It was one of the best early Christmas presents I have ever received: when my brother Jordan returned home from his LDS mission in France on December 23rd 2002. I had missed him so much while he was gone for almost two years and I was so glad when it was time for him to come home to me and the rest of the family. And it was so awesome that he would be home in time to celebrate Christmas with us!
And now I’d like to share some excerpts from my journal entry from this special day:
Monday December 23rd 2002,
12:53am - And here we are, the day before a big holiday, with the entire family present, no longer divided. I am so tired, essentially exhausted, but I want to write down as much as I can about this special day…
…I would have thought that with the importance and the significance of this day I’d be bursting with energy for this day. Yet when I woke up I noticed it was after 6:30am!! Oh man, I was going to be late for work…again! I ended up only being a half hour late for work, and once I got settled I tried to get into the work mode. When 4 o’clock rolled around I didn’t hesitate for a second and left the building as if it were on fire…
…It was almost 6 and Mom wanted to get on the road then and there, as Jordan’s flight was scheduled to come in at 6:38. Dad thought it would be best to leave at 6:15, and at around 6:15 we were ready to leave, with video camera and other cameras in hand, along with several signs that were made a while ago. And outside the house, above the garage was one huge, sprawling sign with the words “Welcome Home Jordan”, which we worked on last night with Josh and Karen…
…When we saw that it was already past 6:30 and we still had miles to go before arriving Mom began to panic. She cried and argued with Dad about how we should have left earlier, convinced that Jordan’s flight was going to arrive right on schedule. The cynic in me kept repeating the notion that no flight ever arrives on time, so I wasn’t worried about the prospect of missing Jordan…
…As it turned out Jordan’s flight was being delayed until 8pm, so we had plenty of time to prepare ourselves. Dad and Daniel selflessly agreed to run out and pick up some fast food for dinner. Then Jordan’s flight was changed to arrive at 7:40pm, and when the flight arrived we hurried to get ready…
…We got the signs ready to be held up and we tried to look for Jordan. Then something caught the corner of my eye and I saw Jordan! He was smiling and walking towards us. He looked very well, handsome in his suit and topped off with a beret! Very French! Mom was the first to run up to Jordan and embrace him! What a touching scene! Mom burst into tears as she held her son for an extended time. Then one by one each family member went up to Jordan and hugged him…
…My turn was strange, as I was so happy to hug Jordan, to see him, but it didn’t feel like it had been a long separation. And Jordan didn’t sound like he had been out of the country for two years. His English was fine and he sounded just like his self from two years ago…
…We tried not to overwhelm Jordan, a task that proved very difficult! Almost too difficult. Jordan needed a moment or two to get situated and centered, no small task when you consider he has been up for almost 24 hours! We hurried and ate our food, then followed Jordan as he went to pick up his luggage…
…In the car Jordan tried to say so much, 2 years worth, within our 20 minute drive. Not easy! He didn’t have trouble with speaking and comprehending English, something we had all assumed would have been a problem for him. Jaimee and Daniel went home, but Josh and Karen went with us, leading the way to the Stake President’s house. It was after 8 but we were warmly received into a lovely home. The Stake President met with Jordan for an interview, separate from us, then they returned to us and the president read an awesome letter about Jordan from his mission president. Then he gave Jordan a certificate and released him as a full-time missionary.
Bienvenu, Jordan!
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