Megan said that she imagines our return to heaven to be similar to that which we experienced in the airport that day and I would have to agree. It’s good to have Dillon back. While Megan was here we got to spend some great time together as a family. The day after Dill got home we all went on a shopping trip to get him and Megan some new clothes (Juneau has NO place to shop for clothes and Dill out grew a lot of his clothes), the four ‘kids’ stayed up late listening to Dillon’s missionary stories, adding in where we could, and just enjoying some time together. It was really nice to be able to have all of us together for a little while again. We also went bowling, shooting, watched a few movies, played some games, and just enjoyed being with each other again. Dax sure did find a way to keep us laughing. One morning, this is what we woke up to:
Twinners!
Shooting
Dax so happy with his bowling ball
We were able to take a 4 generation picture while Megan was here
Our family was very blessed while Dillon was on his mission. There were several layoffs that could have affected my dad but he was safe through all of them. Hopefully, that blessing continues. My mom was able to find a full-time job, Megan and Zach were able to have their second healthy baby boy, Easton, Brett was able to get into PT school, and by some miracle I was able to finish a Master’s degree. We are so grateful for his faithful and diligent service. We can see how much he has grown and how much he loves our Lord and Savior. Dillon says that one of the hardest things he had to go through while being on his mission was losing one of his best friends, Jake Hawks. I can still remember that awful day in August (2009) and how I hated making the call to his mission Pres – I had to do it because my mom couldn’t even speak a clear word without sobbing. That one experience very earlier on, prepared him for finding and serving the people of Oregon. He had no one but the Lord to rely on when he got the news and I’m sure the pain was unbearable at times. But I know, and he knows that the Lord was there to comfort him and that it needed to happen so that he could learn how to teach the people of Oregon to rely on the Savior. It’s an experience that I wish never had to have happened and the Jake could still be here with us now but Jake helped Dillon serve his mission better and I believe Jake had to die on that day not because he was being reckless but the Lord knew that Jake’s influence would save hundreds of people; people’s lives were changed, not just in Dillon’s area but in several other areas around the world with missionaries who were also struggling with the same loss of their friend. Thank you Jake for helping my brother be a better missionary and for the influence that you have had on people around the world.
Now that phase of Dillon’s life is over we wish him the best of luck with the years to come and the reality check that is settling in. Welcome home Elder!
