Homeward Bound

Saturday morning came all too quick and all too late at the same time, so many mixed emotions about going home. I loved being in the Philippines and getting to know the people. I enjoyed seeing their servant heart. I loved having the special time with my husband with no needy children. I enjoyed getting to order food at a restaurant that I wanted and not what I thought my children could share. I love the spirit and attitude of the people around. I enjoyed being in a different place, experiencing different things. At the same time, I wanted to be home around people I already know. I missed my boys and just wanted to sit in a restaurant with them by my side no matter what we were eating. I was tired of living out of a suitcase and not being in my own home. And, even though I’m not a fan of my mattress, I just wanted to be in my own bed.

We went to breakfast and then quickly finished packing the hygiene items for our long trip home. We got to the lobby and piled our luggage with everyone else’s by 7:45 am. Within a few short minutes, the bus was waiting for us outside and we got in the long line out of the lobby. We were instructed to leave our luggage in the lobby and come outside. As we started outdoors, we heard singing. Several of the people we had met throughout the week, were standing at the bottom of the hotel steps singing, “Thank You for Giving to the Lord”. It was an emotional parting. While we listened to them sing, most of our luggage was loaded under the bus. We said our good-byes, took lots of pictures, and loaded the bus. We got to the airport before they even had the terminal open. It only took a few minutes and the doors were opened but because there were so many of us in line it took almost 45 minutes before we were able to go through security back to our gate.

We boarded the plane around noon for our short flight to Hong Kong. We got into Hong Kong and it took no time to get through immigration and customs. We exited the secure area where we were met by our missionaries, Doug and LuJean Stone and one of their local friends, Joyce. Immediately we could smell a difference in the air. It was cleaner and crisp. Mr. and Mrs. Stone chartered a bus for us and took us downtown to a street market. We were given an hour and a half which was not enough time, but all we had. I really wanted a leather notebook bag and found one for about $32. I probably could have bargained more, but didn’t know how much bargaining they would do and I knew it was a better price than I could get in the states for what I got. Chris purchased a rolling backpack, I got a purse, we bought the boys some t-shirts, and a couple other souvenir items. But, I probably could have spent an entire day there and bought so much more. We left the market and went down to the harbor. I could never imagine the amount of high-rise buildings until I saw it for myself. It doesn’t even compare to big cities like Chicago or Los Angeles. There wasn’t a single-story building anywhere. Most apartment buildings would no less than 100 stories high. Can you imagine what would happen if the electricity went out and the elevators didn’t work? The harbor was beautiful. We got there as the sun was going down. We stayed until the famous light show. It wasn’t as glamorous as others had made it out to be, but definitely worth the experience. There were several laser lights at the tops and on the sides of the buildings that flashed to the sound of music. Hong Kong is a definite “want to revisit” on my list. After the show, we were taken back to the airport.

We had a couple hours in the airport before our flight left so we ate at a restaurant and had some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream before we boarded. I got on the plane, got situated and before we even got on the runway to take off, I was asleep. When I woke up, there was just a little over 3 hours left in flight. I think that means I slept about 9 hours. We got to LAX and got through immigration and customs much quicker than I anticipated. We had to re-check our luggage and change terminals, but that left us plenty of time to eat at Burger King and check voice mail and texts for the last couple weeks. It was great to finally be back on American soil. Unfortunately, that also comes with a price. The bathrooms were disgusting. I barely wanted to touch the faucet at the sink it was so horrible. We flew from there to Dallas. In Dallas, we were asked to join Mr. Konnerup in the Admirals Club. We ate delicious muffins, had juice, and my first apple in 2 weeks. I love my apples and typically eat one a day so I had really missed having apples. It tasted so sweet and juicy. I checked my e-mail and sat in a comfortable chair before we took the long walk to our terminal and gate. It was nice to have the exercise so we avoided getting on the Skylink. Only one flight left and we were home in Springfield.

Since it was 10:30 when we landed and 10:45 when we got out of the airport, we decided to go home to shower before going to get the boys. Les had left his truck in the parking lot for us. The boys were in church and there was no reason to disturb that. We met Dad at the Wal-mart parking lot to get the boys. Unfortunately, my boys had gotten my Mom sick and she was unable to come. We hugged and kissed on the boys and then Les and Nicole met us with our car. We decided to go eat lunch and invited them to come with us. Of all things, my husband wanted to eat Chinese food. Really? I obliged even though I could have really gone for a big salad or cheeseburger right about that time. We ate lunch and went home with our boys. We had a great afternoon with the boys even though it was very hard to stay awake. We went outside to play just so the wind and sun would help keep our minds in the right mode. We fed the boys dinner about 6:30, but I was too tired to eat. We had the boys in bed by 7 and Chris barely even made it across the house before he fell into bed and was asleep. I finished a load of laundry, washed my face, and brushed my teeth crawling into bed by 7:45. The storm woke me up a couple times and then I was awake again at 5 with some pains and cramps. I took some muscle relaxers and dozed until the alarm went off at 6:15. It is so great to be home.