17,531 Hours

The air is heavy, my lungs are drowning in the moment. The silence is melancholy, with words lingering in the atmosphere. The hug that lasts a little longer than usual, the hands that remain locked together for as long as they can, the kiss on the cheek that means the world; It's the moment I dread and look forward to all at the same time. I've gone through it time and time again. It's torn my heart to pieces and scattered them across the world. It's always an unexpected emotion, a heartbreak, and a genuine excitement. The letters in the mail, the notification of an email, the update on Facebook, the little reminders that I'm blessed with worthy, inspired, absolutely incredible friends. I've fallen in love with testimony after testimony, stories and advice; I've fallen in love with all my boys. As I said goodbye to the last of them to go out into the mission field today, I also began the two month countdown for my little family of friends to make their way back home. Two years.  730 days. 17,531 hours. 1,051,897 minutes. It goes by a lot quicker than I could have ever imagined. Through them, I've grown, I've understood, I've learned, and I've gained a greater testimony and love for my Savior and the hastening of the work. Words cannot express how proud I am of each and every one of those missionaries, and there is not a doubt in my mind that the Lord is proud beyond measure too.

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God be with you til we meet again, Elders.