After Tommy received his mission call in August we were busy gathering all the things he needed, everything from scriptures, missionary books, a journal, luggage, bedding, clothes, and a backpack to stories of his pioneer ancestors and a copy of his driving record. There were lots of things to do too like selling his laptop, getting immunizations and an eye exam. There was a list from the MTC and another list that was specific to the Sacramento Mission of all the things he needed to do and gather for his mission.
On November 7th Tommy was set apart as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by our stake president. We spent the rest of that day trying to pack and finish all the odds and ends that needed to be done before he left.
The next morning we got up early and finished packing just in time to leave for the airport. Mike, Joe and I drove with him to Sea-Tac where he boarded a plane and flew to the Salt Lake City Airport and then took a shuttle to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. It was a heart-wrenching experience. It was so hard to say goodbye even though we all knew that his mission would be an awesome experience for him.
Since we couldn't go past security we didn't get to see him board the plane. It was a little unsettling not to know for sure if he made it on to the plane and that the plane took off as scheduled. We thought that perhaps the MTC would let him call home to let us know that he had made it there safely but when we hadn't heard from him that night I called them to make sure he'd made it. They looked for his name and said they had checked him in at
about 9:30 p.m. (MST). I’m glad I
called. I don’t think I could have slept without knowing he was safe.
November 9th was Tommy's first official day at the MTC. I felt like I had a hole in my heart from the time we left home to take him to the airport until a week later when he had his P-Day and sent us an email. He was so happy and excited about everything he was doing at the MTC. From then on I felt much better.
1 comment:
So exciting for him. That's good that you called, so you could get peace of mind. You'd think that they'd let him call home. Maybe it has something to do with a smooth transition and making it not be harder. But they at least should send the parents an email or something.
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