He's a Missionary!

Hey everyone! Aubrey here. It is official. Carson is out in the MTC! He is a missionary! We all spent as much time as possible with Carson as we possibly could the week before and went out to eat quite a lot!

 

 

Tuesday night Carson got together with some of his really close friends to hang out and talk for awhile. One of the dad's made milkshakes for all of the boys and I made a "Goodbye" cake for them! They are an awesome group of kids who will be amazing missionaries. I was even emotional when I had to say my goodbye to Robby {bottom right} who was also leaving the following day! They have spent hours upon hours at our house and it is hard to see them go but they are awesome guys and will do amazing things out there.

 

 

Then we had Dave, Angie and their 3 kids come over to say goodbye. It is crazy to think that when he gets back they will be 2, 4, and 8. Zack {above} was especially playful with Carson that night and it was so cute... he is the best older cousin.

 

 

Then that night at 10 our amazing Stake President came over to set Carson apart as a missionary! It was an incredible blessing and I don't know about the rest of my family but I sure had tears in my eyes the whole time!

 

 

 That night I'm pretty sure no one in our family slept. I couldn't fall asleep forever and my pillow was wet at sometimes:) The next morning my mom and him finished up all of the packing and zipped the suitcases! I skipped school and both my parents took work off and Parker just went a half day. 

 

 

Wednesday afternoon we went to Sizzler {missionaries eat free there... ha ha... there were 8 in the restaurant} and then drove around for awhile and took pictures! We thought this would be a good picture to remember the day he  left... so snowy. It was really pretty.

I miss Carson so much. He is my hero, my example, and my best friend. I seriously was in tears since the minute I woke up Wednesday. It's hit me really hard. Harder than I thought. But I couldn't be proud of the choice he has made to serve our Lord for the next two years. I love him so much. He is the best brother in the world. 



 

Parker and Carson always had a great relationship... and this picture is painful to know that their days of soccer and fifa and hanging out together is going to be postponed for the next 4 years. But they will both be strengthend by each other and I can't wait to see them both back in 4 years.

 

 

 

The curb side drop off was really hard. Everyone held it together but me. I was bawling, and continued to cry the rest of the day. My eyes were swollen I cried so much. But at the same time we are all so happy for Carson. He is an incredible missionary. He will change lives with his testimony and willingness. He is an example to all of us. His greeter was so nice and I know he is in good hands there......

 

 

....... This is where the story gets interesting! Haha. My mom's next door neighbor and best friend all growing up currently lives in Virginia, but their son Dallin is also at the MTC right now - leaving to Italy in about a week. Anyways. Thursday afternoonish we get this email from my mom's friend with an email from Dallin that said this...

 

"I did actually know that Carson/Elder Richards entered the MTC yesterday. I was hosting new missionaries when he came in, but I didn't get to see Kim or the rest of the family. And in response to your question as to whether or not I've seen him.... I'd have to say yes, and in fact I'd have to say that he is staying in the same room as I am! My companion and I have had the whole 4-person room to ourselves for nearly 9 weeks, and when we heard that 2 new elders were going to be moving in, we were kind of bummed. I was so surprised when I came into my room and the end of the day yesterday and Elder Richards was there, unpacking! So, in an event so unlikely that I don't want to try to calculate the odds, Elder Richards is one of my 2 new roommates. Make sure you let his parents know that he's doing well. He's not overwhelmed, and he's very calm. He probably won't get a chance to email home until next week, so unless he whips out a quick letter to them, they might not hear from him for a while. The Lord's tender mercies are abundant in my life, and Elder Richards as a roommate was the most recent one."

 

This was an eye opener to all of us that the Lord knows what he's doing. There was no reason that Dallin and Carson should be roommates. They have practically opposite missions. But the Lord knew what He was doing. He has amazing plans for Carson and I am so comforted by that fact. I'm grateful Dallin is his roommate. We are all so excited for Carson and by daily prayers and reading the scriptures my tears have been fading.

 

Carson will be at the MTC for 6 weeks so PLEASE, PLEASE right him!

 

Elder Carson John Richards
MTC Mailbox # 256
CA-ANA 0312
2005 N 900 E
Provo, Ut 8460-1793

 

Thanks for reading! Please keep Carson in your prayers. I will be posting his weekly emails so keep coming back! Don't know when his P - Day is but just check throughout the week!