The Final Countdown - July 24, 2008

I have just about 21 hours left until I am set apart as a missionary. These sweet last moments I spend alone, as after tomorrow I will not be alone again for more than two years. I savor quiet time to myself, however, concluding that I will spend the last night not with friends or family, but simply alone. By myself. And it is bliss.

In this last week I have continued to not pack for my mission, nor have I done more shopping or preparation of any sort. Instead, after family left Sunday night I realized that this is it, this is really it.

So monday I went rock climbing for the first time. Tuesday... I did laundry, lots of laundry. I went to the high school too and saw Ms. J and that night I went to Ashley's and watched a movie, A Goofy Movie, even. We ate a very good Pazookie.

Wednesday I was sure I would begin to get things ready, but instead merely looked around, overwhelmed. So I emailed the MTC and got my mailing address for the Provo and Santo Domingo MTCs, and made up little cards with my different addresses to give to people. My mother took it one step further and thought up making them into magnets, so i spent the whole day making and passing out to people these magnets with my address on them so maybe, someday, I would get a cool package from someone.

Thursday, as in today, I went to Breakfast with Mo, my high school chior director, and then went with Austin Brown, his brother Matthew, and Linda to what is now called Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. I faced my old fear -MEDUSA. It was a narly ride, but i did it.

Now i look to tomorrow, where i run some errands, go to lunch with some friends from Long Beach, and then, at 7pm PST, I will be set apart. And that is it. That is the end of John Sellers, and the birth of Elder Sellers. As I probably won't be writing on this blog again personally, I will tell you that we leave early Saturday morning for Utah directly to the Salt Lake Temple to do a session, then get together with family, do some shopping, do another session at the Timpanogas Temple on Tuesday, and finally Report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT at 1:00pm MST on Wednesday, July 30, 2008.

From this point forward, all posts will consist of emails sent to my family from the MTC and eventually Puerto Rico for the duration of my two year mission. Now, I know there are at least two people that read this, so I will let you know that I will do my best to keep you up to date concerning the daily life of Elder Sellers.

This is all amazing, and scary, and exciting, but it makes me think of my friend Emily Bonzi, who was the one that helped me overcome my fear of roller coasters only a year or so ago (and whether it is true or not, it worked). She told me the same part of the brain that sends out the signal for fear also sends out the signal for excitment, and that since the signals are exactly the same, all I have to do is tell myself I am not afraid, but that I'm excited. And poof, its all better. So, I am scared, excited, happy, and certain. I hope you can be patient enough with me to come along for the ride :)