The Departure and Flying to the Philippines
At 6:30am Elder Nathan Rowlings departed Tasmanian soil for 2 years. We were all a bit emotional, as was he also. People had said to me it is easier the second time around... but I found that wasn't true. It was just as hard to say goodbye this time as it was when Jakob left in 2013.After watching him walk out on the tarmac and to his flight, we headed home and prayed that he would arrive in the Philippines safely.
About 10:30 that morning the phone rang and it was Elder Rowlings on the other end saying that his plane was delayed 2 hours to China and what should he do? I told him to call me back in 30 minutes while I contacted church travel (missionaries do not take mobile phones with them). Church travel advised that they would look into it and would call me back. A little later Elder Rowlings called and asked what to do as the check gate in had just opened. I told him as far I knew to go and check in and call me back if he could in an hour just to check on what church travel said. About 45 mins later church travel rang and said that Elder Rowlings was not to get on that flight as he would miss his connecting flight in China and there were no available flights to the Philippines for 2-3 days. I told them that he already gone to check in. Somehow we needed to contact him as quickly as possible. Church travel contacted the airport and were informed that Elder Rowlings and another missionary that was also flying to the Philippines had already checked in and gone through customs. So now we had a dilemma.The brother of the other missionary was at the airport trying to get in contact with his brother also.
At this time my sister Penny came over and was there right when we needed her help. On her travels from Texas to Tasmania, the Melbourne airport Chaplin had helped her and her 6 children and he had given her his number. She quickly called him and explained the situation, he then gave her the number of the airport manager. We rang and explained the situation again, he told us that he would try and get Elder Rowlings called over, but it may be difficult. Shortly after this the brother of the other missionary had been in contact with church travel also and had been given my number. He rang and said that his brother had not been found yet, and asked that if Elder Rowlings called could he please get his brother also. He then explained what he looked like.
About 15 minutes later Elder Rowlings called and I explained to him that he must not get on that flight. I then asked him to try and find the other missionary, and described what he looked like. As he was talking to me he said he could see him right now as he was sitting close by to the phone. I called the brother of the other missionary back and let him know that his brother had been found.
After this there was some difficulty of getting these two missionaries back through customs as they had already checked on their flight. Church travel called the airport at this time and explained the situation and the necessity of these two young men not getting on that flight. Flights were then rearranged, and Elder Rowlings went to the other missionaries home in Melbourne for the afternoon to await a later flight.
So now instead of flying from Melbourne to China and then to Manila. Their flight departed at 6pm that night and they flew from Melbourne to Brisbane, from Brisbane to Cairns and from Cairns to Manila. So about 26 hours after Elder Rowlings left Launceston he finally arrived in Manila.
Prayers were answered this day, and although things didn't go as we had expected, Elder Rowlings was kept safe and people were there as needed to help, at the time they were needed.
We did find out though from his first letter home, that his luggage did not arrive with him and it will be Tuesday before this arrives.
The first email from Elder Rowlings
:D
I arrived safely In the MTC, but really tired, total travel
time since I left Launceston was about 26ish hours, because there were more
delays after that one. Probably wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for elder
Nonu, he and I had a long time to get to know each other, its pretty awesome
that we both get to serve in the same mission. When I arrived at the MTC I was
hoping to see some other white guys, but there was just Filipinos everywhere,
I managed to find one other white guy, who is now my MTC companion,....
My district here is pretty cool, its the smallest one, it has 6
people, all of us are learning Tagalog, It's made up of me,
Manila is crazy tho, by the time me and Elder Nonu got out
of the airport it was like 6am, or something, or maybe 7, because we
"lost" our luggage in Cairns, because the weight distribution of the
plane was wrong, so a lot of peoples bags were not loaded on the plane. My
baggage should come on Tuesday, but the MTC gave me some clothes, deoderant, and other good stuff.
Anyway, back to Manila, it was crazy, the
people all drive like their drunk, or something, and its not that safe, like no safety the HERTZ guy that drove us just popped his seat belt around the
handbrake and took off.
I've just come back from the Manila temple, its huge in
there, and its really nice. There's a tunnel that goes under the ground that
leads to the Temple.
I get to call on Christmas, at 8:00am our time so that's like
11 your time or something. Its just a phone call tho, no Skype.
The heats not really that bad, the humidity is crazy tho.
There's a bunch of American elders that came from Provo, they've been here like 2 weeks, and some for 5 weeks, they're pretty cool,...
I'm not sure when i get to email next, it might be Wednesday, but I'm not sure.
out of email time so i gotta go. the foods pretty good tho,
but I'm getting sick of rice for every meal, but its not that bad.
Photos from before Elder Rowlings departed
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