From Christchurch to Little Rock in Only a Day!

Monday, February 11

Just before 10:00 a.m., I am packed and ready to begin the long return to Little Rock. Pastor Jack Stuart and I enjoy a light breakfast together before Andrew and Mandy Wilson arrive. As I say goodbye, Jack hands me a gift - a rugby jersey from the local team, the Canterbury Crusaders. It is a fitting end to my time in Christchurch and something I'll wear with fond memories of all the wonderful people I've met in New Zealand. However, there is still one more thing to do.

The Wilson's drive me to a nearby beach where I am interviewed by John McNeil of Challenge Weekly, New Zealand's Christian Newspaper. Not long after we sit down in a local cafe,' however, I give John much more than he bargained for on his otherwise routine task.

Tea in New Zealand (and in Australia, too) is served rather fancifully. You get a cup, a carafe of milk, a small spoon with a piece of candy or lump of sugar and, of course, a small pot of tea. In many cases, the pot has a plunger which you are to press down on the tea bag inside to squeeze the flavor into the water. On this day, however, and not ever having "plunged" before, I am pressing down; but the plunger is going nowhere. John invites me to press a little harder and I do, to no avail. "Harder," he says, "perhaps it's a bit stuck." Just as these words leave his lips, though, the plunger gives way and we are both splattered with very hot water! Not the best of impressions, i suppose, but John takes it all in stride. Five minutes later, having cleaned ourselves up, the interview begins in earnest.

One hour later, I say goodbye to John and together with the Wilson's, enjoy a final meal in Christchurch at The Cup, a quaint cafe' established in an old house overlooking the city. Throughout the trip, Andrew has been a very gracious host and we discuss the future; hopefully, sometime again to meet and minister together in New Zealand. Following our meal, I snap a few, final pictures as we drive to the airport. And just like that, I am heading home.

After checking in, I learn there's a small mechanical malfunction with the plane which delays our flight one hour. So here's the deal ...

It's Monday afternoon, right? Well, it's only Monday afternoon in Christchurch. It's actually 9:00 p.m. on Sunday night, February 10, in Little Rock, Arkansas. It takes one hour to fly to Auckland and after a two-hour layover, I depart for Los Angeles on an 11-hour flight, arriving there at 10:45 a.m. Monday morning, local time ... so, I guess, I've traveled backwards in time:-) In LA, then, I have just enough time (two hours) to get my bags, clear customs, walk from terminal four to terminal one and check-in with Southwest Airlines. But getting through security takes longer than it should and I arrive at my gate just as the plane is about to board. This flight departs at 12:45 p.m. and makes two stops (Albuquerque, New Mexico and Dallas, Texas) before landing in Little Rock at 8:00 p.m.

And there, Linda and the kids are waiting to warmly welcome home this weary traveler, exactly 24-hours after leaving New Zealand. Yes, I am home.