The day finally came for Jim and I to take Ian to Utah to start his 2-year mission. We spent a few days with Ian before his report date, visiting family (the Fosters and the Hanks) at their homes and going out with them to the Mayan Adventure for dinner. We took Jim to see the sites in Temple Square and took a tour of the Conference Center. He was impressed with it all! The last day with Ian, we dropped by the MTC (Mission Training Center) to see if we could take a few pictures in front. I told two new Elders there what we were doing. They said, “Oh, you should go ‘that’ way. Then they took us around the MTC. They hadn’t heard that visitors weren’t allowed around the property. They gave us a nice tour of the place, with some pictures and it helped with Ian’s nervousness quite a bit, so we didn’t feel too badly when we knowingly broke the rules. Eventually we were busted and nicely asked to leave. After two days of playing between Provo and Salt Lake, we said good-bye to our baby boy. A sad, but proud moment. Ian will be at the MTC for three weeks before going to his assigned mission in Montana & Wyoming. We already miss him so much, joining the thousands of missionary parents who wait for that precious letter each week and the holiday phone calls. Thank you everyone who helped Ian get there, whether it was financial, by example, or words of encouragement and support.
