He has returned

Richard has returned to Ohio on Friday Dec 30th.  This was quicker than expected for us, we had been told he had to be able to walk 6 miles in a day in order to return.  He was getting to the point that he was ready to start going out for daily walks.  We got a phone call Tuesday the 27th saying he had to be able to walk the 6 miles and then they asked for a Dr.'s release which we had already.  After turning that in we got a call on Thursday saying he was departing Friday at 7:30 AM.  This meant we were out of bed at 4:45 to get everyone showered and out the door to have him to the airport by 6 AM or so.  Have I mentioned that it has been a long time since I have seen that time on a clock in the AM?  In typical fashion for our family there were a few kinks getting him on the flight, like me (dad) forgetting to print his itinerary for him to refer to, thus no confirmation number, no boarding pass.  He got on his flight after a short call to give him the info and he was in the air.  He got to Detroit for his connecting flight and it appears he was booked standby and had no seat on that flight assigned.  They were able to get him a seat, but somehow they didn't get his luggage on the plane, it arrived 5 1/2 hours later.  Now what does a missionary do in an airport waiting for his luggage you ask?  We don't know who picked him up but I guess they sat and waited for his luggage to arrive and they got home about 11 PM.  Now we will wait for more great news of his adventures and experiences in Ohio.  Thank all of you that offered your love and support during this time as he struggled with this health issue. He has felt your prayers of support and the love shown to him thru this ordeal.