3-15-22 PERSEVERANCE

I have this sister. Well. I actually have four of them, but this is about one of them. She’s the oldest of the “three little girls” who became three large lovely ladies. Ann Marie is 18 months older than I am, and Libby is 15 months younger. Tonight is about Ann Marie, though when you talk about any one of the 5 sisters, you’re basically including the other four, and our two brothers as well.

This here is a tale of perseverance. 

I can already tell I’m gonna need to reign in the horses and keep this as simple as possible, cuz the stories of our lives read like a novel rather than a series of essays, one story being essential in the telling of the one that follows. And part of the beauty, in fact most of it, lies in the details. But I am not writing Ann Marie’s life history, I’m just trying to get us all up to snuff on the essentials that led to tonight’s excitement.

Let’s start in London. 

Here we are, the three little girls walking through the Mews in London, almost exactly five years ago. Libby, Dave, our daughter Kate and I had flown to London to hang out with the missionaries, Elder and Sister Mullen for a week or so. That trip is another full book of adventures. (I suspect if I looked in this very blog back to 2017 I'd be able to read about them, cuz Lent writing happens no matter where I am.) Oh, and Sister Mullen is my sister Ann Marie. Michael is Elder Mullen. The Mullens were one of those power couples in the England London Mission. They had a tidy little flat near the Hyde Park LDS Chapel. When the four of us descended upon that space, Ann Marie and Mike pushed the loveseat over against the wall and blew up air mattresses and we basically took over the place, laughing through the nights, prancing about town during the days. ( I am currently forcing myself to pull back from all the memories creeping up right now.) It was on that trip that AM and Mike let the idea of moving to Utah from CA enter the level of conscious thought.

OK, now skip ahead. AM and Michael did indeed move to Utah. In fact, they live just up the street. There are now four sisters within shouting distance of each other. We are attempting to overtake our church congregation!

After AM and Mike moved to Farmington they began serving a second mission. They were Senior Missionary Coordinators for 16 stakes. It was, from my viewpoint, and frankly anyone's viewpoint, it was an extremely taxing mission, demanding on time and emotions. I'll keep my personal opinions to myself about whether or not this particular calling should instead be a full-time job that carries long term consistency. Anyway, the Mullens had a burning desire to serve another mission in England. They serve as temple ordinance workers here in Utah, but their good friends serve as London Temple President and Matron and they both had it in their hearts to get the Mullens over there while they were serving. Then the pandemic hit. Stupid pandemic.

Long story not-so-long, they submitted their papers. Then stuff happened besides the pandemic. And now that I am reviewing it, I am realizing most of it came to light because they had to go through certain protocol in order to submit their mission papers. Michael had his own set of factors that put flags on their application.

Then Ann Marie got debilitating pain in her leg. I'll bet she didn't sleep for six months. They decided to do spinal surgery for a pinched nerve which they discovered was causing the immense pain. But before the surgery the foot on her leg started flopping. She ended up with a thing called foot drop, or drop foot. It robbed her of her daily walks, and interrupted her frenetic life of service. The surgery was successful in healing her leg, but the foot is still unresponsive. She walks with a cane and a brace but does not let it slow her down. She is the most smiley person I know.

So then Ann Marie got breast cancer. She underwent surgery, and radiation, and lives in a fluffy cloud of denial if her body wants to rest and recover. She can't stand to miss anything!

AM rings the bell at the end
of her cancer treatment.

All of us celebrate right there in the office.
Our good friend Dr Rob Harris was her Radiation Oncologist
That string of Dollar Store dolls represents the 5 sisters.

Just to give you a little idea, Ann Marie bakes 16 loaves of home made bread every single Saturday. A few of them are used for the Holy Sacrament in our services on Sunday. Then she gives the rest away. There's a whole route of people who anticipate the Mullenmobile pulling up on Saturday evening with fresh warm bread and a jar of home made raspberry jam or honey butter. Every time I take the sacrament I think of my sister, cuz her bread is so substantial, and so yummy, and I think it's the absolute perfect representation of our perfect Savior. AM is a former Relief Society President, former Young Women's President, former Primary Chorister. Michael is a former Bishop and Stake President. They are the real deal when it comes to dedicated service.

Anyway, through all this spine surgery and aneurysms and cancer AM and Mike submitted a request to serve a mission THREE TIMES. And each time they were turned down, for health reasons. So she went to physical therapy... faithfully. They prayed. They served. They prayed and served some more, and did all the medical stuff they could do to make their bodies cooperate with their hearts. And...

GUESS WHAT?

It worked! Perseverance worked! 

Tonight we gathered at their house because she got an email this morning telling them they had received a call to serve a mission. They had submitted requests for three temples: London, Los Angeles and Nauvoo. We three little/big girls sat together with our sister Sherry and our sister Sue on Skype, along with both of our brothers, the Mullen kids and grandkids, and a couple friends/family in CA. All those other people joined virtually, from Boston to LA.

Thinking back on a couple hours ago when we watched her read aloud their call to serve as ambassadors for Christ, I am a jumble of emotions, recalling all she has gone through these last few years. All that has been required of her body and spirit. All that Michael has yearned for and been patient in enduring. It really is a pivotal day here, a magical moment when just a couple hours ago my sister and her husband, like kids on Christmas morning, opened up their mission call.

ENGLAND LONDON TEMPLE MISSION May 2022-May 2023.

We're gonna miss her like crazy! We're gonna miss him! And you can be sure we're gonna make a trip across the pond!

I'm thinking about the fact that this week is also Match Week for our friends graduating from medical schools. I remember when our Sarah matched, and the nerves and excitement of finding out where they would spend the next four years. I think of this as Match Day for AM and Mike, too. It's a match made in Heaven, don't you think?