Elder Wilde Enters the Missionary Training Center

Yesterday, January 22, 2014, our grandson entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, so he is now officially a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or as many people know us as a Mormon Missionary.  He is our second grandson to serve a two-year mission.  It is such a bittersweet day knowing that your son/grandson has lived worthily to serve the Lord and will be devoting two years of his life to do so.  But, it is always hard thinking you won't be seeing that person for those two years.  Calls will only be twice a year on Mothers' Day and Christmas.  E-mails and letters will be once a week.  In this way, the missionary can fully devote his time and energy in serving the Lord and the people in the area he/she is called to.

Bracken with his brother Parker--this was especially difficult because Parker will leave on his mission before Bracken gets home, so they won't be seeing each other for about 3 1/2 years.

Tyson was so emotional, too.  He posted the sweetest comment on Instagram:  "I'm going to miss the best brother ever.  I can't wait to see him in two years.  I hope you can have the best time on your mission."

  And he was off to enter the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.  Ordinarily the missionaries stay there for two months learning the language, plus gaining knowledge about how they will be serving, studying the scriptures, etc.  Since Bracken has a head-start on the language, he might not be staying there as long.  We wouldn't be surprised with Bracken's advanced Chinese that he could be leaving earlier than the required two-month stay in the MTC for Australia.
Alison wondered if it will be any easier seeing a son off by the time she gets to number four.  I will assure her, it doesn't.  We took five missionaries to the Missionary Training Center:  Our sons:  Craig who served in Catania, Italy; Kent who served in Guatemala City, Guatemala; Cameron who served in Porto Allegre, Brazil; Kyle who, also, served in Catania, Italy; and Kevin who served in Curitiba, Brazil.  There were tears every single time, but they are definitely tears of joy.  Our two daughters didn't serve missions, but their husbands did:  Alison's husband, John, served in California, Thai and Hmong Speaking; and Amy's husband, Jeff, served in Barcelona, Spain.    

  But when they come home with such a strong testimony of the gospel, such a love for their Savior, such a caring feeling for others, and have grown up so much, you know it was the right decision.  Here are all seven children with their spouses (minus Amy's husband, Jeff, who wasn't able to be there that day).

So, today, after pretty much thinking of Bracken all day yesterday, I wanted to post a little tribute to such a wonderful grandson and wish him the best.  This is how I first saw him after he was born--the cutest little baby with so much dark hair!

He was such a happy little guy who we really got to know when John, Alison, and Bracken came to live with us for five months after they both graduated from Brigham Young and John was waiting to start his first job in Orlando as a CPA for Price Waterhouse, later transferring to Deloitte.  We missed them so much when they left--especially Bracken!  Hah!

 Being the oldest of four boys, Bracken has always set a great example in his life at whatever he has done.

He has always loved little kids, and they always feel that love from him.  His brothers all look up to him.
 
One time when John was out of town and Preston needed to have his dad there for a cowboy day, he asked Bracken to go, and Bracken went very willingly, and they had a great time together.

 Throughout his short lifetime of 19 years, I was figuring that Bracken had lived in the following places:  Logan and Provo, Utah; Gainesville, Orlando, and Tampa, Florida; Leesburg, Virginia; Paris, France; Shanghai, China; and now Dansville, California.  That's a lot of different homes, but throughout all of it, Bracken has made new friends and loved the experiences he has had. 

They lived in Paris for about three years and were able to travel through much of Europe.

 George and I were very surprised with their decision to move to Shanghai after living in such a beautiful place like Paris, but they definitely loved it in China.  Their travels now took them all over Asia.

 The Wilde Home in Shanghai

They learned to love Chinese food and learned to be proficient with chop sticks just like the locals are.

 After living in China for six years as ex-pats, it was time to return to the U.S.  Everyone was so sad because they had built so many friendships there.

 The Chinese people are some of the kindest, most humble, caring people I have ever met.  The Wildes definitely felt the same way after all their experiences there.
Another unique experience Bracken had while living in China was that every year for the last three years of high school, rather than having a "Spring Break," they would get the opportunity to do a service project in another country.  The first year, it was Indonesia, the next Cambodia, and the third year was Malaysia
Bracken loved the children in the orphanage in Cambodia that they helped there.

--> You can see by their big smiles how much they loved him, too.

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Bracken's experience in Malaysia was described by his mother in this way:  "Bracken spent his spring break in an exotic location, Kota Kinibulu, Malaysia.  However, the work he was performing was nothing close to exotic and relaxing.  This was Bracken's third time volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, and although the work was grueling, and circumstances were difficult, he always comes home fulfilled and happy."

"This year, his primary job was to help install an indoor plumbing system for the Habitat for Humanity home.  How grateful the family was to finally have indoor plumbing in their home, and how rewarding it was for Bracken to help provide.  Even though Bracken came home with mosquito bites covering his body, he was grateful for his experience, and even more grateful for his comfy bed when he arrived back HOME!"

 

Another special experience Bracken had while he was in China was fulfilling his requirements to become an Eagle Scout.

 In order to become an Eagle Scout, many requirements have to be fulfilled, but the largest of these is a special service project one must do.  It entails many hours of planning as well as carrying it out.  It requires being the leader of the project and involving other Scouts to help with the project.


--> In Alison's words:  "John's uncle Merwin (Bracken's great uncle) was the inspiration behind the idea for Bracken's project. Merwin was born with cerebral palsy, and a smile and laughter that was contagious to anyone in the room!  For the last seven years that we have lived abroad and summer vacationed in the states, our family has become one of Merwin's greatest fans.  Thanks to John's parents for their amazing example of love, service, and devotion to Merwin.  Every single Sunday, Grandpa Wilde would pick Merwin up from his group home and take him to do by far Merwin's most favorite thing in the world......spend the day at the Wilde home attending church, eating dinner, and playing checkers, marbles and puzzles.  Because of Grandma and Grandpa Wilde's devotion to Merwin, our family was also able to benefit from his presence, and sweet spirit."

Alison described Bracken's decision for his Eagle Project in this way:  "In October of 2010, Merwin passed away from a quick spreading, devastating form of cancer, that had completely overtaken his frail body.  We were soooo saddened when we heard of the news, but we were also excited to know he now had the healthy body to run and jump that he had never experienced in this lifetime.  Shortly after Merwin's death, Bracken decided he wanted to dedicate his Eagle project to helping others who were physically and mentally handicapped like Merwin."

"With Merwin in mind, Bracken began his search for his project, and in no time came upon a Chinese organization called "Home Sweet Home."  Volunteers from Home Sweet Home search for handicapped individuals living on the streets in downtown Shanghai--most of whom have been orphaned their entire life.   The volunteers offer these individuals they find living on the streets,  a room and board at their boarding home, as well as opportunities to take classes such as computers, Chinese and English lessons, as well as teach them simple day to day living skills.  Not only do they provide them with classes, they also offer them a job (with remedial pay)  regardless of their handicap.  The mission of Home Sweet Home is to train

individuals to be active members of society.  After two years of successful work and training at Home Sweet Home, the volunteers help the individuals find jobs within the community."

On their first visit at the Home Sweet Home facility, they were given a tour including the warehouse where the individuals worked, as well as different rooms for teaching and instruction, and their own "Home Sweet Home Boutique" where the worker's handmade items made in the warehouse are sold.

 Alison continued:  "There were handfuls of projects throughout the facility that were in need of  renovations, makeovers, or updates.  Bracken decided the library was a perfect project for renovation, and came up with his own plan of how he would execute.  He began sending out e-mails explaining his project to his boy scout troop, our neighborhood, and church groups asking for entry level English books, flash cards, and other learning materials.  It was amazing to see how many people were willing to help, as our garage began to be filled with bagfuls of donations."

 Then the actual physical work began.  Here the scouts are sanding and repairing the walls; after which, they painted the walls.

 Then Bracken instructed the helping Scouts on the placement of the shelves and how to put the shelving together.

 

 And here was the final project all finished.  It looks so beautiful and inviting for learning to take place.

 The people who worked there were thrilled with the beautiful, new library!

 And what did the people who live there think?  They are definitely using it and are excited about their new facilities and learning tools.

 A few weeks later, the Home, Sweet Home managers invited Bracken back to thank him from the people there for all his hard work in getting the project finished so successfully.

They had even sewn him a shirt to remember them by.  Bracken will never forget this project and the way it made him feel to do something for those who are so appreciative.  The Eagle Scout award was great, but the road getting there was even better!

Bracken giving his Eagle Scout acceptance speech.

 During the summers when the family would come back to the states, Bracken always had a job.  One year, he worked for Clay County Schools in the warehouse there.  To this day, he says that was his favorite place to work and favorite people to work with.  He literally cried saying good-bye to so many of his co-workers, who still ask about him.  

 We took trips to Gainesville.  He absolutely loves the Gators!  Hopefully they'll be better when you get back, Bracken!

It was great having him live with us for the summer.  He is such an independent person who really knows how to take care of himself.

Bracken has always loved sports and being involved with a team.  Sports can teach many lessons such as loyalty, hard work, and sportsmanship.  And through it all, Bracken was always the best supporter of his friends and classmates.

In fact, at Bracken's high school graduation, they began talking about  four students from the 2012 graduating class who were going to be given special honors along with a $1,000 cash award from the administration for extraordinary performances throughout the school year.  One of the awards was the Spirit Award. 

Alison described it in this way: 

"How surprised, touched, and proud we were when we came to realize that the recipient described as 'a person with a huge heart, a person full of school spirit, a person who always supported and cheered on other classmates achievements, and a person who started everyone's day off with a smile by appearing in front of the camera on the daily SAS morning show,' was indeed........Bracken John Wilde!" 

I felt very happy and proud to be there at Bracken's graduation in Shanghai, and especially to see him get this award.  That's just the way Bracken is--he is always cheering everyone else on!

More pictures at Bracken's graduation.

Bracken actually had two graduations that year.  He, also, graduated from four years of early morning seminary which is a scriptural study program that takes place each morning at 5:50 a.m. before school.  Alison and John had a house fire started by a dryer, so when their house was restored, it was the perfect place to hold these early morning classes. 

Again, from Alison's words:  "Our neighbors called it their 'Mormon Alarm Clock,' since every morning at precisely 5:50 a.m. they could hear the sounds of scooters, cars, and even a few taxis pulling up in our circle to drop off 18 fabulous and devoted youth for early morning seminary."

"Over a year ago, our house fire had destroyed all of our downstairs furniture and electronics. This made the empty room in our home a perfect place to hold this early morning meeting.  What a blessing and joy it was to hear not only the youth and their sweet voices singing hymns every morning, but we also enjoyed hearing a lot of laughter and learning as well.  We will always remember this opportunity to host this amazing group of youth in our home, and thank the teachers who taught our sons such valuable lessons."

Bracken and Parker attended seminary together for one year before Bracken graduated.

For so long, Parker was the "little" brother.

Then things started changing.  I don't have the latest height measurement picture, but I'm sure Parker has Bracken by a few inches taller.

No matter what they do, they have a great time together!

Here they are together with their adopted brother:  Cousin Connor.  They always have a great time together when he comes to visit.

 After leaving China, the Wildes moved to Danville, California, about 45 minutes to an hour outside of San Francisco.

 Bracken barely was able to live in this house, when he left for college at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

 

 We were so proud to hear that he was on the Dean's List for both semesters taking very tough required courses, besides accounting and Chinese.

After a year of school, Bracken returned to Danville to finally get to know the community and people where his family had moved.  He has been working in order to save up money for his mission.  His latest job has been in sales at Best Buy.  They absolutely loved him, wanted him to go full-time, and asked if he could be talked out of going on this mission.  He thanked them for their confidence, but nothing was going to talk him out of accepting this call to go to Australia. 

In their new church ward there, Bracken has taken his priesthood responsibilities very seriously.  He was called to serve in the Danville Chinese Branch which has helped him tremendously in his Chinese.  His love for working with the Chinese has now spilled over to America. 

So, when Bracken made the decision to go on a mission, he sent his papers into the church after having interviews with his ecclesiastical leaders who found him worthy to do so.  He, also, had to have medical and dental reports filled out showing that he was healthy.  When a person decides to serve a mission, their calling will be decided by the Church Missionary Department who does so with faith and prayer to send the person to the right place.

Remember:  The person may be called anywhere in the world that we have missions and there are only a few places in the world that we don't.  Everyone had put in their guesses which is always fun to do.  This included guesses coming from siblings, parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends--anyone who wanted to guess.  Well, Aunt Amy and Grandma Laura were the winners!  We both guessed Sydney, Australia!

Bracken couldn't have been more thrilled! 

Little did Bracken know when we all visited Sydney in 2010 that he would be going back there as a missionary a few years later, but actually a few months before he got his call, he had told his mother that he would like to go there.   He loved Australia as we all did!

While we were there, we went to a reserve where you got to go right in and get to know the kangaroos.

Bracken was so patient . . .

and soon had the kangaroo eating out of his hand.

I'm sure he'll see plenty of these beautiful animals in the two years that he is there.

We, also, made a trip out to the Blue Mountains

-->which is a mountainous region in New South Wales, Australia.  It is about 30 miles west of Sydney.   It is absolutely beautiful there!

Amy made Bracken a beautiful plaque to show the place of his mission and the years he will be serving.

Bracken spoke at church in his Danville Ward; after which we had a going away party for him that I have already blogged about.

While he was in Utah, he also spoke in the Sandy Ward there where his Grandpa Wilde is the Bishop.  His Grandmother Wilde had this darling cake made for him there.  So thoughtful!

So, Bracken is on his way now.  Yes, we are all going to miss him like crazy.  But, we know he is doing the Lord's work and can be an instrument in His hands in helping so many people come into the gospel to find happiness.  We have laughed about his little fortune cookie he got right before we last saw him:

So true! 

George and I want to commend John and Alison for the family they are raising.  We appreciate their hard work in having their family home evenings, doing their scripture studies, getting their kids involved in service projects, having daily prayer together, having their high school-aged children take Seminary each morning before school.  All of these have been such a part of the Wilde household, you can see why it helped Bracken in his decision to serve a mission.

In addition to talking about the Bible, Bracken will also be telling the people about "The Book of Mormon."  Many people who are not of our faith have probably only heard of the Broadway play of the same name which has nothing to do with our church and as a matter of fact, is very disrespectful of it.  We believe that The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ about God's dealings with the people who lived on this continent as early as 600 B.C.  

If you are interested in receiving a free copy of this book, please click the link below.  If you will read it with a sincere heart and pray about its truthfulness, you too will find that it is the Word of God.  I know that to be true and am so thankful for its influence in my life, as well as all the members of my family.

http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon 

Bracken, as your grandparents, we truly love you and know you are going to be a wonderful missionary.  May the Lord bless and keep you.