RELUCTANTLY GOING HOME

Just last Saturday (March 14), I (Russell) was trying to absorb all Elder Bills could teach me about the mission financial secretary role.  And today, just seven days later, I am sitting in a hotel near the airport waiting to board a plane sometime tomorrow to return home.  On Tuesday we got the word that almost all foreign missionaries, both young and senior (approximately half our mission), would be sent home.  Last week I was concerned about how I was going to do what both Elder Bills and I had been doing for the last eight months.  Today I am concerned about how two young Filipino missionaries are going to do what both of us had been doing.  While my eight hours of training was far from the desired norm of four weeks, at least I have a financial background and some familiarity with the computer programs.  The four days of training for the first elder (Caguicla) and one day for the other (Abquina) was at best woefully inadequate and at worst cruel and unusual punishment.  However, I was impressed at their positive attitudes and how quickly they picked things up.  I will be trying to support them from home the best I can, as Eileen will try and continue helping out with the medical role.  How successful we can be in helping from halfway around the world is a concern to all involved.

Not only has our life in the office changed dramatically over the last two weeks but life in general has, all due to the pandemic.  Church services have been canceled, almost all businesses are closed, lines at grocery stores and ATMs are long, traffic on the roads is light, and police/military manned blockades restrict travel in a number of locations.  In general, the locals are scared of the coronavirus and don’t need to be told twice to stay home and wait it out. 

Leaving a mission is usually an emotional experience; doing it quickly and unexpectedly just makes it more so.  We both feel terrible about the mess we are leaving President and Sister Alder in.  Most of the progress we had made since starting the mission from scratch (in the office, in the medical care, and in the living conditions of the missionaries) seems to just have taken a big hit.  We will miss the Alders greatly and they will be in our prayers.  

Seeing half the mission leave was hard on the Alders and the missionaries that remained behind.  Our foreign missionaries within Metro Manila (the Pasig and Taguig zones) were not allowed to meet with President Alder prior to their departure due to the travel restrictions.  Three of the other zones left on Wednesday from the mission office.  We and the Siniloan zone missionaries did not, just because there was not enough room to do so.

This morning just before we left, Lance and Grace came over to say goodbye.  It was an emotional time for all four of us.  One great thing about this mission that cannot be taken away by the virus pandemic is our association with them.  That will live on, in this life and the next.

I am indeed grateful for the opportunity to have served here in the Philippines Antipolo Mission, to serve with Eileen as my companion, and to be a representative of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We got very short notice that we were going to leave this morning. As it turned out we didn't leave for several more days. This was the last of the office missionaries.

Sisters departing for the hotel, taking a photo of us departing for the hotel.

Lots of tears were shed as the last of the Americans left President and Sister Alder.

We stayed one night at the airport Marriott, hot water, a bathtub and our TV says our name on it. Have we entered another universe?  We were duly impressed. Sack lunches were delivered to our doors, rice and a small amount of meat. HMMM, that didn't seem like Marriott food, but it was free and we didn't have to prepare it!

Our view out our hotel window. It is hard to believe that the city is on lockdown.

Elder Wacolo of the Philippines Area Presidency came to address us at 5:45 a.m.

Missionaries listening to Elder Wacolo

Some of the Antipolo missionaries

Sister Torkonoo studying scriptures among all the visiting missionaries

We were all woken up at 4:30 a.m. and told to be in the lobby for departure by 5:30 a.m. We didn't end up leaving the hotel until 10:30 a.m. by which time we were all rather hot and exhausted.

A few Antipolo missionaries at the airport

The line of missionaries waiting to check in was incredibly long. Over 1,600 missionaries left on five charter flights this afternoon and one commercial flight the night before.  There were just a handful of people at the airport other than the missionaries. 

Families were instructed to stay in their cars for pickup in SLC. Our daughter Heather became creative in welcoming us back home.

Trying to be careful by wearing masks. 

We are now on a 14 day quarantine. Although neither of us is sick, we want to make sure that there isn't any possibility that someone thinks they got sick from us. The Church has instructed all returning missionaries to be on a 2 week quarantine whether or not they are feeling ill.