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I was baptized when I was 16. Although I had some contact with the missionaries, most of my preparation was through ward leaders and one of my high school teachers. My parents allowed my baptism, but weren't terribly supportive. I was determined to learn what I needed to know to be completely active in the Church so I kept learning (and making mistakes). I was able to attend BYU which helped me a great deal. I think that if you are considering joining the Church, the most important thing is that you have a solid testimony of the Gospel, especially of Jesus Christ. After that, things will come along in their own time. Oh, and, just for the record, this all happened nearly forty years ago. I can remember it so clearly as my baptism was one of the most important turning points of my whole life.

Congratulations! Such a beautiful part of the world.

Congratulations!

I say 'go for it'! Find a good skydiving business that will allow you to tandem jump. Gives you a chance to have the experience without worrying about having to remember when to pull the cord. lol. I went about seven years ago when my middle son turned 18 (the minimum age to jump). We had a wonderful time! The company had us go through an hour long training program and then off we went. My husband was such a downer about the whole thing that I wouldn't let him come out to the drop zone on jump day. He had to watch the video afterwards. I'll admit that ferris wheels are not my favorite things...ski lifts are even worse. Skydiving is NOTHING like that. I had absolutely no fear on the day we jumped. Had the biggest adrenalin rush of my life! And, since it didn't happen if there weren't any pictures... (My tandem instructor and I. He's the one with the beard. lol.)

Happy Birthday Pam!

Congratulations to you and your son! My son served in that mission about 10 years ago. He absolutely loved it. He dreams about returning with his family (including his momma. lol.)

Congratulations!

Congratulations to you and your son!

I can't wait!

He's a little excited to come home as he's missed a lot...the birth of twin nephews, his brother's wedding. He's looking forward to meeting all the new family members. On the other hand, he loves both the country and its people very much. He has spent a great deal of his mission going barefoot, which he loves, and eating native food, which he also loves. Apparently, he is not a picky eater at all anymore. One of his favorite new special meals is fruit bat. I have no clue where we'd be able to get those around here.

Thanks for the support everyone! It is really wonderful to have sons who have been so willing to serve the Lord. And, as a family, we have really benefited from the blessings associated with having a missionary out. But we are a very close knit family, too, and the absence of anyone even temporarily is hard on us all. My granddaughter, who is 4, went with us to the MTC on the day that we dropped our missionary off. She is so excited to have him back that she's been driving her mom crazy asking when Uncle will be home. Her mom finally helped her make a calendar chain to keep track of the days when he will be back.

Got some really wonderful news yesterday. Our missionary is coming home on May 15th! He's been serving in the Fiji Suva mission, but since he's in the French-speaking part of the mission, he's been in New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands the whole time. Needless to say, I'm thrilled to have him come home! Here's a picture taken near his home on Lifou: I have to say, third time has NOT been the charm. This is my third son that has served a full-time mission and it hasn't gotten any easier. My only solace is that it'll be at least 13 years until my grandchildren are ready to go.

Congrats Jennarator!

While I understand the prophet's directive to limit ourselves to one earring per ear, I'm not sure that 'enforcing' the idea at girls' camp is a good one. In our stake, camp has proven to be a great way to fellowship less active and even some non-LDS girls. So, with this guideline in place, does that mean a young woman who is unwilling to remove her piercings but would otherwise come to camp be unwelcome? Seems to me that camp should be more about fellowship and less about appearances.

That's great news! I wish them lots of happiness together.