthday! December 17), we might have to wait until August 17 (120 days before we are available to serve) to actually turn them in. But Pres. Hall told us that he wanted to try to get them in tomorrow, so there is a small chance that we could get our call a few weeks earlier than we had anticipated. It's crazy! It's a small chance, but it's there nonetheless. :)

What an adventure it has been! How crazy is it that this is just the beginning? Well, maybe crazy is not the right word. It's unexpected, and it's different. Definitely happier than anything I could've come up with myself. I sure am grateful for that. :)

Anyway, we have to do some little odds and ends with our medical forms tomorrow morning, and then we will keep you posted on the status of our papers from there. Holy cow--we'll know where we're serving so soon.

Holy cow. It's real.

It's a funny thing to not know anything about where I am going to spend an 18 month chunk of my life--I've told you before I really love my plans, and now my plans are to not have plans...at least not like I am used to. I feel like I should be more nervous, but I'm not. I just want to GO. It's hard to not want to when it just feels right. So I say to myself, "Self, why make it hard?" :)

So anyway, we are excited. :) Thanks for being supportive and interested in our little journey--it's important to us, and we really want to be just where ever we are called. Whatever this experience is--crazy, unexpected, different--it's our life, and we are grateful that it is the way it is right now. We are just happy to be in the midst of a truly joyful adventure. :) We love it! And, most likely, we love you too!! :) Thanks for sharing such a special time with us. :)

ROCK ON, MISSIONARY MAN!!

Hi! Katie speaking. Happy Sunday!

GUESS WHAT.

CHRISTIAN JUST TURNED IN HIS PART OF HIS PAPERS!! Wahooo!! We are so excited. He is going to be a GREAT missionary. AH! I just can't believe it. We are going to know where he is going so soon. My guess: Guatemala. And my hope is that he goes to Australia. My reasons: It's an English speaking mission (so no language barrier and you get to start proselyting quickly), it's totally foreign (how adventurous), and there would generally be warmer weather (farmer's tans galore!!). Sounds stupendous! It's fun to think about where he'll go. I get antsy thinking about it for me. So I just like to focus on Christian. Ultimately, here ever he goes, he'll be awesome. No doubts. :)

Anyway, before I post Christian's "mug shots," I wanted to tell you about this cool tradition the family has started. Every week we spend a night studying "Preach My Gospel," which is the manual LDS missionaries use for proselyting. I love this book, and I LOVE studying it with my family. It's a really happy time to learn from my family members. They all pick out different things to talk about--things that I'd have missed or don't understand--and they explain it in ways totally new to me. It's awesome to hear the perspectives of those people that are most important to me. I love it! We studied it together today, and I am just happy to have such a supportive and insightful family. I feel so lucky!

WELL. Here's what we've all been waiting for, THE MISSIONARY MAN!

This is the one he chose to put on the forms! How handsome!

Had he been asked to serve in Hamstertown, this is the picture he'd have chosen!!

This is me making Christian do weird things again!

He'll be thrilled when I am no longer his "companion" :)

ROCK ON, MISSIONARY MAN!

Let's all together "thank goodness" that Christian is normal. THANK GOODNESS!! :)

"I hope they call me on a mission!"

Hello, friends!! It's Katie, and both Christian and I are all healed up from the major loss of wisdom. I still can't stick very many fingers in my mouth at once, but it's all healing great. In fact, the doctor told me today that I am "a week ahead of schedule," BOOYAH.

Well, I recently realized I didn't really make any sort of announcement before posting the first blog entry, and it has been brought to my attention that that might be appropriate. SO, here it is:

I am preparing to serve a full-time mission!

This summer has become a totally different experience from what I had planned and expected, but it has been overwhelmingly peaceful. Prior to the decision to start my papers, I had felt funny about going back to school for the summer, so kind of on a whim, I decided to not go back (which was scary for me! I needed to take these specific classes, and I just like to love my plans and think they are really great. So changing them so quickly without any reason more than "I feel funny about leaving home" was intimidating for me). The day after I officially decided to stay at home, someone randomly called about buying my housing contract, and then a few days later I got a nannying job for the summer--things just started to fall into place! I was really grateful for that. Then over the next few weeks, I felt very strongly that I should start looking into serving a full-time mission. So I started to get to work on the process, and it has been so incredibly smooth and totally happy. It's turned into an awesome way to spend the summer--being at home with my family, nannying, and preparing to serve a mission? HOW PERFECT! I love these new plans; they make me so happy because they feel so right. I just couldn't be more excited for this next little adventure. :)

SO ANYWAY. :) Christian and I are finally filling out our paperwork! We just got authorized to fill them out yesterday, and we are basically done with our parts. I am so excited. It is so happy!! :) Everything should be all ready to turn in by August teen-something. AH! I can't wait!!

And...because I love pictures...my mom and I snagged some photogs to use as my "Prospective Missionary Picture" for the paperwork--I'm just not sure which one to use...

Not a bad selection, huh?

Well, even still, below is the final choice. I guess needless to say, I hope they call me on a mission!!

The day we lost all of our wisdom.

Hello, there! Welcome to our fun new blog! This is Christian's and my blog that we are going to keep updated as we prepare for and serve full time missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Let me tell you: we are so excited. :) That partially explains why I, Kate Delis, the crazy one of the two of us, made a blog five months prior to our availability dates. I am just so excited.

BUT, we did not start the blog with nothing to write about. Our first post is about getting our wisdom teeth out!! We did that today, and I think it's really great that we got to do it together. It's like we're twin-ers!! I love that my not-so-little younger brother and I get to do all of our preparation together. Really, it's been awesome so far. :)

And those who prepare together...take pictures together!! Here are some of the great ones from this adventure:

This is RIGHT when we got home, haha, Christian wasn't so happy about the thumbs up, but he did it anyway. What a guy!

Mom's contraption to help my swelling. My chin did NOT swell!! Thanks, mom!! Hahahaa :)

Our yummy mashed potato dinner!! Our parents were so great to help us ALL day long. We were whiny, and they were still really accommodating. Thanks, mom and dad. :) By the way, Christian, you don't even look swollen! NICE!

This picture kills me. Christian has the best expressions ever.

Only a really great boy would put up with all of this nonsense from his not-so-big sister--I'm so happy I get to prepare with you, Christian!! Thanks for putting up with the weird things I do!