We Arrive Home

Omar Khayyám penned the poem:

“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

Arriving at Portland airport, greeted by McKay and Kayla

Our final arrival in Idaho, greeted by Kristi and Katie

Wonderful welcome home posters by the grandchildren!

Elder Coffey describes his feelings.  "Time has passed and I stand at the brink of change which I cannot change. No matter what I do both time and I must go on. Yet my heart has loved serving as a humanitarian missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My heart and mind will miss all those I have associated with.  So many have shared their hearts and minds with me.  I will miss the sites and smells and humidity of Asia.  In my hope I will continue to watch for the growth of the people in Asia.I will miss everyone.  Often in the future I will hear a word, smell a smell, see a person or scene and a flash of remembrance will remind me of you - you who have touched my heart and made the last 23 months a dream of a lifetime.  May you all be blessed for making my life so much sweeter.  Thank 

you, sincerely.'

We flew into Portland for a layover and enjoyed a quick lunch with McKay and Kayla.  Then we flew into Idaho Falls where Katie and Kristi met us at the airport. What a joy to be with family again and to see the sweet faces of the grandchildren, hold them, hug them and love them.

Today, March 12th, we were officially released by our stake president, President Lewis, of the St. Louis North Stake, via Skype.  

Our path through our mission has led us to incredible heights and amazing       vistas.  It has been such a joy, such a revelation, such an incredible blessing to have served the Lord full time.  Our hearts and our lives will never be the same.  

Robert Frost so well penned, 

"I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

Video

The Roller Coaster of Goodbyes

It is extremely hard, if not impossible, to explain the range of emotions that are coming in swells, more and more frequently as the days speed by.  On the one hand, we are excited to go home and see our children and our grandchildren, four of whom we haven’t met in person yet.  As we Skype them and talk about seeing them soon, I can hardly wait to hold them in my arms! 

On the other hand, I break into tears as I talk to the sisters at the branch, or work one on one with a sister and her challenges, or offer support to another in her time of distress.  Or share with another on her hope and joy in the future. They are darling sisters whom I love dearly and may never see again in this life.

Again, the thought of not sitting in front of a computer all day at the office brings a feeling of relief and joyful anticipation.  On the other hand, by the same token, the thought of no longer being involved with the moving forward of the great humanitarian work throughout Asia, of seeing the breadth of humanity in various countries of the world - of just up and leaving it all behind - is nearly more than we can bear. 

One of our treasured memories - our visit to Nepal

The roller coaster is spinning faster.  It is extremely hard to say goodbye to all of this. Our treasured memories will stay with us forever. 

How can one adequately describe what a senior mission is like?  It is simply not possible.  As with younger proselytizing missionaries, the greatest experience has been the growth in ourselves. What we have learned, what we have grown to understand, what we have learned to love, has been far more than anything we could have ever dreamed of.  There is no way, sitting back in our living room in St. Charles, Missouri, that we could have even dreamed of the amazing experiences and opportunities that would have been ours in these short 23 months.

Our last day as serving in the Hong Kong Temple:

Our release papers from serving in the Hong Kong Temple

Our last weekly Area Welfare Coordinating Council Meeting:

Weekly Area Welfare Coordinating Council Meeting

I think the greatest part of this mission has been the blessing of working closely with members of the Area Presidency - Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Elder Randy D. Funk, Elder Sam C.H. Wong and Elder Siu Hong Pon - as well as our association with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in Timor-Leste. We have been able to see how the Lord reveals His will to His servants, and how revelation guides and directs this Church. 

Tonight our replacements - Elder and Sister Nielson - arrived from the United States.  They served several years ago in Lao as the humanitarian couple, so they come already with experience.  They will do a wonderful job!  They'll take our apartment once we leave - we spruced it up nicely for them. 

Elder Coffey visits with Elder and Sister Nielson at the airport

This  mission has been one of the greatest experiences of our lives. Missions are tough and have challenges, to be sure, and you have to push through those challenges, just like anything else. But when you allow the Lord to be your partner, when you allow Him to guide your choices, when you stay focused on why you came on a mission - it is glorious beyond description.  

How On Earth Do You Say Goodbye To All This?

Our mission is coming to a close in just a few weeks.  The goodbye events have begun – lunch with an office colleague, a farewell activity at the “village”, scheduled lunches, dinners, church farewells and songs, etc. 

February 7th - Farewell Boodle Fight dinner from the Pen 3 Branch:

A Philippine Boodle Fight - one of our branch farewell dinners.

February 22 - Farewell Lunch with colleague and good friend Annie Wong -

She showed us the ritual of cleaning the bowls and cups with the pot of hot water prior to eating, then she ordered all kinds of delicious dim sum for us!

February 20th - Our last trip to the "village" - So Kwun Wat - where a number of our branch members live.  They treated us to a hike in the mountains behind their village and a delicious barbecue that evening.

The Jacinto children

Overlooking the village from the hike trail.

The entrance to their community within the village

The courtyard in between the homes.

Sister Jacinto prepares our feast.

A delicious spread!  

The evening sky hovers over the Li family temple in the little village.

Korean BBQ Lunch

February 26 - A farewell lunch for us with the Area Welfare Committee:
























February 26th - Our last night serving in the Hong Kong Temple. We were released by the Temple President with expressions of gratitude and a faith promoting account sharing the mercy of Heavenly Father and the love of the Brethren. Serving here on Friday nights has been one of the sweet experiences of our service in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Temple is sacred ground.

Us with President and Sister Wong of the Hong Kong Temple

 

Saturday February 27th - Our last P-day hike - this one to the New Territories Wetlands:

 Tomorrow - Sunday the 28th - our farewell talk in sacrament meeting.

This is really happening. 

"A One Day Trip to Heaven"

Voices of the past whispered through loosely chained doorways - propped open just enough to peak inside.  Household items lay scattered in the room as though the residents left in a hurry.  Portraits of the honored ancestors still hung on the wall - as if keeping eye on the old homestead that once was filled with chatter and laughter.  Now the rows of empty rooms and crumbling homes stand as silent witnesses of better, happier years.

Empty and abandoned homes with bright New Year red banners - relatives from the city often return to the empty homes to brighten them up and keep them safe from evil spirits.

Silent echos of the past

Where did everyone go?

Loosely roped off, a peak inside shows the portraits of ancestors still watching over the old home.

A recent P-day gave us the chance to sneak away from the rigors of the office to explore the semi-abandoned Hakka village of Luk Keng. In the late 1700's, 13 Chan brothers and their families settled here from China and began farming.

By the 1950's and 60's, agriculture was no longer productive for many farmers. A better future in the United Kingdom enticed villagers, and most of them promptly up and abandoned their sleepy little village.  

Newer Chinese New Year decorations indicate the home is still being visited and tended by local Hong Kong residents, probably children or grandchildren who returned from the United Kingdom and now live in the city.

Elder and Sister Edwards, Elder and Sister James, Elder and Sister Coffey,
 and Elder and Sister Macbeth by the local shrine, lovingly cared for by the few residents who still live here.

Wind-shredded curtains peer through broken window frames.

It appears the mail delivery service didn't get the memo that they've moved on....

Nature is slowly closing in on some of the older remnants, reclaiming what was once it's own. Exploring the old army barracks revealed broken dishes still waiting in abandoned cupboards and massive roots of mangrove trees holding together crumbling walls and ancient memories.

The interior of a home showing an abandoned pot lid in the kitchen cupboard,
 nearly swallowed up by nature's relentless restoration process.

The mighty mangroves slowly reclaim the land.

The clock on the table said 8:19,  having long ago stopped its measuring of time in people's lives.

Trees growing up through old cooking areas in the kitchen. Elder Coffey is holding a "salt pot".

Peering inside the crumbling home, nature almost complete on the return to Mother Earth.

A rice winnowing  machine which sorted the chaff from the rice.

Another old rice winnowing machine

But not everyone is gone.  Some have come back to live in the home of their ancestors or visit annually. Some stopped to visit with us along the way.  Mr. Chan, left, visits with Sister Edwards.  His ancestors were part of the original 13 brothers who came from China in the 1700's. His family and others helped build a new family temple next to his village home. Still a resident of England, he returns back to his native village to clean, tend and care for his home and the temple.

The new Chan Family Temple. Thousands of people from neighboring areas came to participate in the recent dedication.

This woman lives here in Luk Keng permanently. She was born high on the top of a nearby mountain, and then her family moved to the village.  She has lived here ever since. She loves to visit with the few tourists that make the trek to her village home.  Here she is enjoying a warm visit in Cantonese with Elder James, who served in Hong Kong as a missionary years ago and who still speaks Cantonese fluently.

Other residents:

A feral cow with his companion, a Chinese egret, or a Swinhoe's egret.  Wherever the cow went, the bird followed.

Indian Forest Skink

Red-whiskered Bulbul

A sign nearby bears the inscription, in Chinese, "A one day trip to heaven." Indeed, a visit to Luk Keng echoes the memories of the past and the peacefulness of this quiet piece of solitude in the midst of the bustling metropolis of Hong Kong.

Banana, papaya, star fruit and tangerine trees abound.  

After touring Luk Keng, we stopped at one of the two local cafes for the tourists and enjoyed a delicious late lunch before beginning the journey home. A relaxing day with friends, history, culture and peace. Truly, it seemed "a one day trip to heaven."