MTC DAY

 The big day had finally arrived!  Josh was up early and it was time to see if everything would fit in the suitcases.  Luckily it did!  We all kind of hung around and watched him, helping out here and there.  And then it was time to finalize everything and head out the door.  I think one of the hardest things for Josh to do was to erase and disable his phone.  His lifeline was gone!  Wow!  This was really happening.

  On the way to Provo, we stopped at Grandma Spencer’s for one more hug.  I think Josh was realizing that saying “Good-bye” was going to be a lot harder than he expected it to be.  We had a nice little visit with Grandma and then headed to Provo.  Josh wanted to eat at the Red Lobster and of course, we were going to do whatever Josh wanted.  Lunch was fun, but emotional.  The reality of being separated for two years was starting to sink in.

Josh’s allotted drop off time was 2:00.  We had a little bit of extra time, so we headed to the Provo Temple and took a few last pictures.  The hubbub around the MTC and the temple was pretty amazing.  There was a long line of cars waiting to enter the MTC grounds.  All too soon, it was time to get in that long line.  Eventually, we made it to the front of the line and were directed to a spot to pull over.  We had Josh sitting in the middle so no one could grab him before we were ready.  Reluctantly, we climbed out of the car and an Elder came over and introduced himself.   He helped get Josh’s luggage out of the car as we did a couple of rounds of hugs.  And then, it was time to go.  I told that Elder to take good care of Josh, and he was led away.

It was a really amazing thing to see all of those missionaries surrounding the MTC.  What an incredible army they are, and what a special place it must be for them to make their final preparations to serve the Lord by preaching his gospel.  It was very hard saying “Good-bye” to Josh, but knowing how excited he was and how excited I am for him to have this amazing experience, made it a little easier.   I know that the Lord will bless him and watch over him.