Be His Hands

Great story of the power of the Priesthood and a young man's knowledge that he was clean and worthy enough to call upon the power of God to bless and heal.
To all missionaries who will serve in the Cavite mission: Prepare yourselves now to "Be His Hands" that you may serve, love, and bless the Filipino people with all of your heart. I promise you that seen and unseen forces will be at your side as you share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and administer the ordinances thereof.

Busy Weekend

On Friday April 5th, President Tye and I were able to visit with the Philippines Area Presidency and their wives. They were in Salt Lake City for General Conference and I am so thankful that they spent some time with us, and three other new Mission Presidents, to get acquainted and answer questions. I think what I noticed first is how RELAXED they are - do you think I will look like that someday? When our meeting was over, the wives all hugged each other and I realized that the next time we see them we will be standing in Manila, just 11 weeks from now. Wow, Yikes, and Yippee! (all in that order!)

Also included in this busy weekend was the spiritual uplift received from General Conference. I will never EVER tire of listening to the leaders of this church! Many times as I listened to the talks I felt their counsel was directed at me - and before Elder Holland even said "Amen", I was ready to conquer the world. He really knows how to motivate me and fill me with the desire and excitement to serve!

Then to top off the weekend, President Tye and I had a visit from one of our future missionaries. This was my first chance to get my hands on one of our very own missionaries and I think I hugged her so tight . . . she better check for bruises or broken ribs!!! She reports to the MTC in August and we should be picking her up at the Manila airport sometime in September.

 

President Tye As An Elder

President Tye served as a missionary in the Philippines Manila Mission during 1975 - 1977. At that time there were only two missions in the Philippines - Manila and Cebu. He spent most of his two years in the northern part of Luzon. At that time, the missionaries did not learn a language but taught in English.

When the plane landed in Manila it was early in the morning and the sun was just coming up. Bonfires lined the runway and armed soldiers in full military dress were everywhere. It was a scary sight for a 19 year old Elder fresh out of Utah. He soon learned that Imelda Marcos, the wife of then Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was boarding a flight and all the extra security was for her benefit.

President Tye took lots of pictures during his mission and I will just post a few of them. But as he preached the gospel, rode on crowded jeepney's, played with the children, went tracting in the rain, and walked through the beautiful country, he fell in love with the Filipino people. They are truly the most loving and giving people on the face of the earth!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a blessing it will be to return to the Philippines and again be involved in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Filipino people. As President Tye's wife, I am excited to be able to share this experience with him.



The Long Awaited Delivery

 

This beautiful orange, white, and purple truck pulled up in front of our house today. Our daughter Kellie was visiting and yelled, "A Fed Ex truck just pulled up." Completely unbecoming of a future Mission President's wife, I started screaming and dancing as I held the letter in my hand. I'm positive the driver could hear Kellie and I as he walked up to the door.
Embarrassing? Yes! Exciting? Yes, Yes, Yes!

 

We waited until evening to open our letter. The wonderful news is that President Tye and I will preside over the
Philippines Cavite Mission.
What a thrill it was when we found out that we would be opening a new mission in the Philippines.

 

Immediately I was so calm - like the spirit was bearing witness to me that Cavite was exactly where we were supposed to be. We quickly checked out Google Earth to see where Cavite is located. President Tye served in the Philippines Manila Mission between the years of 1975 - 1977, but he spent most of those two years in the northern part of Luzon. Cavite is south of Manila and will be a new adventure for both of us.

 

Above all else, we are thankful to our Heavenly Father for the trust and confidence He has in us. We can't wait for the opportunity to witness and be a part of the hastening of the work. What a thrill it will be to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

  

We know we will love the Filipino people with all our heart and we are very anxious to meet the missionaries who will bring blessings upon this area.

Taking Care Of Business

We still do not know where we will be serving as Mission President, but in the mean time we have so many things to do in preparation for the day we leave. "Overwhelmed" is a perfect word to describe how we are feeling as we look ahead to what the next four months will be like.

The tender mercies started coming as soon as the call was made to us. Our son graduated in December from Utah State with a degree in Marketing and immediately found employment with a fantastic company in Duluth, Georgia. His twin sister is getting married on June 8th, which was planned long before our call came and yet the wedding will take place 2 weeks before we enter the MTC on June 22nd. My mother, who has been living with us, found a place to live and will be loved and taken care of while we are away. Our car and Doug's beloved Gold Wing sold in record time. We are still not sure what we will do with our home. We keep going back and forth between selling it or renting it.

Most of our time is being spent in preparing for the mission by studying Preach My Gospel and working with a tutor at the Provo MTC. We have also listened to the CD's of last years Mission President's Seminar - which are amazing. We are so happy and blessed to be involved with this work!

A Call From President Uchtdorf

We started out the new year with another phone call from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but this time we had been anticipating it. The good news was that I didn't completely zone out this time - I was alert and coherent when I heard the secretary say, "Sister Tye, President Uchtdorf would like to visit with you and Br. Tye on Friday January 4th at 9:00 a.m. Will this work for you?"
We arrived at the Administration Building on that Friday morning feeling very nervous and also extremely calm. We were fasting and I know that provided the strength to allow the calmness to overtake the nerves!

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf extended the call as Mission President to Doug, then I received a call as a missionary and a companion to my husband. I liked the 'companion' calling - I thought that was really neat! We were sealed as eternal companions 35 years ago in the Salt Lake Temple, but to have one of the First Presidency identify our companionship as a calling, gave me a better understanding of my duty and responsibility to my husband. We were also told that we would preside over an English speaking mission. 

What an amazing few months this has been for Doug and I. We never dreamed that we would be so fortunate in our lifetime to have two personal interviews with, and sit across from a member of the Twelve Apostles and a counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. We are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for this opportunity and pray that we will be worthy of His continued love and confidence in us.


A Day In November - 2012

On Thursday November 29, I had just started wrapping Christmas presents when the telephone rang. For a brief moment I considered not answering it. I had just settled down on the floor and was surrounded by ribbon and wrapping paper. But I noticed that caller ID said the call was from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Since Doug was serving as a Bishop of a YSA Ward at the time, I was positive it was a call for him so I decided it was probably best to answer the phone. When I picked it up the woman on the other end asked, "Is this Sister Tye? Elder Ballard would like to meet with you and your husband on Tuesday December 11th. Will you be available on that date?" Wait, THE Elder Ballard?

I really can't remember anything that was said after that moment, but I will never forget the sensation of warmth and chills that instantly cursed through my body. "Being on fire" is the best way to explain the way I felt. I have no doubt that it was the Spirit bearing witness to me that Doug was going to be called as a Mission President and our lives were going to change.
I immediately called Doug and told him the news. He asked what day our appointment was and I wasn't sure. I guess while I was having a life changing experience with the spirit, Elder Ballard's secretary was telling me what day and time our appointment would be. I was kind of numb and couldn't remember much of anything. Doug had to call Elder Ballard's office twice to double check on the date and time because I was most definitely DAZED! 

 On Tuesday December 11th, Doug and I met with Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Sitting with him in his office was an amazing experience. He is the most kind, humble, and gentle person I have ever spoken to, and we instantly felt like we had known him for years. It felt like we were sitting and talking to a dear friend. He told us up front not to be worried, we were just being considered as Mission President and companion. (Not Worry?) He asked us a few personal questions about our children, our parents, and the availability of leaving employment for 3 years.  As we left his office, he told us that the First Presidency decides and issues the call to be a Mission President. "I would count on it," he said. "But, if you do not hear anything by Jan. 5th, you let me know and I will check on it."