TAIWAN!!

It's official - My little brother got his mission call last night. He has been called to serve in the Taiwan Taichung mission!! He leaves June 25th. It was so incredibly awesome to see his reaction last night. We had to wait until after 8 to open the call which was killer for the suspense factor, but my dad had a meeting and didn't get home until then. We had all written down our predictions and turned them in to mom just before he opened the call. He was so sure he was going stateside based on the postage of the package (weird superstition). Anyway - He opened the letter and started to hyperventilate as soon as he got to the location. He is so incredibly excited and I couldn't be prouder of my lil' bro. A little while ago, he had a dream that he was going to open the China mission - and I don't think he could have gotten much closer to China without actually being in there!

It's times like these that make me realize how grown up, mature and a spiritual giant my little brother is. he is such an example to all those that meet him and it's so great to see him be so excited for a mission. He has grown up so much in the past year with being on his own and going to school. My mom and I were talking the other day about how good an influence his roommates have been on him. We were all kind of worried with him being in an apartment with a bunch of return missionaries based on some of the stories we'd heard from people. His roommates could not have been better. He was totally prepared by these guys and my family is grateful for their influence on him. My mom and I decided that we were really glad that he decided to go to UVSC, stay close to home and not go to the U. Although I wouldn't have traded my experiences in my freshman year for the world, I think a lot of what has shaped me today has been a product of that environment. Things would have been much different had I stayed closer to home, been with my high school friends and not had the opportunities to grow and experience all that I've experienced. My brother and I are different as night and day, and I'm grateful for that. I look up to him so much and it will be hard to know that he's on the opposite side of the world from me for 2 long years, but I can't wait to see how he grows, learns and matures in that time. I already view him as a spiritual giant, and I'm sure the people of Taiwan will be blessed to be in his presence. He is so loving and so kind that they will not be able to stay away from him. He will be a force for good in that country.