Friday, September 26, 2014

Packages and pictures...

Disclosure:  Today's post is going to be long... I have a lot to say...Today is a good day...His package arrived in Paraguay and WE GOT PICTURES!!

I have been beginning to wonder if my cute missionary still existed.  I mean I get his weekly emails and he seems to be happy  and his regular funny self but, SERIOUSLY a mom needs more proof than that!!

Last week when I got his email I was a little ticked (just being honest here) like eat a pound of chocolate ticked...yes I am that girl! :) His email was great.  His letter said he had a good week and he even had the opportunity to teach a couple from Argentina.  I was so happy for him,  but all I could focus on was the fact that there still weren't any pictures and my pants were starting to get a little tighter... all that chocolate you know :)

I needed an intervention STAT! I needed to step away from the chocolate and FAST! So I did the next best thing...I headed to the store to buy my cute missionary chocolate! HI MY NAME IS LIZ AND I HAVE AN ADDICTION TO CHOCOLATE! Seriously though it really does make everything better :)

We hurried home and got to work.  Throwing everything in a box and mailing it on it's way just wasn't going to cut it.  We had to add a little TLC.  Of course we recruited artistic help (Laken) I am anything but artistic!




We added cute little messages to the treats, added some of his all time favorite treats and things he is missing (kitkats, jalapeño chips and a hair brush), added a bunch of Spanish ctr rings to pass out to the kids, Cd's (this boy loves his music) deodorant (we have heard its not the same in Paraguay), and a couple of soccer jerseys he had forgotten to pack, one for the US and one for Paraguay. Oh and lets not forget his  mouse ears.  Strange you think?!? Well... we are headed to Disneyland next month. Wish we could take him with us but since we can't we wanted him to feel like he was included.  

We then decorated the flaps of each side of the box.  I should say Sammie, Alex and Laken decorated it, because let's be honest...I told you I have absolutely no artistic abilities.  

Taped up this hefty little package (9pounds) and sent it on it's way.  I actually mailed it Tuesday through a missionary shipping site I found.  Cost a pretty little penny but it was worth every cent.  I received an email this morning letting me know it was delivered today. It took 3 days! Mailing through the post office can take up to 6 weeks! 

So you see this week has been pretty good so far...

Then Thursday came...
I LOVE THURSDAYS!! 


"Hey Mom...It took me 5 minutes to read your email.  I think I am already forgetting English.  I'm glad the wedding and Sammie's birthday went well.  Bridger...you better keep an eye on that kid, he's going to be in trouble.  It might already be time for the birds and bees talk. 

Glad Christian got to be a missionary this week.  Tell him when he teaches the whole thing in Spanish  to someone he just met he can come talk to me. :) 
Update on Santiago and Margerita (the couple they helped last Saturday), they weren't home when we went back on Saturday so that was unfortunate, but it's all good.  My companion is a district leader and was given a phone to use when we went out.  We text them and they are actually taking discussions from the "real missionaries" (I love when he says this...what is he then? ) It's cool to say that it all started with 5 missionaries giving them a lesson. 

Glad Ryan and Laken are doing good and are at our house all the time.  They better be leaving my stuff alone...hahaha...I expect everything to be in the same spot as when I left. ;) 

We went back to Argentina on Saturday and we go again these Saturday.  Spanish is tough out there.  These goons speak so fast its hard to understand them sometimes.  This last Saturday we had no success.  I think they put us in the hardest area possible so when we get out to the actual mission field we go in with low hopes and are surprised...
 But Whatever. 

On Saturday people were grumpy.  They would yell things at us when we were walking around and I would write down the words cause I had no clue what they meant.  When I got back to the MTC I looked them up and let's just say I won't be using any of what they said on my mission or ever hopefully! 
That's all for Saturday...

Now for your questions.  Some of the missionaries I have gotten close to are the Elders and Sisters in my district that I sit in class all day with.  They are Elder Brumble, Leavitt, Greene, Gibson, and then my companions Elder Hansen and Horton.  The Sisters are Harvey, Mcdougle and Hill.  I spend most of my time with them.

Favorite thing I have eaten so far were the empanadas in Argentina on Saturday.  I had one with chicken and it was good.  My least favorite thing I have eaten was at the MTC.  It was cornbread filled with egg and cheese and a whole bunch of tomatoes inside.  It was garbage! 

We get to go to the temple every Thursday so today will be my 4th time going.  It's all in Spanish of course.  The temple here is the coolest one I have been in.  It has a stain glass looking roof when you walk in.  It's really amazing.
Can't wait for the package
Love and miss you
Drew

Of course I loved his letter...I always look forward to Thursdays and hearing from him.  But let's be real here...I mean SERIOUSLY I just wanted to see my missionary. I want proof that he is happy and is making friends with the other missionaries and that his clothes are ironed! Don't judge...these are serious things to be concerned about. :) 
I sent him a quick email back hoping he would be able to read it before his time was up.  He responded that he of course didn't have any time but would see if he could sneak in later in the week and send some with an added...DON'T JUDGE. He is so my son :) 

Today I woke up to an inbox full of pictures...JUDGING was totally not what I did.  I may have screamed and cried and danced but judging? NOT AT ALL!!

I thought Thursdays were awesome but Friday  this week was better than awesome.  

He knows me well.  He knows I would have wondered if his room was being kept clean and if his clothes were nicely hung in his closet and not thrown all over the floor.  
PROUD MOM MOMENT RIGHT HERE!!


 Not exactly sure what this is but I am thinking it is his "DUCK FACE" Selfie.  Love it! 

Where he spends his hour a day exercising :) 
 Study Time with his companions and other Elders in his district

Outside the CCM...He had told us it was one small building that they spent all day in.  I think I just might go a little stir crazy if it were me. ;)


The CCM 

 Elders in his district.  I am guessing these are the Latino companions he got to know and love before they left.  They only have to spend 2 weeks in the CCM. Notice the ceiling tiles above their heads.  They are looking a little out of place :)  I wonder why?!? Couldn't be because they have been playing pranks on the other Elders could it? 

 Out and about in Argentina on their Saturday tracting excursions

 Temple day with Elders in his district.  I can see Elder Tripp, Elder Horton, Elder Heugly, Elder Greene and Elder Hansen.  Not quite sure who the Elder being held is :) Guess I have a new question for this weeks email. 

Cute Elders and a very strange camera angle.  Love his smile in this picture.  Elder Greene is to his left and Elder Tripp is in front of him.  Don't they all look so happy?!? :) 

My weekend is now off to a great start! LOVE THIS CUTE MISSIONARY OF MINE!!! 

Monday, September 22, 2014

Another week and still no pictures :(

Another week and still no pictures :( .  I am beginning to wonder if my cute missionary even exists?  I was hoping to get at least just one.  I am dying to see this Bieber hair style he was talking about in last weeks email. :)  Until then I will just love this picture another mom posted of the Buenos Aires Argentina temple.  It is what Drew sees every day.  How beautiful!

A sister in my Stake  whose son Served in Uraguay, told me that her son wasn't able to send pictures while in the Buenos Aires MTC.  I am starting to worry that mine won't be able to either.  3 more weeks...I can do this!

This weeks emails were great.  He still is his funny self and I can tell he hasn't lost his funny sense of humor.

"Hey everyone, I'll start off by telling you about Argentina on Saturday.  We started out getting onto a bus and then driving for about 45 minutes.  Their driving here is the scariest thing I have ever seen.  when you merge onto the freeway there are no lines so it is just pure chaos. Pretty much who ever has the biggest car gets on.  They don't have real lanes so cars drive wherever they want.  There are motorcycles driving all over the place just weaving in and out of traffic, it was crazy!

We drove past this area and it looked like a bunch of abandoned tree houses and they told us that this is where there were going to drop us off.  It looked like the hood. I thought I was going to poop my pants, it was terrifying.  Luckily they didn't leave us there.  They dropped us off in a little nicer city that in any other state you would want to avoid.  They dropped us off on a street corner in our zone and told us good luck.  Talk about scary!

We were supposed to talk to people to practice our Spanish and talk about the church.  This didn't go very well because when people saw 3 white boys dressed in nice blotches they would avoid us.  People would walk to the other side of the street and when we would try and say Hi to people they would turn their heads and say nothing to us.  It really sucked for a while.

Then about an hour in to our contacting we had a really cool experience.  We were walking down a street and saw another companionship waving us down.  We went over to them and they were trying to help a couple move mattresses into their house.  The only problem was that they wouldn't fit into their small front door.  We were able to help them lift them up onto the second floor balcony and get them into their house.  We then asked if we could share a message with them.  They let all 5 of us in their home and we ended up teaching them a 5 man lesson...it was insane!
The man spoke a little English so that was very helpful as well.  We gave him a Book of Mormon and he was very interested.  His wife didn't understand the English parts so he would explain and she was interested as well.  We got his number and it sucks we we can't teach them again.  We are going to turn over their names to the "real" missionaries so they can learn more.

Other than that people yelled at us, a lot of not nice things I'm sure but I have no clue since my Spanish isn't the greatest yet, so that was good hahaha.
Then everyone started their siesta so there wasn't anyone to talk to, so we wandered the streets exploring.  Argentina...it was good fun!

Glad everyone is having fun. Can't believe you are going on vacation without me...how rude :).
My companions...who knows with them?  I try to avoid them at all costs but thats pretty much impossible, but oh well 3 weeks to go!

The pictures might be a no go until Paraguay.  :(
Tell Sam and Bridger Happy Birthday from me.
Love and miss you guys more than you know
Love,
Drew"

Seems like he had an interesting week.  It also sounds like he is a little more homesick than I had thought.  He told his friend Ryan that he misses home and that it seems like no one else does.  He then joked that they must have all been beat or something, because how could they not be missing home ;)

Thanks to Laken for sharing her letters with us as well.  We get a little more of a glimpse into what his weeks are like.

" Hey :)  It seems like way longer than three weeks to me.  Everything is going well.  Only 3 more weeks left and I can finally get to Paraguay.  The never being alone thing is going to kill me.  All I have is the shower, they are way too close to me when I sleep.
I went out into Argentina and I'm pretty sure they don't send "real missionaries" there.  It was way to ghetto and everyone hates us there.  We would wave at people and they would just pretend that we weren't there.  It was hilarious to me but my companions would get so mad.  People would honk and yell stuff at us, also hilarious because I had absolutely no clue what they were yelling.  We taught one couple the whole time we were out.  Mainly we just walked around and got made fun of...jokes on them because I can't understand anything they are saying.  We talked to some teenagers that were probably part of a gang.  Bad idea! They kept calling us gringos.  We kept talking to them, they asked about the U.S. and we told them what we could.  They then started to tell us that the U.S. sucks and Argentina is better at everything.  Turned into more of an argument which was pretty funny until they looked like they were going to stab us.  I think they were either smoking something or were drunk. They got so mad so we took off and had to avoid them the rest of the day.

My soccer ability is pretty good.  Chase needs to be afraid ;).  The beard thing is a no go, not meant for me...I couldn't pull off a beard.

I got the spanish joke, its stupid though. ? Que le Dice una pared a otra? Nos Vemos en la esquiena!  In english What did one wall say to the other? I'll meet you at the corner.  My roommates from Spain find it hilarious so apparently Spanish jokes suck. And all they teach me in the MTC is words I can use for teaching so I have to learn all the spanish slang once I get to Paraguay.

The scripture you gave me inspired me.  I had to give a talk in church and I used it so thanks for making my life easier :)

Pictures are a no go :( You guys can see what I look like in 2 years from now, it will be a surprise ;).

Here's some questions for you...Favorite Class?  Favorite Teacher? Favorite Heugly at the mount minus me of course.
Tell me what's up in your life
Love and miss you
Andrew

Crossing my fingers we can get pictures this week and if not...well...who knows what might happen ;)

Love this missionary of mine!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Secret tunnels and Bieber hair is what this weeks email brings...

I asked last week if Drew would please send me some pictures.  It would be nice to actually see him so I know he is alive.  Of course I didn't receive any and his excuse was that the internet was being slow...UMMMMM!?! Not sure if I believe that one. He said there isn't a lot to take pictures of since they are just living in a huge box.  Well this worrier would like to see this said box.  Crossing my fingers this next week will be the week he actually sends a couple.

He sounds like he is doing well.  They are keeping him busy so not a lot of time to think about missing home he says.  I wish I could say the same about all of us here.  Bridger told me the other day that I needed to call him and let him know he needed to come home.  It is going to be his birthday next week and he wants Andrew to be at his party.  Then in his prayers the next night he prayed that Andrew would be home tomorrow or the next day.  This may be a very long two years for us here at home ;).

Drew is still with the same two companions that he was given when he arrived. He says they get along but I can tell they are have very different personalities.  Drew loves being active and going outside and he says his companions would rather stay inside.  He loves being with the latino companions at the MTC and loves playing soccer with them each day.    He says he doesn't understand all they say but they are very funny.

I asked him if there was anything he was missing and he said he would "kill" for some jalapeño potato chips and a brush.  I guess we forgot to pack one? Not sure how since we practically packed the whole house in his 3 suitcases.  He has been unable to spike his hair and says he is going with more of a Bieber look right now which is good but not his "signature style".  :)

He told us he was excited to go into Argentina on Saturday. He says they are dropped off and they get to tract and talk with the people.  I am sure he will have some great stories this week.

He then promises to send pictures but I am not holding my breath over this one.  :)


Drew's cute girlfriend has been sweet enough to share her emails with us each week.  Good thing since he writes way better letters to her.

Here is some of his letter he sent her from this past Thursday...

" The food is sketchy here in Argentina.  Half the time I have no clue what I'm, eating but that's all good. 
My days are crazy.   I think I  sit in class for 12 or 13 hours a day all in Spanish of course so I have no clue what's going on half the time, but  I guess that's the best way to learn Spanish. 

It's hard being so famous thanks to you. (He is referring to the awesome tie she gave him before he left.  Everyone wants it!)  I can say that my  cockiness is through the roof.  


We get bored  late at night,  and have found out the ceiling tiles lift up. There's a whole walkway thing up there.  It's pretty sketchy  but it's made for some pretty good pranks on the other missionaries.   We put alarm clocks in the ceiling that went off at 3 in the morning in a room.  They were pretty pissed and it was really funny.  (So glad he hasn't lost his sense of humor...and hoping he doesn't get stuck up there!) 


I really will be a real man by the time I get home.  I think I'm already growing a full beard since being here thanks to these freezing showers lol jk i wish.  


I just looked down at my thumbs and I don't think their weird but the kid next to me says they're weird too so I guess they are.  ( This is in reference to the cute plate they made me with his hand print on it.  His thumb turned out a bit funny :))  The tie will make it the 2 years no worries. (I guess everyone wants the tie she gave him) 


 I'm glad that my family is being nice looks like I'm  being replace... how rude of them. (Of course we will never replace him but we do really like her and are getting pretty attached) :)  


 I have my testimony and prayer down  in Spanish and can teach a couple of  lessons as well.  They make you learn fast here. No jokes from me I'll work on learning some. My Latino roommates just left.  They only have to be here for 2 weeks.  I think I get new roommates sometime today so I will work on getting one from them.  


We get to actually leave and go out into Argentina this Saturday.   They drop us off in the middle of the city and we get a certain area to knock on doors and teach the gospel and explore Argentina. I'm  sure I will have some good stories to tell about that next week. I'll go look up that scripture after I'm done emailing hopefully it inspires me too.  


My week pretty much is the same every day except for Thursday and Sunday  so I'll  just give you a run down of how my day goes.  Wake up at 630 take study, take  a cold shower,  get dressed and go eat cereal. I have had the same cereal every day since I got here.  It's  frosted flakes which for some reason they taste better down here. I  go take a quick  30 minute nap before my first class (wondering if this is ok?  LOL) I have class for 4 hours on Spanish and the gospel then I  go to  lunch.  Then I go to the computer lab and work with some program called TALL that helps us learn Spanish  then more classes until 3:30.  We then we go outside for an hour and mess around (play soccer) Then class again until dinner,  then after dinner more classes then off to bed.  We do this over and over and over again.  

Love and miss you
Andrew

Sounds like he is a busy guy and I definitely have a few questions I need to ask him this week.  Something to do with naps and alarm clocks :) 


Since this cute missionary "seems" to be having technical difficulty with his camera, I will post a few pictures I haven't posted yet.  


 This is Drew and Laken...his cute girlfriend.  They have been in the same ward and have known each other for 9 years but didn't start dating until this Summer.  This is a picture of their last "awkward" hug before he was set apart.  Aren't all pictures awkward when your Dad is the one taking them?  So cute!  We just love her and not just because she lets us read her emails from Drew.  
 This is a picture taken at Drew's farewell in-between my 5,000 tears! Can you get dehydrated from crying too much? I think I almost did!  He had such a great turn out that day. Many who love him and came to support him.  He is one lucky kid.

I received this picture from a sweet friend and sister in my ward.  Her son served in the Asunción North mission a few years ago.  She was on Facebook a couple of weeks ago and someone had posted this picture.  She found Elder Heugly hiding in the back...with a smile on his face. :) Made my day!!

Monday, September 8, 2014

First letter (email) home...



Thursdays have just become my favorite day of the week!!  Thursdays are P days at the MTC and since Drew had just arrived in Argentina last Thursday he wasn't able to send us a letter.  He was too busy getting settled in and unpacking the suitcases that I WAY overpacked.  We loved getting his 3 sentence email letting us know he had arrived and was safe but, this week was so much better.

He is well and loving it.  Why was I worried? He was his cute self.  I could almost hear him talking as I read them.  He said before he left that he would email anyone who emailed him and he did just that yesterday.  He was a busy little guy.  I was receiving phone calls and text messages all morning asking if I had received my email yet and I hadn't. :(  I became a little worried for a while there however I joked that  he must have been saving the best for last :)

I finally received my letter and it MADE MY DAY!!

His emails lack punctuation and capital letters.  I joked that he must be used to texting and is a little rusty on the keyboard, however I learned from his letter to his cute girlfriend Laken that the keyboard is in Spanish.  He is still trying to learn how to use and understand it.  I guess I should cut him a little slack. :)

His emails to everyone were quite different and it has been fun to piece them all together and get a glimpse of what his first week was truly like.


Here are a few of my favorite things he shared...

"I got here and it was nothing like I expected.  We got here and they gave us our tags and made us official.  Then we got straight to work.  NO time for rest even though we hadn't slept in almost 24 hours.  The first day was killer.  They then gave us a welcome talk and explained the rules and everything.  They told us where we would be sleeping and how everything works.  They told us what our jobs were while we are here.  They put us on garbage duty, I'm sure that will make you happy. NO maids for me.  Its alright thought because it's the only time I get to leave the gates of this place. "

In another letter he explained that the MTC is surrounded by large gates and that there is a security guard.  He joked that he didn't know if this was to protect them from something on the outside or to prevent them from escaping. :)

"We are in one building that has 3 floors.  We spend most of our time being inside which is killer.  They keep us busy for the full 16 hours we are awake.  It's a tough schedule to live by, especially getting up at 6:30am...I'm not a morning person for sure! However the cold showers in the morning really wake me up.  I'm on the top floor and when everyone is showering at the same time its hard to get hot water to the top floor, at least that is what the older kids who leave in 5 days tell me."

I loved how he called them "older kids".  Pretty sure most of them are the same age but since they are ahead of him in the MTC they must be older.

" The food isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I have no clue what I'm eating but it tastes good so I just don't look and hope for the best.  It usually hits me later...if you know what I mean.
My favorite part of being here is playing soccer with the latinos.  I'm going to be amazing by the time I get home.  I have no clue what they are yelling when we play but its fun.  I'm one of the biggest guys here and have already gained respect from them with my header ability.

My companions are Elder Hansen and Elder Horton. Yes you read that right there's 3 of us.  There are both from Utah and I get along with both of them.

I'm picking up the language fast, the gift of tongues is definitely a real thing.  Thanks for the love and support and especially the letters.  I have opened half of them already and they have been a real life saver. "

Love and miss you guys,
Drew

In his letter to his Grandma Ellis he told her that he can already pray in Spanish, bear his testimony in Spanish and almost has the first discussion down.   He talked about the gift of tongues and again said it really is real.
This is not a surprise to me that he is picking it up so quickly.  He was told in his patriarchal blessing he would have the gift of tongues as well as when he received his blessing from the Stake President.
It is comforting to know the language  isn't being a struggle for him.

In his letter to his uncles he thanked them for their love and support.  He told them his testimony is growing and he is learning so much.  He said it is amazing how much you learn when you have the spirit with you.  He told them both he was loving his mission and he knows this is going to be the best 2 years.

In his letter to his Grandma Barbara he thanked her for the surprise visitor but said it scared him to death.  He was called out of class and he thought he was in trouble.  He thought the Argentine police were there for him.  Poor guy :)  I am sure the yummy goodies made up for that!

In his letter to his Grandma Heugly he thanked her for all of her love and support.  He said he can't wait to get out in the field and start teaching the people of Paraguay about the gospel.  He again said he has learned so much in just the first week and said he knew it was because he had the spirit with him.

He thanked his Aunt Katie and their family for keeping him in their prayers, especially while he is adjusting to missionary life.  He mentioned the 6:30 wake up time and cold showers...I am sure this is a huge adjustment to him.  He asked her to let his cousin Chase (who is missing him a ton) know that he better watch.  He said the latinos (I love that he says that) have been teaching him how to be the best soccer player and when he comes home he is going to be the best.  Chase loves soccer and has missed his buddy to play with at family get togethers.

He told his girlfriend that he is going to be a real man when he gets home because of the 6:30 am cold showers.  Who knew that was all it takes!?!
He also told her that the tie she gave him before he left has gotten him many trade offers.  Something tells me he won't be taking any of them up on that offer.
He also told her about some secret passages in the ceiling that he has explored. !?!? UMMMM WHAT!?!?! Is this the same kid I raised?
 A close friend of ours told me not to worry about him.  He said the first day is rough but by the next day he will be in his room burning stuff.  I of course laughed and said I  can't ever imagine my cute missionary burning anything.  :)  He may not be burning anything but climbing in the ceiling sure surprised me.  I guess I need to add to my daily prayers a prayer that he won't get stuck up there. :)

It was so wonderful to hear from this cute missionary.  He is doing well and loving his mission.  I miss him terribly but know he is where he is supposed to be.  How many more days until next Thursday!?!


Thursday, September 4, 2014

Safely made it


Last Thursday morning we received our first email from Drew.  It was 3 sentences long.  It said...

"Hi Mom and Dad I made it to the MTC today after a long flight.  Everything went well...got all of my luggage.  My P days are on Thursdays so email me before then if you want me to read them.  I only get to write three lines today or I would write more.  Love and miss you all.
Love, Drew"

I guarantee that Andrew was instructed when he arrived to send a short 3 line email.  I am sure he was told to email and let his parents know he had arrived safe, that he had all of his luggage (moms worry about that kind of stuff), and to let us know when his P day was going to be.

The Prophet Joseph smith taught that OBEDIENCE to the commandments leads to blessings from God. 

This cute missionary ought to receive plenty of blessings...being Obedient is something he has always been.  

The above picture arrived on Saturday morning via secret messenger.  Andrew's Grandma Barbara has a boss who works in Argentina.  She arranged with him  to have some treats and letters delivered to Drew when he visited the Temple.  The Argentina temple is directly across the street from the MTC.  It was such a relief to see his cute face with a smile on it.  I am anxiously awaiting this weeks email to find out about the other cute Elders in the picture.  

His email can't come soon enough!!

Monday, September 1, 2014

Goodbyes are not forever and certainly not the end. It just means we will miss you, until we see you again.



Saying goodbye was nothing like I thought it was going to be.  I had been told by many that saying goodbye was going to be the hardest thing I will ever do.  That nothing could prepare me for today. That it was going to be much like a funeral and that I would feel like a piece of my heart was missing.  Was it hard? YES! Was it like everyone had tried to prepare me for? No! Let me explain...


The week prior to Andrew leaving was rough! Jake had to travel for work...WORST TIMING EVER! 
The kids all went back to school...WORST TIMING EVER, and the stomach flu hit our house...can we say it again...WORST TIMING EVER!! Oh and lets not forget Grandma (whom I would usually depend on in such a disaster) was enjoying a much need vacation for her birthday.

I felt like everything was working against us.  Nothing seemed to be going our way and just when I would think things looked as though they were going to turn around and that things were starting to look up...something else would go wrong or someone else would start throwing up...including my missionary.  Seriously talk about stressful! 

I didn't know how I was going to handle everything.  I could barely hold it together and my list of to do's seemed never ending.  I was a mess...like looney toon mess.  I could barely look at my missionary without bursting into tears.  I was falling apart and if I was falling apart the week before he left how was I going to be the day he left?  The thought scared me! 

I knew I needed help.  I knew I couldn't handle everything on my own and I knew the answer to who could help me.  I  needed to get down on my knees and ask for my Heavenly Father to help comfort me, to let me know that everything was going to be o.k.   

My prayers were answered almost instantly.  I knew I needed a blessing and who better to help give me one  than my cute soon to be missionary. What a blessing it was to know that even when my husband was gone I could call on him.   I also knew I needed to visit the temple and thanks to some very special angels (my sweet friends Renée and Aimee) I was able to drop everything and do  just that.

I will forever be grateful I was able to attend the temple one last time with Drew before he left. 


I knew as I left the temple that everything was going to be o.k.  That he was doing what our Heavenly Father wanted him to do and that he would be watched over.  

Later that evening Drew was set apart and received the most beautiful blessing from our Stake President.  I left feeling excited for Drew.  I knew he was anxious to go and serve and I knew he was going to be an AMAZING missionary.  I had no doubt in my mind.  

The next morning I awoke calm as I hadn't been in days.  He was already awake and had already taken on the roll of being a missionary.  He was up when he was supposed to,  he had said his prayers, exercised, studied and was ready to get on his way.

We had talked to Drew about all going to the airport and he had decided this would be a little too rough, not just on him but everybody else as well.  We decided to let everyone decide how they wanted to say goodbye. 


Sammie, Alex and Bridger chose to say goodbye at home.  We knew this was the right choice for everyone involved ;) . 





Christian decided to go to the airport and I am so glad he did.  
  What an amazing experience.  When we entered the airport there was a sea of missionaries.  Too many to count.  Many had their name tags on as they had just left the MTC and were heading to their assigned missions.  Many others were like Drew and were headed to MTC's outside of Utah.  The feeling that was there was unbelievable.  I couldn't help but be excited for each of these young men and women as they were about to embark on their  new and exciting journeys.  

We checked Drew in and hugged him tight for the last few minutes we had with him.  I didn't want to let go of him, in fact I remember telling him this. I also told him how proud I was of him, that I would miss him terribly and that I loved him.  It was after this that Jake asked him if he was ready.  He replied yes and with a turn he was gone.  He was ready...He was excited, I know a little nervous but he was excited! He has waited his whole life for this day and it was now here and he was ready.  
We watched him make it through security and just like that he disappeared.  

This was the moment I had dreaded.  The moment that everyone tells you will never be prepared for.  
It was here...he was gone. 

To my surprise I was not left with an empty feeling.  There was no hole in my heart and I was not on the ground sobbing like a baby.  Instead I was left with the most amazing peaceful feeling.  A feeling that I to this day hope I never forget.  Where I had thought that empty feeling in my heart would be was instead the most warm and comforting feeling.  I know he is going to be ok,  I know he is being watched over and I know that the people of Paraguay are going to love him.  

I know he is where he is supposed to be.

Someone once told me that she wished she still had a missionary out serving.   She explained to me that she missed the feeling that was felt in their home while her children were serving and the blessings they received as a family while they were gone.

I now know what she meant.  I don't want this feeling to ever go away.