Monday, October 22, 2012

2012.10.22 last call

Elder Robarts' travel plans included a lay over in San Francisco from 7am until 11 am.  Family coming to see the missionaries off was strongly discouraged, but telephone calls were quite alright.  How excited we were at the home front expecting a nice long phone call!


Logistical problems, of course.  Joseph and Tom both had to go to work as usual. Which meant Joseph did not come to Ruth's and Tom left at 7:30. Debi could go in a little late.  Andrew had a test in his 9am class at Sacramento City College.  We needed to gather at the Hinds' house as they have little children and also Miriam there convalescing. 

Andrew and I arrived not long after 7.  Debi came a bit later.  At nearly quarter to 8, my phone rang.  We were so excited!  But it was Joseph calling to say he had missed his train and would like a ride.  I fought through slow commuter traffic to the light rail station, took Joseph to work & returned about 9. 


Benjamin had called. Ruth & he had exchanged numbers.  He didn't have as much time as we had hoped.  He had to be off by 9:15.  He tried to call Joseph & I on Joseph's phone (mine was with Ruth for the home team to be able to talk to Benjamin), but we didn't hear it.  He tried to call Debi & Andrew on Debi's phone, but they didn't pick up either.  But Debi called him back and they were conversing when I got back to Ruth's.  Ruth texted Debi to let her know I was back.  Soon Debi texted that she was off the phone. 

We called Benjamin.  It was a bit hard to hear and understand him which wasted some of our time.  The pay phone timed out calls to it in only a few minutes, so we had to re-call.  Esther and Jared sang part of "Gethsemane"  but their voices were very soft and the time was very limited.  We stopped them after one verse.  There was not time for each of us to talk with him. We put him on speaker phone.  Benjamin bore his testimony to us in Korean.  That was the part we heard most clearly.  Although we could not understand his words, we could feel his spirit and his love.  And laugh a little at how much he had to say despite knowing we didn't understand a word.

Good-bye!  Safe flight!  Happy landing!  We love you!


Benjamin and his 12 companions arrive in Korea about 3pm October 23 Korea time.  What time is that Sacramento time?  Sacramento is 16 hours earlier.  So that's what?  11pm tonight, the 22nd)?  Twelve hour flight?! yawn! body kinks!

That gets them to Seoul.  Which is about 167 km from Daejeon.  My former Canadian missionary (where they use metric also, you know) says that would be about a 2 hour drive, maybe a little less. 


They are going to be so exhausted! After practically no sleep last night, too.    Kinda detracts from their exciting first glimpse of Korea. Besides, it's dark.  I hope they enjoy the city lights. No, it's not dark!  It's tomorrow afternoon.  It'll be 11pm our time, midnight by their Utah body clock.  groan!  If they can keep their eyes open, they can see lots. What will it be like? What will they think? Is it very different?  An exciting new world.
 
I hope they get / got some sleep on the plane.

My son is half a world and 22 months away. 

No comments:

Post a Comment