Sister Maisie Carrillo: I'm Home!!

Coming home from your mission, that is a weird feeling. I didn't sleep for days because of so much packing! And then Thursday night, I decided to pull an all-nighter since we were leaving for the airport at 3 a.m. Not the smartest thing ever but I wanted to spend as much time as I could awake in Thailand since those moments would be my last. Parting from President and Sister Johnson was the weirdest feeling. And then sitting on the airplane, looking out and seeing a place that had become my home slowly disappear behind me. I couldn't believe I was actually leaving. So on my 26 hour journey, I had a lot of time to think! I was sad I was leaving, excited to see my family, in denial I was leaving, and excited to see home again. I thought about the things I'd learned, all the amazing experiences and adventures I'd had. Heavenly Father had been so good to me, taught me so many things. I promised myself and Heavenly Father that I'd never forget. Going out to see my family was one of the most exciting feelings. I actually didn't really believe that they would be there haha! But they were! And seeing my family again after 18 months was what I imagined it will be like in the next life, when we will all reunite once again. Families are forever! And it rang so true in that moment. I was a released as a missionary 3 hours after being home. I walked in with tears. The thought of not being a set apart missionary, not having my badge on was heart wrenching. The thought that it was all actually ending just made me sad. But upon being released, I didn't feel any different. It wasn't like some magic spell I was thinking it would be, and the feelings would instantly leave me. Nope. I felt the same, and I felt in my heart that the Lord had accepted my work. Now He has a new work for me to do!