The Best Christmas Gift Ever - Speaking to Elder Valentine!

On Christmas Day we received the best possible gift -- the opportunity to speak to Elder Valentine! We spent nearly two hours with him over Skype! It was such an incredible, emotional, spiritual experience.

I really don’t know how to summarize such an amazing experience in this journal entry. I can’t really just recount everything we said. Lots of it is already in his letters and posted up on his blog. Maybe the most important things are these: he is still the same old Spencer; he is nothing like the Spencer who left on his mission. He has the same great, fun, funny, sarcastic, silly personality that he has always had. He is just so much fun to talk to! He brightens up the whole room when he talks—even if it’s over the Internet! We talked about Star Wars and he freaked out when I told him that Han Solo got killed. He FREAKED! It was really funny. He told us about his food adventures and about the places he’s seen, about the country side and the people, the roads and the town. We told him about the things we’ve been doing the past few weeks. Then he started talking about spiritual things, and then he becomes nothing like he was when he left. He was always a spiritual giant, but he has grown so much stronger!! His testimony is truly profound. He cried all the way through his testimony, and so did we! It was just so great to see him and talk to him! All of the kids got their own chance to talk to him in a semi 1-1 setting. I just can’t express it. I’m a writer, and I can’t express it! So profoundly moving and wonderful. It truly was the best possible experience we could have on Christmas. The next time we can talk to him is on Mother’s Day in May, and I’m already looking forward to it! He’s doing great. He’s really doing great. That’s all I can ask for. I’m so proud of him!