OFF TO THE MTC. . .

The day has finally come. . .   We shipped our missionary off today. Watching him walk away has been the proudest and hardest moment we have all ever been through!!  We sure love that boy.    He is going to do great things.

Pre-Mission

Last night, September 29th, at 7:00pm, Nickolas was set apart.  He spent the remaining of the night trying to think of and pack everything he might need for 2 years.

We dropped him off at the airport in Idaho Falls, September 30th.  I don't think, as a family, we realized how hard that moment was going to be as we watched him walk away.  I think we felt a lot of love and compassion for all other missionaries and families that have sent their missionaries out.  It takes a lot of faith from everyone to trust in the Lord and devote two years to service.  We also stood outside the airport and watched the plane fly off till we could no longer see it.  I think watching the plane leave made it really sink in that this was actually happening. 

 

While we were waiting for Nick to leave, we had a man take a picture of our family.  He was from South Carolina.  After Nick landed in Salt Lake City, this man was able to let us know that Nick had landed safely, that he was flying with him to Atlanta, and that Nick had met up with 5 other missionaries.

Once we heard that Nick had met up with other missionaries headed to Brazil, we all felt a little comfort to know that they were all there to help each other.   Cory made the comment that Nick's mission will not only touch the lives of those Nick will be serving, strengthen his testimony and bless his life, but will bless his families life and strengthen our testimonies.  As a family we look up to the strong man that Nickolas is and the great missionary he is going to be. He has already strengthened our testimonies and taught us so much.  We gained a lot of respect for all those young men and women that choose to serve a mission.  What an example and inspiration they are to all of us!!  We can't express to you how proud we are of Nick for his choices. 

Last Wave Goodbye

Cory also said if something wasn't hard, it wouldn't be as worth it. And he is exactly right!  We can't wait to hear about Nick's mission.  We can't wait to see and hear of his growth and the stories of those he is serving.  There are going to be hard times and trying times.  But there is no better person to get through that than our brother. 

He is scheduled to arrive in Sao Paulo, Brazil and be at the MTC at 8:00am, October 1st.  We are so excited to hear that he has made it there and starting on this new journey.