He's Home!

Yesterday we were told that Joseph would be coming home today. And he did come home. Here are the kids when we got home at 10pm (minus Peter who was asleep in the car after our drive home from the airport)

This is how Joseph's homecoming went: We got an email on Sunday saying he would be coming home, but it could be weeks/months. On Wednesday we talked to Joseph and he said he was told they should be ready to leave on Saturday, but that nothing was for sure yet. On Saturday we got an email saying he would be coming home on Sunday/today. No mention of what time but they would let us know as soon as they had details. This morning I was checking my email over and over again but there was no news from the Antigua mission. I read via the Guatemala City South facebook page that they got notice that there were two chartered flights coming at 5 and 6:30 and that all the US missionaries from all 7 Guatemala missions would be on them.

Around 12:30 we got a phone call from Joseph's mission president. He said that he didn't know which flight Joseph would be on, but they would be arriving at 5:30 and 6. Not the same times as the facebook group said, but we felt like we had a general idea. We didn't have an airline or flight number though and he didn't have a phone number to text him at, so we didn't know how this would work. Corey and I and Peter left at for the airport at 5. The kids had been fasting all day and so had we, and we had a nice dinner ready for us all to eat together after we got home with Joseph. At the airport parking garage, there were very good instructions for proper social distancing for all the parents picking up their missionaries.

We got an orange paper with instructions and a map. Go to Level 2.... Find the stalls where the letter is for your missionary's last name. There's the UVWs - that's us.

They told us that the flight was for 5:15. But it got delayed until 6:15. So we waited... We were told that the next flight was delayed too. ...Until 8:30. We waited and waited. We asked for the kids to pray that Joseph would be on the first flight. But he no sign. We wondered... if Joseph didn't show up, should we we should hurry back home and eat with the kids and then come back? I had only brought one slice of bread for Peter and that was gone. Peter also had a pretty wet diaper and I didn't bring a bag and I didn't have any in the car. If the second flight doesn't land until 8:30, Joseph probably won't be out until 9:30 with customs and baggage claim. Will we make it??

Is he lost? Corey "I hope he remembers what letter his last name starts with." Not R. Wride is with W. After a while we got Peter out of his carseat. Some missionaries started to walk out. They walked out about three at a time. Everytime the sliding doors opened, the garage rang out with lots of victory honks. Corey - "Everyone honks in Morse Code...." Peter joined in.

Peter was working hard. I tried to get Peter to look at me, but he wouldn't. Corey: "He's got a lot of buttons to push..."

The kids kept calling and texting. Corey said "I feel like I'm in labor and delivery waiting for a birth... 'No, no baby yet, she's only at a 5...'" At 7:30 we told them to go ahead and eat. We continued to wait. Peter was about to lose it, but then luckily we did have ONE dvd in the car - the Mozart Group! Yay! Peter liked it. Corey said "Wow! Peter had refined taste!" Only one of us (Corey or I) were allowed out of the car at a time. And we had to stay within touching distance of our vehicle. It was kinda cold, so we turned the car on a few times to keep warm. Finally, at 9:27, I saw someone who looked like him! He motioned at me like I looked familiar to him too - so we repeated a few distant gestures of "Mom?" and "Joseph is that you?" and then it was established that YES, that is our Missionary!!!

Corey took a video from the car, but that was the blurry picture I took as I shook with cold and excitement! He asked "Can I hug you?" Yes! We gave each other a quick hug, then we walked to the van. I opened the back for him to put in his luggage. He put in his suitcases, I went around to the driver's seat and took Peter and put him in his carseat, we all wiped our hands with hand sanitizer and we were off!

I texted the kids "We've got him!" I texted again when we were 5 minutes away, and they were all out in the driveway to greet us with cheers and giggles and lots of hugs.

So we're all in a 14 day quarantine now. An airport guy in a mask told us "You can hug them, you can love them... but then you just have to quarantine with them." So we are putting our trust in God that we will all be safe from coronavirus, cause none of us gave him 6 feet. Once we were inside, everyone was excited to tell him everything and anything...

We had been fasting and praying today with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Lord's prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, had extended the invitation to all members worldwide to join in fasting and praying for relief and healing from Covid-19. We ended our fast at 10pm, after we got home. Joseph was voice for prayer and it was wonderful, sweet, and spirit filled. He had been fasting all day too. He cried as he prayed. After his prayer he got up to get some tissue and said "Man, I haven't cried since I was trained!" His little sisters all asked "Why are you crying?" "I'm just so happy" He also said that last night he had been in a home with 40 other missionaries and they had a testimony meeting, and everyone was crying but he didn't cry, so yay for us, we got some tears from him! After he enjoyed some dinner that his siblings had saved. It was a feast. And we all sat at the table with him. Corey asked "How does it feel to have 10 people watch you eat?"

"It feels like Kolipoki..." Which was a movie reference that we all understood and laughed at. After dinner we partook of the sacrament as a family. We sang a hymn first and the third verse particularly touched my heart:

As now we praise thy name with song,

The blessings of this day

Will linger in our thankful hearts,

And silently we pray

For courage to accept thy will,

To listen and obey.

We love thee, Lord; our hearts are full.

We’ll walk thy chosen way.

My heart truly is full for the blessings of today. I am so grateful to have all my children at home! Since Joseph left for his mission, we thought we'd never all be together again for years. Up until last Sunday. Wow, what a miracle and great blessing - to have Mel back from BYU, Joseph home from Guatemala, and all the kids home from school all day everyday for atleast a month! I never would have guessed this would happen. I feel so grateful for the blessings of this day! Thank you Dear Lord!