Flight to Cebu

May 19, 2010

We have 1 hour before we have to return to the stake center to help host the VIP tours of the temple. Is it possible that we have been here just three days? With as much packed into that time, it seems like we have been here much longer.

Our family’s send-off pizza party at Camille’s new home in Sandy gave us a chance to visit one last time with our family. Camille was sad because she had just found out that Lincoln’s flight from San Diego had been cancelled until Saturday morning. We won’t see him again for a year and a half. After an emotional farewell at Camille’s house and again at the airport, I had a hard time holding back the tears. None of this seemed real. Our new friends and fellow missionaries were waiting for us in the boarding area, all of us excited to begin this adventure.

Our flight from Salt Lake on Friday night at 9:40 was smooth and very comfortable. Larry even had leg room for two hours which is amazing in economy flights, but our San Francisco to Hong Kong leg of the journey made up for that. His knees were bruised from pressing so hard against the seat just in front of him. We were surprised that Cathay Pacific Airlines served so much food instead of just peanuts and juice. I watched Invictus and Horton Hears a Who on the tiny screen just in front of me. There were 100 movies I could choose from and they were all free! Larry preferred to listen to music when he was awake; we spent the majority of our 14 hour Pacific flight sleeping—if it can be called that. We would just doze off when the beautiful Chinese flight attendants would bring us food—dinner about 3 am and then breakfast around 7. The food was interesting, but actually pretty good. They always gave us a choice of two menus! Fresh fruit was available and you could pick from several different snacks and juices between meals. I felt like I either was eating or sleeping the whole time.

Invictus is a wonderful movie showing how Nelson Mandela used the Springboks rugby team to unify the blacks and the whites of South Africa. When I walked to the back to use the restroom, a friendly Chinese man asked about my name tag------it is a magic conversation starter. I had a hard time understanding him but managed to tell him we were missionaries for our Church flying to Cebu. He got excited and said he had seen some of us in Hong Kong too. His wished me good luck. When I got back to my seat I felt badly that I had not continued our conversation, and vowed I would do better with another contact. When he left the plane, he waved and smiled at us.

May 20,2010

Even though the airport in Hong Kong was air conditioned, we got a feel for what the heat and humidity would be like in Cebu. I think the hardest part of the trip was the 10 hour lay-over in Hong Kong. Larry and I had thought it would be fun to go into the city; the airport is on an island out of Hong Kong, but because we went through an “immigration” gate we could not leave the airport. Had we known better we could have gone in to find a church service. I think the Ashers and Cummings were glad that we couldn’t leave the airport, they were worried we would miss our flight if we went into Hong Kong.

We all tried Chinese food—noodles with vegetables and sweet and sour chicken. The red squid, long sausages and plucked goose hanging in the windows and the strange insect looking trays of food? were not too appetizing, but they certainly helped us realize we were visiting a different culture. While we were sitting at a table two Filipino women approached us and asked if we were Mormons. They were delighted when we told them we were Cebu Temple missionaries. They were flying from Holland to Cebu for the Temple Open House. The aunt, Flora, lives with her Australian husband and three children out of Amsterdam. Her niece, a Cebu bishop’s wife with six children, had been visiting her. Both had served missions when they were younger. Flora had thought Daddy was President Eyring from a distance! (Interestingly, Flora brought a Dutch friend to the open house last night and was sent to the room where we were showing the video—not just a coincidence! We welcomed her and her friend warmly.)

My feet and legs were so swollen it was difficult to do much walking around the airport, but the little I did convinced me that perfume shops and watch shops were the mainattractions at the airport. We were surprised to discover that our Cathay Pacific plane to Cebu was almost as large as the one to Hong Kong with 3 sets of 3 going across. (The first plane had a configuration of 3-4-3.) We were even more surprised to find that Larry and I weren’t seated next to each other, which turned out to be a 2 hour blessing. A beautiful Filipino girl, Mabel, was next to me. As I talked to her I found that she was with a cultural performing group returning from Beijing. I thought she was a high school student but in reality she had graduated from a university two years before! She and the young man by her asked questions about the Church and I invited them to the Open House. I hope she comes and that somehow I run into her. It’s hard to tell if there is actually any interest, these people are so warm and kind and try not to offend anyone in any way.

This will have to be a first installment. We are due at the laundry to help prepare clothing there, and I have to press my skirt still. We love you all. I will write more later--our days are so full, and I am exhausted by day's end (or before). Love, Mom, Grandma, Mary