102/365 - 14 years...

I got home from my mission 14 years ago today.

In fact, I served my mission 18 months to the minute. Literally.

I went into the MTC on January 10th at 1:00 p.m. and landed at the airport the next year on July the 10th at 1:00 p.m. No joke. I always said the Lord wouldn't let me get out of the mission too early, but wasn't going to keep me a minute longer than he had to.

Ken took this picture tonight of me with my tag. I wish I had a scanner because I could scan in some pretty hilarious pictures from the mission. Maybe one day...

Ken and I went to the MTC tonight. Ken plays the organ (or in tonight's case, the piano) for the Sunday evening firesides. The Sunday firesides are usually held in the big multipurpose room but tonight the fireside was held in a different room. It was held in the room where all of the new missionaries went with their families to watch the tear jerking movie "Called to Serve" before the church switched to the "drop them off at the curb and leave" method. It was fun for me to see where my family, good friend Erich, and I sat as we watched the movie and then said our final goodbyes for a season. The parents went out one door and the missionaries went up a few steps and out a different door. I never thought I'd be back in that room again but there I was, 14 years later on my "anniversary "of returning home. I know, it's all too nostalgic and gushy but it was really fun for me to relive that little moment. 

And can I just say... those Elders and Sisters look REALLY young and inexperienced. How are they going to survive out there in the world!? Did I look that way too? I didn't feel that way at the time. Oh geez! I sat there and thought... if you people had any idea what you were getting yourselves into you wouldn't believe it! I sure am grateful for the time I had to serve the Lord. I wouldn't go back and change it for anything! But seriously, was I THAT young and naive?