Russell and Eileen's Church Missions: NOT THE KIND OF BREAK YOU WANT

On Monday this week we had zone conference. A zone conference is where missionaries from a large area get together to be inspired, uplifted, and reminded of how we can be better missionaries. This zone conference we had a special visit from our medical advisor from Hong Kong. Dr. Heiner is an orthopedic surgeon who has taken time away from his practice to serve as a missionary with his wife for the South Asia area. Little did they know how much their advice would be both heeded and needed.

The first week he and his wife were here one of the young sister missionaries fell off her bike and broke her wrist. Elder Heiner was able to be consulted before surgery was done. The main purpose of his visit was to see several different hospitals, determining which would be appropriate for use by our missionaries. During zone conference he and his wife gave an excellent presentation on the importance of exercise and good nutrition. Young missionaries here live on a very limited budget. Many eat off of the streets as it is cheap, quick and easy to obtain. Even Russell buys lunch at a place that only costs 80 cents for a meal and he receives a large amount of food. However, most of the food bought contains a large amount of white rice with maybe a small amount of meat or veggies. Fruit is abundant here, but takes some effort in preparing. Eileen has come to love papaya with a little lime squeezed over it, and has discovered that papaya is one of the most nutritious fruits around. Elder Heiner stressed the importance of exercise daily. We seem to sit a lot, many hours in a car or taxi and many more at a desk. Russell and I try to get out each morning and exercise. We are fortunate to have convenient facilities where we live so that we can exercise several times/week. When we are on the road traveling it is nearly impossible.

Early Wednesday morning I, (Eileen) was through with my walk and saw my friend Sister Beaman coming out of her apartment building. If Sister Beaman walks it is usually in the gym and later in the day. I invited her to walk outside and enjoy the beautiful gardens. We really have lovely plants and flowers around the complex. The only problem is that in some areas where I walk the bricks are quite uneven. This is not uncommon in Indonesia and you have to watch your step everywhere you go. On our second trip around the path Sister Beaman took a spill on the uneven pathway. My heart sank as I saw her wrist. It immediately was swollen and discolored. When I tried to help her up, she was unable to stand. A kind Indian man from the complex stayed with her while I ran to get her husband who had just finished his workout. We took Sister Beaman to the hospital and it turned out she had a cracked patella (kneecap) and fractured wrist. She ended up having surgery later that evening and having a plate put in her wrist.

It was ironic to compare the care that Sister Beaman received at VIP level with what I have heard for many years from Russell who had surgery 36 years ago in Indonesia. If you notice the price list below, there is a list of rooms that range anywhere from 150,000 Rupiah to 3 million Rupiah per day (~$15 to ~$300). The ~$15/day includes 6 people in a room. Russell had hernia surgery here in a 3rd class room. There were approximately a dozen beds in his post-op room, each with a mosquito net. Russell's net had a hole in it, so he spent most of the nights trying to swat the mosquitos away. Not nearly the kind of room that Sister Beaman had to recover in.

Sept 13, 2012- As it turned out the doctors Sister Beaman went to did not do the procedure correctly. Sister Beaman had her wrist twisted and the screw poking out as you can see below. When she went back into another doctor three weeks after the original surgery the other doctor told her that she needed to have a different kind of surgery immediately. She is still wearing her brace (which weighs 5 pounds). She is anxious to get her arm healed and be able to function using both hands.

August-2013-Sister Beaman has returned home and had another surgery done by a hand specialist in the U.S. Hoping for better results this time. It has been a long time trying to heal for one walk in the gardens.

ROOM PRICES (DIVIDE BY 9.4 TO GET DOLLARS)

ELDER BEAMAN'S EUROPEAN DINNER CAME IN AND SMELLED DELICIOUS. IT WAS BROUGHT IN TO THEIR VIP ROOM WHILE SISTER BEAMAN WAS STILL FASTING FOR SURGERY, THE VIP ROOM CAME WITH IT'S OWN DINING ROOM TABLE TO SEAT FOUR