February 27, 2015-- Elder Mark Standring's Homecoming Day!! (Part 2) Home to the House!

Elder Mark Standring returns home to the house!!! "Returned with Honor" after 2 years of missionary service in the Germany Frankfurt Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

At home into the living room (with new flooring and furniture arrangement since we had to redo everything due to flooding damage while we were on a trip during the time Mark was gone).

Checking out the traditional spot for his brothers' missionary plaques on the wall in the dining room where his soon will be added.

The kitchen is pretty much all new, along with the downstairs area that all had to be redone due to flooding while the family was gone on a trip during Mark's mission. The kitchen just got to its "nearly finished" state earlier the same day mark got home!

Looking a bit exhausted after traveling for something like 25 hours to get home from Germany! 

New white carpet in the living room.

WELCOME BACK TO THE STANDRING BOYS' DORMITORY! :) (Daniel has facepaint on from "Powder-Tuff" volleyball they played at school earlier in the day.)

 Daniel folds the German flag that Mark brought back and draped on him at the airport!

Daniel's calendar in the boys' room with the "Red-Letter Day" of Mark's return clearly designated!

Decor including a collection of unique soda bottles!

Visiting his sister Kira's room (she's in Utah at BYU)...

Daniel shows off the paintball "toy" shooter he made with black duct tape and other parts!--They share a brotherly fist-bump and Daniel tries on the "Elder Standring" missionary nametag! 

Big, heavy box mailed home by Mark to arrive at about the same time he did, with books and things that wouldn't fit in his suitcase!

 German flag brought back by Mark (used to drape over brother Daniel at the airport).

Mark opens a Christmas package mailed to him that they sent back  to us"Return to Sender" because "Recipient was not at Home" (it said in German)...so it got returned to us all the way back from Germany, and we just saved it for him here.

 Yum!!! Months' old cookies that have been to Germany and back ("Just like me!" he says) in the "Returned to Sender" box we mailed him that they sent back from Christmas! (And the paintball "toy" Daniel made sits on the desk.)

Kira smiles and talks on facetime, as the paintball "toy" that Daniel made sits on the desk.

Mark looks at the computer as his siblings talk to him on google hangout!

Kira talking to Mark on the laptop now.

Daniel brings Mark some Koolaid, that he hasn't tasted since before his mission 2 years ago.

Mark drinks Koolaid that he hasn't tasted since before his mission, and finds it kind of "too sweet"!

Mark and Dad compare their mission documents from Germany 35 years apart!

Jim finds money he left in there!

Checking out Mark's German documents compared to Jim's from 35 years ago...and after Jim found money he left in his documents 35 years ago!!

A fitting end for a missionary's homecoming day! Serenading with a German ukulele!!

WELCOME HOME ELDER MARK STANDRING! WE LOVE YOU HERE & JOB WELL DONE!

February 27, 2015--Elder Mark Standring Homecoming Day!! (Part 1) Flying Home!

Younger Brother Daniel has February 27th, 2015 MARKED down as a Red-Letter Day!!

Building in Dortmund, Germany Elder Mark Standring left from...Nervierstrasse 23

Nervierstrasse--The street in Dortmund, Germany Elder Mark Standring left from...

Flight Tracking Elder Standring's return flight home from Germany

First Photo of Elder Mark Standring back in the USA, greeted during layover in San Francisco by our friends the Allens (Racer here) who texted this picture!

Younger brother Daniel reacts happily, seeing text about Elder Mark Standring back in the USA!

Elder Mark Standring arrives home to Crescent City!! Mark drapes younger brother Daniel with a big German flag at the Crescent City airport, as Dad displays the Welcome Home sign in German that he made for him.

Brothers greet each other in person at Crescent City airport after Mark's 2-year absence!

Dad hand-made this sign in German for Elder Mark Standring's Crescent City airport homecoming!

Sister Dolly Noon and Danny Fry's whole family including their new baby were among friends who came to greet Elder Standring at the airport, despite the hour delay into the late evening.

Elder Mark was so happy to speak German with Sandra Nelson at the airport since his "hardest" thing on getting back to the US was that "no one was speaking German anymore"!

Friends James and Hana try to help get Mark's sister Kira connected on facetime or google hangout to join in the welcome at the airport.

Loading up at the airport into the family's Prius (obtained while Mark was away in Germany).

 Heading over to our local church building to meet with the Stake President who came up from Humboldt County to meet with Elder Mark Standring.

"Hey, it's my missionary plaque on the church wall!"

The missionary bulletin board showing clock times in places including Germany.

The Stake President Lee Iorg came all the way up from Humboldt County to meet with Elder Mark Standring for his missionary release.

Oldest brother Jimmer and his family including new baby Mazy, talk to us and to sister Kira in Utah on facetime, while Elder Standring meets with the Stake President.

Elder Standring's Mission Release Certificate

Elder Standring's Missionary tag, books and release letter.

HAPPY TO HAVE MY SON BACK SAFE & SOUND FROM GERMANY!

 Our family with newly released returned missionary Mark Standring in the Bishop's office.

Next step--Heading for our home!!!