Have you heard? New age limit for Missionaries!

When we took Sam down to enter the MTC, the mission president said that the church is concidering a new age for missionaries..... 16, because at 16 years old the boys already know everything and their mothers wouldn't cry when they left home! I think that must be inspired doctrine!
Well, at 19 years old, we all cried! Have you experienced the MTC yet? If not, it is truly something! There were over 300 young strippling warriors entering in the MTC on Dec. 31st and our youngest son was one of them! The spirit just grabs you the minute you step through the doors!
We are so proud of the Sammers! ON Dec. 31st he entered the MTC in Provo to begin his mission...California Los Angeles Spanish Speaking. What a wonderful experience! We will miss him so much but there is no place I would rather have him be! We have recieved 2 letters from him already, the first one written on the first night and the second one written in an email on Monday, his preparation day. Man, what a difference 4 days make! Someone truly kidnapped my son and replaced him with a missionary for the Lord! Way to be Elder Cottrell! Sam will be an incredible missionary, I just know it~!
Here are a few pictures of his big day...
The last breakfast at Village Inn, they serve missionaries FREE on the day of enterance...

The last Ride together....Sam, Sara and Brett...we missed Cami and Laci and their families but that would have been kind of hard concidering that both were new mommies clear across the country having just had their babies within a few days!

Pinning on the tag......ya gotta love that face~!

Going in!

Good bye Sammers! You will be awesome! We love you even though you look like such a little boy now, you will return a man! Thank you for serving the Lord!