Confidence


Confidence: freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities.


Bruce got his mission call today. We opened it tonight with family and friends. (You can see more pictures of the evening here.) He was called to the Taiwan Taipei mission and will be speaking Mandarin Chinese. He was so excited--not a bit of doubt about where he's going or being able to handle what lies ahead.


As I looked at the mission call sitting on the counter all day, my thoughts traveled back over the years to the many times I've been amazed by Bruce's confidence.


One day in kindergarten, Bruce forgot to take anything for show and tell, so he asked the teacher if he could sing a song. She agreed and Bruce treated the class to an enthusiastic rendition of "Copacabana." The entire song. She told me it was a struggle not to laugh as my little boy sang about the dress cut down to there and Rico who wore a diamond. He confidently sang the line "There was blood and a single gunshot, but just who! shot! who!..." (Now in defense of my mothering, we sang a lot in the car and we didn't just sing songs like Copacabana. We sang all kinds of songs, including primary songs.)


I've always been impressed that Bruce could eagerly go to basketball camps most summers without a friend. I'd have wanted a trusty sidekick with me, but Bruce confidently went alone and came out at the end of the week with new friends, good experiences, and lots of accomplishments.


Bruce has also stood up for what's right, treating kindly the person others might mock, encouraging others to stand up for what's right and planning his future with his eyes focused on what he knows is right.


I'm so proud of him and excited for him to go serve the Lord with confidence in himself and confidence in what he believes.


I love you, Bruce.

Comments

Kristi said…
For some reason I had it in my mind that we would be going to Asia. I guessed Japan but Taiwan seems right...now that I know that is where he was called. Congratulations to Bruce. I know he will do awesome and make the most of it as he always does.
Lisa said…
so awesome. what a neat kid (man?) and what a neat posting about him. it will be wonderful to hear about his mission experiences.
Christie said…
That is amazing - congrats!
Scott / Lori said…
What a neat thing for us to watch him open that call. The anticipation was crazy. So glad to see him so happy. What a great call!
Leslie said…
so great! his reaction was priceless. so much fun to be there watching him open it. i would gladly pay $100 again to cut my trip to california short just to see that exciting few moments.
i'm so glad we could be there.

congrats bruce. we love you.