We're going to China.

CHINA JOURNAL

JAY & DANA THELIN
August 2008 – July 2009

We, Dana and Jay Thelin, received our assignments in the BYU (CTP) China Teaching Program, to teach English to first year masters students at Shandong Medical University, in Jinan China. Jinan, population 5 million, is a few hundred miles south of Beijing. At the BYU Kennedy Center, we went through a 100 hour course in TOEFL (Teaching Others English as a Foreign Language). In that training, in addition to many other things, we were told that now that we had our assignment or call, we could expect some degree of adversity and that the devil would try everything to stop us.

On August 4, 2008, around noon on the second day of our two week China Teachers training, we were coming back from lunch when Jay received a cell phone call from his Brother Dennis in Portland, Oregon. Dennis reported that he was sad to inform us that our daughter, Tammy (28) had passed away. He said the detective/investigator said Tammy’s body was found by a friend who came over to her apartment to check on her. She had been drinking the night before. Tammy was found lying face down in her bed, with her bedding wrapped so tightly around her that she could no longer breathe. We knew she had a sleeping disorder (lung congestion and sinus blockages) which we contributed to her suffocation in that position.

We explained the sad news to our China Teaching Program directors, Ray and Marianne Andrus who told us to go to Oregon and take care of everything and they would see us when we got back. We left immediately and discussed the things we needed to accomplish in an appropriate order.

Phase 1: We called Scott. We arranged for standby tickets through Dana’s brother, Scott, who had retired from Delta Airlines. He helped us get there quickly and back quickly so that we only missed a total of three days training, which we made up through evening study.

Phase 2: We immediately flew to Portland, Oregon with Emma, Tammy’s 6 year old daughter, who was visiting with us. It was Tiffany (37) Lowe, our oldest daughter, picked us up and took us to her home there to stay while we were taking care of business.

Phase 3: The Wartena Family Reunion was just concluding Wednesday at noon. Tiffany and Joshua were attending the reunion. He called us to invite us to a memorial service for Tammy with that group, in her Grandmother’s back yard. Dana had made a framed collage of photos of Tammy’s life which she displayed there. We attended that service where Joshua conducted and where everyone present was asked to light a candle and then tell what makes them an individual or what made them special. Emma said: I am a Child of God.” Then Emma talked about her mom and told the group: “I have the best mom in the whole world and that I really like her…I really love her”

Phase 4: We for Eugene, Oregon after the memorial service. We called ahead and met Conan at a local convenience store in Eugene so that Emma could be with her father. We presented the collage of photos to Conan and Emma to help them to remember her.

Phase 5: We drove across town to the mortuary. We were able to view Tammy’s body, she really looked at peace. We discussed her current situation, death and funeral needs. We received her personal affects which included wallet, car keys and apartment keys. Then we authorized her cremation, paid the $725. fee and left after making arrangements to pick up her remains the next morning to take back to Utah.

Phase 6: We went to her apartment, where we went into the bedroom where she took her last breaths. It was clear that she did not plan to die that night. Everything was as if she would get up the next morning and go on about here business. But everything had changed.

Phase 7: We began going through all of her personal effects. We undertook the task of removing all of the most valuable items and packing them into and onto her Subaru wagon and Joseph and Tiffany’s van. We wanted everything such as laptop computers, TVs, beds, etc. which we could sell to recover the costs of her death. Her car was upside down in resale value versus debt, so we called her bank in Fort Collins, Colorado and they came and picked it up. The other Bio Diesel Mercedes we gave to Conan, her ex husband and Emma’s father, as he was already using it. We felt that he could use the money to help with Emma.

Phase 8: Picked up Tammy’s remains from the mortuary the next morning.

Phase 9: We hauled everything to Joseph and Tiffany’s house in Portland, Oregon, (about 3 hours away) and unloaded it in her garage.

Phase 10: Sell the items. Joseph and Tiffany’s garage now had a large pile of stuff in it. The sale of this would help defray the cost of travel, her cremation, funeral and other related expenses. Joseph listed them on eBay, and Craig’s List. Jay listed her Hard Drive digital movie camera on EBay and sold it. Tricia bought one of her laptop computers. Tiffany took care of letting all of her creditors know of her passing.

Phase 11: Get back home and get back to our China Teacher’s training. We would fly standby travel back to Utah on and take Tammy’s remains with us. Thanks to Scott again, we drove to Salem to catch the flight there. There were many extra seats on that flight. Scott knew that and he drove us there at 4:00 am where we got on.

Graduation: We were able to return to the continuing training at Brigham Young University. Upon our arrival back to our training, the China Teachers group presented us with a card with written messages from the class participants. It brought an instant realization that we now have a new set of friends when they enclosed $220. and 58. ChineseYuan (about $7.00). We enjoyed the balance of our training and we completed the course and received our 100 hour (TOEFL) graduation certificates.

Phase 12: Planning the Funeral:

Tammy Lyn Funeral
August 30, 2008

Song………………………….Love at Home
Opening Prayer … …………Chris Wartena
Eulogy…………………………Jason Thelin
Song …………………..…Maddison Jensen
Thoughts …………………… James Thelin
Song ……………………..…..Grandchildren
“I am a Child of God

Memories of Tammy……………..……….all
Song….Because I Have Been Given Much, by the Grandchildren
Closing Prayer……………….Tricia Jensen
Dedication of the Grave…….Scott Wartena
Internment at the Thelin Homestead, Island Park, Idaho

This was written and given by Josh Thelin at the memorial service in Portland, Oregon.

At first I thought how sad it was that Tammy would never be able to see another sunset, then I realized that now she is in the wind and the waves… and will be in every sunset that I see. She was a beautiful individual who loved mother earth and father sky. Flowers, stars, the ocean, the mountains…she lived among all of them.I saw her as a beautiful mother, a kind daughter, and a loving little sister. She dealt with all the ebbs and flows of life, never wanting for anything, asking for anything – being happy with what she had. She was always being friendly and kind and loving of others and caring for others above her own needs. She lived her life, minute to minute, smiling with her infectious laugh.Like all of grandma’s offspring, she was as stubborn as a mule and as strong as an ox. She left us in the springtime of her life, like a meadow of wildflowers with an early frost. With the loss of the wildflowers, the meadow becomes a meadow of grass to sustain the animals around it. We are fortunate to have known such a caring, compassionate, non-judgmental, unconditionally loving sister, cousin, daughter, and mother. It isn’t how she died; it’s how she lived. This world turns on, the cycle of life continues. May we keep all of those that we have lost in this family and will lose, in a special place preserved in our hearts and our minds and our souls. One day may we all collectively meet again like individual butterflies in that meadow of wild flowers. Come to feed on the nectar of the flowers with no thought of the coming summer, fall or winter, but only the spring.

Writtten by:
Joshua Reuben Thelin,
Brother,August 2008

Phase 13: Tammy’s Obituary. Jay wrote up an obituary of Tammy’s passing and with a small photo inquired at the Provo Herald what it would cost to put it in the paper for one day. They said it would cost $250. That amount seemed too high, so he e-mailed the funeral information and instead of flowers, asked that they contribute to the Emma Phillips Education Fund at their local Wells Fargo Bank…

We lost our youngest daughter, Tammy (28), recently. She was taken to her home on high early by a loving Heavenly Father. She passed away in her sleep on August 4th in Eugene Oregon just after she returned from our family reunion and when she was really doing well. We miss her so much. Her funeral is scheduled for August 30th at 2:00 pm at the Thelin Homestead, 4056 Dolphin Drive, Island Park, Idaho. She will be laid to rest there.Here is her obituary which is attached with a photo:Tammy Lyn Thelin, 28, originally from Provo, Utah, passed away in her sleep at her home in Eugene, Oregon on August 4, 2008. Tammy was born December 10, 1979 in Provo, Utah to Jay and Dana (Wartena) Thelin. Tammy loved her family and friends. She attended Provo High School. Most of all she especially adored and loved her daughter, Emma Lyn (6). She spent every available minute with Emma making both of their lives so enjoyable. Despite hardships and stress, they loved each other very much. Tammy relished the outdoors, hiking, swimming, camping, and attending various gatherings and family reunion camps. She was a very kindhearted and unselfish young woman, full of love for life. She adored her many nieces and nephews, and spent many happy hours were with them participating in family reunion activities. She attended her last Family Reunion on earth last month. She is survived by her parents, sisters Tiffany Lowe (Portland, Oregon) and Tricia Jensen (Meridian Idaho) and brothers Jason Alpine, Utah), Jonathan, Joshua, Jared (Austin Texas), and James (Provo, Utah). Tammy was preceded in death by her grandparents, Myra and Reuben Thelin (Hillsboro, Oregon) and Udo and Donna Wartena (West Linn, Oregon). The family would like to express our gratitude to all friends, family, and neighbors at this time. We will miss Tammy so much, but we know she has gone on to an even better life. Her time on earth was short, but many lives were blessed by her and by our knowing and loving her. A memorial service was held in West Linn, Oregon on August 6th. Her funeral will be on the Thelin Homestead, 4056 Dolphin Drive, Island Park, Idaho, on Saturday, August 30st at 2:00 pm. Friends may come to the Thelin Homestead earlier Saturday to visit and remember her life. Her ashes will be placed on this site at the conclusion of the funeral. An educational trust the obituary with photos to all family members and friends inviting them to fund for Tammy’s daughter, Emma Lyn. Until we meet again Tammy.This thought really helps us get through each difficult day:Elder Orson F. Whitney: You parents of the willful and the wayward: Don't give them up. Don't cast them off. They are not utterly lost. The shepherd will find his sheep. They were his before they were ours - long before he entrusted them to your care; and you cannot begin to love them as he loves them. They have but strayed in ignorance from the Path of Right, and God is merciful to ignorance. Only the fullness of knowledge brings the fullness of accountability. Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow finite minds can comprehend.' (CR, April 1929, p. 110.)In lieu of flowers/plants, etc., please consider making a donation to the education fund for Tammy's daughter, Emma (6). We have also attached a recent photo of Emma taken in Oregon after her mothers memorial service. There are 13 years until she will start College. Tammy is gone, but we can help her daughter.The address is:Any Wells Fargo BankAttn: Emma Phillips, Education FundAccount Number: 6988001704Thank you.Jay & Dana Thelin(801) 377-3841 or 372-1656jaythelin@gmail.com, danathelin@gmail.com* Please forward this to other interested family members and friends we were not able to find e-mail addresses for...Phase 14: Tammy’s funeral was set for August 30th at 2:00 pm at the Thelin Homestead in Island Park, Idaho. It was well attended by family and friends. Jason, Tricia and James’s family and Chris Wartena came.

Tammy Lyn Thelin.Memories of a Dear Friend, by Janae Hutchison.
During the last couple of weeks I can't help but remember all my favorite things about Tammy. It seems like every day of my whole childhood was spent with her. We were born in the same month of the same year just two houses away from each other. She was my best friend. I can still remember her telling people that she was 26 days older than me but I was 26 centimeters taller than her. Some of my earliest memories are of Tammy. I can remember playing “crack the egg” on the trampoline just a few hours before she fractured her arm while riding atop one of the neighbor girl's shoulders. I was jealous of all the attention she was getting so I rummaged through our closet until I found my brother's old blue sling and wore it to school. The next day I couldn't find the sling and I felt pretty foolish when everyone asked me why I wasn't wearing it anymore. Six years later she was with me when I really did break my arm up near Big Springs in Provo Canyon.We used to walk to kindergarten together every afternoon. Once, when we still couldn't read time we decided it was time for school. We walked over to kindergarten nearly an hour early and just ended up playing on the playground until it was time for class. Tammy was a hard worker. Her mom taught her how to clean and she was always very tidy. She was also a very good saleswoman. Often, we used her skills as an advantage to earn money. I can still remember wandering the neighborhood, knocking on people's doors and asking “can we clean your house for a dollar?” One lady told us we had better go home, most people would smile and apologetically say “I'm sorry I don't have any money right now” but occasionally we would strike gold. One such day we knocked on Sr. Christopherson's door and delivered our usual line: “Can we clean your house for a dollar?” Sr. Christopherson looked at us sharply for a second and then said “I'm not going to promise you a dollar but I'll pay you for what you work for.” It seemed like we were there for a long time. We pulled weeds under her pine tree, washed her car, emptied all of her garbage cans and even vacuumed her living room. This was far more than we had bargained for but Tammy's work ethic got us through it. I was worried that we had totally ruined our afternoon for a mere $0.50 cents each. However, when it was time for us to leave, Sr. Christopherson handed us a large bag of change. When we got home we divided it up and counted it. Four dollars and forty cents. Which means we got two dollars and twenty cents each. We were elated! We had never earned so much money before and I don't think we ever earned that much again in our short stint as house maids.Growing up we were easily influenced by our parents and sometimes we would try to emulate them. One time we decided that we wanted to try and visit teach the Sellers. Everyone in the neighborhood was scared of Brother Sellers so it surprises me that we had the courage to go knock on their door but for some odd reason we did. I remember them answering the door and looking down at us. We said “hello, we came to visit teach you” and even a small smile escaped brother Seller's lips. They invited us in and we sat somewhat awkwardly on their couch. Sr. Sellers had a sucker tree in the other room and she brought it out so we could each choose a sucker. We had no idea that visiting teaching held such great rewards! I have no idea what we talked about or how long we stayed but I do remember thoroughly enjoying that delicious sucker. Another time, while wandering the block, we ran into a neighbor girl named Cailey. Cailey was starting a new club and asked us if we wanted to join. We said yes and asked her what we needed to do. Cailey held up a pen and with eyes flashing told us we had to let her write on our faces. Tammy immediately said “my mom wont let me write on my skin with markers.” Cailey turned to me and for some reason I still don't understand I went and sat down obediently on her chair and let her draw all over my face with permanent maker. We soon left and Tammy knew that I was in trouble. We devised a plan to go to her house and wash it off in her upstairs bathroom. I remember her vigorously scrubbing my face until Dana came up to investigate. We were caught splashing water with a soapy wash cloth and a face which to my dismay wasn't any cleaner than when we started. In many ways Tammy was fearless. She wasn't afraid of all the things that I was...like getting in trouble or worrying about what other people were thinking. I think this made her stronger because she didn't hold back when so many of us do for the wrong reasons. When we were in the sixth grade we were in the same class in school. Our teacher was Mr. Oveson and I was afraid of him for two reasons: He was a strict teacher and he also knew my dad. For part of the year me and Tammy sat next to each other. One day she was being especially funny. I could not control my laughter. We both got our names on the board and then were asked to stay after school. I was absolutely terrified. What happens when you stay after school, I wondered? Mr Oveson first looked at me and asked if I wanted him to call my dad. “No” I replied meekly. Tammy just laughed it off so he made her stay longer. I waited for her in the field thinking how terrible it was but she just let it slide right off her shoulders. She was such a fun person to be around and she often could get an entire room laughing. Tammy was also fiercely loyal to her friends and family. When we were in the seventh grade I was going through an awkward phase and struggled with my self esteem. Tammy was well liked and popular and I was worried that she wouldn't want to be friends any longer. One time my friend Kim told me that she and a few other girls were out playing with Tammy when one of the girls said “I don't like Janae, she is such a goodie, goodie.” Tammy immediately spoke up and said “Don't talk about her like that she's my friend and she's really cool!” She made a similar comment to me when I was talking badly about another girl at school. She would always stick up for her friends even if her opinion wasn't part of the majority. Even though we didn't stay as close through out high school Tammy always invited me to her parties and made me feel welcome with her other circle of friends.Tammy was strong mentally and she was also strong physically. When we were teenagers we went on several of the stake young women “high adventures” together. The first one was our hike to King's Peak. We back packed round trip a total of 25 miles. The hike ended up being much more difficult than we had anticipated. One girl had some disabilities and had somehow come without a hip belt on her back pack. We ended up dividing her pack between all of us until we reached camp. However, the extra time we spent resting with and encouraging her put us further behind in our journey and we weren't able to hike as far as we had planned. This meant that the second day we had to cover much more ground in order to make it to King's Peak. Half of the group turned back mid-day because of the ruggedness of the hike. Shelly Smith, Tammy Thelin, Leanne Moore, Xela Reece and I kept going with four of our leaders. Shelly had a dream the night before that only three of us would make it to the top and that proved to be true. After a day of scaling up the steep mountainside and scrambling over a large field of boulders we could see the summit. I wanted to keep going but my feet just kept tripping over rocks and I decided to stop. Shelly Smith, Tammy, and Leanne Moore were the three girls that continued on with Chuck Hugo and made it to the very top. I can still remember how she burned a hole in the bottom of her sleeping bag later that night when she wrapped a hot rock from the fire in a towel to keep her feet warm. That summer was one of the times when I was really able to see the true caliber of Tammy's spirit. She was more outgoing and funny while I was more quiet and serious so often people didn't recognize the strength of her testimony, but it was vibrant and strong and she did so many things that summer that really showed the strength of that. We had an incredible experience while hiking together and I can still remember some of the things we talked about. At one point she said that perhaps the hike was parallel to our lives and maybe She, Shelly, and Leanne had a more difficult road ahead of them in life. She went on to say that she thought it might be harder for them to make it to the Celestial Kingdom but they were strong and after they made that extra effort and we eventually overcame our challenges we would all meet up there together. A few weeks later while we were at girls camp I witnessed the power of her leadership and her testimony. We were the older girls that year and she really wanted to be a good example to the younger campers. I remember her talking passionately about how we needed to help them understand Satan's power and to stay away from the things of the world. On August 16, 1996 I wrote in my journal:“ I got back from a walk with Natalie Painter just a little while ago. She's such a sweet girl Last night she bore her testimony it was neat! She says it's hard because her mom and dad don't really believe in the Mormon church and she hasn't gone to church because she's afraid that she'll have to sit alone and she has no one to go with. She said she's done a lot of bad things that only her really good friends and herself know about but Tammy Thelin was stressing so much in her testimony how no matter what you do Heavenly Father loves you and I think that may have helped. Tammy said that this week she was given a special gift to see just what everyone was worth! It was neat.” Tammy's true leadership shone that week. I remember being in awe of her capacity to love and reach out to all of the younger girls without bringing attention to herself. Rather than sitting around camp painting her fingernails she had this urgency about our need to lead and reach out to one another. One night in particular the YCL's (youth camp leaders) were in charge of a night hike that was supposed to simulate our journey here on earth. It started out where all of the girls were blind folded and they had to make this hike up a trail in the dark. Some of us were assigned to try and get them off the path. Other's would give a spiritual thought at certain checkpoints to help them along their journey. At the end of the hike our leaders had covered a large Pine tree with white lights where we all gathered together and sang hymns. This was supposed to represent us all meeting at the Celestial Kingdom. I wrote about that night in my journal as well:“Tammy Thelin said in her testimony that she used to always run away from what the spirit had to tell her and this week she started running and stopped and listened that we all needed to have a prayer before the stake hike that we were part of. She said three times she almost didn't do it because we kept having to do things and she eventually did have a prayer with all of them.” I remember that prayer. It was really powerful. She organized it when there weren't any other leaders around and I could really feel her desire to do what she could to make this hike a meaningful experience for the other girls. And that's what it became. The following year we went rock climbing in the City of Rocks in Idaho. That was the last trip we went on together. While climbing up the side of the cliff Tammy shouted out “I'm all kinds of scared” and we all laughed because we were feeling the same way. I remember her wanting to sit next to me on the drive and sleeping next to me in the big tent. We talked about her new boyfriend and she wanted to know what I thought of him. After telling her how much I enjoyed climbing she encouraged me by saying “Maybe you've found your sport.” Six years later that became a reality. I'm sure as time goes on I will continue to remember little moments we spent together such as sleeping on the tramp and waking up with swollen eyes from mosquito bites, rummaging through the costumes in her garage, designing our future houses as we pored over magazines, decorating the church for the annual Valentines Dinner/Dance, or sweeping out the “girl's room” in the fort we built on the corner of Papworth's overgrown lot. I will continue to learn from her advice such as “don't get offended so easily.” But most of all I look forward to the day when all our relationships will be mended and I can enjoy the presence of her person and the beauty of her laughter again.
With Love,JanaePS: When I was in high school Tammy gave me a gift one year for my birthday. It was a framed quote by President Kimball which says:“To be a righteous woman is a glorious thing in any age. To be a righteous woman during the winding up scenes on this earth, before the second coming of our Savior, is an especially noble calling. The righteous woman's strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times...Other institutions in society may falter and even fail, but the righteous woman can help save the home which may be the last and only sanctuary some mortals know in the midst of storm and strife.”I wouldn't be surprised if Tammy becomes the woman who will help save her home from the other side of the veil. In fact, I think you can count on it. Her family was everything to her and I know she will do what she can to care for and watch over you. Perhaps she went first so she can help organize the greatest family reunion yet.

Janea is beautiful young lady, second from the left in this photo with her family; LaDean, Janae, Brian, Dean and Mark.

Phase 15: Tammy’s remains were interned near the front gate of the Thelin Homestead (4056 Dolphin Drive, Island Park, Idaho)

and a meaningful marker (a piece of sandstone slate we brought back from Fort Collins) erected on her grave.

This completed out first big test. In 15 phases, we had accomplished all of the necessary tasks. We performed fairly well and with dignity. We realized that other tests could follow…CHINA TRIP (Passport Pictures)

We completed our training and turned to intensive packing. We had our passport, shots, and visas well ahead of time. We prepared to travel to China with a maximum of 100 pounds per person.

We purchased new luggage and weighed them as we packed. We hit exactly 50 pounds per suitcase. Our oldest son (Jason) and oldest grandson (Tanner) drove us to the airport. Off we went on the first leg of our journey from Salt Lake City to Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Our Luggage, packed and ready to go.Before leaving Canada, we purchased four KFC sandwiches in case the food on China Air was not what we would like to eat. We had heard rumors.We had window seats on a Jumbo jet with 4 seats in the middle, and two seats on each side, so it was 8 seats wide with two isles. We travelled non stop for 12 hours on a route up the west coast to Juneau, Anchorage, Nome, and across the international date line, to Siberia and down to Beijing, China.

We arrived very tired and ready to rest, but we had one more 55 minute flight to Jinan and to our apartment and our welcoming beds.We passed the declaration officer and turned in our arrival forms, then on to pick up our bags for Chinese immigration and inspection. As we presented our passports and visas to the desk, the officers quickly indicated to us that there was a problem and they escorted both of us to a holding room in the back. This was a small white room with five of six chairs and a water cooler/heater. We were told that our visas had expired the day before we arrived in China.

Jay was taken away and Dana left in the room. The officer (Mr. Yung), took him to use his computer to get the e-mail messages from Mary in Jinan. His computer would not bring up the www in China, so they went into a hotel in the airport and used an employee’s laptop to access gmail. Finally we were successful. Then we went to a telephone to call our waiban, Mary, in Jinan. Mr. Yung used his calling card and tried several phones with it but to no use. He tried another phone and as he held it up to his ear and while dialing, the ear piece of the handset fell out. He stuffed it all back in and went to another pay phone. After several attempts, this time he got through and talked to Mary and told him of our predicament. She talked with me too and assured us that she would do everything possible to keep us in China. Mr.Yung told her and he told me again that we would have to leave China in about 2 hours, at 9:00 pm on a flight to Los Angeles.

Mary at Shandong University talked with Mr. Yung several times asshown here at the working chair in our little “holding room” as they tried to work things out for us to stay.

“That’s China!”We went back to our little holding room where Dana was entertaining the two female security police. She was giving them candy and talking with one who spoke good English. They peeled and offered us a green, Mandarin Orange to eat. It tasted good. Then Dana decided to take a large piece of the orange peel and demonstrated how to whiten her teeth with it by rubbing the white rind over her teeth. As she was demonstrating this procedure, the police officers said: “In China we don’t do that because we have to wash the fruit.” Dana: “Oh Oh!”We stayed in this room about 3 hours while the investigation took place. We were allowed to go to the “toilet” but they took us to that location and back. We saw a round end of a podium microphone sticking out of the center of the ceiling and a camera in the upper corner of our room. We made the best of it and joked with our new friends who stayed with us. They shared some honey candies and Dana gave them some of the really good candy she had been given by her Daughter in law. They never ate it, but saved it for later.Interesting too was the sight of each and every border agent and security officer parading by our little holding room and peering in at us. There were probably about 50 of them. We knew that we were going to be a minority in China, but not this visually. This seemed more like a tourist group filing by and peering in at the orangutans at the zoo.We were deported to Los Angeles, California on the 9:00 pm China Air Jumbo Jet. This was also another 12 hour flight toward our starting point.The ride was free they said, so that made it a little better on our mental status. 12 hours later we found ourselves in LA. walking a few blocks to the Southwest Airlines terminal with three out of four of our checked luggage. Mr. Yung told us as we left China that he could not find one of our bags and that it would be sent to LA the next day. He asked if it was a large wooden box? We said that the lost bag was exactly like the other blue one.

When we arrived in Los Angeles, we were going through the first gate when over the PA system an announcement asking for Jay & Dana Thelin to report to customer service was heard, then as we waived our hands, a young lady came up to us with a note from Nancy Bean at BYU Travel office. The note said that she had already booked our flight to Salt Lake City on Southwest Airlines. We picked up our three remaining bags and headed for the Southwest terminal, just down the block. We had made it to LA, minus one blue bag. We still had three.

We took off for Salt Lake City. We arrived at about 11:30 pm.

Our son, Jason, picked us up and drove us to his house in Alpine, where we showered and slept the rest of the night.The next day after meeting with Ray and Marianne Andrus about our predicament and giving our passports back to them in order to expedite the procurement of new visas, we had a lot of “splainin” to do to our friends and neighbors.
We were Back Home!