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There are so many stories and memories that I honestly don’t even know where to start. Nathan is and always will be the best friend I have ever had. The first time we ever met was on the mission after I had been there for only a few weeks. I was still feeling pretty overwhelmed by everything and felt out of place since I didn’t speak any of the language really yet and was adjusting to living overseas again. Nathan changed that for me instantly. We had a big meeting with several different zones where we got together for training and to have a little fun. It was the first one like that I had ever been to, so I was especially nervous to meet all those other people. When I got there, without hesitation, Nathan came right up to me and gave me the biggest hug and told me how excited he was that I was there. He said he remembered what it was like being new and wanted to make sure I had a friend. It absolutely made my day and set us up perfectly for what was to come. I didn’t see him again on the mission until after I had been there for almost a year, but I thought about him occasionally and remembered that welcome and how much it meant to me. A few months later I received a phone call that I was going to be transferring to the island of Malta and that Nathan would be my companion. I thought back to that greeting and was so excited I was going to get to go hang out with this guy that was so nice and welcoming to me. Little did I know we would end up spending the rest of our missions together, basically. We ended up spending around 10-11 months together on the island, compared to a normal 1-2 months missionaries usually spend together. Since we had to be in sight of each other 24/7 as missionaries we really got to know each other as we spent, quite literally, all of our time together. I am so grateful that it worked out that way though. We got along super well and became brothers instantly. Once we were both done with our missions, we ended up in Utah together where we got to hang out more and go on more adventures. The best though, was when we both randomly decided, without talking to each other before hand that we would both move to Hawaii. I ended up on the North Shore and he moved down to Honolulu. I still remember when we both called each other on the same day, at the same time to share the news and we were both SHOCKED that we had the same info about moving to Hawaii to share! He made it out there a month before I did and even though he didn’t have a car he took the bus to come see me at the airport and gave me one of his famous bear hugs. I am so glad that we got to spend that time together on the island too. Along with his friend Jared, we became the inseparable three amigos. We went all over the island having adventures the three of us. They will always be some of my most favorite memories. I will always and forever love my brother Nathan. Here are some of my favorite other memories: - We discovered a little spot in the upper gardens of the capitol fort Valetta in Malta where we could climb up onto the wall and watch the boats sailing in and out of the harbor. We would go eat lunch there all the time and talk about life, our futures, and everything else in between. - Our favorite pizza place on the island was called “Pizza by Luca” we were pretty strapped for cash most months due to our low missionary stipend, but we still spent almost every spare euro we had as often as possible on one of the giant Pizza by Luca pizzas. We would then sit in the kitchen eating the gargantuan pizza and play chess. - Nathan loved to explore and see new and interesting things so on P-day we would travel the island and check out new places. We often with friends and members of the ward. One of my favorites was when the two of us went to Gozo to check out the citadel and had Imaqret from the high fortress wall. We had recently gotten permission to watch the Count of Monte Cristo and much of the movie was filmed in Malta, especially Gozo, so we had fun finding all the filming locations we could. - Nathan was an outdoorsman through and through and loved checking out the cool outdoor spots in Malta. We went to the Azure window (huge ocean arch) several times, Hagar Qim (older than the pyramids structure in Malta), and many other ancient locations. - One day we decided to go to the Cathedral of St. John in Valetta, and they let us in for free since we were missionaries. We got to go look around at all of the ancient history there. We saw tapestries from the time of Christ, paintings by Caravaggio, and some of the most ornate carvings in the world. I loved talking with Nathan about that afterwards because he was so excited to share new things he learned and saw. - We got lucky one week and our mission president flew us up to Rome to go to a zone conference. He brought us in a day early so we could have a chance to see the city. He even paid for us to go on a hop on hop off tour bus experience that takes you to all the main sites in Rome and lets you get on and off the bus as you please. My three favorite parts of that day were wandering through the Vatican and seeing all the history there, eating pizza and having what Nathan said was the best Fanta he had ever had in his life just outside the Vatican City, and at the end of the day after we had seen all the famous sights we decided to just stay on the upper level of the bus in the open air and cruise the city. We did around 4 laps of Rome just watching the city go by as the sun was setting. - Nathan loved doing yoga and would take his yoga mat to the top of the roof of our apartment in Malta and blast Jack Johnson in the morning and do his routine overlooking the fields of Birkirkara. - Nathan loved reading new and interesting books that would help him understand the world better as he put it. He was always picking up new books or popping into bookstores to see if there was something worth reading. He would always send me good books to check out as well. - Nathan always has had such a big heart and would make sure people feel good. On my birthdays when we lived together, he would always want to go somewhere nice and would give and then would cover the bill for me. - When I moved to Hawaii, I didn’t have a car and neither did he. I had no idea where the closest grocery store was and wanted to go see him anyway, so I took the bus downtown to Honolulu to hang out. I ended up getting groceries while down there and he rode the bus for the 2 and a half hours back up to my house with me to help me carry things only to then turn around and get right back on the bus. He didn’t think a thing about it. - All of the snorkeling, beach combing, ocean floating, surfing, body boarding, shell gathering, video game playing, restaurant going, movie watching, bus riding, malasada and spam musubi eating, and apartment chilling times we had in Hawaii Nathan, Jared, and I. - Nathan flew all the way from Hawaii to Utah when I was getting married just so he could be there for that event in my life. There are so many more, but these are all I could put down right now. It has been so fun going back and remembering all the good times and seeing all the photos. I am sad that Nathan never got to meet my son since I ended up moving to Germany, but I am so happy he knew of him. My son will know and love his “uncle” Nathan and will learn all the things Nathan taught me. I will never stop learning from and trying to be more like Nathan. He is an incredible man, and he will be missed dearly.

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