And he's gone
This morning we were up early. Jim wanted to leave the house by 7:15 a.m. because of rush hour traffic and because we wanted Paul to be at the airport 2 hours before his flight, which was scheduled to leave at 9:55 a.m. But leaving early didn't happen. Some people are slow to get going, and Elder Evans 2.0 is one of them (I hope the CCM--Spanish for MTC--in Lima whips him into shape).
We made sure he had his passport (after the scare on Monday, I felt like I should carry it around with me at all times but I didn't. I put it in a file box where I keep valuables) and he made sure he looked and smelled good.
My stomach was churning as the minutes ticked by. I resisted the urge to nag and yell. Instead I sat on the couch and stared at my plants on the piano bench.
Matt and Hayley came with us, and finally we were all ready to go at 7:50 a.m. Much later than anticipated. My stomach knottified further.
Traffic was bad, but Jim was driving so I just had to make sure I didn't throw up. We got to the airport sooner than I thought we would after the late start and backed up traffic. Jim dropped us off at the curb and it was my job to help Paul check in. We couldn't print his boarding pass at home.
We got to the airline ticket area, and were informed that we had to use the self-service kiosks. It showed that Paul needed to scan his passport. We tried for over 5 minutes and it wouldn't work. We tried his eticket #, his reservation #, his ticket locater #, none of which worked. I was starting to get panicky. Finally I saw a airline employee and asked her if there was someone who could help us. She nodded and went to help someone else, but then after a minute or two, she returned and showed Paul that he had to scan the cover and the first page of his passport. We had been trying to scan just the cover.
Relief!
And then Jim showed up after parking the car.
More relief!
The self-service machine printed all three of Paul's boarding passes, and the agent said that his baggage was checked all the way to Lima.
Even more relief!
And, oh blessed miracle, there was no line at the security checkpoint! How does that even happen? We took a few pictures, and exchanged longer-than-usual hugs, and then he got in line, which at that point was 3 people long.
We watched him go through security. Of course he took his very methodical time putting everything back together after going through the checkpoint, but that was ok with us. He looked back and waved and then he was gone.
Paul has a cheapo cell phone with him in case of emergencies, which he will break and discard when he gets to Lima--it won't work down there anyway--and we've messaged back and forth. He's currently waiting for the 11:55 p.m. flight from New York to Lima. He's unsure of customs, but I looked up the form online and it seems fairly straightforward, and he won't have to declare anything.
I don't know exactly when we will hear from him next, but I'm taking the stance that no news is good news. Please don't disabuse me of that notion.
OK now for pictures:
Good luck Elder Evans 2.0!
We made sure he had his passport (after the scare on Monday, I felt like I should carry it around with me at all times but I didn't. I put it in a file box where I keep valuables) and he made sure he looked and smelled good.
My stomach was churning as the minutes ticked by. I resisted the urge to nag and yell. Instead I sat on the couch and stared at my plants on the piano bench.
Matt and Hayley came with us, and finally we were all ready to go at 7:50 a.m. Much later than anticipated. My stomach knottified further.
Traffic was bad, but Jim was driving so I just had to make sure I didn't throw up. We got to the airport sooner than I thought we would after the late start and backed up traffic. Jim dropped us off at the curb and it was my job to help Paul check in. We couldn't print his boarding pass at home.
We got to the airline ticket area, and were informed that we had to use the self-service kiosks. It showed that Paul needed to scan his passport. We tried for over 5 minutes and it wouldn't work. We tried his eticket #, his reservation #, his ticket locater #, none of which worked. I was starting to get panicky. Finally I saw a airline employee and asked her if there was someone who could help us. She nodded and went to help someone else, but then after a minute or two, she returned and showed Paul that he had to scan the cover and the first page of his passport. We had been trying to scan just the cover.
Relief!
And then Jim showed up after parking the car.
More relief!
The self-service machine printed all three of Paul's boarding passes, and the agent said that his baggage was checked all the way to Lima.
Even more relief!
And, oh blessed miracle, there was no line at the security checkpoint! How does that even happen? We took a few pictures, and exchanged longer-than-usual hugs, and then he got in line, which at that point was 3 people long.
We watched him go through security. Of course he took his very methodical time putting everything back together after going through the checkpoint, but that was ok with us. He looked back and waved and then he was gone.
Paul has a cheapo cell phone with him in case of emergencies, which he will break and discard when he gets to Lima--it won't work down there anyway--and we've messaged back and forth. He's currently waiting for the 11:55 p.m. flight from New York to Lima. He's unsure of customs, but I looked up the form online and it seems fairly straightforward, and he won't have to declare anything.
I don't know exactly when we will hear from him next, but I'm taking the stance that no news is good news. Please don't disabuse me of that notion.
OK now for pictures:
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| Just after he was set apart by the Stake Pres |
 |
| Making sure he has everything in the right place |
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| With some siblings |
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| And his parents |
 |
| Leaving |
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| The last picture I dared to take |
Comments
He looks like a missionary, so he must be a missionary. As I type this, Paul should be getting ready to board his plane to Peru! Can't wait to hear his initial reactions!!
Well, I can only pass on prayers, good vibes, and wishes for the best while Paul is on his mission. We are all excited to hear about his many (hot and sweaty) adventures.