Christmas Joy

Christmas morning was a lovely and low key affair. The kids are getting older, so we don't have to wake up in the pre-dawn hours to celebrate. After opening our gifts, we anxiously awaited the call that we knew would be coming from our missionary Drake. Our internet is not super awesome in Page, so I was a little nervous that we would not be able to Skype with him as planned. When he called in the late morning, we all huddled around the iPad to get our first look at his face in three months. It was fantastic! He looked so healthy and happy and he had lots to say. Things are going well in Washington, and he is getting the hang of all things missionary. I was sure that nothing could compare to the gift of being able to tell my son that I loved him face to face!

We spent a lot of time the rest of the day bouncing around from our house to Grandma Martins to continue celebrating the Christmas holiday with various family members that were in town. We even went over to Trissy and Eddie's house to see the bigger Martin clan.

In the evening, we had signed up to have the missionaries over for dinner. In a slight change of plans, Lisa wanted to have dinner at her house, so we asked the missionaries to join us in LeChee which they did. As we were eating and enjoying the evening, I asked the Elders how the calls to their own families had gone. They sheepishly informed me that they hadn't actually talked to their parents yet. It is their directive that they are not supposed to ask to use anyone's computers or other devices, but rather wait for someone to offer. I was in shock! Knowing how we had waited for Drake to call, I knew exactly how their parents must be feeling at this late hour int he day.

We hastily thanked Allen and Lisa for dinner and insisted that we immediately return to our house so they could call home! I knew that even though our internet isn't great, it was better than in LeChee and we had been fine talking to Drake that morning.

Once we got to our house, we set up each Elder with an iPad and they were able to call their families. Since they were nearby, I was able to hear them talking. They sounded so happy. One of the Elders has only been out a few months and Page was his second area. Apparently in his first area, he had gone through some really hard times with his companion, and his parents were grilling him to make sure things had improved. He cried and told them how much he loved them and loved his mission and being in Page. 

I was so sure nothing could make our day any better than it had already been. I was wrong. Having these sweet Elders in our home and being able to help them connect with their families was the absolute icing on the cake. I am so grateful for technology. I am so thankful for missionaries. I am so thankful for the Christmas season and our Savior Jesus Christ.

JOY!