Well there goes another one.

I can't believe it little Rayna has grown up an left for her mission to the Dominican Republic.She left on November 28th just before midnight at the Salt Lake City Airport. She was traveling to Santa Domingo Dominican Republic where she will go to MTC over there. Dropping missionary off at the airport was a new experience for us and I can't say one way or the other if it was easier or harder. At the MTC in Provo they really don't give you anytime to think you pull in unload the missionary and bags and give a few quick hugs and other missionaries come and take your child away and you and think "Ok that is good" they're in good hands now, and then you have the people ushering you along to get your car out of the way for the next wave of missionaries to come. We arrived at the airport and it was pretty quiet for the airport no lines to speak of and just a few people roaming about.  We check Rayna in at the ticket counter and away her luggage goes and we sit and talk for a while we wait for one of her friends from school to come say good bye. We found out that earlier in the day you need to give banks about a week to get Dominican money available. The banks Rayna called never said that they merely said go to the main bank in downtown Salt Lake and you can get money there. Wrong. So we have that bit of anxiety going on while we are waiting trying to figure out if she can exchange money in New York while she is waiting at her layover. Raynas friend finally arrives so head to security to say goodbye. Tears are shed, jokes are told, handshakes between her and Sienna are always fun to watch. We finally watch her as she makes her way through the maze of security ropes and disappears through the body scan machine. Nanette is a mess. She is worried about how she will know where she's going who will be there to meet her. What about the money? She is ALL ALONE! we are making our way back to the parking garage I'm trying to comfort Nanette and not doing a very good job, I'm reminding her that Rayna is adult she has traveled before, she is smart etc.. Yes but she is ALL ALONE!!! this time. The young kids tell us they need to use the bathroom so just before we get to the parking garage we send them downstairs to the bathroom while I'm holding a blubbering wife. When along came Sister Sheila Justice from our old ward in Salt Lake City have not seen this person in 10 years. She too is heading out to her car and spots us (really Nanette crying) and says "Pollards what are you doing here and why are you so upset?" Nanette blurts out that we just sent Rayna on her Mission to the Dominican Republic and that she is all alone. As all this is happening in this empty airport a family just entering the airport from the parking garage overhears Nanettes crys of woe and stops and says. Hey our son (Elder so and so)is going to The Dominican Republic too. (on the same flight as Rayna) Nanette pleads with him to find her and to not let her out of his sight so that she makes it there ok. After that Nanette felt a lot better about someone being there for Rayna. I could not help but think that this Elder was really here to comfort Nanette. It is just too coincidental for all that transpired and how it all unfolded that it was anything but a tender mercy the lord sent to comfort our fears. So Rayna has been out about three weeks now but with the play and all I have not sat down to start this blog until now. Please enjoy the letters from the Dominican Republic. Oh and on a side note while she is in the MTC (CCM) she can not receive packages, or letters only emails. DAD