Benin, Cotonou.

     Aaron received his mission call on November 4th 2011. Earlier that day he came home from a trip to DC and I was there to pick him up from the airport. We embraced with the intensity that comes after a long wait and I couldn't hold back my happy giggling tears. When we got back to his house, his dad told him that there was something on his bed for him. Aaron looked at me with a kind of hopeful curiosity and because I had no idea what that look meant, I quickly followed behind him.
     There in the middle of his bed, lay the much awaited for large white envelope. He picked it up and gently turned it over in his hands; there was no mistaking that this was what we had been waiting for. This was his mission call. I covered my mouth as tears filled my eyes. I was totally and completely awe-struck. We talked about our astonishment that the letter was actually here. He hugged his parents and I as we all laughed about the possibilities of foreign countries or even being stateside. His dad kept asking him to open it but Aaron persisted that he did not feel fully ready because he did not even know that the letter was coming. He wanted to make sure that he was in the right mindset before he opened his call.
     His parents left and then it was just Aaron, the letter and I in his room. We sat face-to-face with one another as the envelope separated the ground between us. Not much was said but tearful glances were exchanged along with whispers of predictions. We decided to go the grocery store with his parents because he couldn't bear to not open his letter yet but he wanted to make sure he was spiritually prepared.
     Upon returning home, Aaron told us to leave him alone for awhile. He went into his room and shut the door as he so fervently prayed to have the spirit with him and to receive a confirmation that this was truly where the Lord needed him to go.
     He then came into the living room with a choking voice as he told us that he would now open the envelope. The living room consisted of Aaron, his parents, his sister and I. He slid his finger under the seal and pulled out the sheet of paper. He read it aloud and started to laugh with joy and astonishment when he came to the words: Benin, Cotonou West Africa Mission. This was the same mission that his very best childhood friend had been called to just a year earlier. He read of his departure date: December 14th 2011. And the language he would be speaking: French.  The spirit abounded so strongly in that room as we wiped away salt-tears and hugged. He was beaming and I will never forget the simple look of gladness that he wore.
     I called my mom and told her about his call. Up until this point, I had done a fairly decent job of not breaking down. My mom was on the phone telling me, "Hey it's okay, you're okay. Don't cry Elise don't cry." I tried my best to make it to his front door without totally losing it. Once outside, I lost it. I hung up the phone and sobs filled my chest and I couldn't blink away the tears fast enough. Not only was I crying because I was going to miss him, but I was crying because I knew that everything was about to change. I was crying because the distance between leaving and left was becoming more real. I prayed in my heart for comfort and peace.
     Then one of the greatest things happened. Aaron walked out of his front door and quickly took me in his arms. Our bodies melted into one another and I could not have asked for anything more perfect. I cried. He cried. He looked at me and said: "I want you to know, right now, that I love you. And I will always love you." We held each other and mixed feelings smoldered in our bones. Sadness and relief. Comfort and hope. Joy of things to come and the fear of forgetting. I was proud of him. I tried my best to formulate a sentence that would express my endless love for him, how excited and happy that I was for him. How completely proud I was of him for committing himself to serve the Lord wholeheartedly for the next two years. He was happy. Actually he was more than happy, he was excited and about to burst at the seams. This is what he had been waiting for. I was happy. And the spirit was made manifest to us that one fine day on the 4th of November.