We made it!!

 Saying Goodbye!

We departed at 10:30 pm on August 13th

Here is our first email home!

August 15, 2013

We made it to China! Wow I think both of us can admit that this has been one of the craziest days of our lives.  There was no transfer on the mission that even came close to this one.  Once we finally made it to our apartment here in Nanjing we both collapsed on the bed and Katies been asleep ever since.  I'm even falling asleep just trying to type this. Well the trip started out crazy when we got to LA and the Chinese stewardess told us that the flight had become too full and they had separated our seats so that we couldn't sit next to each other for the 12 hour flight to Beijing.  I reassured Katie that it was going to be alright but as we got on board and Katie realized that no one on that plane spoke English she was pretty heart broken.  I felt so bad as I had to leave her in her seat and go and try and barter with a handful of people to see if they would be willing to move for my wife. Long story short we moved four people into different seats in order to make it work but they were all kind enough to accommodate and it was a lot less painful of a flight. It had to have been Katie's puppy dog eyes because they would have never done that just for me. Anyways we arrived in Beijing at 4:50 am China time and the beijing airport is really cool and monstrous! We had to go ride on a metro line just to get out of the international airport and into domestic flights. 

 We arrived in Shanghai at about 10:30 am and ran over to the train station to buy tickets for the high speed train to Nanjing. It took us two hours to get there and than we had to fight off taxi drivers trying to all give us a ride.  I talked one driver down to a reasonable price and than the fun began.  You haven't lived until you've driven in a taxi cab in China!  The car horns here are used merely as a tool to let others know that you're coming through and not going to stop. Woman and children were diving out of the way, he cut off an ambulance with its sirens on, and no joke decided to drive backwards in mid crowded traffic because he missed a turn and didn't want to drive around to it again.  I think Katie will be very complimentary of my driving for now on. But despite all the crazy driving the man didn't have a clue where our apartment was 

located. Two hours later we still were none the wiser and so I finally grabbed the map and told him where to go. Luckily the addresses in China are set up almost exactly like Taiwan and I applied my missionary skills to locate our building. The driver first  insisted that I pay more for using so much of his time, but he didn't have much of an argument when I pointed out that I was the one that ended up finding it.  I'm not proud to say this but I think I one-upped Steves hippie ranch in Boulder Utah this time.  The building had no sign and was located on the fifth flour of an old run down building in the very ghetto of Nanjing city. We live just down the road from the Nanjing school for concubines and we're right above a panda bear taxidermy shop.... Just kidding. But we made it and just thrilled we have a bed.  Love you all and just wanted to let you know that we are still alive and kickin.  im sure Katie will want to skype you soon and tell you her side of the story. She's been such a trooper and really brave despite all the craziness.  love you guys. Talk to you soon!