Elder Abbott is called to serve -

On Saturday, October 4, 2008 just minutes prior to the start of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints General Conference - I had a feeling that I needed to check the mail box as it had been just over two weeks since Matthew's papers were submitted to the Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. The feeling I had was that today would be the day that Matthew Abbott would receive his call to serve a mission. Carole had pulled my mission call letter from her file cabinet - my mission call was from 1976. I was called to serve in the Bolivia - La Paz mission in South America. WOW! that was over 30 years ago and I remember it like it was just a few years ago. I walked out to the mailbox and there it was ... the large 8x10 white envelope from the Church headquarters.

The deal we all agreed to was to call and notify our immediate family members that we would call several people all at the same time to read the letter. We would make the call minutes following the close of the first session of General Conference. Matthew called his girlfriend, Jill Jackson, to let her know of the arrival of his mission call letter but she was with her Civil Air Patrol Cadet Squadron visit to Washington, DC. She may be be available at exactly 2:00 PM depending on where she would be on her tour of the Library of Congress. We all agreed, that if Jill could not be on the call, when we were ready to call, Matthew would have to tell her privately later after the call. Matthew reluctantly agreed.

At about 2:02 PM EST we called, Brittany & Marc Sedley, Lisa & Bill Slade, Cessily Abbott, Grandpa and Grandma Abbott, Tiffany and Blake happened to be at Mountain Day at Berry College and could not be reached at the time of the call. We all gathered upstairs so that Mama Clements could be a part of the call. We were all nervous as to where Matthew would be called to serve. I thought it would be to Mexico or Central America, Carole thought it would be an English speaking foreign site, she dreamed it might be Canada but she also felt it would be state side. All Matthew wanted it to be was to a COLD environment and not to a HOT country. Well, the suspense was killing everyone. Matthew opened the letter and started to read the letter to himself... Mom, Carole, said No no you must read it out loud. It was then that we found out Elder Matthew Abbott was called to serve in the Washington Everett Mission in extreme northwest Washington. Matthew got his wish - the typical weather is cool in the Spring and Fall, Cold in the Winter and a very comfortable low to mid 70's in the Summer. There is lots of rain, some snow, icy mix precipitation depending on his elevation.

Matthew must report to the Mission Training Center on January 7, 2009 at 11:30 AM. Now, the preparations begin. Who will accompany Matthew to the MTC - me or maybe Cessily, since she will be in Salt Lake City beginning her Student Teaching about that time. Matthew may end up going to the MTC on his own.

Everett Washington is located about 30 miles north of Seattle. The mission area extends from the Pacific Ocean on the west, Canadian border to the north, half way to the eastern side of Washington and Seattle to the south. We searched online for the weather, mission information and online maps to see exactly where Matthew would serve. The area looks like a BEAUTIFUL area - lots of green trees, mountains to the east and the Puget Sound to the west - parts of the mission has missionaries serving on some of the more populated islands in the Puget Sound.

Matthew signed up on the Mission.net site for the Everett Washington mission site.