Back to My Roots

Hello family and friends!

I have started this blog so that you can follow me on my adventures as a missionary. For those of you who did not already know I will be serving as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for 18 months, serving in the Washington Tacoma Mission. My mission will start on July 13th, which is only 4 days away. What a lot of you don't know is that Washington has a special place in my heart. Here is a little background on why Washington is so special to me.

In 1918 my great-grandfather Carl Elmer Lee left his home in Canada and landed in Maine. Shortly thereafter he moved to Tacoma Washington. He lived in the Tacoma area until he died in 1962. My father was born and raised not to far from the area in Olympia. After marrying my mom my family lived in Seattle for 4 years before moving to Olympia Washington for 10 years. By this time my 5 oldest siblings had been born and my father started a construction company and built my mom her dream home. I was born in 1988 and just a few months later my father lost his business and my family had to give up the beautiful home my father had built that rested on 2  acres of family land. My family wound up in Las Vegas, where they still live today. However, if you ask my siblings where home is they will tell you Olympia, Washington. My grandparents and other extended family members still live in the area.

Two years ago I was given the opportunity to do a four month internship in Seattle. I fell in love immediately and could see why my older siblings love the city so much. To me it felt like going home. I am so grateful for the experiences I had their and the people I met. I am excited to be going back to Washington and sharing the Gospel with the people in the Tacoma area where my family has lived for 5 generation.

I am excited to be serving the Lord and experiencing a great opportunity where I can learn and grow in ways that would not be possible by any other way. I'm grateful for my family and friends who have encouraged me and helped me make good choices along the way, choices that led me to make this decision to serve a mission. Their have been so many who have influenced my life for good and to all of you I am grateful.