Cousins

We've had a couple of trips to Tucson in the last couple of months. The first one, on May 28th, was to celebrate my cousin, Bailey's baptism. We are so proud of her decision to be baptized. Such a wonderful commitment and blessing. Then, last Sunday, we drove down because Bailey's big brother, Riley, had come home from his two-year mission to Panama and gave a talk in church. Wow. All I can say is that my Uncle Ben and Aunt Shannon have turned out some pretty amazing children. There are times when you can just tell by the way a returned missionary talks that he (or she) just absolutely loved every minute of his mission. Riley was one of those missionaries. I feel so much gratitude for his desire to serve with his whole heart and for his ability to rise to the challenge of serving a mission in Panama. Listening to him talk and seeing his pictures definitely took me back to my mission in Ecuador. I felt so close to God. My mission strengthened me for the challenges of my life, and I am confident that Riley is well prepared to face the obstacles he'll have in his.