SISTER GENTRY IS HOME

Happy. freaking. day. My best friend is home from her mission!

Samantha and I met our freshman year of college by chance. We happened to be living in the same apartment, and for some reason, we got close REAL fast. And I am so grateful for her!

Fast forward a little while and it was the summer of 2015 and Sam had put in her papers to serve a mission. I always knew she wanted to serve a mission, I just never thought it would come so fast! Naturally, the weekend she got her call I had gone home to Texas. But I do remember that someone had Facetimed me while she was opening her call and I was sitting outside of Anamia's listening. I couldn't quite catch it and I texted several people afterwards saying, "WHERE? WHERE IS SHE GOING?" I was like her stalker boyfriend.

Several months later, it was time for her to go. I was able to fly up to Utah (Thanks Kurt and Cate) to listen to her farewell talk and celebrate her birthday! It was such a fun weekend reuinted with Sam and Courtney again... And we didn't even cry!

Then, I was in San Antonio with the McDade girls, at the pool, when she was hours away from entering the MTC. I had FaceTimed Walker and told him just to nonchalantly walk by Samantha so I could say bye . . . again. She was already a missionary, so we had to be sneaky. ;) We said our goodbyes and I truly hoped that the next 18 months would go by so fast.

We emailed pretty much every Sunday she was gone, although there were many Sundays we didn't catch each other right at the same time so instead of chatting back and forth, they were just simple emails. A few times I was with her family, her dad joked that Samantha always emailed me before she emailed him, and if I could please stop emailing her so much so she'd have time for her family. Hahaha. But I couldn't help it. . . I wanted Sam to know every detail in my life!

It was so fun hearing every detail of hers too. Well, the emails did get shorter and shorter, but it was really cool to watch the Lord work within her . . . He really knew what He was doing when He sent her to the Philippines, because when she was called, that was maybe the last place she wanted to be. Now it's the only place she wants to be. :)

A lot of growth happened on both our ends when she was gone! I met and married Jake, growing spiritually in so many ways I didn't think possible. . . and she taught amazing people, learned a new language, and strengthened her testimony (and so much more). While sometimes I felt like my best friend had been taken away from me for WAY too long, I know how much good has come from it. . .

But, with that being said . . . I am SO grateful she's home. Seriously! It was a fun countdown after we got married and the time passed so fast. Her mom gave me the flight info and then suddenly we were at the airport waiting for her to come out! She took her sweet time of course, but it is always so fun welcoming a missionary home (which we had just done for Jake's brother a few weeks before). :)

Sam, Courtney, and I sat on the couch all snuggled up and Sam said, "The girls are back!" (or something to that effect). . . and that's exactly how I feel right now. So happy she served and is healthy, but so happy she's home to be a real, tangible friend again. Sam makes most everything more fun and she truly is hilarious. She's a loyal and kind friend . . . so, luckily, she's mine (and nobody else's or else I'll freak out, at least for a month). :)