Following our Senior Mission-The Afterglow Lingers
By Janice Kapp Perry

Click here to read Janice Kapp Perry’s first and second articles on senior missions.
The Joy and Challenge of Senior Missions
Can Senior Missionaries Learn a New Language?

Our Mission Ends

The most difficult moment of our mission to Chile was undoubtedly waving our final goodbyes to our beloved Chilean friends at the airport in Santiago and boarding a plane that would take us far from the simple, focused life of service we had come to love for the last eighteen months. We were silent as the plane lifted off for home-there just were no words to express our feelings at that moment. Tears, but no words. Lost in our thoughts, we continued in silence for some time. Had we accomplished what we set out to do?  Would the Chileans forget us? How would we fit in again at home? Before our mission, Elder Dallin S. Oaks had given advice to all the missionaries at the MTC, saying that we should not try to make the people in our missions  be like our Provo, Utah ward, we should just love them, do our best, and try to leave them a little better than we found them. Had we done that?  One thing we knew for certain, they had made us better than we were when we began our mission. Exhausted from the round of farewell parties, packing and other events of the last few weeks, we fell asleep for several hours.

Joyful Homecoming

As our plane crossed over into the United States our emotions were powerfully stirred in a whole new direction and we became very excited at the thought of our reunion with our children and grandchildren. During our mission we had to set those feelings aside somewhat so we wouldn’t become overwhelmed by melancholy, but now we could let them have full sway and the anticipation was off-the-charts! Our children had served missions  on four different continents and we vividly remembered the joy we felt as their planes landed safely back in Salt lake City at the end of each of their missions.

As we deplaned and caught our first view of those we love most in this world it was an overwhelming feeling! How we loved them all and appreciated the constant support we had felt from them during our mission. The hugs, kisses,
and conversation continued late into the evening when we finally fell into our comfortable king-sized bed (what a change!) feeling supremely happy at the thought of spending lots more happy hours with our family again.

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