Going Back

One benefit of serving state-side is the ability to go back and visit the mission relatively easily. My parents took me back to visit Michigan as a college graduation gift (2 years later), and it was definitely worth the trip. Lots of people would talk about how weird it is to go back because people don't remember you, the place doesn't feel the same, etc.

I went in prepared for the worst, but I had the opposite experience. Sure, some of my baptisms weren't going to church anymore, but plenty of less active members we had helped finally were going to church! We got to stay with my favorite convert couple, plus see some sights in Detroit and Kirtland, Ohio that I didn't get to see before. We went to a Tigers game and my mom (who didn't even know who the Tigers were) loved it!

Tell me your experiences visiting the mission. Also, I always wondered what it would be like to have the parents pick you up. We picked up my brother in Germany and had a blast, but I think he had a hard time with it. We were in the country another two weeks before we went home and he was finally released...rough stuff.