ORLANDO, Fla. – It was an emotional reunion for mother, Misty Liu, who has been working for a month to bring her son, John, home from Ukraine.
And when he landed in Orlando, she told News 6, she hugged him, not wanting to let go.
“When I saw him, I just, it was very emotional,” Misty Liu said.
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After days of travel and no sleep, John Liu too was happy to see his family.
“It was good, I was really happy because I love my family a lot, and they’re just super awesome,” he said.
John Liu was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Ukraine.
It was a mission that also gave him the opportunity to immerse himself in his mother’s culture. She told New 6 she’s Ukrainian and Polish.
“We have a lot of connection with that culture, and history, and we are so excited that he could go and take part in that,” Misty Liu said.
But about a month ago, John said he noticed a change in the political climate, and that his church leaders took steps to keep the missionaries safe and moved them to another location.
John Liu described it as all happening “in just the perfect amount of time.”
But the journey home wouldn’t be easy.
He told News 6 he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to stay in Ukraine for two weeks to quarantine.
And by the time that was over, the situation abroad had changed significantly.
“It was about a week ago, and there weren’t any flights out of Moldova because they shut down the airspace,” Liu said.
He said his group rented a van and drove from Moldova to Romania, where he was able to catch a flight to Germany, and then a second flight to Orlando.
While he’s home now, he said his thoughts are still with the many friends he made in Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian people are very strong, and very resilient, and they’re very I guess hardened from previous wars and experiences, and their culture is just very strong,” Liu said.