To his little brothers....

"The first day, it was 100% the hardest day I've ever had. Then the second day was 95% the hardest day. Then yesterday was 90% the hardest day and today might go back up to 95%, but I can feel that things are getting just a little better each day. It's just that crucial time on the first day where you've got to make the decision to stick to it, and keep trudging through no matter what happens over the next two years. I wrote in my journal the first day in all caps, I'M NOT GOING HOME, and since that firm decision, it's been easier day by day. But that decision under so much pressure is just crucial. That's the choice all missionaries must make, I think. In that moment of crisis, all alone, with faith that has been shaken to the core, but still willing to move forward. I have really relied on truths of the gospel for the past few days, in ways I didn't know I would before I came. Just keep preparing Jake and Hyrum for this moment. I don't know how you can do it, but there's got to be a way."  ---Elder Tibbitts