A letter to Marshall on his 18th birthday... August 2, 2013

Dear Marshall,

Happy Birthday to my remarkable son!  You are such a joy to our family, and we are so blessed to have you.  You have always been such a fun little brother to your three older brothers, and a loving big brother to your sister.  (I remember how EXCITED you were for her to come home!)  

We all love you so much, and we will miss you so much when you leave for Minnesota!  But we know you will be dong so much good.  Marshall, you have consistently shown that you can be counted on--- by friends, by family, and most importantly, by our Heavenly Father.  I know that He loves you so much, and that he will be able to count on you to help bring many people back to Him... to help them feel the love of God.  You have such a kind and loving way about you.  I know that you have a very strong testimony, because you are such an example of the pure love of Christ.  You truly are a light in this world, Marhshall.  As your parents, it has brought such a great to be able to trust you.  To know that you are going to stay valiant and stick to what you believe in any situation.

You have gone through some very hard things in your life, Marsh.  It says alot about you that you have been able to endure the trial of losing your beloved brother, and become even more committed to living close to the Spirit.  This is the greatest thing about you... that hard things have made you more solid than ever.  I know that this will be a blessing throughout your whole life!  Never forget how much courage the Holy Ghost can brong you!!  And always remember how loved you are by your Father in Heaven, by your family, and your friends.

Your mission is going to be such a blessing for the rest of your life!  You are (with the help of our Father in Heaven) going to help people change, and help them find happiness.  There is nothing you could do with your life right now that would be more important than that, Marsh.

You have always been such a fun boy to have around.  Your wit and your happy nature has blessed our family on some of our hardest days.  Thank you for that.  And thank you for your loving and encouraging hugs and your compassion and patience for Dad and I, and for the rest of our family.  Your Grammy just adores you!  (And I know you adore her too!)  You are going to be a great companion, because you know how to cheer people up, and how to help them remember the bright side of life.  I really love your optimistic, can-do attitude!  Remember to have fun on your mission!  And don’t take things too hard.  Remember to laugh!  

I hope that this birthday is your happiest yet, knowing that you have prepared yourself to go out into the world to be in God’s army!  We will be praying for you always, and following all of your adventures.  We will be soaking up the spiritual experiences that you write home about.  We love you so much!  You are such a gift to me... my youngest son.  I love you with all of my heart, and I thank Heavenly Father each day for you!  

                                                                             All my love, 

                                                                              Mom