Nine

That's how many months Elder Trace has been serving his mission. That's how many new types of foods he's tried (believe it or not. That's how many times we pray for him every day. The time seems to have gone by so fast for he and all his friends serving missions. He continues to write us every week. We love that we can start our work week on Monday with word from our Elder. We continue to marvel at how much he has grown and changed. We were impressed with his diligence to serve an honorable mission when he came home for a few months to better prepare himself to dedicate his life fully to the Lord. Since he's been gone we've been able to see how his commitment has blessed his life and the lives of others. We see through his letters how his patience has grown, his acceptance of others, his work ethics, his love for the people he is serving for and with, and most of all we have see how his testimony and love for the Lord has grown. He left still a teenager, not quite an adult, and now we have seen how he has grown to become a man. Pride is probably not the best word to use but we are beaming just the same.