There’s no feeling quite like hugging your returned missionary for the first time after months apart. After this long-anticipated homecoming, you may want to update your loved one on everything that happened while they were serving. But one of the best things you can do with your returned missionary is let them teach you.
I learned that lesson just this month, when my younger sister got back from serving a full-time proselyting mission. Her arrival day was filled with emotional reunions, family meals, and an honorable release from the stake president. But perhaps the most memorable moment came because of a request from my sister herself.
She asked if she could lead a home evening discussion that day.
The Returned Missionary Home Evening
After we opened with a family prayer, my sister recapped the different areas where she served.
First, she spoke about each companion, sharing what the Lord taught her from serving with them. For example, she said that one companion taught her the importance of not taking yourself too seriously, while another personified what it meant to find joy in the service of God—even on the less-than-fun days.
She also spoke with deep love and respect about the people she taught, the members she served around, and her mission leaders. This special mission report allowed us to hear moving stories and details about the people she came to love throughout her mission—learning much more than we could from her weekly video calls and emails.
Interestingly, my sister spoke equally about how the Lord was involved in both the inspiring miracles and the challenging transfers.
Rejoicing in the Lord Together
As my sister recounted her experiences, I noticed she didn’t emphasize what she did as a missionary. Instead, she put all the focus on what the Lord did during her service.
Her increased spiritual maturity over the last 18 months was apparent, and it was clear that amazing mentors and leaders trained her.
When I talked with her later about this observation, she shared that her mission leaders encouraged her to attribute all miracles to the Lord. They taught her about an example from the Old Testament, when Moses reunited with his father-in-law and testified of the Lord’s hand in delivering his people.
Instead of taking credit for his role in parting the Red Sea or serving faithfully as a prophet, Moses highlighted the Lord’s all-encompassing role throughout his journey:
“And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them.
“And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
“And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
“Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.” (Exodus 18:8–11, emphasis added)
This home evening was a striking reminder for me to look for the Lord’s hand in my life and share my testimony of His miracles more often. As we look for and honor His presence, we can rejoice in Him and His work—together.
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