Zach. AKA, Elder Tolen.

I seem to only blog after I haven't blogged for a long time. That probably won't change.Sorry.
A lot has changed in my life since I last blogged. Let's see.
I'm two years older, (17) a senior in high school, the oldest child at home, and I no longer have a crush on a kid in my seminary class!
You may have noticed that I am the oldest child at home. Let me explain.
My older brother Zach did not die.
He simply made the amazing choice to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Way back in May, sitting precariously on my piano in the front room, sat his mission call, fresh off the press, delivered by sanctified messenger pigeons through the chimney, straight from LDS headquarters (that's not exactly how it happened). He immediately got on all of his social media accounts, and alerted everyone to the opening of his mission call, that night, at 9pm sharp. We ran to the store, got a map and stickers, and prepared ourselves for the hoard of people that would infiltrate our home. Living in Utah, we expected a crowd. Little did we know!
At around 8 pm, people started trickling in, putting stickers on the map, and settling in, all the while the tension in the house growing. Finally, 9 pm came around, and roughly 150 people crowded the living room, the couch, and packed the stairs, all in anticipation. My Mom and Dad got all of the extended family on the phone, and Skype, and Zach, standing in front of the fireplace, opened the crisp, beige envelope.
Flipping the envelope over the letter to ensure he didn't read ahead, he began reciting the words on the page.
He read: "Dear Elder Tolen,
                 You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Japan Tokyo-South Mission."

You can imagine the screams that shook the windows of the neighboring houses after he read that call. Zach has been wanting to serve a mission in Tokyo since he was five years old. And his wish came true! Reading that sentence must have been one of the best moments of his life. Me on the other hand, I was in tears. Thoughts that ran through my mind consisted of: "OH MY GOODNESS." "That's on the other side of the world..." "Nope too far away." "Okay read the actual call now Zach." "No. You can't go that far away from me." And lastly, "Oh my gosh. My brother is going on a mission."
Those five months before he left went by really fast. They're full of great memories that I made with my older brother, that I will never forget.
The night before October 1st, we drove to the Stake Presidents office, where Zach got set apart as a missionary. He was now Elder Tolen. This was an amazing spiritual experience for everyone in the room.
The morning of October 1st rolled around. My brothers and I stayed home from school, and around 10:00 am, piled into the car. Driving silently, on the brink of tears, Zach decided he wanted his "last meal" to be a Philly cheese stake of all things! So we ate, then drove to the temple across from the Provo MTC, took pictures, and waited. The minutes ticked by. The tears hit the pavement like bricks. Then the time came. We piled into the car after last hugs, and drove across the street. The process of dropping him off went way too quickly. We pulled up to the curb and got out of the car, when suddenly another missionary going to Tokyo quickly gathered his bags, and after we rushed to give him one last hug, pulled Elder Tolen away, and led him into the MTC.
Saying goodbye to my older brother and best friend for two years was hands down, the hardest thing I have ever had to do. It felt like a piece of me was leaving, and I could do nothing to stop it. It hurt. A lot. After he left, I accidentally set six dinner plates instead of five, and almost broke down in tears. But about a week later, my Mom received an email from him, and that helped me start the healing process. Now that he has been gone for almost 3 weeks, it is so much easier. I know he is doing the right thing, and I am so excited to be able to follow in his footsteps and serve a mission as well. He is doing absolutely amazing for anyone who is wondering, and LOVING MTC life. His half-way mark for the MTC is next week! How crazy! He is supposed to arrive in Japan on December 2nd! He will get to spend Christmas in Japan.
I am so proud of my older brother for making the decision to serve a mission. It is a great example to me, and to my younger brothers.
I know what he is doing is right. I know what he is teaching is true. I know he is doing the right thing, even though it is hard to say goodbye. I love my brother very much, if you can't already tell.


Here is a link to Elder Tolen's blog if you want to read up on him: Elder Tolen's Blog