For those of you who do not know yet, gb70 and I (his honey) have made application to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve a mission. For those of you who do not know, the title of this post is to be sung to a Primary song that goes, "I hope they call me on a mission when I have grown a foot or two..." We are trying to shrink rather than grow - so far have each lost just under twenty pounds and still have quite a bit to go.
We have just submitted our application to our Bishop and had our interview with the Stake President last night. Now we wait for our "call," anticipating it will be at least three weeks. If we are called to an overseas mission, we will then have to await a visa.
Chapter One - Charleston AFB to Dover AFB
Never being ones to like to sit around and wait, we decided to take a little trip. At eight o'clock this morning, gb70 awakened me to say there was a flight we could take this afternoon - show time was 1645. At 1030 our friends who are going to house sit for us came by; we discussed arrangements and house maintenance issues; and by noon we scrambled to move out of our bedroom so they could move in. We did not quite get everything cleared out, but they were willing to wait for us to return and make the best of it until we return.
Our sweet friend, Beth, came to help us pack up and provide much-needed hugs from her and our two little adopted grandchildren, Claire and Boston. We will really miss them!
When we boarded the plane, Alan asked the pilot if we could sit in the cockpit, and we were soon strapped in with the five-point harness, sitting on comfy seats with a spectacular view for take-off. First we flew over our neighborhood, and then we flew near our friends, Joni and Gary's house near Myrtle Beach and Mark's friends' house in Wilmington, NC. As we rose above the ground, I saw the full moon rising - it was red-orange as it was on the horizon and quickly rose to light up the night. The ground looked like a piece of black cloth with strings of diamond necklaces scattered around. I was thinking we lived really near miles of nothing when I realized I was seeing the coastline, and the "nothing" was the ocean.
The plane turned west, and soon we were floating above a layer of what looked like wrinkled batting. It was about a ninety-minute flight, and when my ears told me we were descending I witnessed first-hand pilots flying solely by the instruments. For what seemed an interminable amount of time we were flying with no visibility. I gained a new appreciation for Lehi's dream of the mists of darkness that teaches us to hold to the rod to get to our desired destination. (See 1 Nephi 8:23-24)
http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/8?lang=eng
It was a relief when the clouds parted and we saw a diamond-, ruby- and emerald-lighted arrow pointing to the end of the Dover AFB runway. We had a gentle landing, and now we are settling in to our room at the Air Force Inn.
Tomorrow the plan is to rent a car and drive to McGuire to try to make an 1100 show time for a flight to McChord (near Seattle). Stay tuned.
goldenbear70's honey
Eagles Rest Inn, Dover AFB
2151 2/8/2012
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