Laura's Mission Call

A few days after Lia got home, Laura got her mission call. She was excited and a little nervous to find out where she was going. We invited our family and her friends over to open it. We were all really hoping she would be speaking Spanish. She received a call to serve in the Lima Peru Central Mission starting June 17th! She was so happy to be speaking Spanish and to be going to South America! We were so happy too! It was another great day for our family. Even though the thought of sending another missionary out was a little overwhelming, we were so grateful that she wanted to serve and knew she was going to be a great missionary. 

Amelia's Homecoming

When we got home from the airport, Lia unloaded all her bags and wanted to show us everything she brought home (which was a lot!). It was so great to have her home and hear her talk about everything Paraguay! She had a few friends come by to see her and got showered just in time to go see the stake president to be released as a full time missionary. Our stake president was brand new and had never met Lia, but it didn't matter. It was such a sweet meeting, first with just him and Lia and then Nate and Laura and I joined them. That meeting and her report to the high council on Sunday morning were so special and are experiences I will never forget. Amelia was pretty great before she left, but she came home even more poised and her testimony of Jesus Christ and His work is solid. 

On Saturday we went shopping for new dresses, got pedicures, and got ready for her homecoming talk and lunch the next day. She gave a beautiful talk in sacrament meeting and we had a nice afternoon and evening with our friends and family. 

I was having a little bit of a hard time knowing this part of Lia's life was over, and I'm sure she was too, but she was also ready for the next chapter. She put her whole heart and soul into her mission and loved it. And now she is ready for what's next. 

Lia Comes Home

Lia finally made it home a day later than originally planned. We managed to make it through another day and so did she. We left for the airport with plenty of time to get there because I didn't want to take any chances missing her walk through those doors. When we got there, it felt like her plane was taking forever to land and for her to get off. But when she finally did, it was the best thing a parent could ask for! As hard as it was to let her go a year and a half earlier, seeing how much she had grown in so many ways, and knowing she was now home safe and sound was the best feeling in the world! Nate said it was better than, or equal to, the day she was born. I got to hug her first and then Nate and the rest of our family. When she hugged Nate and me together she sobbed and said, "I did it! I did it!" It was awesome. We were so proud of her, so grateful for missions and for her safe return, and so grateful for the support of all our family. When we got home, Ollie and her friend Sarah were also very happy to see her!