We were so excited to welcome my brother home from his mission in South Korea. We waited two years for Jorden's return and we were all giddy as we waited in the airport with balloons and signs. Upon completing his mission, Jorden traveled around the world for 19 hours to reach his final destination of Grand Rapids, Michigan. His Wednesday lasted about 37 hours as he crossed over 13 time zones. We all pictured several times what it would be like to see him walking down the terminal, smiling in his missionary suit. It was just the homecoming we had imagined. There were smiles, tears, hugs, relief, and a lot of excitement.
Jorden's flight was delayed an additional hour and he was the last one off the plane, making us all even more anxious. It was so good to finally see him.
Blake was pretty excited to give his uncle a bundle of ball(oon)s.
Uncle Jorden met his nephew Blake for the first time. It blows my mind to think that Jorden has been gone for so long that my helpless newborn has turned into a walking, talking 1½ year old who has opinions and preferences, comforts and fears, strengths and quirks, and a little personality that keeps us all on our toes. And he wasn't even born until Jorden was six months out! That makes two years seem like a very long time.
.JPG)
Jorden and Blake were instantly buds when they discovered their mutual love for electronic devices.
We wondered how Jorden would act when he came home and in what ways he would be different. We were glad to find that although he had grown so much, he was still the same ol' Jo. He had quite the culture shock after being out of the country for two years. He marveled at things like sitting in chairs at tables, sleeping on mattresses, seeing neighborhoods with cul-de-sacs and yards, feeling air conditioning, taking heated showers, and hearing everyone speak English. In this picture, Jorden was explaining how he was shaking in the Atlanta airport when he tried to order an American hamburger.
We are so grateful for the dedication, service, and gospel message that Jorden rendered to the people of South Korea. We missed him while he was gone, but can not think of a better reason for him to be away from us for two years. Welcome home, little bro!
Oh wow! Welcome home Elder Nash indeed. That is so cool to hear the story of his homecoming and see the pictures and video. I ADORE the pictures of Blake with his uncle. It will be so fun for them to get to know each other and bond. My Dad also went to South Korea on his mission. Loved to hear the stories and hear him speak the language when I was growing up. Congrats on the precious homecoming you and everyone else experienced!!
ReplyDeleteThat is so exciting!!! I get to do this in a couple of weeks, and I really love how you guys kind of dressed up for the occasion. I admire missionaries so much!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, little Jorden is all grown up. He looks so different...and yet somehow exactly like I remember him. :)
ReplyDeleteWelcome home!!!!
I will tell you one thing...reverse culture shock is HARD to deal with. I lived in Chile for a 1.5 years without ever going home to visit and when I went back to the U.S. to finish school I was so stressed out, felt like I didn't belong in my own country, had trouble remembering cultural cues and norms, I actually ended up going to see a psychiatrist because I just couldn't deal. Hopefully Jorden's shock will be a bit less because I'm assuming that when he was in Korea he had some contact with other U.S.American missionaries.
That is just so fun!! I'll bet it has been so exciting to have him home again. And from what I saw tonight at the park, he is definitely the same ol' Jo.
ReplyDeleteI cried like a baby watching this, and then I replayed it for Mitch and I cried again! I'm so proud of him! He looks great, and he's really grown up! I can't wait to see him next week!
ReplyDeleteThat has got to be the best looking Welcome Home poster I've ever seen! I LOVED the video. It helped me almost feel part of the experience. We're really looking forward to seeing Jorden when he comes out to Utah and learning about his mission.
ReplyDeleteMom Tanner