Note from Marcia

One of the great stories that we heard today was about a small village hospital in Central America where the Drakes went.  Dr. Drake and his wife went in and asked what they needed and they had ‘nothing’!  No lab equipment, basic things like frig, or even laundry facilities.  The laundry woman was cleaning everything by hand. The Drakes contacted their friends and family and were able to get about 12,000.00 in donations and bought a washer, dryer, microwave, frig, and basic medical testing and lab equipment.  He then went to the church’s Area President and asked for $25,000.00 to see if he could get them an ex-ray machine.  He found a used one from the states and the transporting and setting up was just over.  He was speaking to another member who gets equipment for the area and he asked him; unfortunately the guy said he was not able to get anything for only $25,000.  Then 3 days later the guy called back, said he would get him a new one, deliver it and calibrate it every year for the 25,000.00!  It turned out the guy whose dad ran the business was from that area and they did it at a loss-the Lord’s hand is in so many things and miracles do happen!  Another miracle he shared was that he went to an area right after they were put in as AMA’s (Area Medical Advisor).  He had a meeting with the Mission President and after, the mission president and his wife wanted to take them to lunch and see some sights.  On the way they stopped to introduce the new doctor to missionaries who were prepping for Zone Conference (large quarterly meeting with all the missionaries in the area).  One of the missionaries had broken his nose and had it set a few days earlier.  When Dr. Drake met this young man he said the spirit prompted him to take out the stitches.  He knew the surgery had just been done a few days before and it wasn’t near time but he heeded the prompting and decided to look at it. After he removed the bandages and cut the first stitch, puss and goo came squirting out.  The missionary had a huge infected abscess.  He also found out he was on the wrong medication, so he switched that and as soon as the puss started pouring out he wanted to fall to his knees and thank our Father in Heaven for offering that prompting. That could have led to disastrous outcomes for that missionary and instead he ended up being just fine, benefiting from the Lord sending this AMA (Area Medical Advisor-who happened to be a retired surgeon) to the right place at the right time.

Sister and Elder French in the MTC pointing to our area of service

 It made me think of Brig when he wanted so much to stay in the mission field and was sent home after his case was reviewed in Salt Lake.  He had complications from his motorcycle accident he was in prior to his mission.  As we took him in the following morning after he arrived home, as instructed by the doctor in Salt Lake who never even saw him, he was operated on immediately and the doctor who operated on him said had he waited any longer he could have lost his toes or even his foot.  Our loving Father in heaven knows each of us and how grateful I am to be heading out to serve in His name for His children. 

mmf....

To serve those who serve...

Today Marcia and I finished our training in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake Temple

We had a wonderful week training with a individuals who will be serving around the world in some type of medical capacity. The break down was two physicians and their spouses, three mental health specialists and their spouses, and four nurses and their spouses.

It was a great week being able to share experiences and learn from those who have served in similar capacities in the past. It was an uplifting week as we all prepared ourselves for what was to come and to brace ourselves as we separate ourselves from our families. One of the quotes that I saw was that "senior missionaries are those who leave their families for a short period of time so that others can be with their families for eternity." I'm sure somewhere along the line that I misquoted the saying but it does convey the message. These missionaries will be serving in Berlin, Germany; St. Petersburg, Russia; Argentina; Chile; Mexico City, Mexico; Nicaragua; Philippines; and South Africa. Our task will be to care for the younger missionaries serving in those areas of the world and to serve the people we will be meeting in those areas. It will be an exciting time for all.

We have been blessed with wonderful family and friends who have supported  us in many ways. While we have been here in Utah we have had many friends take us out for dinner (on their nickle), good friends sharing and buying us clothing, and a family who have been supportive from the beginning. Thank-you everyone for your support, your love and your prayers....

jsf

One week of training done...

Last week Marcia and I finished our training on Friday. It was a great experience. We had the opportunity to be with 83 other couples who are off to various destinations and assignments around the world.

(From R-L) Elder/Sister French; Elder/Sister Haws; Elder/Sister Shurtleff; Elder/Sister Paulsen

There are more people in the picture that should be named but at this point I am not doing so. The ones that I named were in our "district" and we were with them the entire week as we studied and practiced about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Each couple comes from a different background and location and each assignment that they will serve is different.

Elder and Sister Haws are originally from Oregon. He owned a company that made athletic clothing for Nike and sold it prior to moving to Utah to be closer to grandkids and children. Sister Haws is awesome and taught the youth for the church. Their assignment is to work with the single adults in the San Diego, California area. They will be awesome!

Next is Elder and Sister Shurtleff. He is a retired Air Force dentist from North Carolina. He had also served his younger mission in Japan. He and his wife were called to work with LDS service people on an island in Japan. Sister Shurtleff was quickly learning Japan and they will be fantastic in their role.

Next is Elder and Sister Paulsen. They are going to Japan as well serving in the Nagoia mission as the office couple. Both have been studying Japanese and will be a terrific asset to that mission president and all the missionaries in that area.

Marcia and I are in Salt Lake City this week with a number of other medical people for further training. We will be here through the week and will leave next Monday for South Africa. All the couples that we are with will be serving overseas in some medical capacity. From our group missionaries will be traveling to Germany, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Nicaragua, South Africa, and the Philippines. 

More to come....

Continuation or simple rules

Marcia and I, many years ago, were taught some very simple rules to live by.

Our marriage is compartmentalized into two different categories- domestic and international. I handle all international events- declaration of war, treaties, trade embargoes, etc. For the duration of our marriage of 35 years I have been successful in those regards.

Marcia has been in charge of domestic events- house we live in, cars we drive, furniture in the house, family vacations, etc. She has done a tremendous job and we are both happy in our marriage and with each other.

Another simple rule is that we have put each other first- before ourselves and before our children. We love our children tremendously. When it comes to who outranks whom in our family our children know that mom is first in dad's eyes and vise-versa.

These simple rules and our adherence to them are reflective of something greater. We follow these rules because of our love for each other and for our family. It is because of that love we strive to do that which is beneficial to the whole- not to the individual. It is reflective in our obedience to the standards and expectations that we have for each other, for our marriage, and for our family.

Marcia and I left Indiana on Monday, March 28th, to begin serving a mission for our church in South Africa. We are leaving our home, our children, grandchildren, and friends for 18 months to help build the Kingdom of God in a vast majority of Africa. Our assignment is to serve as the area mental health advisers for the Southeast Africa area of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This is similar to the role we filled in the Philippines in 2012-2013. Unlike the Philippines our area of service will range from South Africa to Kenya and countries between.

Today we entered the mission training center, MTC, located in Provo, Utah. We joined 84 other couples in a week of training to help us assist the Lord in building His kingdom. It will be a spiritual feast with good people who will be traveling the world in the next few weeks. We have met couples going to Russia, England, New Zealand, Guam, Micronesia, and places between.

The journey begins....