I hug my family goodbye. I look at their faces and realize I won't see them for two years. Surprisingly, that doesn't bother me too much. I look into my Mom's red-rimmed eyes and see the pride and joy therein. She raised me for eighteen and a half years with this end in mind: temple covenants promising my salvation, my obedience insuring it, and then my love sharing it. I fear the awkwardness of my family waving goodbye as I wait in line for security. I am grateful that they leave as I get in line. I take one last look, and upon seeing my Mom looking back, stick my tongue out and smile. :)
I start a conversation with the person in front of me, and upon realizing she's cute, it gets awkward. I'm a Missionary, set apart for the salvation of the people of Tijuana, reserved, not to flirt, but to share my testimony and love with others. After losing a tube of toothpaste and glasses solution to the volume limit on carry-ons, I walk out of security and on toward my marvelous adventure.
Upon finding an elder I recognize, I talk to him for a little, and we make our way to the airport gate. I break off from him and talk to the other Elders. It is a time of general excitement, nervousness, and homesickness. However, I don't feel much of any of that. I feel excitement, yes, but not in any extreme way. It is reality. I accept it, I do it, to the best of my ability, and I love it. That is my feeling.
Seeing all of these Elders and hearing a conversation about how many are on our one flight, I remember my Mom and decide to take a picture of all of us.
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| Missionaries leaving SLC airport Wednesday, Sep 16, 2015 Bound for Mexico City MTC |
The plane lands and we jump in line for customs. The line is three hours long. I soak in all the Spanish I can as I wait. Upon exiting, I find the Elders assigned to help us to the CCM (MTC) and talk to them. They speak enough Spanglish to get their point across in a manner which I can follow. I sit down and think of the day's irony.
We sat in a car waiting to stand in a line at security so we could sit at the gate waiting to stand in another line for the plane, where we sat for a long time, wating to stand. Upon landing, we stood for three hours waiting to sit down so we could wait for the buses to leave. I would stand on the bus waiting to sit and be disoriented at the CCM "orientation" course (seriously, I didn't even know which way was north for a while, Dad).
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| Missionaries in my MTC District Mexico City MTC - September 2015 |
Elder Scoubes says, "What's up, Elder Brown?"
"I'm home," I say, and the Holy Ghost welcomes me.
—Elder Brown
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| Family Photo - September 2015 |
—T.M. (age 11)
Today we went to the airport in Salt Lake City to drop off my older brother named Brock. He is going to serve a mission. He flew to the Mexico City MTC. I am sad because Brock is going to be gone for two years.
One reason I am sad is because he is really good at math and he can help me with my math homework. I like to play hide and go seek with Brock. He is special because he plays with me and helps me a lot.
He put me in charge of his giant stuffed animal panda, for two years, to help me remember him. I am proud of him for serving a mission because he will help lots of people. He will teach them about the gospel and about the Savior.
—B.J. (age 9)
Monday night, it hit me- My role model was leaving and there’d be no one to fill the gap he left. I cried Monday and Tuesday nights, and on Tuesday realized that if my life was The Lord of the Rings, Brock would be Gandalf. On Wednesday, with those thoughts in mind, I went to the airport, determined not to cry. And I didn’t. I knew at the airport that Brock was doing the right thing, and that we would be blessed. I remembered all those years ago when I was 8, and first learning what a mission was. The missionaries came to teach my primary, and from that moment, I knew i wanted to go on a mission. If I wanted to, how could I not allow Brock? I was fine letting him go, and still haven’t cried yet. I know that this is a good thing (because I finally got a phone) and I know that a gap has not been made- Brock can still be my role model even though he is hundreds of miles away right now. He’ll still send home letters, and I can learn from them. So… Yeah. I guess that’s all I have to say.
—B.M. (age 15)
Wow! What an exciting time in our family life. This past Wednesday we took Elder Brock Brown to the airport and sent him to Mexcio for a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have been mentally preparing (really preparing) for this day for almost a year. As last Wednesday drew closer and closer, I thought we would all be crying and it would be very difficult to watch Brock walk away for such a long time. However, on Wednesday, I tried to keep a light-hearted attitude as did the rest of the family. Not many tears were shed and honestly, it was okay. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I was filled with peace.
Throughout the rest of the week I received many texts and fb messages asking how I was holding up or if I was doing okay. One text that came through was different. A friend of ours from Montana texted me and asked me if I was on cloud 9 after sending my missionary off. That was such a refreshing question and the answer was indeed a yes. A mission is something that I have always taught my children they should do but wanted the choice to be theirs. They need to gain their own testimony of the Church and be willing to sacrifice and experience their own things. As a mother, I’m excited and pleased that Brock has chosen to serve a mission and I know that he is in the Lord’s hands and will be taken care of.
In 1 Nephi 3, Nephi and his brothers are sent on a mission to retrieve the brass plates from King Laban. Things don’t go smoothly, at first. Nephi and his brothers have trials and challenges and things they need to work out on their own. Nephi’s attitude about this mission as stated in 1 Nephi 3:7 is “I will go and do the things that the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord givieth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the things which he commandeth them.” They are also blessed with many miracles as the Lord helps them accomplish the task he has asked them to fulfill. During the next two years, Brock’s mission will be much like this mission of Nephi and his brothers. There will be times that things won’t go smoothly, there will likely be some disagreements within the companionship, there will be language barriers and struggles and challenges that my son will go through. However, if he stays humble and close to the Lord, then like Nephi, Elder Brown will be able to find solutions to his trials, answers to prayers and miracles will happen right before his very eyes.
The next two years are going to be amazing! So excited to have this journey begin! Love you lots Elder Brown! I sure hope the people of the Mexico Tijuana Mission are ready for you.
—Mom
When Brock left on his mission id didn't affect me much because he was really busy and out of the house a lot. Also, I spent the summer in Montana away from my family so I've been used to not being around him.
—T.R. (age 17)
I'll probably miss you and will definately notice you are gone!—Dad
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