Epilogue: Three Months Home

Today marks three months since we were released as a full-time missionaries! The time flies so quickly - it truly is unbelievable that it has been that long since we roamed the mean streets of Singapore. In my mind's eye I can still imagine myself walking out the door in the heat, hopping on a bus or train, and heading to the church office.

We have not maintained our blog since returning, and will not likely do so regularly, but here are some updates from "the other side".

We have spent a lot of time in wonderful reunions and visits with all of our immediate and many of our extended family members. In addition to those here in Missouri, we have driven many thousands of miles ranging from St. George, Salt Lake, Rexburg, Kirtland, and Connecticut. It has been wonderful spending time with those we love.

Hours of work transitioning our home from a short-term rental back to feeling like ours again. We have done (and in some cases had done) a lot of painting, carpeting, cleaning, organizing, re-arranging, refreshing, etc. Let's just say that Lowe's and Costco love us dearly and are so happy we returned.

I have logged many miles of biking and swimming, and both of us have enjoyed hiking and walking. Our first trip to The Narrows in Zion Canyon with the Foley Family was especially amazing and memorable!

We have had some wonderful service and ministering opportunities in our ward, stake, and community. We enjoyed getting together with neighbors for a block party and seeing both old friends and new move-ins. We were also called to teach the Adult Religion class together starting on September 4th. Vivian will be leading out on that with my dedicated assistance. As of last Sunday I am now spending a lot of time as the Elders Quorum President in our ward and loving the chance to get to know the wonderful men of our ward.

As expected the temple has also been a very special and frequent place for us. We love worshiping and serving there and have visited many different temples on our journeys. We also had the chance to report to the high council, speak in our church Sacrament meeting, and present at a regional YSA fireside.

At St. George with the family

Just the two of us stopping in Layton

Pittsburgh on our journey to the East

We have loved staying connected with beloved missionaries, mission leaders, and YSA, both online and in person. They are such a joy and we love seeing them grow and progress. Just like us there are things they love and things that are really hard. Hey, that sounds like life!

At the Provo City Center Temple

Cookies in the park

Of course not all has been pleasant. Like mission life, post-mission life has many ups and downs as well. These include being more tired, stress about figuring out the future without the clear focus of missionary service, more trips to the doctor, exploring hearing aids, adjusting to the high cost of everything, etc.

Many ask us if we are going back to work. We are blessed to have what we need and still don't feel compelled to do so, while still not ruling it out if we feel it is the right thing to do. Vivian is more likely than I to do at least some part time work, but in any case it won't be this year.

The other common question is if we are going to serve another mission. We very likely will do so in the future, but do not feel that this is the right season. We are so grateful we could go when we did and we are confident that we will know when the time is right again.

Bottom line: we still don't know everything, but we know we will continue to strive to serve the Lord, our family, and the community. And we know that we love you and appreciate your support!