Two days before departure, we hosted an Open House for Taylor so friends could come say goodbye....
We were overwhelmed with love and support as Taylor prepared to leave and fly to the Mexico MTC. I was so busy visiting with friends that I didn't take any pictures once people arrived at the house!
In the last 48 hours, we set up FaceTime and Skype calls for Taylor so he could say goodbye to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Max was happy to join him for some FaceTime!
The night before we left we went out to dinner at Taylor's favorite restaurant, Red Robin. It was kind of a somber dinner.... Taylor was pretty emotional after saying goodbye to his BFF, and I was emotional just thinking about what was less than 24 hours ahead! Later that night, we went to the church and met with our Stake President, who set Taylor apart as a Missionary. I wish I could say I held it together. Um, yeah, I didn't. ;-)
Our sweet Stake President shared this scripture with us, which he knows well because his youngest son just left for a mission in Guatemala over the summer. See, it's okay to cry those happy tears!
Taylor saying goodbye to Max. I'm not sure Max realized what was going on, but Taylor knew he would miss Max a lot!
All my babies together for the last time under one roof for two whole years.... such a weird feeling!
The airport.... no words are necessary, right?
Sending a missionary off has to be one of the most bittersweet experiences I've ever gone through. Of course you want them to go. Of course you do. But it's harder than sending them off to college because you can't text, visit or fly them home for holidays. But, it's better than sending them off to college, so it's worth it.
After we said goodbye and left the airport, we got in the car and drove home. It was still early in the day, but we all took the day off from work and school because we knew we wouldn't be in any shape to work or concentrate on anything. On the way home, the most amazing feeling of peace came over me. The tears stopped, and I felt completely calm, in a way I never thought possible. On that day, I knew without any doubt that Taylor would be safe and okay. I knew he was doing the right thing and that he would be blessed for his service and sacrifice. Such a tender mercy from Heavenly Father that I will always be grateful for!
Since he's been away (4 months now, wow!) we've seen many blessings and opportunities for missionary work here at home that we didn't expect. It's hard to know we won't get to see Taylor in person for two whole years, but the experience is one we wouldn't trade for anything!







