Missionaries in Waiting

It has been so long since we have made a post on this blog that you probably think we have dropped off the face of the earth. Well, in a way we have. We were planning on starting our mission in Brazil on October 6, 2014. We were all ready to go, but one week before leaving we got word from the missionary department that our visas had not arrived and our date was changed to November 17th. On November 14th (three days before we were to go) the date was changed to November 28 with confidence from the travel office that the visas would be there. Sure enough, three days before that day we were changed to December 17th (won't be home for Christmas). We didn't hear anything until we called the mission office on December 15th (two days before we were to leave) and received a new date of January 28, 2015 (we will be home for Christmas). We knew there was a potential for delays in visas, but we weren't prepared for the short notice from the travel office in each date change.

Meanwhile, though sitting on pins and needles, we have been able to celebrate with the family. In October we celebrated Diane's birthday and our 42nd wedding anniversary. We went out to eat at the Elements restaurant in Logan instead of eating out in Brazil as expected. In November we celebrated Brynlie's 6th birthday.

Brynlie with her jungle cake

We also celebrated Lauren's 8th birthday.

Lauren turns 8

Shortly after Lauren's birthday she was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - a very special occasion for her as well as for us.

Lauren in her baptismal dress

To celebrate this day we all went to the Willow Park Zoo in Logan and saw a reindeer. Afterward we went to Golden Corral for dinner.

Lauren with the reindeer

Alyssa eating cotton candy

Also in November we were able to attend the sealing on our niece, Sharon with her husband, Mitchell in the Bountiful Temple. It is always a special experience being with my brother David and his family.

Sharon and Mitchell with family

In December we also celebrated Kohler's 10th birthday.

Scary, isn't he?

This waiting period also brought three holidays. Halloween is always a fun holiday with our family. Andrea always makes clever costumes for the kids.

Brynlie with the dog "Mini"

North Logan has a standing tradition of the Pumpkin Walk where many pumpkins and gourds are carved and painted to form scenes. 

The family ready for the Pumpkin Walk

Diane at one of the pumpkin scenes

Who are these cartoon characters?

Not only are the kids decorated for Halloween, but our house has spiders crawling all over.

Cobwebs in the entry

Our ward started a new tradition with Trunk & Treat, where people dress up and get treats in the church parking lot from the back of trunks.

Sis Harris really knows how to treat out of a trunk

Sherlock and Watson (Alyssa and Kamary)

Thanksgiving was really different this year. Since the family was planning on going to Salt Lake for Thanksgiving Day we decided to have our Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday instead of on Thursday. Lest ye think we are really rebels when it comes to traditions, remember that Canada had Thanksgiving on October 13th. What's one day?

Since we weren't going to be here for Christmas we didn't do a lot of planning. We weren't even going to get the tree out and decorate. We spent a lot of the season attending Christmas related programs, including several choir concerts, orchestra concerts

This orchestra includes many family members

and a band concert (where Andrea played in a special clarinet quartet).

Andrea in the band (on the left)

We were also able to go to a Christmas Fair at This is the Place Monument in Salt Lake,

No snow for the Christmas Fair

see the Christmas lights in Ogden,

Christmas at Union Station

Christmas village on 25th street

and Willard Bay.

Willard Bay drive through

Meanwhile, it was fun to be home for Christmas. Andrea and her family carry on the German tradition of advent. It starts four Sundays before Christmas by lighting a candle. New candles are lit each Sunday until on the Sunday before Christmas all four candles are lit, a special German dinner is served, and many festivities are participated in. 

Lighting candles on the 4th advent

Decorating gingerbread men (instead of a house)

On Christmas Eve we had our special Christmas program which included everyone playing a Christmas song on the piano and a string quartet (3 cellos and as violin). We also had fondue for dinner.

Our string quartet

By tradition, each of the children can open one present on Christmas Eve. Also by tradition, it is always pajamas.

The pajama gang

A Wheeler tradition is to line up by age (youngest to the oldest) and march into the room with the Christmas tree (yes, we finally put up the tree).

The lineup (Brynlie goes first)

After opening presidents and having something to eat the rest of the family went to Salt Lake for a second Christmas. Diane and I were able to relax a bit.

Present time

Now that you know what we did while waiting for our visas, you may be wondering (probably not) what the status of our mission is. After we were delayed the first time we were called as Church Service Missionaries working with the ICS department in Riverton and preparing for our mission as Area Technology Specialists in Brazil. We have been to Riverton several times for training, attended the LDSTech conference in October (two days at the UofU), attended the ICS Christmas Devotional (which included the ICS choir and Bishop Davies of the Presiding Bishopric), and have corresponded with 85 technology specialists in Brazil. Diane has been putting in a lot of effort studying Portuguese.

Is it impossible to get a visa to Brazil? Two other senior couples who were in the USA at the time we got our call are now in Brazil. My cousin, Bob and his wife, Sandy visited us one day. They were planning a mission to Brazil, but when the call came it was to work with a Portuguese branch in Massachusetts. They are already on their mission.

Sandy and Bob

Meanwhile, we will be leaving on our mission tomorrow (not to Brazil!). We are still waiting for our visas, but instead of waiting at home we will be temporarily assigned to the Utah Salt Lake South Mission to work with the Mountain Shadow 1st Ward (Portuguese-speaking). As soon as our visas arrive we will go to Brazil. That is our saga for the past three months.