Thanks for the Memories--Elder Aguilar

On a Saturday night in March of 2008, April called me and said she was in a bind and wondered if I'd feed the missionaries on Sunday afternoon. Of course, I'd feed the missionaries. I figured we'd have them over for an hour and life would go. Well, life did go on, plus one new friend.

Elder Aguliar instantly won over our hearts, and we became instant friends. The following week was General Conference. He called to see if they could watch the afternoon session with us. I was very hesitate to say yes, because sometimes there is more napping during Sunday afternoon Conference than watching but I found myself saying "sure, come on over." We laughed, listened, and had a very enjoyable time. Quickly, our house became a place that Elder Aguliar and Elder Jensen liked to hang out. Having never served a mission, I thought this was a little strange. Todd quickly reassured me that it is nice to have a home where you can relax and feel at home while serving the Lord. Tyler and Kody looked forward to the missionaries many visits. On a few P-days they came over and played games with the boys. We had many visits outside while the boys swam in the pool, they went to Black-n-White Days pulling matches with us, we would share slurpee's together, they came to our house for Mother's Day and brought me a cake they had made, we roasted marshmallows together, they cooked us dinner, we laughed, we cried, and we shared our testimonies. We really enjoyed having them in our home.

Of course, we knew that someday transfers would happen but we were lucky to have 4 great months with Elder Jensen and Elder Aguliar. One summer morning in June, the doorbell rang at about 7:00am. As I opened the door, there stood two young elders with a plate full of cookies telling us they were both being transferred. Todd had already gone to work, so the elders stayed out on the porch while Kody, Tyler and I stood inside with the door open and all 5 of us crying.

Elder Aguliar was transferred to Ogden. We stayed in touch and in the fall when Tyler started playing football, we would always take Elder Aguliar and his companion out to lunch if Tyler played close by his area. It was a fun time to keep up on his stories and adventures as a missionary. Shortly, before Christmas he was transferred back to Logan and we invited him to spend Christmas with us. Last night, we invited him back to our house for one last time, before he goes home on Thursday. We gave him a USU sweatshirt to hopefully remember his time here in Logan and us each time he wears it.

After we dropped him off at his apartment last night, we all rode home in complete silence thinking about the fun times and the memories we've made. Todd and I both have wondered why he came into our lives, and why there was such an instant bond between us. Todd and Tyler don't let many people past their personal wall but Elder Aguliar never slowed down for this wall. I know that there is a reason he has had such an impact on us. Maybe it's for the boys and to help them serve missions or maybe we will never know the reason but we grateful for the opportunity we've had to share this time with him.

Good Luck, Elder Aguliar and keep in touch!