Missing Jonny

So today was my little brothers 20th birthday. We are so proud of Jonny for serving a mission so valiantly. Today I'm really missing him. I'm so thankful for email and the fact that I get to hear from him every monday, but today I just wanted to call him and wish him happy birthday in voice. I leave for Utah tomorrow and no this isn't the first time I'd be going home without him there, but I still miss him like crazy. In his last letter home he mentioned that he might have to have surgery again and it's a 6-8 week recovery, so he will have to come home to get this done. Part of me thought oh cool, we will get to see him sooner than 14 months but then I felt for Jonny. Knowing him, he doesn't wanna come home for anything, not until his time is up. He is serving so faithfully that he was completely forgotten himself and has turned himself to the Lord to do his work. Reading his letters, I have seen a boy so young with such a strong testimony and faithfulness to the gospel. He has had so rough days lately and has really had to trust the Lord. He had to go to a whole different mission, away from the one he was originally called too, face different challenges, a new mission pres, new mission rules, new ward, new companion with different personality and I'm sure every missionary goes through this but this was all a first for Jonny.
Well a family in his ward in Rhode Island decided to throw him a birthday party.They got my parents number from the mission office and called my mom to include her their plans. Sweet Sis Swan told my mom "I was thinking about you all weekend and putting myself in your shoes and thinking of how much I would want to just be able to do everything for my little boy on his birthday. So, THANK YOU for givng me this opportunity to help out and try to be your hands for just one day." You can image how happy my mom was to hear this. All of us send our gifts to her house, she wrapped them, made his favorite meal and dessert. My mom, being the wonderful mom she is, send out a huge facebook message to have people write a quick email to jonny and wish him a happy birthday. Well lots of people did and Sis. Swan made a book for Jonny of everyone who wrote for his 2Oth birthday. I'm excited to hear from him next monday to hear what he thought. I hope he had an amazing birthday and hope he knows how much his family loves him at home.




My parents bought him a guitar for his mission and his face is priceless opening it. He wanted to buy one before the mission but thought he would just wait til he got in the field. Jeff bought one on his mission and learned to play the hymns and Jeff started showing Jonny prior to him leaving. Hope he can use this as a tool somehow to further his mission and find investigators. If not, he can learn some cool hymns and songs a awe a cute girl someday and make her fall in love with him just like I did with Jeff.