Over the years there have been all types of health issues. Sore throats. Stomach aches. Poison ivy. Bed bugs. Accidents. And major illnesses. The following photos were sent by missionaries or sometimes I took them when I saw the missionary.
Warning - if you get queazy, go to the next post. There's some blood here....
We have had lots of skin related problems - poison ivy, bed bugs, eczema, warts, cysts and the like.
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| Despite this warning, we still see evidences of bed bugs in a few places. |
Can you guess what type of ailment these missionaries are suffering from?
And then there are the accidents. Most are minor and the missionaries never call me. I must reassure you parents that it is amazing that the missionaries are protected as much as they are. There are many miracle stories of near misses. And then there are cases where I shake my head and say to myself, "What were they thinking?" You be the judge of which case is which.
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| Sister Perez recovers from a broken leg after slipping on some ice. |
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| This had to do with the use of power tools while doing service for a member. |
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| This is what happens you are extremely competitive and slide into home plate during a preparation day activity. |
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| This is what a finger looks like two weeks after stabbing it while prying apart frozen hamburger patties with a knife. |
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| And this is what you look like when you answer a cell phone while riding a bicycle and use the wrong hand to apply the brakes. |
And of course there are the major illnesses that are completely out of a missionary's control. We experienced a miracle in our mission a few months ago when this elder underwent emergency surgery for a bowel problem. The doctors told us he would be in the hospital for at least two months before he would even be allowed to board an airplane to return home to recover. He did not want to go home, but the doctors felt he wouldn't be able to return to regular missionary service for quite some time.
The entire mission fasted and prayed for him. Two and a half weeks later he was released from the hospital and sent to recover in a senior missionary's apartment. And after two and a half weeks there, he was back in our mission serving full time. Just a little over a month, he was back being a full-time missionary. Prayers are answered. We see that daily and certainly in this case, in a miraculous way.
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Front row left to right: Elder Queen, Elder Wery, Elder Fletcher.
Back row left to right: Elder Roomataaroa, Elder Pawlenchuk, Elder Vanaa and Elder Bledsoe. |
