Wow, what a day of travel. We were on the road for over 16 hours. We were picked up at our apartment at 4:00am. Actually he was out front and gave us a wakeup call at 3:00. That was nice. The taxi driver’s name is Antonio, everyone calls him Tony. He has been a member of the church for 8 years. He and his company is the taxi of choice when there is any picking up or dropping off at the Santo Domingo West mission, East Mission, Mission Training center or the Temple. He’s prompt and safe; everyone likes to use him.
We had 2 layovers for almost 3 hours each at the Miami and Dallas/Fortworth Airports. But everything went off without a hitch. The first layover in Miami was longer than scheduled but the pilot made up the extra 30 minutes when he caught a favorable wind.
Then came the grand reunion with our family and friends at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. There were about 20 people at the airport to greet us on our return. I told Hna. Johnson that 42 years ago when I returned from my mission to Mexico I felt like kissing the ground. Hna. Johnson said she just wanted to kiss her grandchildren.
We all left the airport and went to the flower shop for a pizza party and Texas Sheet Cake for dessert. While we were there even more friends and relatives showed up. It was wonderful, he had hugs all around.
Our mission isn’t officially over until we have our interview with our Stake President, Craig Ahlstrom. But today does mark the end of a grand adventure for Hna. Johnson and I. For a year and a half we served in the West Mission Office as well as in other special assignments from Pres. Almonte. We’ve grown to know and love the people of the Dominican Republic. We’ve laughed and cried with them and shared in the trails and successes. We have truly loved our mission and the time we have served.
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