Our Mission Rolls to a Close

 This is the most difficult entry for me to write.  On Sept. 17, we were officially released from our mission - taking off the badge for the last time wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I do get a little teary every time I talk about our incredible experience.  Our last week in Connecticut was filled with farewell dinners, linger-longers in both wards, and many sad goodbyes to the wonderful people we have met and worked with during our mission. Our district missionaries, Elders Alder and Meeker and Sisters Jenkins and Cragun, provided the best going-away gift: one more baptism on our final night!  Marvin is one of Nike's friends - the same Nike who we miraculously "found" last January - just one more mission miracle.

As promised, here's a quick review of our meandering trip home:  

Day 1 - We packed our car to the gills and headed out Thursday morning to drive to Rhode Island - just because we had never been there and didn't expect to ever be this close again.  There's a reason it's called the Ocean State - what little we saw was all beaches! On our way back through Connecticut, we visited the Mystic Seaport Museum.  We really enjoyed learning about whaling and how it affected life in this little port town.  We then said goodbye to CT and ventured into Long Island for recently converted Lesly's beautiful wedding. Next time it will be in the temple!  Our first three states: CT, RI, NY

Day 2 – We left New York for the final time, drove through New Jersey, and stopped for lunch and a walking tour of Philadelphia. Here, we learned about Quakers, Ben Franklin, and the real Liberty Bell.  We hopped back in the car to drive through Delaware and into Maryland, where we were able to do a session in the stunning Washington DC Temple.  Today we hit states 4-7: NJ, PA, DE, MD

Day 3 – We were both looking forward to visiting Gettysburg, and we weren't disappointed. The visitor’s center and museum are very moving and have a Cyclorama, an incredible 1883 panoramic painting on the inside of a cylindrical room designed to give viewers standing in the middle of the cylinder a 360° view of the Battle of Gettysburg. As we took the driving tour, we were both surprised at the size of the area where the 3-day battle took place.  There is definitely a sense of reverence and respect for all that these thousands of heroes suffered.  We drove on into Haper’s Ferry that evening, giving us our 8th state: WV

Day 4 - After attending church in Harper's Ferry, we took our time driving through West Virginia - and learned why John Denver called it "almost heaven."  We stopped in New River Gorge National Park and at the Kanawha Falls before driving through the corner of Virginia and into Kentucky - we live in a truly beautiful land of promise! States 9 and 10 today: VA, KY

Day 5 – This was the day Neil was waiting for - we got to tour the Corvette manufacturing plant and National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He was thrilled with it all; just a little disappointed that they didn't give away any free samples.  He had to settle for driving into Tennessee in our 10-year-old Hyundai for state #11 – TN

Day 6 – from Corvettes to Amish carriages, we spent the day rolling through northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas.  We enjoyed more beautiful views of the Appalachian Mountains and every time we stopped, we felt like we were in the middle of a country western song - people really do talk like that!  We picked up states 12, 13, & 14:  AL, MS, AR

Day 7 – We knew we would be pretty tired of driving by now, but we wanted to visit Oklahoma and Kansas, so we decided to make a stop at the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS.  This turned out to be one of our favorite stops as we relived the whole history of space flight - a definite testimony of inspiration and miracles!  We blasted through states 15 and 16 today: OK, KS

Day 8 – While driving through the panhandle of Texas, we passed a pickup towing a pickup towing a pickup - and then we passed another!  Only in Texas!  Much of our drive today was along various segments of historic Route 66, so we couldn't resist stopping at the little auto and memorabilia museum in Santa Rosa, New Mexico.  We did pause for a minute to reflect on how much easier our drive has been than all those who followed the same route during the Dust Bowl. These were states 17 and 18: TX, NM

Day 9 – Even though we crossed the border into Arizona and were finally nearing the end of our trip, we decided to stop and stretch our legs at the Petrified Forest National Park.  It actually looks pretty interesting and we promised we would come back for a longer visit. We enjoyed the beautifully green Tonto National Forest before driving down into the Valley of the Sun - and watching the external heat rise to over 100^o. Despite the heat, finally rolling into the driveway of our new home felt wonderful after 3,215 miles and the 19th state - AZ! 

The past week has been filled with moving in, unpacking, cleaning, and shopping - but we feel very blessed to have Heidi and Lindsey and her family to help with it all.  We had one final mission miracle when we received word that on the 21st, Jeff's wife, Debra, was baptized.  When Jeff chose to join the Church, he was reluctant to even tell her, but because of the change the gospel brought to his life, her heart was softened and now she has the opportunity for healing and change in her own life. 

Neil and I gave our homecoming talks in our new ward today - it was very bittersweet.  As I reflected back on our mission experience, King Benjamin's words from Mosiah 2 came to my mind,  “All that he requires of you is to keep his commandments… for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you.”  I thought I was serving a mission so I could pay God back for all He has blessed me with, but in the end, I know I got more out of serving than any good I might have done. I will be forever grateful for this deeply meaningful experience. I know that this is His gospel and His church and yet, He knows and loves me personally. I hope that I will always keep this missionary zeal burning in my heart.

...and they all lived happily ever after!