TWO EARLY RELEASES AND DOG FLEA BITES

Yesterday morning as we were cleaning the apartment, Eileen asked me if I had any ideas for the blog this week.  At that point the week had looked a lot like the prior week.  We had two more missionaries return home early and a visit to the emergency room.  We now have had 25 percent of the missionaries from the group that arrived shortly after we did go home early due to health reasons.  

 

On Thursday evening, we had just gotten back from the gym when Eileen got a phone call from a distressed sister missionary. She was justifiably concerned about her companion’s health and Eileen recommended that she call an ambulance (how was that for my being non-descriptively discreet?).  After getting cleaned up quickly, we headed out for the hospital, arriving just as the ambulance did. While Eileen was in the room with the sister, I was out in the waiting room with her companion.  After talking for quite some time with her, I realized that the two young sisters had, one now and the other previously, the same rather rare health issue.  Both Eileen and I were rather amazed thinking, what is the chance that these two sisters would be assigned to serve together?  As Eileen wrote to our mission president, “I don’t think that it was just a coincidence that these two sisters are companions.”  And what she didn’t say to our mission president, or the young sisters was, and what is the chance that those two sisters would have a nurse that also had experience with that same health issue.My role here with the vehicles is not one that lends itself to a lot of spiritual experiences.  However, Thursday night, in an emergency room, I had one; clearly seeing God’s hand in taking care of His missionaries.

 

I (Russell) decided that I wanted to go see where the missionaries are living outside of the Greater Kansas City area.  I also wanted to see what driving conditions were like out in the country. Driving a truck with an Orbcomm device (aka TIWI) in it, would let me experience what they are going through every day. Eileen was interested in seeing what the health care was like out there, so I drew up six one-day trips that we will take over the next few weeks. Our housing coordinator is also new and wanted to join.  On Friday we took our first trip to Atchison and Leavenworth, both in Kansas.The trip was both informative and fun as we took the missionaries out to lunch.  Eileen and Sister Hunsaker (housing) were quite surprised when making a turn at 5 miles per hour, the Orbcomm device’s woman’s voice shouted out at me, “Watch your speed!”  I really don’t like that lady.

 

Once a month we go with the other senior missionaries to an afternoon temple session.  It was great to both not have my phone tethered to me and to experience the wonderful spirit in the temple.  As I was sitting there I thought, maybe I could do like several other senior missionaries and serve as a temple worker, maybe a Saturday evening shift.  Eileen and I have both been told by our predecessors that since we are on call 24/7 that we could never do that.  That thought stayed with me as I left the temple yesterday and persisted for about an hour, at which point I got a call telling me that two of our sister missionaries had been in a car accident.  For the next several hours I dealt with the ramifications of the event which ended with our meeting the tow truck at a body shop where we left the vehicle.  I’ll go on Monday morning and get the repair process started.  I am grateful that neither of the sisters were hurt.  But the apparent message in answer to my pondering of could I serve as a temple worker on Saturday nights was loud and clear – NO!

 

Shortly after we got home about 8:30 last night, Eileen got a call.  It was from the sister missionary who was bitten by a dog last week and had a visit to the emergency room. Turns out she and her companion had been to a new member’s home.  That member also had a dog, not one that likes to bite people, but one that has fleas that like to bite people.  The sister was covered with bites and was calling for medical advice.  After telling the sister how she should deal with the bites, Eileen suggested that the sister best avoid dogs altogether.  

We visited the elders in Atchison, Kansas, birthplace of Amelia Earhart. It seems quite rural, so when I saw a sign for a hospital we decided to check it out. I was excited to see not only a helicopter pad, but a medic-vac helicopter coming in for a landing just as we arrived. 

                      Sister Megan and Sister Anderson are currently serving in Leavenworth.

We have 4 missionaries stationed in Leavenworth, Kansas. As we passed this building I wondered what it was. Turns out it is Leavenworth penitentiary,  The walls are 40 feet high and 40 feet below ground.