Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween Missionary Trivia

Missionaries and Halloween, you say. How do those two fit together?

Halloween 1970 Elder Glen Jensen enters the Missionary Home in Salt Lake City. He has been called to serve in the Uraguay Paraguay Mission. Grandpa Raymond watches on the left. Aunt LaRee stands in the white coat on the right. Glen and his mother had traveled from California to Utah a few days before and Glen had spent some time up at Strawberry Reservoir with Grandpa Raymond helping him re roof his fishing trailer. Glen was the first missionary in some time to leave from the Hawthorne, California ward. Remember, this was also during the Viet Nam War and a nationwide draft was in place. Glen, through the luck of the draw, had been given a call up number in the 300's. Interesting fact: Glen also saw President Nixon on this day as he passed by in a car on the streets of SLC. Watergate and Nixon's resignation were still in the future.

Halloween 1996 Ryan receives his mission call in the mail. All the extended family gathers around after school and before the trick or treating to watch him open it. We opened the window to make more room for everyone to share the moment. Nathan seems to have the primo position. The call: Salvador Brazil North Mission. And now we know that it also meant that we would eventually have Emilia Julia in our family! Emilia has some great pictures of her hometown on her blog today. Both she and Ryan have traveled those streets.

Did you notice her? The pregnant ghost on the table. No announcement this time, just Halloween decor.

1 comment:

Vagabond Mother said...

What a fun picture of Dad- especially to think that 26 years later his son would be getting a mission call.

I remember that afternoon. I rode in Ryan's trooper and I smelled like a lawnmower. He was so crazy excited to go on his mission, he wasn't wasting anytime.