Surprise

Paul is now off the missions committee for the first time in about 10 years (papers flutter off the desk as I breathe a sigh of relief) but he felt like he needed to make one more trip to Zacatecas, Mexico, to tie up some loose ends with the church there. So he and Emily (age 14) left last Friday, flying to El Paso, taxiing across the border to Juarez, and taking a bus the 16 hours to Zacatecas.

Phone connections were difficult, as usual, while they were at Sabino and Teresa Dorado’s place. I figured I wouldn’t hear much from them until Wednesday, when they’d be back in El Paso. They planned to knock around El Paso the rest of Wednesday and have some good dad-and-daughter time, spend the night in a motel, and fly home Thursday.

Sure enough, Paul called on Wednesday, around noon. "We’re in a taxi, heading to the airport," he said.
"The airport?" I said, "But you aren’t flying home until tomorrow."
He explained that the airport is where you pick up your rental car.
Ah. Ok.

Also, he said we shouldn’t talk too long because he needed to recharge his cell phone somewhere.
Fine.

Wednesday night I stayed up late reading. At midnight I closed my weary eyes and soon I heard the back door opening. Huh? Why did Matt go out there to turn off lights when I already did? Or is Amy doing laundry at this late hour??

Then I heard what sounded like a suitcase rolling. And voices. What??

I got up. There in the living room were Paul and Emily, looking utterly pleased with themselves. Pinch me, please, am I dreaming? No, they decided to see if they could catch an earlier flight home and surprise us. And they did.
"But what about saying you’re going to pick up a rental car?"
"Dad didn’t say he’s getting one. He just said the airport is where you get them."

Not only did Paul surprise me in the sense of showing up then, but he surprised me by surprising me. This is not a spontaneous guy—he loves to Plan and Organize. And then he pulls this off. How cool is that after 20 years together? I’d better keep him.

Quote of the Day:
"There's us!!"
--Amy, watching the new Into Africa promotional DVD and seeing part of our family in the back of the truck with the elephants passing by in the picture near the beginning. Find out more at www.IntoAfricaFoundation.org