How it all started.

On Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 the Presiding Bishop of our church asked us to relocate to West Africa for 2-4 years.  He asked Gregg to be the Director of Temporal Affairs for this area.  The Director of Temporal Affairs is like the General Manager; he oversees construction, real estate, finance, information technology, funding of humanitarian projects, human resources, etc.  The West Africa area includes:  Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. 

Gregg struggled with how to tell me.  So that evening, he asked me if I wanted a big adventure.  He wondered if I might be bored.  I clarified that I was not bored.  I was quite happy singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, working in the ICU/CCU of Lakeview Hospital, being a wife, mother, and grandmother and enjoying our friends and family in North Salt Lake, Utah. 

I sensed that this was a leading question and I wondered what was going on.  So, I told him to quit beating around the bush.  He then informed me of the Presiding Bishop's request and asked if I could support this change.  I said "yes" immediately but had concerns about our home, the choir, our grandchildren, and what our life would be like in Africa.  Gregg returned and confirmed our willingness with the Presiding Bishop.

The next few months are a whirlwind.  First we told our three married children.  Our two sons were very supportive and wished us well and our daughter cried.  She was due to deliver our first grandson any day and wanted her mom nearby.  But in the end, they were all on board if this was something we felt we should do.  We planned a June family reunion in Salt Lake City and that made us all feel better. 

On March 12 our daughter gave birth to a healthy baby boy and I was there to witness it.  We will miss some of his early years while we are in Africa, as well as our four granddaughters.  Fortunately, we will have Skype and can talk regularly.