Finale

I left Amiens early Wednesday morning and took the train to Paris, where I was met by President Sorensen at the Gare du Nord. He drove me and the other departing missionaries to the Paris Temple, via the "scenic route" to give us some final views of Paris. Unfortunately, the temple was closed (Covid) so we weren't able to go inside, but we had lunch together on the beautiful temple grounds! We also took the opportunity to share our testimonies with each other and reflect on what we'd learned on our missions. It was amazing!

That night, we stayed in a hotel near the airport. On Thursday, after just over 24 hours of travel, I finally made it home! I flew from Paris/Charles de Gaulle, with a 6-hour layover in Los Angeles/LAX, through strangely uncrowded airports. The flight from Paris was mostly empty, and the one from LAX to Portland was about half full. When I arrived in Portland, my parents (and brother) were waiting with arms (and a banner) open wide.

It's been strange being home, but I'm glad to be with my family again. It was a great two years; thanks for coming along for the ride with me! I learned a lot, and I hope you did, too. I know God lives, and He is with us in these troubling times. If there's one thing I learned on my mission, it's that if we put our faith in God, then "all things shall work together for [our] good."

Que Dieu vous bénisse,
Elder Michael Wood

Photo with Mom!

Last visit to the chapel in Amiens

Elders Bonnamy, Wood, and Hill saying good-bye at the Amiens train station

The Eiffel Tower, seen on their scenic drive

The Paris Temple

Grounds of the Paris Temple

Empty Charles de Gaulle airport

On the plane

Farewell to France!

Food photo: Pastry on the plane

Empty LAX airport

Transferring between terminals in LA

Welcome to Portland!

He remembered the airport carpet photo

Family with banner

Waiting at baggage claim