Elder Sanderson's Mission Adventure: 24 weeks on the 24th :)

all of this is from Tara: today did not go as planned. I got an email from the church with HD's itinerary for Brazil it said he left today. It said they would notify him on Thursday. I didn't email him because I hoped we would get to talk on the phone and I didn't think he would be checking email today. So imagine my surprise when I got an email from him at 12:16 with these photos:

Why on earth is my child holding a scorpion?!? His title of this email filled with pics of him holding the scorpion said -you can tell I wasn't too thrilled. I was so confused. Was he in Brazil already? Why is there a cat poster? Why is it in English? Is he still in Utah? Again, why is he holding a scorpion and a machete?? Is he emailing me from the airport? So many questions!! lol I immediately emailed him back and said "where are you?" he replies "In Utah. Where are you?" smarty pants. He then tells me he heads to brazil tomorrow not today. I double checked the email we recieved sure enough it said the 24th. I frantically searched for the number for the mission office, while losing my mind, called and the sweet secreatry told me he was correct he did leave tomorrow. I told her the last info I had said the 24th. She was so nice and apologized for not sending me the updated information. She sent me the correct itinerary and I was so happy to see the date for tomorrow. He is going to be a part of a new program the church just started where the missionaries who have waited for their visas will go to São Paulo and stay at the MTC for two weeks for a laguage refresher course before they head to their areas. I think that is so fantastic!!! Hard to have 6 weeks of such intense language study then four monhts of speaking english again. D and I emailed back and forth for about 15 minutes and he said he would call us tomorrow!!! So excited we get to hear his voice. My mom is a flight attendant and she flies for Delta the airline HD is flying to ATL and then onto Brazil she was flying to newark today the gate next to hers? What would have been Ds flight to ATL! She thought he was leaving today so she looked for him and left him a care package with the gate agent (she has been flying for 43+ years she knows everybody!) she called me when she landed in newark to say she didn't see him. The first officer had even gotten off the plane while the flight attendants were prepping everything to look for HD he was going to bring him on board so he could say goodbye to his grandma. :) so sweet. She flies again tomorrow but she is flying into DC so she might not be near his gate. She is going to take another care package just in case. :) such an emotional day. one more to go. Here are the rest of his picutres:

their zone t-shirts

the comps badges. Love this photo. Hopes he takes one with all his comps and roomates.