Since I’ve been home, I’ve gotten to see many mission friends. Many attended BYU like me. Others I saw at our well-attended mission reunion in April around General Conference time soon after I'd been home. I got to see the Alvarez family from Monterreal when they came to Utah on their road trip in March of 2017 to visit their daughter. The father was the very same Branch President whom we lived above for a long time (See "Chilly, Muddy, & Moving"). Elder Z. (who also attended BYU) and I both had lunch with them and their daughter. I didn’t know this beforehand but I discovered that their daughter was doing a study abroad in Utah (which should have been the obvious reason why they bothered coming to Utah). It became more evident when her English was stunningly near perfect and her Spanish had become surprisingly mediocre. It was one thing for us to forget English but it was weird to see a Mexican forget Spanish so quickly for some reason. I knew they’d been in the neighborhood around Christmas through Facebook but I didn’t know why until I asked. President Alvarez’s daughter was studying at Olympus High School! The very same High School I graduated from! (See "6th Area: San Jose, Reynosa" and "Mission Call -- Reynosa, Mexico"). You know, I used to think that the world was a very big place but the more people I meet, the more I come to realize, it’s just the opposite. Especially at BYU. You always meet people who know someone you know.
It's now been years since I came home from the Mexico, Reynosa Mission. In that time, I've run into many more friends and old companions, many of whom are now married and some of whom have kids of their own. I still keep in touch with many of them and my love and respect for them are everlasting. I really am beyond words to describe how I feel seeing them with families of their own when it really wasn't that long ago that we were walking in the desert and floods together teaching people about Jesus Christ. And now, with all the lessons learned and experience gained, we have the opportunity to put those skills to use in our own families. Like I've said before, the real mission starts after the mission. In the Lord's time and with faith and works on our part, I know that Heavenly Father has a Plan of Happiness for each of us. (See "Plan of Salvation and Happiness")
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