MARCH MADNESS

MARCH MADNESS

Who would have thought that the March blog would be written from home!  We still had two and a half months left in Iceland!
On Thursday, 12 March, we were called by the mission and told to be ready to leave as early as the next day.  We notified the archive and started finishing up our work.  We went home mid-day to start packing and then returned to the archive to get everything in order and to say goodbye to the staff.
All the senior missionaries in Europe (and now other parts of the world) were sent home because of the coronavirus.  Iceland was getting a lot of confirmed cases of the virus in a very short time.  They now show 890 confirmed cases since the first cases were discovered at the end of February.  In a country of only 350,000 people, 890 is substantial.
Anyway, the church wanted to keep the older (and "at risk") missionaries as safe as possible, so here we are!!  We are self-quarantined until March 30th (that is the end of our two week confinement).  I am sure we will still need to be cautious and not get too close to others.

Our journey home was basically uneventful, which is always nice!  It was the first time in a really, really long time since I have been on a flight that had empty seats.  In fact, there were a LOT of empty seats.  We were really lucky on our first flight (out of Keflavik) to be seated by a young man who had disinfectant wipes with him and offered us some.  So, our row was wiped down really well.  
We had heard rumors about those arriving back into the USA having to stand in lines for the medical check for hours.  Once again, we were blessed with a quick temperature check and then we were on our way.  Could not have taken five minutes!  We made our connecting flight out of Seattle to Salt Lake City and then to a nearby hotel for the night.  We left the next morning and caught our flight to St. George.  Once again, everything worked smoothly and on-time.  AND, another blessing.....all of our bags showed up in St. George!
Everything at home was in really good shape.  We were picked up at the airport by friends who also provided our dinner for that night.
Another friend brought over lunch and the next day another friend brought us dinner.  We really appreciated the kindness of these sweet ladies.  It was so nice not to have to cook or worry about food for two days.
We went to four stores to get all of the groceries that we needed since we came home to an empty fridge and freezer.  Some of the stores were really picked over and had lots of empty shelves.  However, other stores were stocked to the hilt.  Canned goods are probably the hardest things to find.  Dairy, bread and produce seem to be restocked every day.

We have new telephone numbers for those of you who would like to have them.
Allan: (435) 216-2632
Cindy: (435) 216-2752

Same mailing address:
3718 Mitchell Drive      Santa Clara, Ut 84765

Same email addresses:
Allan: alee@customcpu.com
Cindy: clee5225@gmail.com

Well, we are now at the end of the month with only a couple of days left to be quarantined.  Lots of yard work and house work has kept us occupied and sane.  Getting our groceries by delivery, or pickup, so we are being socially responsible during this very interesting time.  Visiting with friends and family via telephone, messenger, emails, etc.  

 Our prayers and thoughts are with all of you as we go through this historic time together.  We pray that the virus will pass you all by without settling in.  



 Last pictures.....
One last selfie by the Iceland map

The National Archives of Iceland

Allan found another cousin.....Sister Lee standing between Sister Lee and Elder Lee

Celebrating our 44th anniversary over some of the best BBQ'd ribs I have ever had!



One of the larger books in the archives!


Downtown Reykjavik at the Viking ship sculpture!





Going Home!




At the Keflavik airport!
Just three flights and we will be home!
Then, two weeks of self-quarantine!!
Then, we will be released as missionaries by our Stake President!!!

Keep the faith and know that the Lord is in charge and all will be as it should.


SIGNING OFF - HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED OUR ICELANDIC ADVENTURE!

Comments

  1. LarryMarch 31, 2020 at 5:51 AM

    We really enjoyed sharing your 6th mission with you. You two are amazing, faithful, and dedicated people. We know that the Lord will watch over you as you go forward.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 31, 2020 at 6:39 AM

    Thank you Cindy!
    Love,
    Myrna

    ReplyDelete

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