Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day was pretty special this year!  In Mexico, Mother's Day is always May 10, so Nate got to call on Saturday.  We were expecting just a phone call, like at Christmas, but when he called he said that some wonderful members of the Puerto Penasco Branch had offered to let him and his companion use their computer so they could Skype!  That was the best Mother's Day present, ever! It was so good to see his face! We got to talk for about an hour and it was so hard to say goodbye when the time was up.

 

On Sunday we got together with family and had a nice dinner.  I love these wonderful women!  I'm so glad I am their daughter, sister, or mother!

Two years will go quickly, right?

The time has finally come to send my first born off on a mission!  I am an emotional mess!  We went to the Stake Center on Tuesday night for him to be set apart, which was a beautiful, spiritual, tearful event.  The blessing President Gillespie gave him made me cry through almost the whole thing. He touched on so many things that I have been praying about for Nathan--the importance of him staying positive and looking for the good in all situations, the love he will feel for the people in Mexico, his ability to be a good example and leader, and the strength he will gain in his own testimony. 

 

The Bells were there right before us, so we snapped a few pictures.

 

Jared, President Gillespie, and Nathan

 

Afterwards we went out to dinner with the family.   

 

Packing! Just looking at this makes me want to cry!  So few material items for two whole years...but the material items are not the important things!

Early morning, packed and ready to head out to the 4:40am ferry to catch a 7:00am flight.

On the ferry...don't they look a little more like FBI agents than missionaries?

That's better...

 

Hopefully these boys will remember that they have moms who will always be there looking out for them!  Mary has been a good friend since we moved to Bainbridge.  She is a great example and support, and I look to her for advice and encouragement.

 

These sisters will miss their big brother!

 

A bleary-eyed group...lack of sleep and plenty of tears, too!  The time at the airport was way too short!

 

He jumped into the security line and was almost whisked away before I could take a picture of him with Ben.  It made me so sad to see him disappear past the security check point...sad, but also excited, happy, nervous, proud...

Emily, Jared's sister, sent this picture to us.  It was so good to see they made it safely to Utah!

Watch out world, here come the Bainbridge boys!

Nate's farewell

As is tradition, Nate spoke in church about a week before he left for the MTC.  He and Jared Bell shared the time.  They have been friends since before they were born, and it was wonderful to see them both reaching this mile-stone together.  Almost miraculously, things have worked out that they will be reporting to the MTC on the same day, November 6th, and will be on the same flight to Salt Lake City, sitting next to each other!  I know this has helped calm some of Nathan's nervousness about leaving. 

 

After church, we had lunch with the extended family, a Mexican fiesta in honor of Nate's destination.  I tried to get pictures of everyone, but didn't quite accomplish my goal...

 

Nate and  "Uncle" Jonathan (really they're cousins once removed, or something like that...)

Troianna, Kaelyn and Alexis (who would be Nate's second cousins, I think...)

Uncle Jeff (who is really an Uncle!)

Grandma Vikki and Kjersty (also a cousin, once removed)

Sisters, and Jonah! (cousin)

Brad and Aunt Ashley (a real aunt!)

It's getting closer...

You know the time for a missionary to leave is coming closer when they get to go to the temple!  Nathan has been preparing to go for several months now.  We went on a Friday evening, and it just happened to be the same time as our good friend, Bruce Nowjack's first time.  It was a wonderful evening.  As we were leaving the temple, Nathan said, "I felt so good in there!  I didn't want to leave!"  He was able to go back several times over the next few weeks: once for the Nowjack's sealing a week later, once with his friend Emma, another time with Jared Bell for his endowment, and again to help perform baptisms with the youth.  He felt so blessed  to be able to participate in all the ordinances that take place in the temple before he left. 

 

 

Nathan's going on a mission!

 

We invited family and friends to come over and watch him open his call. Thank goodness for Skype, even though it was a little surreal and hard for him to hear what was happening on our side. We also had my siblings calling in on all three of our phones...home phone, my cell and Brad's cell.

 

Nate set the opening time as 5:30, and we told everyone it would happen right at 5:30, no matter what. But at 5:25 my mom called and said they were stuck in traffic and would we PLEASE wait for them? Traffic on the highway was terrible, combine 5:00 traffic and rain and you get a mess! So poor Nate had to wait another ten minutes, but everyone finally got here and the opening commenced!

 

 

Mexico, Hermosillo Mission,

reporting October 30 to the Provo MTC!!!

 

I can't believe he's going on a mission! And to Mexico! Not that I didn't think, hope, and dream that someday Nathan would serve a mission, it's just hard to believe that he is already almost 20 years old and is a responsible, mature young man, not a goofy little kid or an annoying, angsty teenager!  I'm a little nervous, but very excited for him. We're all glad the waiting is over, at least the finding out where he's going part...now we just have to wait four more months until he gets to start this exciting new adventure!