What a privilege it was to have your son and his companion, Elder Hackett, in our home for dinner tonight.
Elder Johnson seemed to really enjoy having a home-cooked meal and told us that what we were having (roast, potatoes, carrots, etc.) was what he had requested for his last dinner before leaving home. I’m sure our dinner didn’t compare to his mom’s home cooking, but he was polite enough not to say that. :) Knowing that the YSA ward missionaries don’t get many dinner invitations from the students, we’ll have to start having them over more often.
I really appreciated that when he arrived in our home, Elder Johnson introduced himself to each one of our boys, asked their names, and tried throughout the evening to get to know them a little better. We were also interested to hear about his family back home in Utah (10 brothers and sisters, wow!)
Elder Johnson has such a sweet, humble Spirit about him, yet when he and Elder Hackett taught us after dinner, he spoke with power and conviction as he shared his thoughts about our Savior, and how He experienced all our trials and sadness while here on Earth so that he could better understand us and our difficulties as we go through life. It was a wonderful example for our three boys of what a missionary should be.
Even though you are surely missing him, we hope that you will find joy in knowing that he is representing the Lord and your family well and blessing the lives of many here in Oregon.
May the Lord bless your missionary and your family.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year,
The DeGraw family
Shawn, Maryann, (Elder Jordan DeGraw), Benjamin, Garrett and Spencer
