Elder Welker's Homecoming!!

Mom:  What a day to remember!!  We were all so excited when Justin's plane touched down in St George on June 8th at 12:13pm.  We were so anxious to see him again after 2 LONG years! I made sure that I got the first hug! Justin looked so thin! He had lost 60lbs! He had not only changed physically, but his whole demeanor was different. He was so grown up and mature and it was so fun to see this change in him.  Jake and Justin had been away from each other for 3 years now and watching them come together again made me cry.  Justin met Ellie for the first time and Michaela surprised Justin with the news that baby #3 was on the way. It was a very special day for all of our family to be together again.

After collecting Justin's bags,we all headed over to President Bundy's office so that Justin could be released as a missionary.  President Bundy is a great man and the spirit was very strong in the room as he talked about Justin's mission and the impact he had on the people in Uruguay.  Lots of tear were shed as Justin bore his testimony and prayed in Spanish.

After his release, Justin's first request was to go to In and Out burger.  We met all the cousins there and had a great meal.  When we got to our house, we had a "Welcome Home" sign on the front lawn.  The very first thing Justin saw when he walked into the house was his life-sized "Captain America" figures along with his own photo we used for Jake and Ellie's wedding.  Then Justin saw carpet and threw himself down on the floor to enjoy the softness of it.  After that, he went from room to room discovering new things we had done to the house while he was gone. He was so happy to be home!  He ran downstairs and got all of his guns out of his gun cabinet and was holding them like a baby.  Then he opened his closet door and found things he had missed while he was gone like his Captain America hat, his light saber that Jake gave him etc.  Then he looked in the fridge and saw whipped cream in the can and opened his mouth and started just pouring it in!  We were all just laughing at him!  It was so fun to see him enjoying the simplest things.  Justin hung out with his missionary friend, Joe Cary, who had come to welcome Justin home.  They found their way to the X-box pretty fast and spent the rest of the night playing games.

We had a nice open house the next day and many friends, neighbors and ward members came to see Justin.

Justin reported his mission in our ward on Sunday, June 10th. Justin's trainer, Cody Harkness was there.  Michaela and Ellie performed a musical number "Savior, Redeemer of my Soul."  Micheala sang in spanish and Ellie played the viola while Heather Little played the piano.  It was so beautiful and Justin cried the whole way through along with the rest of us.  He had no idea they were going to sing his favorite song.  It was so amazing! Justin's talk was amazing as well. He wasn't nervous at all and told some great stories and bore his testimony in Spanish. It was such a nice meeting and having family and friends from his mission there made the day extra special.