There's No Place Like Home!

Tutuila Missionaries - April 13, 2020

Tolofa Family and Friends,
     It's been a week since we returned home from American Samoa.  When I posted my last blog I had no intention of writing more - but now that I'm stuck home in isolation for another week I thought I would say "Hi" to all the people we left behind and give them an idea of what life's like here in the states, and to friends here who I haven't been able to see.  Lucky for me our Stake is the "LasVegas Paradise Stake" so my blog title still works - we are still "Ellsworths in Paradise." The last couple of days in American Samoa were a little stressful as I was getting one set of information from Homeland Security and people on the island about our departure, and the mission president was getting different information from the area office.  Luckily the night before we left everyone was on the same page.        With the help of the other two

Chartered Delta 767 sent to pick us up

senior missionary couples, the Edwards and Patches, we managed to get all the luggage and missionaries to the airport and checked in within the narrow window of time we were given.  I was touched by the drive-by farewell parade by members of our MIW ward.  We really missed the opportunity to say good-bye to everyone there as we haven't been attending church together for several weeks.

MIW Farewell Parade

   
I am still humbled and grateful that I belong to a church with the resources and love that allowed us to be evacuated. It took a great deal of effort of many people to negotiate  with the local government to allow a plane to land, even though the island was in total isolation.  I appreciated the TSA people who were so helpful and got us through security without any problems.  The plane was allowed 1 1/2 hrs on the ground to refuel and load passengers - with no crew allowed to leave the plane.   We were originally going to fly to Tahiti, but that changed, and we flew straight to Honolulu.  Because there were only 29 missionaries, plus a few stranded FEMA workers, almost everyone of us had a seat in First Class.  The missionaries in the regular seats had a whole row to themselves.  Even with that the majority of the plane was empty. I could definitely get used to reclining seats but I'm afraid my pocketbook will not stretch that far.

Last moments before we said goodbye :(

     Landing in Honolulu we all unloaded, went through customs and said goodbye to two of our missionaries who live in Hawaii.  The airport was eerily empty, with almost all shops and cafes closed.  The exceptions were Burger King and Star Bucks which enjoyed a brisk business with our missionaries.  After a couple of hours layover we all boarded a commercial plane for Seattle.  Unfortunately these were not First Class seats, but I still managed to sleep most of the way. 
     A lot of credit and thanks needs to go to Church travel, who arranged for all of us to go our separate ways from Seattle.  One sister was traveling to Germany, and others to Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Texas, Utah, California and Nevada.  All 29 of us arrived home safely!

Home at Last!

     Our daughter, Annie, picked Brent and I up at the airport - social distancing just had to wait!  Elder Moeai from Mesquite, NV, traveled with us to Las Vegas, and his mom and aunt treated all of us to beautiful, fresh flower, hand made leis.  Thank You!
     Our kids and their families have all been isolated for over a month, and we had been super careful with masks and hand sanitizer, so I didn't worry about all the hugs that were waiting for us at home.  Almost our entire family was waiting in the front yard with a big sign - it was quite a homecoming.

Saying Good-Bye to Pago Bay 

Saying Hello to Las Vegas

       The first few days home were spent unpacking, going through stacks of mail, and just trying to adjust to our new reality.  So what's life like now that we've settled in?  Our kids helped us navigate the world of Apple TV, Fire Sticks and Hulu to get our TV back and running.  I can turn one of the TVs on but I still have a long way to go before I can figure out how to get to the shows.  Thus, if I want to watch something, my I-Pad is still my first choice.  Then there's the problem of a car.  We've spent a lot of time online looking.   Thankfully our son is letting us use one of his until we are able to purchase something.  I always lean toward practical - but since this might be the last car I ever buy I'm leaning toward not so practical - something really comfortable like a Chrysler 300 C.  Right now we can get a great buy on whatever we choose to buy. Any suggestions?
           My morning walks are still early, but instead

of worrying about the heat and humidity I have to be prepared for chilly.  I love the wide open spaces with the huge sky.  I see a lot of quail and geese and rabbits, but still am waiting for my first Road Runner sighting.  I've traded one paradise for another - with beauty everywhere I look.
     Brent is back to working on the house.  He has  been busy fixing the side of the house where a new electrical panel was installed while we were gone.  He has a few days before the permit runs out for the final inspection. (Another silver lining of coming home early.)  He has a list of things he wants to do that should keep him busy for a couple of months.

     Yesterday I celebrated my 69th birthday.  I had asked the grand kids to send me a video of a talent or skill.  It was so fun to see what they came up with, everything from music to magic to a rendition of Patrick Henry "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech. Brenten's talent is imitating people who work in nail salons - his routine is very funny.  So he came over and gave me a gel polish pedicure to go along with his dialogue. Our son Chad topped the day off with a ride down the Las Vegas Strip in his convertible Porsche. So you can see I had a great birthday!
    There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of the people we love and had to leave in American Samoa.  Then there are friends and family here that we are still not able to see.  All of you are in our hearts even if we are separated by distance.  I'm trying not to be too stressed about where the world goes from here but it's hard.  I just need to keep trusting in the Lord and praying for an end to this crisis.  Brent has a poem on his dresser that seems appropriate to close with.

"Don't Quit"                                                      By John Greenleaf Whittier When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all up hill, When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don't you quit. Life is strange with its twists and turns As every one of us sometimes learns And many a failure comes about When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don't give up though the pace seems slow— You may succeed with another blow. Success is failure turned inside out— The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell just how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far; So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit— It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Love to you all - stay safe!  Patty (Nana)