skyping home

 
 

Scotty officially hit the 1/4 mark this week and we were able to Skype him for Christmas.

This year, Emily and Dan, are with the inlaws and so we will not be together on Christmas Day.  We were in Rexburg, Idaho for Dan's graduation from BYU so I received permission from his mission president to Skype him early while we were all together as a family.

The roads were horrible from Montana to Idaho and we arrived later then we had hoped.  We went for dinner as a family then came home to Emily's apartment to open Christmas gifts.  We rushed to Dan's graduation and had the thrill of watching our boy cross the stage as a graduate with a Bachelors in Biology Education.  Afterwards, we came home awaiting the Skype call from Scotty.  It took about 45 minutes to get a connection with him.

It was wonderful to see his cute face.  You could tell it was a little overwhelming for him at first to see us all sitting there together smiling at him.  He looks really good.  His companion was sitting next to him and fell asleep off and on.  He doesn't speak any english, so every time he woke up and looked at the screen, we would all wave to him, he would get the biggest smile on his face and wave back.

Highlights from the call:

Scotty had a facecloth draped over his shoulder and when we asked him what it was for, he told us to wipe the sweat off his face.

He told us about where he lives and the highlights and challenges of the church in his area.

He was excited to see Joey but whenever we showed Joey the screen, Joey had no reaction.

Emily took the computer outside and showed him all the snow.  He loved it.

He told us he doesn't do countdowns for coming home, only counting up the days he has been serving.  He did say it was crazy to be 1/4 done though.

He misses his last companion a lot.  He felt a little discouraged because they aren't getting as many invites to members houses since he left.  I think Scotty is taking it personal but I think it's more of a culture thing.

He has no plans for Christmas yet.

It was hard to say goodbye and I totally understand why they don't call home very often.  You could tell he was a little sad too.

As his mother, I am proud of him, I am grateful for him, and I love him.  He has been a ray of sunshine in my life.  He came with a positive outlook and a love for others that he has used and developed for the benefit of many.

I am grateful for missions.  I am grateful my sons has chosen to serve missions.  The growth they experience is amazing.  Our family is blessed because of their service too.

julie