Well, as many of you are aware, our little Hermana was only in the MTC for 3 days when she came down with a very painful case of appendicitis. It has been a week filled with lots of worry and prayers and tears - for all of us here and our sweet girl in Mexico. Her dad and I have learned many lessons from this experience - probably one of the most important ones is when your daughter is on a mission, ALWAYS answer phone calls, even if you don't recognize the number!! We got a call Sunday afternoon but Eric's phone was still on silent from church and I let mine go to voice mail when I didn't recognize the number. Imagine my agony when the message was from the MTC Health Advisor in Mexico, telling us that Erika was in the hospital and they were considering surgery - AND I had no direct line to call him back!! It was torture to wait for him to call an hour or so later and find out she had already been wheeled into surgery.
There are so many things about this experience that I could write about but it would take pages so here are a few of the most important ones I wish share.
- Erika always had a companion with her in the hospital. Several of the sisters in her district rotated so she would always have someone there - they are the loveliest girls and we are so grateful for them.
- They allowed Erika to have a cell phone with her so she could call us whenever she wanted to during her hospital stay - it was such a blessing to be able to talk to her and comfort her.
- Elder Gil, the health advisor, and Elder and Sister Call, one of the MTC counselors and his wife, have taken good care of her and loved her as one of their own. They sent her to a very modern hospital so even though the language barrier was frustrating, she had an excellent surgeon and was in a clean, updated facility.
- Erika was released back to the MTC on Tuesday afternoon. They have modified her schedule so that she can stay engaged and go to class but still have time to rest and recuperate.
- The power of so many prayers offered for Erika, as well as for our family, was felt in a way that I have never experienced before. It felt sacred and I feel privileged to have experienced something so incredible.
- This experience was terribly traumatic for Erika and she is struggling to feel well. There is a chance that she may come home for a time but we are praying that her body and spirit will heal quickly and that she will not need to return home. We will be holding a special fast for her this Sunday, if you wish to join your prayers with ours.
- We know that God's Hand is in all the details of our lives and we trust in Him and His timing and purpose. Although this was a common case of appendicitis, the experience has been profound to Erika and to our family, yet we trust in His wisdom.
We are looking forward to hearing from Erika on her next p-day, which will be Thursday. Here are a few words from her email yesterday -
Tell everyone thank you for the prayers. They are amazing. I can feel the prayers and love from back home. Love you all so much!
Here are also a few pictures she sent - Enjoy!
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