we dropped my little brother off at the missionary training center today! sad? kinda. unexpected? definitely.
in the aftermath of his appendectomy, his doctors told him to wait a month after his first checkup for another checkup. if that one cleared, he'd be free to notify the mission office and get his new missionary start date. last thursday was the final doctor's appointment and everything looked good, so grant's stake pres called the mission office and we just waited to hear more.
didn't hear anything until thursday morning at 730 a.m. when they called and said they wanted him there FRIDAY morning. barely 24 hours to get it all together! [apparently because missions operate on a transfer schedule, he had to either go today or wait 6 weeks to go in with another batch of mexico-bound missionaries.] luckily he had already started packing before the appedicitis popped up, so he was mostly ready. just had to finish up, get set apart, have a final dinner at outback steakhouse with the parents and then sleep one last night in his own bed.
this morning b and i picked him up from the SLC airport and got to drop him off. we stopped at my grandparents' house so they could say goodbye to him, and then took him to the MTC. we got to take pictures and hug him and quote the simpsons one last time, and then he was off! they checked him in and he got his official "elder payzant" name tag and that was it. i cried when we left.
[granty + my cute grandparents]
he was so cute and so grown up...not too nervous or anything, just happy and ready to go. he is going to be such a great missionary, teaching the people in mexico about the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints, and i know they're going to love him.
i, on the other hand, will miss him! a lot. and it's weird to think about having a missionary out...i haven't "sent" a missionary away since i was in college, and even then i didn't really care about them enough to write every week or send packages :) guess i'll have to start my letter writing soon.
yay for elder payzant!
4 comments:
YAAAAAY!!! He's officially on his mission!!! That is so great. He's going to be wonderful.
Aw, baby brother is finally on his mission. He looks so cute! I bet you'll be the best writer ever, and you'll have to send lots of pictures once baby Wells joins the bunch. I hope he has NO more health issues, I bet he's all in the clear now and will rock it on the mish.
What an exciting exit! Glad he was able to get here before you left though. Yay for little brother missionaries!
How exciting. You MUST write him lots of letters and send lots of pictures to secure your status as favorite sister.
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