Epistle #13 August 30, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,
It has been quite a month since our last epistle. Thank you for your patience. Rick has been on more airplanes than he ever wanted to in his life and I have met more wonderful Brazilians, Missionaries and people. We love it here especially with the winter as mild and more like California. We have seen some major transitions and tragedies that have proven once again the Lord blesses his missionaries and continues to provide ways for all to serve.
On August 1, we helped send Elder and Sister Hill, the other MD, home to Blackfoot Idaho. That week kept us very busy with over 125 incoming calls and with call backs it was about 30-60 telephone calls a day. Needless to say, we missed the Hills. Things have grown into a rhythm for us both. Some days we don`t leave the house at all. Then we both got sick with sinus fevers and cold cough, at different times thank goodness. (Rick tells the Elders and Sisters he gets it from them over the phone.)

Our next door neighbors, the Thomasins left on the 5th and Elder and Sister Dawson, the mission Secretaries in the SP North Mission, left on the 10th, and the Arntsens in Humaitarian leave on Sept. 1st. There are no visas being issued again for the 3 couples that are supposed to come this month and probably won`t till October or November. So our numbers are fewer.

On the Aug 15 we flew down to the Porto Alegre South mission and traveled 3.5 hours with President and Sister Swenson to Pelotos, a city further south, for a zone conference on Tuesday. We met in the largest LDS Chapel I have seen here. I was wonderful to meet the missionaries and feel of their love and sacrifice for the gospel. They loved Rick`s presentation and then were so kind with me as I tried my little bit of Portuguese again on them. This is really one of the only places I get to use and get real help other than Claygee with the language. They were so kind and we saw 23 of them in the clinic we set up. That night we drove back to Porto Alegre where Rick served on his mission 46 years ago. We drove at night in the rain and ate peanuts and crackers for dinner on the way. We also had a Sister Nielson with us who was returning home in two days. Her parents were meeting her there and touring for a few days.

The next day we did the same clinic and presentation with another 4 zones and saw 21 Elders and Sisters who needed some help. While in the parking lot we saw a woman all dressed in white robes and jewelry and long blond hair carrying a bible and wanting to talk with us. Turns out she is a former returned missionary of the church who has gone a little strange. She has a son on a mission right now. Interesting. Right after the conference we were wisked right to the airport and didn`t get a chance to even drive by the Temple. Our neighbors down the street in Pleasant Grove, the Knightons ( who knew Grandma June from the Provo Temple) are the Temple President and Matron of the that Temple in Porto Alegre. When we got home we called them and visited with them for a short time on the phone.

The next week became very eventful. On Monday morning, the 22nd, Rick got a call from the Mission President of the Vitoria Mission just above Rio de Janeiro. A young Elder with only 2 months left on his mission was run over by a train and was in surgery to try and save his leg. We just cried. We had a prayer and then Rick went through the process of informing Salt Lake and doing what he could to help the MP. We found out that President Costa, the Area President was there because he was doing a mission visit. He is new to the job and was visiting all the missions before the end of September and General Conference.

The Elder lost his leg above the knee and was in intensive care in a small trauma Hospital there in Vitoria. There just happened to be a vascular surgeon on duty and he spent 6 hours trying to save the leg. Evidently the train ran over it twice. Tuesday President Costa called Rick and asked him to come to Vitoria to check out other hospitals and make sure the one he was in was ok. In two hours he was on his way to the airport. He spent all day Wednesday looking for another hospital that could give the care needed but didn`t find one that would work and the trauma hospital had seven people in a small room with 2 feet between the beds. So they decided to fly him down here to Sao Paulo to the best hospital in the country. Albert Einstein. It is just up the hill from us. We were so relieved. Rick and the Elder flew into Sao Paulo at 3 am on Friday morning so Rick didn`t get home until 4am. He had another Surgery on Saturday morning and his parents got here on Sunday. They are living in the Temple apartment next door to us and are just taking this so well. There are so many little miracles that have happened to help them get here. We love visiting with them. They have 4 other children at home, youngest 9. They are from Hemat Calif. Their next son was ready to leave for his mission shortly after the Elder got home, but has asked to postpone for a few months so he can help his brother.

The miracles in the life of this Elder are incredible. He should have died. The Elder and his companion were out jogging on P-day when they saw a slow moving train headed back towards their apartment. The first Elder jumped on just fine but this Elder couldn’t get a good grip and went to let go and tripped, falling under the train. His companion who was on the train saw him go under the train and thought he was dead. No one put a tourniquet on his leg and it took 20 minutes before any medical people came. Needless to say he lost a lot of blood. Rick took him a notebook on Saturday to write the experience while it was still fresh in his memory. He tried on Monday and got so nauseous that he had to stop. He is not ready yet and he does remember it because he told the whole story to his Mom and Dad. They are doing another hopefully final surgery here tomorrow, just to get him ready to go home. Angels were truly watching over this young man. Never, Never try to jump on a moving train, no matter how slow it seems to be going.

On Monday night Rick and I came over to the MTC to cover for the nurse and his wife while they take a few days off. They are pretty stuck here and don’t go anywhere except to the store next door. The new secretary for the mission can’t get his visa, so the Dille’s are doing their job and more. Rick goes to the Hospital still to check on everything and Sister Wilkinson the other nurse here fills in for him. It really is a juggling act some days. The Elders and Sisters here are fun to talk to and the food is good, lots of fruits and vegetables. We are staying upstairs close to the Mission President and his cute wife. The apartment here even has air conditioning a king size bed and a real hot shower. We are here for 4 days and then back to noisy Vertentes, our little apartment in the busy part of the big city.

We have learned so much about the power of love and duty this week. The hospital people in both hospitals are amazing and just loved this young man. His courage and strength has impressed everyone so much. He is even teaching the gospel to all who have anything to do with him. He says, “After all I am still a missionary.” I am taking him some pass along cards to give to the people before he leaves. He and his companion had a family they were teaching before all this happened and he was so concerned about them. We are also concerned about his companion who was in total shock when he saw what had happened. He couldn’t even speak for quite a while, English or Portuguese. Salt Lake Counselors are helping him over the phone.

Well we can hear the missionaries singing in the shower across the way and the songs they like to sing are primary songs especially in Portuguese. The Americans right now are trying to outdo the Brazilians with a rousing “Let Us All Press On”. Today while a couple of the Brazilian missionaries were waiting in the clinic to be seen they started humming “I’m trying to be like Jesus”, so I started to hum with them until I could hardly see. They are so thankful for the Gospel and to be able to be here to learn it’s principles and how to teach them. There are 25 Spanish Elders going to Brazilian missions and now for the first time 2 sweet Japanese Sisters who speak some English but are called to Brazilian Missions. They are learning Portuguese too and are so excited to be here. They said when they opened their calls at home in Japan they nearly dropped on the floor. They thought they would go to Japanese missions like their friends. Wow. What faith these young people have. It truly isn’t easy all the things that are expected of them. And most of them have only been members for a few years. We are so grateful to be able to rub shoulders with real pioneers in their own ways. We do love them so. All the American Sisters will be gone in 3 weeks with no new ones in sight so I hug them a lot along with the cute Brazilian Sisters too.

OK time to close. I am so grateful to be a member of this great church that teaches the truth about God and his son Jesus Christ. They live, we look like them, they know us and understand our desires and want to bless us with everything if we will just follow the plan, the one we chose in the very beginning.

We love you all and pray for your safety, your health, and your strength in living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We all know who we are, now we must be strong in fighting against the evils of the day.

Forever and always,
The Calls of the Jungle

Elder Rick and Sister Sue.