As most of you are aware, Jake's health has been declining steadily over the past four weeks. The mission president and his wife and other wonderful missionaries have helped Jake receive a plethora of blood tests and other exams to find out what is causing this sudden onset of extreme fatigue and weakness in an otherwise strong, healthy 19-year-old young man. Every test that has been performed on him has come back "good" or "normal."
At this point, everything has been done for Jake medically in Budapest and it's time for him to come home, back to the states, where we can dig deeper and determine the cause of this ailment.
Jared and I were able to have a conference video chat with our wonderful stake president, President Sharp, and Jake this morning as we learned about and discussed the options for Jake's status as a missionary once he comes home. Ultimately, this is Jake's decision. He is well in tune with the Spirit and we trust that he knows, with the Lord's help, what is best for him. President Sharp, Jared and I are behind Jake 110% in how he chooses to move forward as we delve into this medical mystery.
Best case scenario: we get a diagnosis, we treat it, and he can go back out and serve as a teaching missionary, whether that's in Hungary or stateside, prior to July 2020.
While we knew Jake wasn't feeling so great, the possibility of him coming home was a quick development for our family, just over the past few days. But we are all at peace. And while I would never have expected this, I am so, so excited to see Jake and to have his wonderful, special influence in our home again! He could not have represented our family or ward or stake as a full-time missionary ANY better than he already has these past 10 months. He gave the Lord everything he had and then some. We are so proud he is returning to us with great honor!
This has been a special experience for me as his mom. I cannot help but feel overwhelming JOY and GRATITUDE! It has been an enormous blessing for Jake to serve overseas in Hungary, to meet the people of Hungary, to serve with and learn from other missionaries, to touch and connect with all those around him, and to love it all, come what may, while the rest of us followed along. I am so grateful to God for the gift of this life-changing opportunity!
I know that the Lord is acutely aware of Jake right now. That He loves and trusts Elder Hough immensely and needs Jake to do other mighty things to help further the work of salvation. Jake is God's son, before he's mine, and God can do whatever he wants with a stalwart young man such as Jake to fulfill His purposes. Let's face it, Jake hasn't had a conventional mission from the beginning and it's been fascinating to watch all of this unfold. God isn't conventional. He's in control. Because of that, Jake has had more incredible experiences and opportunities in his 8 months in Hungary than most have during their entire mission. And for that, I am beyond grateful!
No matter what happens, I know that this isn't the end of Jake's mission. I know the Lord is carefully orchestrating certain things that need to take place to prepare Jake for future priesthood callings and responsibilities to hasten His work. This is only the beginning!
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