This is Kristyn writing this post.
This morning the telephone rang just before 7:00 a.m., and we were all in bed. Our annoying robot voice kept saying, “PAY PHONE.” “PAY PHONE.” “PAY PHONE.” In my sleepy stupor, I kept hearing that and saying to myself, “Why on earth are Anna’s friends calling at this hour?” I couldn’t even imagine it was Garrett calling. Er…Elder Hunsaker. Finally I jumped up just as Garrett was leaving the end of a message on the machine. (Today was his day to fly to California, and the missionaries are allowed to use the phone to call family from the airport. They do not allow family to meet the missionaries at the gate like they used to. The tight security measures in the airports now make this impossible.) So I picked up the phone. “HELLO? HELLO?” And he was gone. I was sick.
So I called the pay phone back. Busy. Busy again. Busy again. Maybe he was still there, talking to someone else. I called again and again, probably fifty times, determined that as soon as he hung up the phone would ring again instantly. And suddenly it did ring, and he did answer. “Hello?” I caught him!
It was so great hearing his voice again. He apologized for the early hour, but said there wasn’t any way for him to let me know the time of his flight. He told me he was doing great, that he had even put on a little weight and wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. He said they had 50 minutes of exercise each day at the MTC but otherwise were sitting in classes all day long. He also told me that the package I had sent through “Dear Elder” was monstrous…with so much food and candy he had passed it out to all the missionaries who wanted some and then had to throw much of it away. I had no idea it was THAT huge!
He specifically mentioned receiving letters and packages from many people, including his Aunt Michele, Janelle and Court, Mike and Teresa, and others…my mind is escaping me right now. But he said to please tell everyone thank you so very much for remembering him and that it meant the world. There was so little time to write in the MTC that by the time he’d written home and his girlfriend the time was up, so it was nearly impossible to thank everyone.
He told me that he and his companions had been praying for family members with particular needs, inluding specifically one of his siblings, and a step-cousin, who were both having either personal or health struggles.
He was accompanied by his Canadian companion who he said still says, “Ay” at the end of every sentence. “A lot of stairs, ay?” Etc. He laughed a little as he mentioned this.
I asked him if he was happy and he said yes, he really was very happy and doing well. He was excited to get to California. Then he said, “Mom, I’ve gotta go…I have to call Dad before my time is up.”
We said goodbye and I phoned RJ in San Diego, hoping he’d wake up and that they wouldn’t miss the call. (Garrett's brothers are in San Diego for the summer.) But apparently Garrett never got to call there. When RJ said no one had called yet, I called the pay phone back and got a Hispanic woman. So perhaps Garrett had to run and catch his flight, or maybe someone was waiting for the phone. I’m not sure what happened.
Later today Steve and I were driving around town and I had this sudden thought come into my mind that Garrett was meeting his mission president and his wife today. A feeling of gratitude washed over me. I was so glad that these people would be looking out for my son and caring for him while he was in California. I even got a little emotional from the feeling of gratitude.
Within minutes of having this feeling, my cell phone rang and it was Sister Martin, Garrett’s mission mom. I couldn’t believe it. She called to tell me what a wonderful young man Garrett was, how polite and well-mannered, etc. She wanted me to give her all the details about his diabetes and medication. So I gave her some insurance details and how Garrett should retrieve his meds and how often he would need to be seen by a doctor. She told me that Garrett had been sent “clear out in a remote area” of the mission, an hour and a half away from the mission home. She said he had a wonderful trainer who had never trained anyone else before but would be very good. I asked her to please call if there was any concern or problem with his medication and told her how much I appreciated that she was taking care of my son. She said they were so grateful and happy to have him.
Elder Hunsaker has officially started his mission!
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