See you later, Elder Walker!

Our Family

Today my brother has been set apart and has flown into Utah.

Many new traditions are made when a child goes into the next phase in their life. What's weird is that it's usually me who's experiencing these new things. This time it's my brother. He's left to serve the people in the South Carolina Columbia mission for the next two years. I won't see him in two full years. That's a very long time. Short. Yet, long. And it's just begun.

Yesterday was a fabulous day. Ben mostly finished up packing while I worked on creating his blog and checking it by him before he left. It was a great day. It just so happened to be Family Home Evening night. We naturally asked Ben what he'd like to do for his last day. Would he like to go out to eat? That seems to be the traditional thing. However, he decided that he'd rather spend time at home than out to eat. What we did instead? We played Super Mario Brothers Wii. It was a blast. Half of us were really good. The other half was extremely bad. My parents and I were in the half that was bad. We all had several hours of an ab workout with all the laughing we accomplished. We were so terrible that it was funny. Luckily the goal wasn't that we would actually win anything, because we each kept dying even if we had started out with 9 lives. I'm so grateful for the family that lent it to us for the night. It created memories that will last forever.

Everyone minus our photographer Stake President

This morning, my brother and sister woke up earlier than early to make a big breakfast for Ben. It's a tradition in our house. I'm not really sure how it started, but if it's a special day for a sibling or a parent, one or two of us will wake up earlier than we normally do to make pancakes, waffles, dutch baby pancakes or Norsekepannekakers. Not only that, but we'll go overboard with freshly squeezed orange juice, strawberries, whipped topping, bacon, etc. I love this tradition. Even if we wake up earlier than early. Which generally means earlier than either 5:50 when my siblings leave for seminary or 6:15 when the rest of us wake for scripture reading. It's such a pleasant smell to wake to.

The youngest and oldest brothers.

When breakfast was done, we hurried over to the church building where my brother and sister were for seminary. Our aunt and uncle, the Bishop, his son who is great friend of my brother's, and another recently ordained Elder fit into the stake president's office with my immediate family. The stake president informed us that the setting apart only takes a moment, so if before we got started he asked if we had any advice to share with my brother. The Bishop and my parents both shared their advice, which I mention on my brother's blog. But my youngest brother who has a really close relationship with Ben and who will probably have an extremely difficult time without him, shared his advice, "If you'll be as good of a missionary as a brother, you'll be a great missionary. And baptize like 50 thousand people." We all sort've stared at him. It was rather profound. I think it'll really get Ben thinking while on his mission. Short and simple, but strong with lots of meaning.

Then he was set apart as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The sisters with their brother

He was able to have his stake president, bishop, father, uncle, and two friends in the circle. Of course, afterwards we took a lot of photos.

After my two siblings went off to high school, the rest of my family plus Elder Fischer, went off the the airport. They were immediately heading out to Utah and will be spending time with my uncle's family. Tomorrow they will be reporting to the MTC.

Even though tomorrow is officially the day they are reporting in, today is the last day we'd get to see either of them. They'll be great missionaries. They're great people. Wish them the best of luck and keep them in your prayers!

Best of Brotherhood.

Elder Walker with the parents.

"There is no other labor in all the world that brings to a human heart, judging from my own personal experience, more joy, peace and serenity than proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Heber J. Grant - Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant