Being home in the middle of these two years was something I never expected. I always planned on being gone for two years, serving the Lord. I thought I would just be in Brasil. But, the Lord had other plans.
I loved my time at home. While at times my heart wanted to be in Brasil, I loved being with my family and having the unique opportunity to make more memories with them. They are the most important thing in my life besides the Savior and the Restored Gospel. We made some great memories as a family while being quarantined at home together. We rode bikes, played games, went on walks, and played ping pong, basketball, and tennis. After a month staying at home, we went on our first outing away from home. We hiked all day at First Landing State Park. We also went to the beach several times towards the end of my time at home. It was great!
I especially loved participating in the ordinance of the Sacrament at home with my family. We had the Sacrament each week out by the fire pit with Grandma and Chichi. Parker prepared it, Spencer passed it, and I blessed it in Portuguese. It was a really neat experience. The Spirit was always extremely powerful as we quietly reflected and listened to birds chirping.
Another incredible moment in all of the confusion was General Conference. It was so special to be with my family for General Conference one last time. In October 2019 General Conference, President Nelson promised that this April 2020 Conference would be different than any other. It was incredible to see how many of the changes in the Church in these past few years prepared us for this time of the Corona Virus. We truly do have a Prophet of God on the earth today.
Although I was released, I tried to do my best to keep in tip top missionary shape. I tried to study Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon every day. The Church was constantly releasing new information, so my plans constantly changed. The Church ended up giving all early returning missionaries two options. The first was to return to missionary service as soon as possible in a temporary assignment and wait to be reinstated to the original mission and keep the original end date as conditions in countries allow. The second option was to delay service for 12 to 18 months and get a new end date. I ended up choosing the option to return as soon as possible. A week or two after the deadline to choose, we started hearing about missionaries receiving new assignments. After about a week, I received my new call to serve in the Washington Seattle Mission! I was to leave on the 19th of May. I was so extremely excited to be set apart to serve as a missionary again. I do and will miss Brasil, but I have no reservations about serving in any place. I will go and do.
Pictures:
#1 The airport
#2 Getting home
#3 Breakfast the next day
#4 Outdoor at home sacrament
#5 Pictures after sacrament
Pictures:
#1-2 Pictures after sacrament
#3 Mom and I cooking pull apart rolls
#4 Tennis
#5 Basketball
Pictures:
#1 Pictures at church
#2 Parker and I eating. Dozen eggs in one sitting
#3 First Landing State Park
#4 Kickball
#5 The beach
Pictures:
#1 Hammocking after sacrament
#2 Slow cooking pork
#3-4 The beach again
Pictures:
#1 Meeting President and Sister Beardall
#2 Breakfast
#3 Pictures after church
#4 Dad’s Birthday
#5 Under the Bridge
#6 Map of the Washington Seattle Mission
Pictures:
#1 On the dunes
#2 Pictures after church
#3 Packing
#4 Washington!
#5 Sunday walk on the beach
#6 Spencer’s birthday
#7 Monopoly
#8 Parker’s surprise breakfast
