I mostly concentrated on the minutiae of the preparation and not daring to embrace the emotions.
I knew that if I thought about it for more than 2 1/2 seconds, I would cry.
And if I cried, I wasn't sure I could stop.
How can you describe the feelings - the anticipation, the longing, the excitement?
I kept everything in check by worrying about passports, tickets, cameras, insect repellent, clothing, shoes, luggage tags, hotel arrangments etc.
As we arrived at each airport,
the anticipation built and I found myself crying in the Denver Airport and then again at the San Fransisco Airport.
But as waited for our final flight in the Korea airport, we had one last chance to check email.There was Trammell's final email to us.
And I found myself crying in yet another airport.
Dear Family-
Wow! You are over the ocean, or probably sitting in Korea right now! That is so weird to think about! I can’t believe it is almost here! Two years plus! Wow!
Tonight is my last night to go and teach anyone! So crazy!
Well, I have been thinking about my experience the last two years. They have been the most amazing two years of my life! The ups are up and the downs are down, but the things I have learned, experiences I have had, and person I have become are absolutely priceless. I have come to know my Savior. I have come closer to Him each and every day. I have seen His hand in my work. I have seen His hand pick me up and carry me when I couldn’t go on. I have seen His grace and mercy. I have seen the power of the Atone ment in the lives of those I have taught, and felt it each and every day as I work.
I have learned to study the scriptures. I have noticed such a difference in the peace in my life from when I have read and when I forget to read. The Spirit is so real when we read. I have learned that the Book of Mormon is true. That it truly is the iron rod that will lead us to return to our Father.
I have learned to pray. I have learned that God hears and answers our prayers. I know that He loves us.
I have learned for myself that Joseph Smith is a true prophet. That he saw what he said he saw, and restored the true church on the earth.
I am so grateful for all of you and all of your support. Thank you so much for you encouragement and love. I love you so much! I can’t wait to see you and show you the people that I love.
Love,
Elder Cox
And so, we begin our final leg of the journey to pick up Trammell!
6 comments:
Wow that was a powerful email! Thanks for sharing.
what a beautiful letter.
what a great example YOU set for all of us, gina. i hope my kids are even half as good and half as fun as yours are (though i might secretly hope that they're also half as mischievous, ha!). what a great last e-mail and what a great son trammell must be. you must be so proud.
i can't wait for my kids to serve missions. mallory has always insisted that she won't, even when she was barely speaking as a toddler. weird. but sioban and elisabeth are all for it. sioban would like to serve in either disneyland or hawai‘i. smart girl. we go out of our way to introduce them to sister missionaries, even stopping alongside the road if we see them out tracting. for a long time, my girls insisted that only boys could serve missions because they'd never seen sisters!
I can see why you were crying again. What a lovely and powerful letter. I know you are proud, we all should be... another strong, beautiful, and kind child. Good job.
Aww. I would've cried too. Thanks for sharing.
Such a great last letter! Loved reading it...thanks for sharing. It was fun to visit with Tram last night. I'm sure you are loving having him home!!
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