It has been a while since I last posted. Life has been a whirlwind but in a kind of good way. If we roll back the clock to July 22nd..... where do we begin??
With my awesome missionary returning!!! Yay!! It sure was an interesting morning. We were all counting down the hours until 9:15 a.m. arrived. Baylie hastily made a couple of homemade posters ( No, I was not that Mom, the one that orders a huge banner complete with pictures and maps to welcome Jeremy home ). We rushed into the airport and waited for Kyle who so kindly parked the car for me so I could find my spot to wait for my Elder to give me a long awaited hug.
We were pleased to be greeted by another family in our Stake who also had a son returning from Brazil. We were so excited to see both of our sons returning together, as they had been set apart together. We hugged and talked. Two more friends came to take pictures for the blessed moment.
Finally, Baylie came running down the walkway telling us she could see Jeremy. We all searched and before we knew it, there he was!! We all gave him a big hug or two. He then saw The Lehnardt family and said " Um... Jason isn't on the plane" His mom was shocked and asked if he was kidding. I mean really... where is my son?!? Jeremy said he did not connect with the rest of the group in Sao Paulo and he had no idea where Jason was. We all kind of stood around and waited as the plane emptied and talked a bit, I tried to comfort his Momma and then, well, I took my missionary home after wishing the family the best. I felt so guilty but so grateful MY missionary was the one to deplane on time.
We all returned home with Jeremy who was astonished at being in an air conditioned car, listening to English and driving on paved roads in his home town. His English returned very quickly and we enjoyed hearing the slight accent he picked up. His stories were wonderful and we enjoyed every single second.
He shared is crazy green grass tea, gifts and more stories. Alex soon arrived. He had been picked up by a good family friend at the airport so I could spend time with Jeremy. Before I knew it the boys were off and running and Jeremy was done being home, hugging and telling stories!
We finally met up again at the Stake President's office for him to be released. Jeremy brought every single mission journal with him to return and report on the promise of writing every single day. It was a wonderful, spiritual experience to hear him recount many experiences that helped him grow and become the wonderful young man he is. He was then released and we were on our way. We ran into The Lehnardt family who finally had their son in tow. He had missed a connecting flight but landed 2 hours later. All of the missionaries in his group were bumped up to first class, so I guess it was worth the delay for them.
After the release, we then went to Jeremy's single requested location: Red Robin! He had been craving an American hamburger for months. We all ordered and I was grateful for the $25 gift card my mom had sent us. It was going to be a pricey meal. But we cherished every moment. Alex had left for a friends house so it was just the six of us.
Just as we were finishing up our meal, our waiter approached me and told me that he had never had something like this happen before but a gentleman who wished to remain anonymous had paid for our meal in full! We were all surprised and could not imagine who had been so kind towards our family. It was such a wonderful blessing and such a great example to my children of how generosity can bless the lives of others.
Later that night as we knelt in family prayer, I felt so wonderfully blessed and grateful for my children. Especially the opportunity we have shared as a family supporting a missionary. It was by far one of the best days of my life!
To be continued...
