Josh's Missionary Video!!

 Here is the mission video that Rick made for Josh! Love it! 

Josh, Missionary Homecoming!!

Today was Josh's missionary homecoming! I was SO glad that he didn't have to report to the high council at 7:00 am the morning of his homecoming like Jaiden did. I guess it depends on which Sunday the high council meets. Yesterday was busy shopping, preparing food, and and cleaning the house. I was hoping to start cooking the pork roasts in the crock pot Saturday morning, but it was afternoon by the time we made it out to Walmart to buy them. I had two different crock pots and started them cooking shortly before 2:00 pm on low. I thought the roasts would be finished and ready to shred by 10:00 p.m. but they weren't. I stayed up until midnight but they still were not tender. So I finally went to bed. 

At 3:00 am I woke up and thought I had better check on them. By this time they were very tender and falling off the bone. So I stayed up and separated the roasts from the bone and shredded the meat. It took an hour and a half and so it was past 4:30 am before I made it back to bed. Next time I make pork roasts in the crock pot I will have to time it better! Thankfully we didn't have church until 10:30 and so I was able to sleep in until 8:30. 

Jared was the DJ at his school's dance last night up north and so they headed to St. George early this morning and arrived just before church. Everyone headed to church and were even able to get a family picture outside of the church building before the meeting started. This was the first time everyone in our family was together in three years! Jaiden had left on her mission in August of 2023 and then Josh left on his mission August of 2024. It was a wonderful meeting. The meeting was also Ethan's (Jenna's boyfriend) missionary farewell and so that was fun to have he and Josh speak together. Ethan did a great job on his talk and so did Josh.

Jenna sang "Nearer to Thee," with Ethan's mom, Paige Allred, and Ethan's brother, Josh Allred, played the cello. Rebecca Gulbranson accompanied on the piano. It was a beautiful number! Jenna and Paige blended well together and they also looked very beautiful! We were grateful for a spirit filled meeting! We had lunch at our house after. I didn't invite ward members, except for our good friends, the Williams. We also invited the Larsons (Steve Larson went to Korea on his mission. He is the one that spoke with Josh at his farewell two years ago). 

We invited the ASL sister missionaries and then the kids invited several of their friends. So we ended up with a good amount of people. We had pulled pork sandwiches, several salads (potato salad, broccoli and cauliflower salad, pasta salad) and a veggie tray, lots of fruit (watermelon, strawberries, grapes, apples and dip), chips, and dessert. Ellen ordered a cute cake that followed up with our welcome home chant "Josh, it's time, cross the line!" We all got a kick out of that! I made peanut butter bars and we bought cookies. It was fun to eat and visit! 

Later on the bishop and his wife dropped by to bring Josh his missionary plaque. After they left Jared led all of the young adult children in some games on Jackbox. After everyone left we finally got naps! Then later that night it was just Rick and me and Josh and Jenna. Rick taught a nice Come Follow Me lesson and then later gave Josh and Jenna back to school Priesthood blessings. It was a nice day! 

Elder Jensen is Home!!!

Today was the day!! I took work off yesterday to try and catch up on house cleaning. Janelle and Bryton arrived last night and we visited with them for a while and then they stayed over at Bryton's parent's house. Thursday I started interpreting at Utah Tech and so I needed to be there, but it was just a half day. The rest of the day I finished cleaning up Josh's room. Bryton was working remote and Janelle came over and helped me clean. I turned down several interpreting jobs this afternoon. I knew I would be too busy trying to get everything ready. 

I had ordered a nice big "Welcome Home" banner and also a nice yard sign. We headed over to the airport around 5:15. His flight was expected at 6:25. Usually when we have picked up our missionaries, they were the only missionary flying into St. George. But today there were several! The first family we met also had an Elder Jensen coming home! We said, "That's perfect, we will all be cheering for Elder Jensen!" 

Then another family arrived and it was Mark Tarr and his wife, the family we had met two years ago at the Golden Corral when dropping off Josh to the MTC! Mark was in LD Singers with me at Snow. At the time we laughed about how we had also run into them when we were dropping off Janelle to the MTC and they were dropping off their daughter to the MTC! Their son was also going to Korea, but the other mission. So it was funny to run into them again at the airport for the return of both our boys!! 

We also ran into people we knew from our ward and area who were welcoming back a sister missionary. There were also a couple other missionaries coming home from Korea (but the other mission). So there were lots of Korean flags, and posters, and people, and excitement! The missionaries came out one at a time, instead of all at once, which was nice because each one could greet and get hugs from his or her family and then move off to another area to make more room for the other families waiting for their missionaries. 

Josh was one of the last missionaries to come out. He had gone to change into traditional Korean robes, which was fun! A lady who was on the airplane saw our banner and said, "don't worry -- he is coming!" It was wonderful getting that long awaited hug when he finally did come! We all did our hugs and took pictures over by the baggage area and had him run through the finish line! The chant Dad decided on was: "Josh, it's time! Cross the line!" (repeated three times getting louder and louder). You can see our cheesy chant in the video! 

Then we all headed to the house. Josh wanted Dominoes pizza for his first meal, which made it easy! Rick ordered it and Janelle and Bryton picked it up at 7:30. We ate and then Rick, Josh, and I went to the church to meet with President Rowan for Josh's release. Unfortunately the stake president was out visiting people and their visits went over and so we were waiting outside in the heat for thirty minutes! But we eventually made it in and had a nice visit. 

Then we went back and met back up with the rest of the family. We have a tradition for our new returned missionaries where they teach our family right after they get home. At first Josh was flustered because he had brought a phone home with him from the mission, but everything shuts down on a missionary phone after coming home and so he didn't have his notes or anything. But then he went ahead and gave a very nice lesson and then got very real and vulnerable. It was very touching. We have loved this tradition. The lessons of our new returned missionaries have always had such an impact on all of us! 

Thanksgiving Blessing

My former missionary companion, Juliette Landsem Holdaway, now lives in Korea with her husband, who works for the military. Juliette also served her mission in Korea for a short time before serving in the ASL program in Atlanta, Georgia. She knew our son, Josh, was serving in Korea and made arrangements to pick up Josh and his companion and bring them to a nice hotel on base for a traditional American Thanksgiving feast!! It looks amazing! 

Not only that, but she had asked Josh and his companion what treats they missed from America that they weren't able to find in Korea. They surprised them with a total haul of treats!! Josh was in heaven!! Josh loves Takis and Korea doesn't have them and so he was excited to receive Takis along with everything else!! Hearing about this experience made my mama heart so happy! Thank you Holdaways for treating our missionaries!!  

Josh, MTC Drop Off!!

Today was the day! It was a crazy day for all of us. Jenna was picked up at 4:50 am to go to the church at 5:00 for a temple appointment with the young men and young women. She made it home at 6:40, just ten minutes before she was to be picked up for Madrigals! Then she had "lunch bunch" at Bria Thompson's house and then was supposed to work tonight (but ended up giving her shift to someone because she was so tired!) I don't blame her! 

Rick, Josh, and I left at 7:30 to head up north. We stopped in Orem at the car rental place so that Rick could rent a car for the next few days, since he would be staying up north and I would be driving back home. Josh and I both tried to sleep in the car on the way home, but I don't think either of us were very successful! 

Rick listened to a couple of good church talks on the way. Then we pulled out the letters that everyone had written to Josh and gave them to him to read. Then Rick said he wanted to read them and so I read them out loud to Rick and Josh and that brought all the tears! I read the letters, bawling the whole time! Our kids are so so awesome! They wrote such thoughtful, heartfelt letters and gave such amazing advice! I am so glad that we started this tradition of having all of the siblings write a letter to their brother or sister when they leave on a mission. They are treasures! 

After renting the car we all met at the Golden Corral. It was so funny because we ran in to Mark Tarr (a friend from Snow College) and his family again, just like we did when dropping off Janelle three years ago! At that time he and his family were dropping off their daughter to the MTC, and this time they were dropping off their son to the MTC, same as us! And what is even more ironic is that their son is going to Korea on his mission too! Only he is in the other mission. So we introduced his son to Josh and they got to visit a bit. They will probably see each other quite a bit in the MTC!

Janika and Brandon were able to take a little time off work to come to the Golden Corral with their boys, and so that was fun! Ellen also came with Evan and Eli and they made a cute little poster for Josh. She also brought a polaroid camera in order to take some pictures with Josh that he could take with him, which I thought was such a great idea! Josh loved them! Janelle and Bryton also came. Josh's good friend, Adam Parkhurst, was also to come since he was up north for Education Week. We had a really nice lunch and took some pictures. 

After that Josh said goodbye to the rest of the family and those of us seeing him off met at the chapel right next to the MTC. Usually we always take pictures at the Provo Temple, but it is not there any more! They tore it down and so now it is just a grassy field! So Jaiden was the last of our family to get pictures in front of it. We then headed into the parking garage to drop off Josh! I was fine until that final hug and then I was crying again!! We all were! Well, I don't know if Josh was, but I am sure he was feeling all the feels too! 

I sure wish I could be a fly on the wall those first few days at the MTC to witness everything he is experiencing! After our goodbyes we all went our separate ways! Rick was staying up north since he had meetings in Salt Lake this week. I was rushing back because I was scheduled to interpret for Frozen at Tuacahn that same night! So that was stressful. I listened to the show over and over the whole way home in order to prepare. I mean I had already prepared lots of hours, but this was the final preparation.

At least it forced me to take my mind off of Josh leaving, ha ha! The play went really well tonight. It was fun, but I was glad to get it behind me! So that was our day!! 

And Jaiden's one year mark!! I am sure the next six months will fly by!!