One Comes Home, Another Leaves

"Freakin awesome colored luggage"

Lots of books in Spanish.

One incredible young woman,

ready to leave

for her mission.

Mission Home Christmas

Christmas berries...

"return missionaries" as ornaments...

homemade stockings...

 and sweet baby Jesus.

Elder Thacker and Elder Gann

Two Elders serve as assistants to the President. Our assistants now are Elder Thacker and Elder Gann.  Both are wonderful young men, and incredible missionaries. It would be hard to run the mission without them.  We look at these fine men and see a future in good hands. Thanks to parents at home who have done a great job raising them.  We know you miss them, but they are right where they belong doing exactly what the Lord wants them to do.  Thanks for sharing them with us!  

Homecoming!

Waiting at the airport.

Here he comes!!!!

Our boy is home!

Worn out shoes 

in the service

of the Lord.

No words can express the joy,

the incredible joy

of a faithful son.

It's been 6 months this week

since we arrived in Nebraska.

It's been a lifetime.

It's been a day.

Our lives will never be the same.

Gingerbread Art

Each Christmas the Trail Center hosts a gingerbread display.  A theme is chosen and then anyone who wants to can make a gingerbread item to illustrate the theme. It is then displayed at the Mormon Trail Center the whole month of December.  This year's theme was "The Greatest Treasures."  It was so fun to wander among the tables looking at the different interpretations. There were many traditional gingerbread houses and they were all delightful but my favorite was a large ark complete with Noah and every animal imaginable all made with gingerbread, tootsie rolls and frosting. Here is a detail of the ark showing a tiny beehive complete with lots of little bees.  

Reunions

Sometimes our missionaries' families come to Nebraska to take their missionary home.  We get to see the sweetest reunions ever! Actually it's a bittersweet time for us: we are saying goodbye to dear friends we love, but being privileged to feel the outpouring of love these families have for their faithful sons and daughters is an amazing experience too. I think we are getting a little preview of what it will be like when we finally leave this life. What a heavenly reunion that will be!