Our son Simon has wanted to serve a mission for our church since he was 10 years old. It was a decision he made for himself. Sam served a mission to Japan when he was 19, many of our friends and family and children of friends have served missions, so Simon has grown up around missionaries and the idea of mission service. The Church of Jesus Christ has had a long tradition of mission service for the purpose of teaching people about Jesus Christ and rendering service to those they are among. Mission service is two years. Men and women who want to serve a mission usually do so once they graduate from high school or complete their first year of two of college. They prayerfully fill out applications, are interviewed and then wait for their mission call! You don’t get to choose where you serve; the calling comes from the First Presidency of the church and is one that is given prayerfully considering both the applicant and the need worldwide.

Missionaries for the church are called to almost every country in the world and teach and serve in the native language where they are called. Sam, for example, had taken German in high school and even lived in Germany as a child for several years. He was called to teach and serve in Japan…and had to learn Japanese! You would have thought he would have been called to a German speaking mission considering his German language experience but he was needed in Japan and so that is where he went. He had a wonderful mission and is so glad that he went AND that he served in a place he otherwise may never have visited let alone lived.

Simon prayerfully considered his mission application and wrote his mission statement very simply stating he had always had a desire to live and serve somewhere in Africa. He talked about how his younger siblings were born in Ethiopia and how our family has a connection to that part of the world. He made it clear that he was not afraid to both work hard and live in humble accommodations. We completed all of the necessary medical work, submitted the application…and waited.

On May 11, two weeks after his application was submitted, we got an email that his mission call was ready! Simon left school a little early and I picked up Sadie and Sebastian a few hours early from school (Sophie was already home doing distance learning). We gathered as a family in our living room, said a short prayer and then Simon opened his very long awaited mission call.

(The https://www.instagram.com/p/COwAC2AFVyZ/video of him opening that call is here on my Instagram account)

And Simon Stubbert was called to…the NAIROBI KENYA MISSION!

Wow, we lost our minds. LOST IT! How perfect was this mission call for our oldest?! He was called to teach and serve in the English language (though he will pick up some Swahili as necessary). Originally he was called to begin his service in the Johannesburg Mission Training Center in South Africa but as of right now that MTC is closed due to Covid so it is likely he will be in Utah at the MTC. He begins service on September 16.

After Simon opened his call we all became immediate experts on all things Kenya – computers opened, ipads and phones being worked, trying to learn all that we could about where he would be living for the next two years.

May 11, 2021 was a really special day for Simon and for our whole family. We shed some happy, emotional tears over this incredible opportunity for him. We know that this is exactly where God wants him and needs him and we are so excited to see where He directs him in Kenya.

Just two weeks later was Simon’s LONG awaited high school graduation from Placer High School here in Auburn. Simon has felt DONE with high school probably since the first day of his senior year; Covid didn’t exactly help with that. We felt fortunate that graduation was held in person (as opposed to so many high school graduations the year before) and Sam and I were able to attend with Sophie in tow. Simon isn’t one for much ceremony and wasn’t that interested in the festivities of graduation but I convinced him to just do it for me :). As a favor to his madre, he relented and I am so glad.

His uncle Steve made him a money lei and we picked up two additional leis, one in the colors of Placer HS and one in the colors of Rodriguez HS where he spent his first three years of high school. It was a beautiful, cool morning on the football field with about 300+ graduates.

Simon was a good sport about photos. Sophie definitely helped to hype him up (Simon generally is NOT super interested in having his photo taken!). We were glad Sophie could be there to act as a photographer for me and Sam with Simon and of course to keep Simon hyped. She may have imagined that she herself was graduating!

We were done with all graduation festivities by about 10:00 and went for a quick lunch/brunch at Edelweiss in town – so so so tasty. Then home for naps. We took Simon out for a fancy steak dinner at Ruths Chris (a personal favorite place for me and Sam) to celebrate graduation and his mission call and had the BEST meal. I’ve had the pleasure of eating at Ruths Chris many times and this dinner was the tastiest in perhaps ever? My filet mignon was perfection and we all left so happily full.

That wraps up the month of Simon – epic mission call and awesome high school graduation. He did it! We did it!