I was beyond happy that my son was serving, but the realization that a big phase our life was now over, and that our living situation would never quite be the same again hit hard.

The weekly calls make a huge difference, and were a great blessing to our family at home. My son returned in July, and it has been incredible to see the transformation from a mission well-served. We’ll have him around for another 18 months while he wraps up his AA before hopefully transferring to BYU, and his influence on his younger brothers has been great. He’s also a YSA ward missionary, and has already been involved in a couple of convert baptisms.