Chris’ Mission–Last day and Touring with Mom and Dad

Well, this was it. Officially my last day in the mission field. And it was quite the day. We got over to President’s at about 7:00 to get all the transfers rolling this morning. Elder Tuckfield took over as the Action Van chauffeur, but I still did a small transfer. I drove Elder Hall and Sister Nielson down to the Battle Creek areas, and picked up Elder Sullivan and brought him back to Lansing. We got back about noon, took care of some office things and then I hurried and packed up all my stuff. That went a lot smoother than I expected. I finished up and we got to the office by about 4:00. There I got my final interview with President Waite. I really haven't had a formal interview with him for about 6 months. As I prayed and then visited with President tears came to my eyes often. I am serve going to miss basking in his great spirit all the time. We had a nice visit, I got my temple recommend, and then we headed to dinner. President long ago threatened Elder Christofferson and I that he was going to feed us some frozen waffles that we didn’t want to eat one time. So there we sat, and out came two plates loaded with frozen waffles. It was so funny. Dinner was great, of course. I will sure miss Sister Waite’s cooking.

After dinner, it was time to head over to the church for our final testimony meeting. I have never been so nervous in my entire life. I knew my parents might be there, but they weren’t. They did arrive at about 7:20, so the meeting had already started. But I’m so glad it worked out that way. I was up on the stand and all of a sudden they walked in the back of the chapel. An overwhelming feeling of love just swept over me. It hit me so hard. They slipped in on a back row and we just met eyes and cried for a while. Tears came easily, but they were mostly tears of joy. Each of the missionaries bore wonderful testimonies especially Christofferson. He is so awesome, one of my best friends. I’m so glad we will be rooming together. President wanted him to go first and me last so that it would start and finish strong. And when it came to my turn, I was filled with the spirit and emotion and love for my parents, love for President and Sister Waite and everyone else there. I felt so comfortable up there and just so much gratitude for my many blessings. I have been so blessed. After me, the pulpit was over to whomever. We heard wonderful testimonies from Dai Wei, Olga, Donna Savard, Chen Jun, Lori Spires, etc. Almost every testimony I was talked about and President, Elder Tuckfield, and Sister Waite all talked me up also. Then of course Mom and Dad shared their sweet testimonies and expressed their love. After them, I couldn’t stand it so I went down and sat with them. It was so wonderful throughout the rest of the evening to be with them and to introduce them to everyone. I’m so glad they came and it worked out perfectly. I love this gospel so much. This was the perfect way to end my mission. It is true. I love Michigan, I love my mission, I love the Gospel. Thursday, October 13

This has been one great day. Very weird, but very enjoyable. We only got a couple hours of sleep again last night. I’ve only had about 10 hours in the last 3 nights. I think I’m running on adrenaline now. But somehow I keep going I don’t feel that tired. We got up at 5:00 this morning at the mission home to get all ready for the airport trip. It was pretty sweet to stay at the mission home. The missionaries in my group were Elder Christofferson, Sullivan, Lee, Hyde, Cox, Montgomery, and Gyori and Sister Anderson. That is a pretty good group. The airport trip was pretty much like all the others I have been to. I just felt like an AP since I still wasn’t getting on the plane, just sending others off. It was hard to see Christofferson go. I will miss him, but I can’t wait to room together at BYU. He is a total stud and I love him.

After the airport, Mom and Dad met me at the Mission Home and we just visited with the APs (Tuckfield, Rowley, Backus) and President and Sister Waite. That was really nice. Then we shipped 2 big boxes home so that we could fit all of our stuff in the trunk. We also visited the office and toured Lansing for a while. We hit the capital building and MSU campus. We took President and Sister Waite to the Olive Garden for lunch. That was the highlight of the day. We spent probably 3 hours with them there. I loved it because these are 4 of my very favorite people and they really hit it off together. Dad and President were deep in conversation and so was Mom and Sister Waite. I loved watching it. I’m so glad we got to spend a long time with the Waites. I love them so much and it was very hard to hug them and say goodbye and leave. That was the hardest thing so far.

Then we visited Rob and Wendy McDaniels for a while. They are awesome and married - that is too weird. Then we had a wonderful chinese dinner with Chej Jun, Dai Wei, and Li Qing. It was great but very hard to leave them also. They were saying, “Don’t leave, We want you to stay”. It was very hard to go. I sure love them a lot. They have just grasped the iron rod and they are moving towards that tree of life. It was such a privilege to know them and teach them and baptize them. Then we visited the Hibberts, one of my favorite families out here. They had some wonderful dessert and great company. I will miss them, but we will meet again soon. Then we headed out of town towards Flint. Doing what we did today was pretty hard. If I would have left on the plane, all the goodbyes would be at one time. But this way I am dragging it out and having many emotional times and goodbyes. But I am very glad my parents are out here. It is weird but so much fun. They are so wonderful, they haven't changed much. I enjoy showing them off to everyone out here and everyone likes them. And I love them very much. It doesn't feel natural to be with them yet, but that will gradually change. It is just so great to finally be with them. I think Mom feels kind of bad because I am having such a hard time leaving and going with them. But this really is a hard time for me. I will miss my mission so much. It has been such a wonderful experience and has changed my life. It is hard to think it is over. But it is time to move on. Friday October 14

This was a very enjoyable day as well. We spent the night in Flint at the Radisson Inn. We called home and talked to Grandma and Lindsey. It was good to hear their voices, Lindsey has grown up. Today I slept in and really took my time getting ready. It was nice to not be in any hurry and to just take my time. We went out to breakfast at Bob Evans. It was good. Then we shopped at Birch Run, an outlet store near Saginaw. I got a sweater and 2 nice shirts that Dad bought for me. Then we went to the largest Christmas Store in the world - Brohners at Frankenmuth. That was a lot of fun. I still want to own a Christmas store someday. There was a lot of nice stuff there. I bought Ashlyn’s birthday present there and we got something for each of the girls and Hub. Then tonight we drove all the way up to Mackinac City and spent the night right on the beach. It is nice to be this close to the water and to be able to see the bridge from our deck. It is a beautiful night. We took a drive on the bridge just to do it at night. I miss that bridge. We are having a wonderful time. Saturday, October 15

This was such an awesome day. We attended church here in Cheboygan. I played the piano and spoke for about 30 minutes during sacrament meeting. It was good practice for my homecoming talk next week. I could have gone on for over an hour, so I really need to cut a bunch of things out and rearrange how I will present myself and my mission next week. Church in Cheboygan is different. There are a lot of different people and a different feeling there. But it was great to be back. Then we went out to Olgas for Sunday dinner just like old times. She cooked a wonderful meal and we had a great time with her and the missionaries. Olga is the greatest. I will definitely miss her. After I burned my name in her big flower pot, we headed out to St. Ignace.

We were going to visit people but decided to just head out to the island instead. We took the ferry out and we were the only ones on it. I PCd the guy who was in charge of our luggage. Maybe something will come of it. We arrived and walked up to our hotel. It’s called the Island House. It is one of the oldest buildings out here but it is beautiful It is a nice spacious room without any TV or phone or distractions of that kind. We took a short nap and then took a carriage ride up in the middle of the island, “The Woods”. That is a very nice elegant restaurant in a stately home with a big fireplace that is lit by candles. It is reminiscent of times gone by with fancy waiters and an entertaining piano player. It was a spectacular evening. Mom, Dad and I really had a wonderful time together, a definite highlight of our trip so far. The carriage ride back was also very nice and then back in the room I stayed up late planning out my BYU registration. I will try to register by phone first thing in the morning. It is exciting to be preparing for school. Sunday, October 16

We had a great time on Mackinac Island today. We woke up and had a nice buffet breakfast at the Island House. Then we enjoyed a carriage ride tour around the island. It was nice to have a guided tour to explain everything to us. The rest of the afternoon was pretty much spent shopping in all the tourist shops and visiting the other sights. We spent some time in the Grand Hotel. It is huge and elegant, but very gaudy. Mom was very proud because she went to the bathroom in the Grand Hotel. It was pretty nice. Dad and I almost went golfing on the course out there, but it started to rain so we didn’t. That would have been fun. Because of the rain, we left the island on the 3:00 boat and spent the rest of the time in St. Ignace.

We visited Eve Oneal and her ladies. Then we met at the Dockside with the Weiss’ and Eve. That was excellent. I had planked whitefish, of course, and it was tasty. Mom and Dad had the same. I enjoyed the company there so much. Then we just spent some time visiting at the Weiss home. I love the people here so much. They treated me so well and are wonderful friends. We headed down to Traverse City about 8:30 and arrive at about 10:30. It was a fun-filled day. Also this morning, I called on the touch tone phone to register for BYU. I got all my classes. They are Chemistry, Anatomy, Preview to Medicine, Guitar, and Teachings of the Living Prophets. I feel lucky that I got exactly what I wanted. BYU is going to be a blast. Monday, October 17

This was a crazy day. It was completely filled and we were always on the run. We didn’t have an alarm clock in our room and we didn’t wake up until 7:00am. We were supposed to meet Christine Spires at 7:00 so we just threw some clothes on and cruised over there by 7:30. She was there and we went out to breakfast with her and Dillon. We had a good time playing with Dillon and visiting with Christine.

After that, we ran back to the hotel room, showered and got ready, and then ran out to President Hoovers home. there we spent a couple hours with him and his family at his home and traveling around to see some of the beautiful areas around. It was great to spend time with that wonderful man and his beautiful family. He really inspires me and has left a permanent mark on my in my life that I will always remember. What a wonderful man and example. His influence on my life will be far reaching. I really admire President Jon Hoover. The tour of the area was absolutely beautiful. The colors were amazing. The whole area was on fire with bright orange and red and yellow. It was gorgeous.

We then drove down to Ludington and spent some time with the Overholts. They are wonderful people as well. We had a nice lunch and a good visit and I even got to play some Phantom of the Opera for my mom on their Grand Piano. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.

We headed towards Big Rapids and met Lori at 6:30 and went out to dinner at Casey McKnabs. That was the same place she had taken us after her baptism so that was fun. I was still full from breakfast and lunch but I managed to eat just a little bit. Lori is doing very well in the gospel and in her life it seems. She has really taken hold of the iron rod and is moving forward. And Michael is a good boy. He was really excited to see me and I will miss him. I’m so grateful that I was able to teach them the gospel. After we left Big Rapids, we just started driving towards Chicago. We drove out of Michigan tonight, boy will I miss this wonderful state. I have really grown to love it here. I love the people of Michigan and I am grateful for them. I will be back to visit in the near future. There are too many people I love back here. We drove until 1:30am and finally stopped in Ottawa for the night. But we wanted to have a full day in Nauvoo tomorrow. Tuesday, October 18

We had a lazy morning today. We should have woke up early and gotten on the road so we could spend a lot of time in Nauvoo, but we stayed at the room until about 10:00. Mom had to do laundry because she is out of clean garments so that was why it took so long. Since she was doing a load anyway, Dad and I got our old garments to be washed and Mom got up before us to get them started. Well they went through the washer and started in the dryer before Mom realized she forgot to put any of her garments in there. Dad and I didn’t even need ours washed so it was a waste of time. So Mom hurried and washed some in the sink and dried them with ours. It was really funny except the detergent turned our garments a shade of yellow. And then Dad realized he had given Mom his clean garments to wash and not his dirty ones. It was all pretty hilarious.

We arrived at Nauvoo at 2:00 and had lunch at a little place barely tolerates us Mormons. Then we started our tour of what once was a beautiful city in the days of Joseph Smith. We watched a powerful 20 minute video on Nauvoo. These people built up a large a plentiful civilization in a very short time. It was amazing how well they prospered here. It must have been so hard to leave it all behind as they were driven out of their homes and away from their beautiful temple which was only in full service for 6 weeks. What a mighty and glorious people to endure such hardships because of their exceeding faith. What a privilege it would be to live among them, to glory in the presence of Brother Joseph, that great prophet of God. That would be such a blessing. We went to the visitors center, John Taylors home and printing shop, the bakery, Heber C. Kimballs home, the temple lot where the temple once stood, and the graves of Joseph, Hyrum and Emma Smith. It was a beautiful day where I learned more and learned to appreciate this beautiful city and its heritage. There is a special spirit here. At the visitors center, I also met 2 really cute sister missionaries who go home in 1 week. Mom says I was flirting with them, and I guess I was. We later ran into them at the grocery store and they are going to send or bring us a brick from Nauvoo. So I gave them my card. We will see what happens there. Wednesday, October 19

This was my last full day to wear the name tag as a full time missionary for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is going to be so hard to take off the name tag tomorrow. But I am also anxious to be home among all my friends and family. This is an exciting time for me with a lot of new things on the horizon. This past week with my parents has been a real treat and I think has made the transition a lot easier for me to not being missionary any more. And today was the perfect ending to a wonderful week. It is 12:30am and we just got in. I don’t think I can get much sleep anyway, I am too excited. We arose this morning and visited the Carthage Jail first thing at 9:00am. That was a wonderful experience. I am so glad we were able to go there. We were able to watch a sweet video on the prophet Joseph and go through a tour of the jail where he and Hyrum were martyred. I also grateful for that opportunity. There is a sweet, hallowed spirit there and my testimony and appreciate for them increased. What wonderful men, the Prophet Joseph and Hyrum. I love those men and admire and respect them so much.

After Carthage, we drove to Chicago and and it there in time for the 6:30 endowment session at the temple. It was so great to be in the Temple again. There is such a special feeling there that can’t be duplicated anywhere else. I have forgotten just about everything over the last 2 years, but I did understand and comprehend something much better than ever before. I will visit the temple often, I need the blessings that come from the temple. It was so wonderful to be in the Celestial Room with my Mom and Dad to rejoice with them in the spirit that abides there. Afterwards, we found our hotel room and then went out to eat at the Fountain Blue, which is a very classy restaurant with a dress code. It was a great night. We had a really good time and the food was incredible. I had shrimp. I love hanging out with Mom and Dad. They have sure spoiled me this week. I am so excited to see the girls and everyone else but this last week has been special. Thursday, October 20