Elder Rigby

Yesterday was a big day for our family, as we took Nick to the MTC. I have heard all kinds of stories , like, how heart wrenching, horrible, hardest thing you'll ever do, cry like youve never cried before, and what a nightmare it is.. etc. ....to leave your missionary there. Im sure it is that way for most families, but we had a different experience with ours. First off, I think with Nick being the last of all his friends to go, we were happy for him more than anything! That kid has been BORED OUT OF HIS MIND! He just moped around the house! It was painful for him to be here day in and day out , just waiting and waiting for the 9th of September! It was painful to watch! I had decided in my mind that I was going to make it a positive , exciting day, not a day of dread. I didnt , and still havent allowed myself to think about the negatives .. like missing him, or how long it will be before I see him again. I intend to focus on how much happier he will be keeping busy and moving forward with his life. He has his whole life planned out and he was SO READY to get going! When we got to the upper parking lot of the MTC, the gentleman ushering us in asked where Nick was going to serve, and after we told him said, "wow most of the missionaries that have come today are going to Peru!" That was fun for us and we immediatly met a cool missionary that was waiting in the parking lot with his family too! There were missionaries everywhere we looked , walking to the university, playing soccer, helping unload the drop-offs, and just chilling outside. The one thing we all noticed was they were all smiling, and all of them seemed to be having a blast!! We took pictures and laughed and talked till we had to get back in the car and do the drop-off. When we got to that point a really fun missionary helped us out and got Nicks luggage, visited with us and said Nick is going to have a great time and he will be well cared for! That Elder was from Hawaii , headed to Texas in two weeks. We gave our hugs and kisses good-bye with mimimal tears and off Nick went with a huge smile on his face. As we were pulling out watching all the missionaries Benny said,"Man, I can't wait to go on my mission! This is AWESOME!" We left Provo happy! We are so excited for our Nick! We are so proud of him and know he will be a great tool in Gods hands. I feel blessed that we didnt have a cry-fest..... I think the way things worked out for Nick and our family was meant to be, a blessing, a tender mercy. It was so much better for him to part from us with joy, and seeing us happy and thrilled for him. I believe it was a gift for me and Nick, as we both have depression, and it could have been a really tough thing for us. We are looking forward to the future with our missionary! Just think, one and a half days down already, but hey, whos counting! :)