And he's home

She held him first

Sometimes a paucity of words is the best way to let a story tell itself. The events of the last few hours lend themselves to letting pictures tell the story.

I'll no doubt write a little more about today's joyous homecoming but for now, the pictures speak for themselves.

My boy!

Assessing who's taller

BDL is no SLC Missionary Arrival
Boondoggle but our signs and balloons
worked very nicely

Holding him tight again (there's been a lot
of that in the ensuing hours)

He's home. He's really home.

We won't be forgetting this day any time soon. We are overjoyed.

The best two (only two more days!!!) years

Of course, since it was his last P-Day (day off) in the mission field, TMFKATB went and changed things up. Over the course of the last several weeks, his letters arrived later and later.

Not today. His letter hit our inboxes right at 12 Noon (10:00AM his time). Clearly, he had things to do today, like packing, and spending a chunk of time going back and forth with his parents who he is seeing in 48 hours was not at the top of his list. He entitled his letter "The best two years" and it was pretty much perfect (says his totally non-biased father). He highlighted a final busy week, peppered with fiestas de despedidas because the Latin people know how to bid farewell to someone, and saying difficult good-byes to people he has grown to love enormously. So it's been an emotional week and he's ending it the same way he started it. When he got to his new assignment behind the Zion Curtain, he was thrust into a trio, working with two companions rather than one. He's going out the same way, as his companion was called to a new leadership assignment this past Saturday, and so TMFKATB finds himself in a trio once again. He's taking it all in stride, as he tends to do.

As he closed his letter, he talked about some of the things he's learned over the course of the last two years. He bore witness of knowing that there is a God who is aware of each and every one of us. He bore witness of knowing there is a Savior, fighting for each of us, continually cheering us on. He bore witness of how lives can be changed, not the least of which has been his own. He called this service his best two years.

It no doubt has been. I know I felt the same way when I was in his shoes. On the last night of my own missionary service, laying on a bed in a hotel room in Ft. Lauderdale, FL., I pondered what I'd been able to do during my two years and I thought it would never get any better. Those were two amazing years. They were awesome but were the foundation for the rest of my life. In the thirty years since then, there have been too many bests to count. Too many.

One of the bests, though, has been these last two years. I know it seems crazy that going nearly two years without seeing (I now we got a three week reprieve but that was not a fun time) or being able to speak to your child could be described as best but it has been. Watching him grow and seeing the young man he has evolved into has been an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. This has been an amazing two years for us. TMFKATB's two year mission service is coming to an end. But there's more good coming. I can't wait to see where it takes him. And us, for that matter.

All good things must come to an end. But if they decide

to go on, I'm not going to stop them.

~ Clarence Fountain

Bimbo. Himbo. Whatever works.

I love this.

P.S. Watch this space for an update or two on Wednesday. TMFKATB comes home that day. Allegedly.

Thank You

Sometime tomorrow, as has been my custom for the last two years, I will post an update sent by TMFKATB from the mission field. While the content may be pretty routine, the significance of tomorrow's post will be anything but routine. It is his last.letter.home. For those of you who have lost count, not to worry, I've been counting for you, and I can assure you, this it it. He will be home this Wednesday (as in just three more days). Suffice to say, we are more than a little excited.

When The Boy opted to serve a mission for our church and become The Missionary Formerly Known As The Boy (TMFKATB), I decided I would share a bit of his experiences here in the Den on a weekly basis. From the moment he opened his call, which contained his assignment to the Mexico Tuxtla Gutierrez Mission, to his illness, to his reassignment behind the Zion Curtain in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission as a Spanish speaking missionary, you've been a part of it, and for that I say thank you.

Thank you for the comments over these last two years.
Thank you for the questions about what he was doing.
Thank you for the prayers, particularly when he was ill.
Thank you for indulging this Dad as I shared my son's experiences.

For those of you who are not Mormon and were unfamiliar with the mission experience, I hope this has been interesting, even helpful. If nothing else, if I've taken down the "Mormons are really weird" perception a couple of notches, then my work here is done.

It has been an honor to share these last two years with you. I'm going to miss his letters. I'm going to miss the anticipation of what each Monday would bring. I'm going to miss sharing that with you. But,  man, is it ever going to be good to take my son up in my arms again and say "Welcome home!" in just three more days (but who's counting, right?).

So check this space tomorrow for the last letter.

Thank you again for being a part of these last two years.

9 Days

The Real Salt Lake D Team

"See ya next week"

TMFKATB chose those four words as the salutation of this week's letter. Truer words have never been spoken. Indeed, we will see him next. He will be home in nine, count 'em, nine days! (Side note - why is it that whenever I hear the word 'nine,' I hear Dean of Students Ed Rooney uttering "Nine times!")

Today's letter arrived late and was pretty brief. He's clearly, and understandably so, preoccupied with his last days in the mission field. He's determined to go out strong and I am proud of him for that. He was a little reflective in this letter, noting that it "has been so cool to reflect on the people I have met and see how much they have changed." Because of the geography of his mission and the fact that he was a Spanish speaker, he didn't move around a lot during his service behind the Zion Curtain, so he has been able to see people change and progress in ways that other missionaries perhaps don't. I think that has no doubt helped him to see his fellowman in a different light. That insight is just one of the many blessings that has come from this two year service. I am so eager to sit down with him in a few days and hear him talk about all this. It's going to be pretty awesome.

So there's just one more letter. He confirmed that next Monday will be his final P-Day. I'm going to miss this. The last line of his letter today says it best:

Well, this is the last week, people!

Times / Days...you get the idea!

Funny how things work out

TMFKATB and Elder S

For all two of you who pay really close attention to the photos that make their way into the Den, you may be saying, "Today's picture is a repeat, doofus. Get it together."
I know it's a repeat and there's a reason why.

Today's letter from TMFKATB was full of reassurances of that everything is going "super well!" It had been a good week but today was transfers and that can be challenging. Transfers can mean leaving an area you love and a companion you've worked really well with. It could also mean you're staying in an area that's been really difficult or you're going to be with that absurdly challenging missionary for one more transfer.

TMFKATB loves the area he's been working in for the last several months and has really enjoyed working with and learning from his companion. Today, he learned that his companion was being assigned to a new area and that his new companion wasn't new at all. TMFKATB's new companion is one of his favorites, a missionary he trained when he was brand-new to the mission. TMFKATB now gets to train him in the leadership role that they currently have. Suffice to say, he was, in his own word, "pumped!" He'd wanted very much to serve with Elder S again, so it's funny it has worked out the way that it has. So to honor the fact that they are working together again, I had to repeat a picture from their first go-round. We are happy for him.

It made for a good Monday. Given the week ahead, I'm glad it started that way.

So this happened on Mothers Day

Those smiles. Those faces. 

During the years that a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints serves, they are permitted to call home twice a year. They call home on Christmas and Mothers Day. With the advent of the interwebs,  it's safe to say that the vast majority of those calls are on the Skype or one of its competitors. So we were pretty excited about the chance we had to see and hear from TMFKATB.

Suffice to say, our 45 minute call with him was the highlight of the stunningly patient and mighty fine SML's day. Breakfast in bed and me cooking dinner paled, and rightly so, in comparison to getting to spend some time with TMFKATB. Even better was being able to patch in the Awesomes and CAL. Being all together, even it was via Skype, was truly a little bit of heaven and sure made us excited for the time, which is rapidly approaching, when we will all be together again. We had a lot of fun talking to him. His accent is, well, pretty Cholo / Ese, if I'm being honest. That, of course, led to a lot of good-natured teasing. He also informed us that his beard is now fierce and that he almost has to shave twice a day (hyperbole..yes, please). He also informed us that since being in Utah, his GI system has never betrayed him or, how do I put this delicately (let's face it, I don't), his underwear. Good to know.

In addition to those gems, he told us of his love for his service and the people he's working with. He smiled continually as he spoke of what he's doing. It was good to see him so happy. He followed that up today with a brief letter, given that we'd spoken last night. In this week's letter, he mentioned some of the challenges of keeping his zone focused on goals and his faith that this week would be even better work-wise. He believes that they will see miracles. He's a young man of enormous faith. I trust he'll see success.

What a great way to end Mothers Day. We saw our boy. We had our family together virtually. We gratefully counted our blessings as we called it a very good day.