From my journal:
We had another crazy day. We went to the office at 7:30. Pres Binene called before we got there. “Are you coming?? I need help!!” We were there soon and spent the morning helping get about 44 Elders to the airport. Mostly all Americans. We had 5 Tahitians. Those 5 had an itinerary that went all the way around the world in 4 days with Ethiopian Air. The flight went through Japan, arriving tomorrow afternoon, then flying out again the next morning. BUT, Japan was closing her borders tomorrow night, so they wouldn’t let them get on the flight here. We had to bring them back to the office.
Yesterday and today all the Americans from the 3 Ivory Coast Missions are supposed to depart. Yesterday the other 2 missions took their largest groups. Today we took our largest group of Americans. [Not all would be able to board.]
It was a sobering sight today at the airport to watch these valiant young men in their very dirty white shirts and wilted pants and worn shoes exiting in droves. Lines of them, pushing filthy suitcases that have seen better days, leaving. Just leaving us. I kept thinking of all the work that went into getting them here and how, just a week ago, they were a well-oiled machine of goodness, out in the towns and villages, teaching and preaching and sharing the truth of the gospel in every corner. Now they are gone. Tomorrow we are told the rest of the African missionaries will leave–all those from Ghana, Nigeria and the Congo, and a few other African countries.
Come see our wild and crazy day:
These are the missionaries we took to the airport today.
Our island Elders would be turned away when they tried to check in.
These 3 and 2 others have flights scheduled for tomorrow:
Off the the airport:
President and Sister Lewis from the Abidjan West Mission were also here with their departing missionaries.
Missionaries from both missions blended into the lines.
And they kept coming, and coming. ALL of the photos I’m taking each day can be found in albums on this facebook pages, managed by the moms:
Cote d’Ivoire Mission: ABIDJAN EAST:
Watching loved ones leave. It’s so sad for all of us.
Our Cote d’Ivoire Abidjan East and Bamako, Mali Mission 