Letter Sent to the Mission President

January 28, 2009

Dear President and Sister Howell,

We are extremely excited to be sending you our son, Logan, to serve as a missionary in Minnesota Minneapolis Mission. We are greatly blessed by the efforts that so many people in Logan’s life have put forward to help him get to this point, but most of all we are blessed by Logan’s decision to serve the Lord. What an exciting time for all of us!

Logan is the oldest of our four children. Next comes his brother, Cameron (18), they are 16 months apart and have always been best friends. They can’t seem to walk past one another without showing some kind of affectionate touch such as a poke in the ribs, a tap to the head or a thump on the back. Cameron plans to leave on a mission about this time next year so they will go without seeing one another for over three years. These two will miss each other most.
Then comes Madison, Logan’s 14-year-old sister. Madison has truly hit her teenage years and Logan spends much of his time trying to be the peacemaker. Madison loves Logan a great deal and is very excited to have a big-brother missionary.

Last in our line of children comes our special little guy. Brigham is 9-years-old and has Down syndrome and Autism. We count him as one of our family’s greatest gifts. Last September Logan was trained to become a respite care worker for Brigham and they have become part of one another ever since. Simply put, Logan has become a fixture in Brigham’s routine. Logan gets him ready for school each day, takes him to his different therapies, feeds him many of his meals, get’s him ready for bed and helps Brigham say his prayers at night. Logan has always had a tender heart, but working with Brigham these past months has deepened his understanding of serving others. Logan remarked to us the other day that he “can’t wait to meet Brigham in heaven to see him as he really is.”

Logan has taught himself to play the guitar in the last year or so and is very good. He also sings and tinkers with the Piano and can play a few hymns when absolutely forced to do so. Logan was a good High School Volleyball player and enjoys staying in shape. One thing you should know about Logan—he is directionally challenged! We often joke that we will ask you to put him with a companion who knows his directions—otherwise they would both be lost. We’ve also thought about sewing a homing beacon into his suit coats—just in case.

Logan has also contributed many humorous entries to our family’s “Hall of Fame” including when he was seven and in his prayers asked Heavenly Father to bless the “Twelve Impossibles”(Apostles). When he was eight he prayed that the food would “Nourish and strengthen our bottoms” (Bodies) and lastly, around age four, Logan prayed “We love Daddy with all our hearts” then after a pause added “and our hearts beat fast when we run!” As you can tell we don’t lack good comedy in our home.

You will find Logan to be honest, hard working and a peacemaker who is concerned about the feelings of others. He’s had a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ since his early childhood. I’ll never forget our experience together while getting dressed just after his baptism. I asked if he was cold from the water and his response was “No Dad, I just feel all warm all over.” Logan has a great testimony and remains to this day, “Warm all over.”

As we prepare in these final weeks to send Logan on his mission our hearts ache at the thought of losing our sweet son, even if for a brief time. However, our testimonies burn bright with the understanding of this great calling in his life. We willingly hand him to you and to the Lord and ask you to watch over him with care.

We love you and pray for the success of your mission and all your missionaries.

Sincerely,
Daniel and Teresa Brooks