"You are hereby called to labor..."

We've been waiting for my parents to get their FOURTH mission call this week. Their destination was going to be New Zealand. There was an opening for a family history couple at the beginning of June and the contact in Salt Lake City over the assignment of missionaries in the family history department was going to hold it for them.

But that changed about two weeks ago. We found out why today. My dad had a moderate heart attack about 12 years ago. Apparently, trying to get a work VISA in New Zealand or Australia is really difficult and  their health system is overwhelmed. They don't want anyone coming to the country who they think might end up knocking on their hospital doors and...having had a heart attack...even though it isn't related to heart disease, is one of those "no exceptions." Now my mom could have gone to New Zealand, she would have just had to go with someone else and they didn't think that was the best course of action :)

They We were all disappointed, of course, but it didn't last long.

The post office called this morning to notify them that there was a large, white envelope waiting for them.

They have been called to serve in London, England as family history missionaries and will report to the Provo, UT MTC on April 22, 2013.

It was either that or Cambodia! (The only two places available for English speaking missionaries overseas at the time my parents wanted to go). They would have happily gone to Cambodia too, actually, but they LOVED being in Scotland on their last mission and this is pretty close. Jared went to Europe (Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and even Spain) for a month doing his emergency room rotation 7 years ago. I, however, have not, so maybe we can work it out to go visit them before they come home. I have already have a passport!!

My parents were actually supposed to go to Bangalore, India on mission #3, but right before they were supposed to leave, the country stopped issuing VISAs to American missionaries. (Our old home teacher was serving as mission president there and asked for my parents to come over and the First Presidency approved it!) I asked if that ban had finally been lifted. They said no. They still aren't allowing American missionaries over there. They have to be Canadian. Interesting.

We're very excited for my parents. We're very excited for us. There are special blessings that come from our parents serving a mission and we're looking forward to hearing all about their adventures in England.