He's Just Up the Road...But Two Years Away

We are Mormons. A lot of Mormons serve missions, which means they spend 18-24 months doing nothing but preaching a message about Jesus Christ. Taylor got to be a missionary in Paraguay. I was a missionary in Ohio. And we loved it.

Before you go to your assigned mission, you spend some time in the Missionary Training Center (MTC) to learn how to teach people and, if necessary, learn a new language. There are 17 MTCs around the world, the one here in Provo, Utah being the mother-ship, if you will. Every Wednesday is "New Missionary Day" at the MTC. Families drop off their missionaries and say goodbye for a very long time. I always love taking Blaine for a walk around the MTC and Provo Temple on these mornings, because I love to see all of the new mishies and feel the excitement. Last Wednesday, we got to take Taylor's brother, Ian, to the MTC. He'll be studying there for three weeks until flying to Tampa, Florida, where he'll spend the next two years. His friend since birth, Johnny, went in on the exact same day. He's going to Tijuana, Mexico.

Here they are, entering the MTC. Look how holy Ian is, even upon entrance. ;)
When you get in, there is a cute old lady with a seam ripper. Why? Because all of these cute 19 year-old boys have brand new suits, and you can't very well get a name tag attached to the suit pocket if the seam is still sewn shut!

Here is Taylor, showing Ian the best way to get the nametag on.

And here it is. Nice and official. (The orange dot indicates that it's Ian's first day at the MTC. As missionaries, we affectionately called these "dork dots.")

These two brothers came out of the same mold. I'm sure you can see the physical similarities. But have you ever heard Ian's voice? Once he was out with Taylor and answered Taylor's cell phone when I called. I talked to Ian for about five minutes, thinking it was my husband--oops!Ian and Johnny. Do missionaries get any cuter?

Ian, if you could read this right now (missionaries can't use the internet except for emailing their parents), I would say:

1) Oh dear food snob, try to survive the MTC cafeteria. And eat whatever the wonderful people of Florida give you.

2) Don't worry. We'll send lots of pictures of Blaine to you, and show him pictures of you so he will know you when you come back. Thanks to your Russian-gymnast-coach-like walking instruction, he'll probably be running 400's by the time you're back. And, just so you know, Blaine loves to fold his arms and pray now. He prayed for you tonight. (Not "Uncle Ian," just "Ian," as you requested.)

3) Be humble and remember that Faith precedes the miracle. We love you.

Anyway, here's what I have to say about it all: I love missionaries. I am so amazed that there are 55,000 of them in the world right now. Do you know what most 19-year-old boys are doing right now? They are getting drunk and having sex. Sorry to be so blunt, but you know it's true. Not these boys. They are squeaky clean and dedicating two years to God and His children.

Here's what else: I loved being in the MTC. It brought back of flood of feelings and I kept thinking about what a sense of purpose I had as Sister Hall. I remembered how I always knew, no matter how difficult things were, that if I put my trust in God, and did everything in my power, He could make miracles happen through me. I'm now trying to channel that energy, purpose, and faith into my new mission--motherhood. It feels harder. It is more self-directed. I don't have a mission president. I'm not always as motivated. But I'm working on it.