Tom's Visa Is Here!

I just about passed out last night when I got home and Dave told me there was a message saying Tom's visa was here and they were going to mail it to us.  What?!  A little over a month ago, we did some visa stuff on line and Dave took it to the church travel department to try to expedite it as much as possible.  Before this, we had heard story after story about boys who ended up going to the Prove MTC and even to another state side mission because they had to wait for thier visas to come.  The person that Dave talked to said she could all but guarantee that he would be going to the Provo MTC for eight weeks because they had just received about one hundred visas and they told them not to expect any more for three to four months.  At first we were a little disappointed, but then kind of liked the idea of having him not being so far away at first. We even bought him a coat!  Well, that all changed yesterday with the realization that his visa will come on Thursday, which means he can get on a plane on December 13th and head for Sau Paulo, Brazil!  It is getting way too close and way too real.  I am dreading that day for us, but I am still really excited for Tom.  He is nervous, but who wouldn't be?  We are still trying to wrap up loose ends and make sure he is ready to go.  He has one more vaccination to get that he couldn't get a couple of weeks ago because we messed up and let them give him a chicken pox booster.  We hope he can get the yellow fever shot on the Friday before he leaves or even the day he leaves.  He will take his Portuguese final at SLCC the day before he leaves.  I think having him go to the MTC in Brazil will help speed up the language learning process, which isn't a bad thing and he'll get to see Sau Paulo and check out the area on his P-days. 
I just keep telling myself how fast time flies and how fast a year goes by so before we know it, he will be home.  His friend Justin, who seems like he just left, has been gone for six months, which is a quarter of his mission done already!  This makes me feel optimistic!  More to come in the next couple of weeks.....