"There could have been no greater way to end my last p-day in the mission than to hear the farewell talk that Brendan gave yesterday. I have tears pouring down my face as I am sitting in the library.
This past week has been great! This week is going to be even better! The reality of going home is beginning to really hit me. SO MANY EMOTIONS. I am going to make this email short and sweet but know that I love you all and I am excited to see you on Monday night!! Have a great week!! Love you"Katelyn's return flight home was just the starting to a long day. She started out leaving Edmonton in the morning of January 19th and flew from there to Los Angeles. Then she had a five hour layover in Los Angeles until she was finally able to board the plane that would bring her back to Salt Lake. Even though it was a long day of traveling, Katelyn found ways to pass the time. First of all, she talked to several people on the way home, about the gospel. It also turned out that there was a new Sister missionary that was traveling from Guatemala to Provo, Utah to enter the MTC and start her mission. Because of the bonds of being a missionary, they immediately became friends and spent much of the time while in Los Angeles, talking about missions. This new Sister missionary became the perfect traveling companion for Katelyn as Katelyn was returning home.
Katelyn was due to arrive in Salt Lake later that evening and we all arrived at the airport anticipating that we would be there 15 to 20 minutes before her plane was scheduled to land. After we parked the car and made our way to the baggage claim area, we found out that her plane was actually early by about 15 to 20 minutes. This meant that just as we were arriving at the airport, so was Katelyn. Then within just a few minutes, Katelyn came walking down the escalator and we got to see her for the first time in 18 months. Katelyn's Mom immediately ran up to her and gave her a big hug. I was next and then the rest of the family. As soon as she was with us all, the tears started to flow. The reality finally hit that she was now home from her mission and her days as a full time missionary were coming to an end. We spent quite a while in the airport collecting Katelyn's luggage and making sure that the new Sister missionary from Guatemala was on her way as well. Then we all made our way back to the car and on our way home. But this is only the beginning of a of the missionary experiences that were to come over the next couple of days. Katelyn returning home was just the first part. Her little brother who would be leaving in just a couple of days meant that we only had a couple of days with all of our family together again.
The next day started out fairly normally except we now had one missionary coming and one missionary going. Katelyn's Mom had hung up several signs in front of the house that told of everything that was going on. There was one sign that welcomed Katelyn home and another sign that bid farewell to her little brother. There was even a third sign that said that for the Nicholes' family, this was transfer day. We were receiving one missionary back from Edmonton Canada and sending another out to Winnipeg Canada. Of course the one day that we had all together was also the one day that we had to take a family picture. So we spent a couple of hours traveling up the canyon to have a family portrait taken. Then we spontaneously decided that it would be fun for the whole family to go to a place called Nickel City which is a nickel arcade full of games. We enjoyed our time playing the arcade games and spending time as a whole family. But this still isn't the end to the day.
Later on that evening we had the rare chance to participate in the release of one full time missionary and the setting apart of another, all at the same time. After returning home from our family day, we all got dressed in our suits and dresses so that we could meet with a member of the Stake Presidency. Once we arrived, we were all ushered into the Stake Presidents office to meet with the first counselor in the Stake Presidency. He proceeded to talk with Katelyn about her mission and with our whole family about how we felt to have Katelyn home with us. Then he released her from her full time missionary duties. There were a few tears as he read the letter that Katelyn's mission president sent to the Stake President which described the work that Katelyn had done over the previous 18 months. Then the next order of business was to set Katelyn's little brother apart as a full time missionary. Myself as well as Katelyn's two older brothers were able to participate in the setting apart of her little brother. Again there were a few tears as he hugged each of us as a new full time missionary. At this point the focus was switched from celebrating Katelyn's homecoming to looking forward to her little brother's departure. I won't go into what happened over the next day because that story will all be part of Katelyn's little brother's blog that I will be starting in the next day or so. But needless to say, it was a very enjoyable time for our whole family. As much as we are going to miss Katelyn's little brother while he is serving his mission, we are also very excited to have Katelyn home again.
These last 18 months have gone by so quickly. None of us could believe just how fast the time had passed. It seemed like we just dropped her off at the MTC just last summer and now she was returning home. But the reality is that a year and a half had gone by. Katelyn has really grown and the experiences that she had on her mission will forever be a part of her life. There are so many people to thank and we hope that at some point we will be able to thank them in person. To all of the Ward Members in the places where Katelyn served, thank you for taking care of our daughter. To all of the companions that Katelyn served with, thank you for being such wonderful companions and mentors. And to all of the people that Katelyn was able to meet and teach, thank you for inviting her into your homes and listening to the message that she and her companions had to share. These last 18 months have been a wonderful time for both Katelyn and our whole family. They have been full of experiences that we will all never forget.
Love,
The Nicholes Family
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