This is what Boogs (my little bro, for those of you not versed on Banks family nicknames) looked like upon entering the Missionary Training Center this past Wednesday.
Handsome right? Who wouldn't want to listen to this kid preach the Gospel? He doesn't like 'em but he looks great in a suit. He thinks he looks great like this:
and this:
And he does. Carharts, steel toed boots, a stinky t-shirt and an open road. This is how we know him best. The past few days, I have thought about this irony. The guy who views a suit as a trap, conformity as water boarding, repetition as a migraine. He prefers a gun slung over his shoulder, an engine under his feet or a bull between his legs. It would seem an LDS mission where suits, conformity and routine prevail would be ill suited for him. However, when I think of my little bro and all he represents, hard work, integrity and pride in who he is and what he represents befit him just as well as boots and bulls. As he has said concerning this experience he has embarked upon, enthusiasm may by lacking but willingness is not. Besides being refreshingly honest, that statement sets the tone and the reality for a great deal of life's most difficult and authentic experiences. I envy a bit the companions that will get to accompany him on the Pacific Coast or the streets of downtown Portland. As he allows the spirit to mold him, his companions and mission president to influence him and his testimony to flourish, he will find that while his suit may feel a bit more confining than his sh** kickers, it fits him just as well. I will watch from a far, and I will smile to myself as I imagine his companions trying to figure him out, I'll feel luck and pride that he's my kin and I will continue to wish I was a bit more like him.
He's going to be great.
4 comments:
His honesty is refreshing, isn't it. What a fun kid. He'll be a wonderful missionary. He's so tough. I can't wait to hear updates from you guys and your mom. Good luck Boogs!
I love every minute that I've got to spend with him, he is my hubby's kindred spirit. He will be an amazing missionary! Yeah for BJ! Love you guys, it was great to see you again so soon!
This is a great tribute to 'the Bonj'. You described him perfectly. The whole entry made me cry both from pride and from missing him. Thanks for this.
So sweet. Man makes me cry reading it and thinking about when I sent my brothers and parents off. So great but man it is hard. Never gets easier. He sounds so rad and real.
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