The first 24 hours were probably the weirdest. I had no idea what to do, or how to act. My family was just following me around. Hah, especially Mallory. It also has been fun to chill with Olivia, my youngest sister. She has grown up so much! And she is soo adorable!
I went on a date friday night! #whynot? That was pretty fun. There was a dinner, comedy show, and a dance put on by the Boise Institute! I went with a good friend from high school. Shoot-out to Kasey for an awesome night!
My homecoming talk went pretty well. :) I had tons of fun preparing it though.
The monday before we left was really cool. In the morning we had a Self-Reliance Meeting that was ran by a couple from the Lisbon Mission that is in charge of running these courses for all the units in Portugal. Then after we had a devotional with President Amorim where he gave us advice on moving forward with our normal lives. I really loved that. Then we had dinner with him, Sister Amorim, and her mom, Marly! (Btdubs, I heard that she got baptized, wooohoooo!) And then we went to the hotel to go to sleep. But before going to bed, I had to run over to the office and help Elder Judd with the transport payment. Haha, I can never escape the office.
My trip home... fogo. We woke up around 3am to get ready and then left for the airport at 5. Got there around 530ish, got our bags checked, and then said goodbye to President and Sister Amorim. That was hard. Then we went through security, and got to our gate. Our plane left at 730 (or it was supposed to), and we took off to Lisbon. This when I split off from Elder Cervantes and Elder Tollefsen, who were coming home with me. I had to catch an earlier flight to London than them, because my flight plans changed. So they go off to recheck their bags, and I head to my gate. While I am waiting, I see my MTC and the group going home from the Lisbon Mission! That was pretty cool to see all them! :D Then I boarded my plane, and we were off to London (However, it left late... again).
I get to London, and I have about 90 minutes till my plane leaves. I had to go through border control, then get my bags again, and go though customs. Then I had to find from where my plane was leaving. Finally I got to the right terminal, and I had missed it. So, I had to call Church Travel and get a new flight. During that time I called my mother and told her what was up. After getting a new flight, I had to switch terminals again. Anyway, I got to the right terminal, got my bags checked, and then I got to my gate. And i was starving. So I changed some euros for pounds (the exchange rate sucked), and ate some food while I waited for my flight to show up on the board. Then I took off to JFK around 8pm London time. That flight was long. But I flew with Virgin Atlantic, and it was rather classy.
So I get in to JFK around 11ish East Coast time. And now, I have to go through border control, and customs again. And it is even longer in the USA. But hey, we are protective about our boarders. Anyway, I re-entered the United States of America for the first time in about two years at 11:59pm, January 17th, East Coast time! :D Now, I had to find the hotel. Church Travel had made a reservation for me. And guess what... there is no payphone in JFK. After dragging my bags around looking for stuff, I decided to put them in a storage thing that I had to pay for. After releasing that burden, I talked to someone and they directed me to a different terminal. So I get to that terminal and really it was the spot where the shuttle was to take people to the hotel. It was 2am, and I am pretty sure that it wasnt working, and I didnt have any time anyways... So, I returned to the original terminal, and just waited in front in a waiting area. I tried getting some sleep. It wasnt much. Around 4am, the check-in opened up for Delta. I went got my bags, got them re-checked, went through security, and then went to my gate, heading for Salt Lake.
There, I ate some food. And while waiting in JFK, a member came up and said hi. That was comforting. Then we left JFK around 7am. We got to SLC around 9ish. I went, ate some McDonalds (American McDonalds is not the same as Portugal McDonalds). I went to my gate for Boise, and when I showed up I saw a girl in a BSU jacket and another dude with a BSU hat. That was so comforting! I felt like I was almost at home. So while sitting down, the girl with the BSU hat comes up and starts talking to me. She tells me she is a member, and is from Eagle. Then she lets me call my mother with her phone. So, I told my mom what had happened in JFK, because the plan was for me to call in the hotel, but that never happened.
The flight home to Boise was so nice. It is just about an hour, and there is like 15 minutes where you can take your seat belt off. Ha, that always makes me laugh. Anyway, I get off the plane, and I needed to go to the bathroom! So I quickly go and then I walk down the long hallway that is the Boise Airport (I've never realized how small it is). Then coming around the corner, I tried peaking out my head to see my family, but I think they saw me first. :D
I love my family. I loved my mission! Definitely the best two years!
Thank you fall for reading, whether you read every letter or not! Thanks for all the prayers and support in my behalf, and the behalf of others.
Com amor,
Roman Aaron Yoder IV
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