13 Hours in the Seattle Airport

Last Thursday I flew from Sidney, Vancouver Island, to Seattle, intending to catch the 7:20 AM flight to Salt Lake City.  I was travelling Standby.  The flight was overbooked.  So was every flight thereafter.  I made it out on the 8:00 PM flight.  I cannot recommend 13 hours in any airport to anyone, however, as I thought about that experience the next day, I realized that it was a very special day...because of the people I met.

The first was a young, black, Muslim woman, wearing a head scarf, whom I discovered later in the day was also travelling standby.  I think that she was straight out of Africa, because her English was halting... and I don't think that she had ever encountered an escalator.  It was on the the escalator that I first met her.  She was frantic and she could not control her bags.  I helped her gather her things, but she was on the verge of tears.  She had no idea how to find her departure gate.  When I told her about the train system she was obviously horrified.  So I took her for a train ride and delivered her to her gate.  The Seattle Airport is huge, but I ran into this woman again...twice...which I thought was strange.  She had missed her first flight and was looking for another gate.  She was obviously too timid and stressed to ask for help.  Since I was all over the airport waiting at various gates, I was surprised to find her sitting at another gate while that flight was boarding.  I asked if she was OK.  She was not.  It was then that I checked her ticket and discovered that she was on standby.  But she was not aware that she needed to check to see if she was on the standby list.  The last I saw her she was sitting close to the gate counter under the watchful eye of a helpful agent...but she was clutching her bag tightly and still had that wide-eyed look of desperation. 

An old man caught my attention about noon.  He must have been in his nineties.  He could hardly walk.  I did not realize that he was also flying standby until later... and he was alone.  He had missed a couple of flights when I next saw him.  His name was Antonio Gomez.  He was not paying attention to the boarding process.  When the gate agent called for Antonio Gomez...he was nowhere to be found.  I told the agent that I would find him and bring him back.  I did...and the agent was grateful...but not grateful enough to find me a seat.

Then I met Mr. Huang.  This was a remarkable experience...like none I have ever had before.  We were in the Delta Service line.  He was talking on a cell phone in Mandarin.  When he closed his conversation, I thought I heard him say "Aloha".  So I said..."Excuse me...did you just say Aloha?".  He laughed and said "Oh no."  I told him that that my son-in-law could speak Mandarin fluently.  He asked how that could be possible.  I responded that Shane had lived in Taiwan for two years.  He said..."Two years is not enough to become fluent"...I said... "He was immersed in the culture." to which he responded "Why?".  That of course led to an explanation of the Mormon Missionary Program...and he began asking questions...question after question. 

We were in line for about 45 minutes and when my new friend was done, I was surprised that he waited for me.  I apologized a couple of times for possibly boring him...but he insisted that I was not.  He then asked if we could sit and talk a little more.  An hour later we were still talking.  We covered Missionaries and the cultural blessings of young men and women living in foreign lands, learning languages and loving the people. We discussed the history of the Church...polygamy...Warren Jeffs.  We talked about the organization of the Church... Wards and Stakes... the Welfare Program... International Relief efforts...and FAMILY.  He was really interested in everything about the Mormon view of Family.  He asked why Mormons had large families...why young people were encouraged to marry young...but he began to answer his own questions eventually.  It occurred to me later that we were really discussing "The Fruits of the Gospel".  He even suggested that the USA would be a much better place if all lived the Mormon lifestyle.  I have had people ask questions before, but never like this man.

I then noticed that I had overlooked the time and had to run.  My new friend gave me his card and I gave him my email addresss.  He was a PhD chemist and biologist, on his way to a conference in China.  (I hesitate to identify him further in this open blog.  I checked him out on the internet...he is a very distinguished scholar...wow!) He then did something remarkable.  He said that he travelled a lot and suggested that if he came through Utah sometime in the future...maybe we could get together.  I told him that my wife and I would be delighted to drive down from Logan to meet him.  He said "No...I mean...may I come to Logan and visit you in your home...and meet your family?"  I was a little stunned, but agreed.  Then, as we parted, he made a classic statement, which tended to explain what was going on between us.

"15 years ago...two Mormon boys knock on my door...I invite them in...we talk...I never forget."

Young men and women who are contemplating missions need to learn from this man's experience.  They do not yet understand the power which they will have as missionaries... Power to change lives forever ...or to leave lasting impressions.  If young people will be Obedient to the Prophet's call to serve; if they will be Obedient to their Mission Presidents, if they will seek the Spirit of the Lord; if they will Prepare and remain Pure...they will have POWER beyond their comprehension.