3-31-2020 - Rod's Letter, "The Eagles Have Landed!"

Dear Friends and Family,

I guess the subject line on this message would be more accurate to say “A couple of old chickens have come home to roost”.  We arrived home Sunday evening after a quick three day trip across America.  We traveled the southern route through Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and then turned north at Albuquerque.  There were a lot of things along the way that, in another time, we would have liked to stop and see but time was of the essence.  We only spent two nights in hotels, both Marriott properties, and we were almost the only ones there.  They still offered a free breakfast but you were expected to take it to your room.

We were struck by the number of trucks on the road.  Around the metropolitan areas we saw a lot of cars but on the long stretches of I-40 the trucks outnumbered cars 4 or 5 to 1.  Thank goodness for the truckers who, along with health care workers, are keeping this country going. 

We were also impressed by the beauty of America.  The thick green trees and vegetation in Georgia were much different than what we saw in New Mexico two days later but both were beautiful.  We had never been to Mississippi or Arkansas but they were also beautiful.

Gas prices varied widely.  We paid as much as $2.70/gallon and in Oklahoma as low as $1.32/gallon. 

It was strange to wash my hands every time I put gas in the car but these are strange times and we need to stay healthy.

Elder and Sister Kone traveled in tandem.
Their home is in Oregon.
(Sister Kone and I are 3rd cousins.  Abraham Hunsaker is our 3G Grandfather)

We are now in self-isolation mode for 14 days.  We are on day 2 and haven’t gone crazy yet.  There are a lot of things we can do.  I continue to serve as the Area Medical Adviser for the Southeast Area and will continue to participate in Mission Health Councils using Zoom conferencing and I will continue to visit with mission presidents, mission nurses and missionaries by telephone.  We will miss the immersion in missionary culture but we are grateful to be able to continue to serve. 

This will be my last group e-mail until February 2022 when we start again, this time in Washington D.C.  Until then, I am afraid, our lives will be too boring to share. 

We love you all.  Stay safe,

Love,

Elder and Sister, Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Rod and Carol Merrell