Welcome Home, Uncle Aaron!

Jonathon's brother, Aaron, returned home from his mission in Malaga, Spain on Thursday July 9th. After two long years, we were all anxious to see him again. Aaron left the day after Hyrum was born, so they had never met in person, which made it even more exciting.

We all made posters to take to the airport. Christian and Andrew worked hard on theirs and were proud of their work. When we arrived at the airport, it was a mad house. There were hundreds of people waiting for their missionaries to come home. I'm sure it is a common occurrence at the Salt Lake Airport, but I have never seen anything like it. The atmosphere was electric, and we all knew exactly what the other people were feeling, which made it unique and unifying.

Waiting for Uncle Aaron!

It took quite a while for him to get through customs, but we finally saw him as he exited the International gate. He looked great and was so happy to see everyone. He paid special attention to the kids and made them feel good.

On Sunday, Aaron gave his homecoming talk in church. He was very mature and seemed very wise while sharing the experiences of his mission and how they related to his assigned topic of "Marriage and Family". I once again saw how much a mission changes those who serve. Missionaries are instruments in the hand of God to bring about the salvation of souls, but during their service, Heavenly Father is really shaping and molding them and purifying their soul at the same time. A mission is the perfect springboard for marriage and family because the missionary has so many experiences that show him how living the gospel brings blessings. On the other hand, they also see many families and marriages that are in trouble because gospel principles are not known or not followed. It provides such a unique dichotomy and makes it obvious which is the better choice. In his talk, Aaron said that although he has no experience with marriage, he often felt like a marriage counselor as he worked with his investigators. That gift and blessing to be able to help couples that were struggling came from his special calling as a missionary and his direction to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is really the key to all relationships.

I love that my boys get to see so many great examples of righteous missionary service from their uncles and aunts. I hope it inspires them to serve and be great missionaries when the time comes.