Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Final Goodbyes and the MTC!!

(Please click on pictures if you wish to see them bigger)


Brooklyn turned 21 on Sunday as well as got set apart to be an official missionary. She didn't leave for Utah with my parents til Tuesday so we were all enjoying watching her have to wear knee highs a couple of days early. Her friends were nice and took her out for her last pazookie at BJ's one of her favorite restaurants the night before and then came over on Monday to help her pack. They packed both of her suitcases and visited one last time. These girls have been friends since she was like 11 or 12 so it was fun to see them all emotional and saying their goodbyes.





Monday with friends



My mom said it was a good thing they went up to Utah a day before she entered the MTC because Tuesday they were able to get a lot of last minute things done that they had forgotten about. Brooklyn forgot to get flip flops for the shower so they went all over Provo searching for a pair......that was a pretty tough thing to do in Provo in the middle of winter. Brooklyn was also having issues with her missionary attire and adjusting to the fact that she had to tuck her shirts into her skirts. They kept coming untucked and just bothered her all day so they also took a trip to the sister missionary mall in Provo and she got the Jodie dresses pictured below. I was horrified for her because all I could picture was the little jumper overall looking dresses with the plain t-shirt underneath type thing but now that I see the pictures I'm relieved for her and they are actually pretty cute for sister missionary clothes. She decided to buy 6 while they were there. 4 solid, and 2 printed ones.....the lighter printed one with the little blue flowers on it, her and my mom were calling the pantie dress because it looks like the print on a little girls panties lol





Sister Grant sporting her light blue Jodie dress this morning before she went into the MTC.



My mom wanted me to add a little story from the trip as well. Brooklyn woke up this morning and was like, "OK, so you know how missionaries always say that everyone just can't sleep the night before they go into the MTC?? Well, I wish that would've been me, because I just slept so good and dreamed and dreamed all night long. I had a dream that we got to the MTC and I went to check in and the lady at the counter said, Oh I'm sorry we just weren't ready for you. We didn't know you were coming!" and Brooklyn was like, "What do you mean you didn't know I was coming? YOU SENT ME AN AIRLINE TICKET!!" and the lady said, " Well I'm really sorry but since you're already set apart to be a missionary, what we'll do is, send you back to Arizona with a senior companion and you can serve on the reservation until we find another companion up here for you" and Brooklyn was just like, "OHHHHHH NO, I'm already here we've got to work this mess out!!"

Leave it to Brooklyn to have some random dream tied to her Indian roots and have to come back home after she's already started her mission experience.


After the dream and getting ready they went and met up with my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Brad and the rest of the family at Dennys for a good breakfast. My cousin Landry entered the MTC today as well going to Alabama for his mission. It was fun for Brooklyn to see all of them before she left as well, and how fun, that she'll be in the MTC with Landry and a couple of other people she knows as well.















Getting her RED luggage out




The lines of all the new missionaries luggage was just running up and down all the side walks. This is only on Brooklyns side (notice her red luggage again under #37) but it went around the corner and down the other sidewalks as well.
I don't know why this picture is flipped backwards but the sign obviously says, "New Missionaries enter here"
She went in one door and my parents went in another. By the time my mom got around the corner she had already gotten her name tag, and been given some other information.
Then the lady told them that the parents could pin the name tag on but to be advised to pin it as high as they could as to not focus on the ladies "area" when someone tries to read your tag haha
Brooklyn called the newbie orange dot her "Dork Dot".




So it's finished. Sister Grant has officially entered the MTC and is probably bedding down as I write this for her first official night there. We are so excited for her and can't wait to get our first email/ or letter from her telling us who her companion is and how her experience has been so far. We love her so much and can't wait to see how her life and the lives of those she comes in contact with in the Philippines are changed by this wonderful gospel.

7 comments:

  1. Finally my stomach can untie itself!! I had to sneak around Provo scared of running into that girl for two days!

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  2. We just got home and it felt weird coming into the house and knowing Landry is gone for 2 years! Dang, what an emotional day! It was great to
    see Brooklyn and your parents. Brooklyn and Landry were READY to go.

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  3. What a neat idea to set up a missionary blog for Brooklyn! I loved seeing that final goodbye at the MTC.
    Best of the best to Brooklyn!
    Terri Fletcher

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  4. now i'm all teary eyed! gonna miss that girl!

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  5. This is really cool. Jake is so excited to see pictures of his favorite primary teacher now on her mission.

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  6. What happened to that little 3 year old blonde girl, that used to love the "glorious, Ex-ca-bur"! we were so scared (not really) that she was gonna turn out to be a gambler, when, in the casinos (at 3yrs old), she would pass the tables and yell, "I want SEVEN!" Thank goodness we were wrong! (lol!) Now we know she's just expressive!:-) It was so touching to see Brooklyn (whom I love) at the MTC (which I love) it brought back memories and I'm so excited for her!!! Love, cousin Alan

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  7. Denee this is such a great idea to do a blog for your sister! I loved reading the stories! I also meant to post on your blog that I LOVE the name you chose for your baby girl (I had the baby sleeping on my lap though and would of had to type in lower case, which I hate!). Anyways, I know the best thing for me as I grew in the gospel was reading stories and hearing testimonies of other members, so this is a wonderful thing that you're doing!

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