"Well you see, I served at the start of COVID19."

Had life not turned upside down, today is the day all of us would have piled into the car and driven to the Salt Lake City International Airport to pick up Seth. He would have just completed his 2-year mission in Paraguay. He would have come down the escalator to shouts from family and friends; balloons and banners; and long, giant hugs all around. It would have been so joyous!

It was still joyous, just different. 

Instead, this happened.

All the American missionaries serving in Paraguay were taken out and sent home at the end of March. Shulamith and I picked Seth up from the airport, following clear guidelines from the church not to touch him or hug him. We put a "Welcome Home, Elder Erichsen" sign in our car window, and Seth (who was at least two inches taller than when he left) simply walked up to the car and got in. No fanfare. It was far from a hero's welcome, but as Gerald so aptly put it, "He is my hero." We brought him home to two weeks of strict quarantine; he only left the house once daily to walk about the neighborhood. 

That was just over four months ago. Elders like Seth, who had already served at least 18 months, were permanently released from missionary service. It all happened so quickly. Just days before we received news of the exodus from Paraguay, we had our final video chat:

We talked a little about the virus during that chat, but neither of us had any idea Seth would be coming home in less than a week. Not a clue. 

It all made me super nervous. As I've mentioned, I like things to go according to plan, and the plan was for him to serve 24 months and come home TODAY. 

But Seth is way more flexible than I am (not saying much, I know), and he rolled with the situation as he always does. No worries. Immediately following the 2-week quarantine, he found a job at Chick-fil-A. In the past four months he has bought a very nice gaming/school computer and his own car, and now he's saving for college.

His plans continue to be uncertain. He'll take a couple online classes this fall at SLCC, but he still has no idea when he'll be able to go away to college, attend a singles' ward, take a girl on a normal date that isn't hiking. And yet, he remains cheerful! Had life not turned upside down, we would have brought him home today. Instead, we've had him home four months.

I am beyond proud of all three of my honorably returned missionaries: Elder Luke Erichsen (Oregon Portland Mission, 2006-2008), Elder Eli Webster (Arkansas Little Rock Mission, 2012-2014), and Elder Seth Erichsen (Paraguay Asuncion Mission, 2018-2020). But Seth will have the best story to tell:

"Hey Daddy, tell me about your mission."

"Well you see, I served at the start of COVID19."