Karlee's Return From New Caledonia.

Attending missionary farewells, and homecomings have become an important part of my life. It seems the older my children, and I get the more I want to be strengthened by the light the youth have. I love hearing about the young men, and women who have been called to serve a church mission. I notice the excitement on their face as they mention putting their papers in, and the light of love in their countenance as they get their mission call, It's a mixture of joy, and nervousness, but the end result of sacrificing those 18 months to two years of their life to serve the Lord is worth all the blessings that they will receive once they return home, and for the rest of their life.
I know this to be true because although there have been many trials in my life we've managed to get through every hardship with fervent prayer. Being the wife of a returned missionary has its benefits, and those skills that Jon learned while serving the Lord for two yeas have helped us throughout our marriage. And although it'll never become perfect, I know that because we strive our very best to live righteously that God will bless us in many ways.

So attending missionary homecomings gets me all pumped up ready to hear the experiences, and joys that these missionaries endured while seeking those who are interested to hear the message, and word of God. And the reminder is always needed. 

After our trip to Montauk we headed toward Connecticut to attend our sweet friend Karlee's homecoming, and oh my goodness! She was soooooooo ecstatic! She smiled, and laughed all throughout her talk, and was so sincere when she talked about her experiences on her mission. Lexie was really inspired by her talk, and even though we met her five years ago, and only seen her three times it seems as if I've known her longer! She returned home from New Caledonia which is a little island in the Pacific. I remember her when she got her mission call, and the smile on her face told me that she was absolutely going to love it. She seemed so excited to go, and once I started receiving her emails I knew that she was going to be an amazing missionary, and she was! Her photos, and stories about the people she taught, and served were inspiring and uplifting. I was so happy that she found joy, and a purpose in serving The Lord. 

It's so nice to know that we have brothers, and sisters in other states, and towns that we can visit, and hug, and perhaps share our life's experiences in person, and in a class setting. It's nice to connect on social media, but sometimes I crave the actual visit of seeing familiar faces in person that I've only known  for a short time. And it is such a blessing when I do! 

Welcome home Karlee! So proud of you! 

Hope you have an amazing summer!