Taking Flight in Everett: Mom ALWAYS Has a Way of Finding "Stuff" Out!

Bethany's email for this week was inadvertently deleted when she went to send it. So, we just got pictures this week. However, Mom Twede is including a fun story that happened this week.

Bethany left the Provo MTC on Tuesday, July 16th. We were wondering if we were going to hear from her once she arrived in Everett. We didn't hear anything, but had a feeling she was just fine. Her mission president, President Auna, arrived in the mission just two weeks before she did, so this was his first transfer of new missionaries. As parents, we just chalked it up to a new president trying to attend to his missionaries. So, we didn't worry about not hearing from her when she arrived; although, we were curious to hear where she got transferred and all about her new companion. But, we figured we would just wait for her first P-day, the following Monday.

However! Something curious happened the Friday before we heard from her. Darren and I were returning home from Salt Lake that evening. There was some heavy traffic and I turned the data on my phone to check the traffic congestion. Anyway, when my data clicked in, all of a sudden....I started getting notifications of several Facebook messages. I looked down at the phone and wondered what in the world was going on. The group that I was getting messages from was a group called "Oak Harbor District". I looked at the messages and wondered why I was a part of this group and what all the messages were for. (Side note, when Bethany left, I switched my cell number to her phone.) As I read the messages, it was very apparent that these were missionaries talking to each other and discussing where the next district meeting was. Part of a message gave an address in Oak Harbor, WA! Ahhh! Bethany's phone was still logged into her missionary Facebook page!! I was receiving FB messages that were coming to her missionary account. It was her new district that had just added her to their group and including her with the messages. After reading the messages, we determined she is in Oak Harbor, WA located on Whidbey Island, she is obviously part of the Oak Harbor District and her companion is Sister Cluff. Bingo!

We had a blast that night Googling pictures of Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island. The next morning, I wrote to Bethany to tell her what had come our way to help us know where she was without hearing from her. Just more evidence that moms ALWAYS have a way of finding things out!!!! It was really fun seeing the FB messages, but Darren made me log out of her FB account the next day😒.

When we talked to her today, we were all curious to see if our assumptions were correct. I asked her about it and instantly her and her companion (who is Sister CLUFF, by the way..ha!) just started laughing. Bethany said as soon as she read my email, she said, "My mom finds out everything!" So, we were correct about the companion and we were correct about the district. However, she is actually in Anacortes and not Oak Harbor, which is just on the island above Whidbey Island. Anacortes is located on Fidalgo Island. It is such a beautiful area and we are so happy for Bethany to be in a wonderful place doing the Lord's work!