My "Little Buddy" Becomes "Elder Pitcher"

August has been a very busy month for us, but the highlights have been the exciting events leading up to the day we took my little brother Steve to the MTC...

It all began August 5th when Steve turned 19 years old. He has become pretty good at bowling, so we decided to do a family bowling party for his Birthday.

A couple weeks later, we were able to attend the Bountiful Temple with Steve for his first time. It was such a great experience to be there with members of our family and enjoy this special day with each other.On Sunday August 17th, Steve gave his "farewell" talk in church. I could hardly believe all the friends and family that actually made it there at 8:30 in the morning to support him. He was assigned by Bishop Andrus to speak about "The Importance of Temples." Since the first time Steve went through to receive his endowments, he had gone back almost everyday before his farewell so that he could share his personal experiences and testimony of the temple with others. He gave a beautiful talk and confirmed to all that he was prepared to serve the Lord in Paraguay for the next two years of his life. Afterward, his supporters and "fan club" came to my parents house for brunch. It was fun to spend time with family and Steve's friends that whole day as a lot of laughter and some tears were shared with the people who have been closest to Steve throughout his life.

Finally, on August 20th, we took Steve to the MTC, stopping at the Provo Temple to take some family pictures first. This was the hardest day by far, knowing that we would be sharing one final embrace for at least two years. Steve is the last of my four brothers to serve a full time mission, so even though I've been through this a few times before, it was still so hard to let him go. Even Jax burst into tears when Steve hugged him "goodbye" realizing that he would be 6 years old before he would get to see him again. Even though it was tuff letting him go, I know what a tremendous service he is doing for the Lord and what an amazing missionary he will be. I am so excited to hear about his experiences and see his testimony grow as he serves the people of Paraguay. I know that my "Little Buddy" will become a "Good Buddy" to everyone he meets and serves. I can already tell you that anyone who knows Steve loves, respects, and admires him. He is an exceptionally amazing individual and I feel very privileged to call him my brother and My "Little Buddy."