16 July 2013
Hi Sister Nay,
I just wanted to give you a
quick update on Elder Nay. He had a quiet (and probably a little boring)
day yesterday. He was able to sleep last night and sounded good when I
spoke with him this morning. Elder and Sister Mills, one of our Senior
couples, will go and pick him up later this morning and bring him back to the
mission home. We will keep him here for a couple of days at least, and
let him rest and recouperate. While he is here, he will be able to email
you and stay in contact.
From Mom-to-Mom, I just want
you to know that although he looks banged up, he still looks pretty good!
He is stiff and sore and not able to walk because of the sprained ankle.
We will take good care of him here. We've only known him a very short
time, but are so impressed with what a fine young man he is, and a very good
missionary. You should be very proud--in the best way.
Please contact us if you have
any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Sister Rahlf
17 July 2013
Wednesday
He is settled in the mission home!
And yes, he is on an antibiotic 3x a day for about 10 days. It's hard to
read the writing but it looks like Cloxicillin. He also has pain medication to
help keep him comfortable. He is stiff and sore and not able to put much
weight on his ankle, but he has such a great attitude. I am also in close
contact with our Area Medical Authority, Dr. Jackson and he is truly
wonderful.
There are always giant blessings and
tender mercies in these events. We had wanted to send him to the largest
hospital in Santiago, but when they got there, there wasn't any room available.
So we sent him to the next biggest hospital, but that one was full too. He
ended up at a very small hospital but it turned out that the doctor who
attended him was an orthopedic surgeon and was best for the situation. Elder
Nay also said to me, "I'm hurt except where my garments are.". And
that is true-- no back, shoulder or hip injuries.
We will keep him here until we're
confident he is well enough to get along. Please call or email anytime. We want
you to feel peaceful and comfortable with how he is doing.
Sincerely,
Sister Rahlf
18
July 2013
Thursday
Hi Sister Nay,
I just wanted to send an update on Elder Nay. He's doing
very well. He slept the whole night and has been up for all
morning. He agreed he needed to rest again after lunch and is sleeping
again now. He still cannot put much weight at all on his right ankle and
foot and his left hand is tender. But his spirits are really good
and he is a patient patient. We had missionaries in and out of the
mission home all morning taking English evaluation tests, so he was able to
visit with the companions and participate in a scripture study with Elder
Mills, one of our senior missionaries.
I'm sure you've seen the pictures by now. His nose is still
swollen and his eyes are starting to get black and blue. There is a cut
across his nose, but it isn't deep and I don't think it will scar, especially
if you use Mederma on it. We are to change the dressing on the leg with
stitches every 3 days, so I will do that tomorrow. The doctor at the
hospital in Santiago thought the stitches looked good, but was somewhat surprised
that they had not shaved his leg. Elder Nay has been taking the
antibiotic and pain meds exactly as instructed.
His companion, Elder Sison, has been really wonderful. He
has stayed by Elder Nay's side this whole time, except for times like now when
he is resting. He took care of getting help after the accident and
getting them to Santiago. He is an excellent young man.
We have only been here 3 weeks, but I am amazed and touched by the
many, many tender mercies and even miracles that happen as these young Elders
and Sisters serve the Lord and as He watches over them. And Elder
Nay has been one of them.
He really is doing fine. We will keep him here until he can
get around putting weight on his foot. That may be several days--we'll
just have to watch and see. He is anxious for work to do, so tomorrow we
may have him spend a couple of hours at the office. You can
tell the missionaries who are used to being busy!
Hope all is well at your home--
Sincerely,
Sister Rahlf
19 July 2013
Friday
Dear Nay Family,
Some good news! Elder Nay was
able to pur weight on his foot this morning and is now getting around a little
bit. Slowly, but so much better than the last 3 days. I also had him
go see the mission's favorite doctor here in Cauayan. The
doctor is Dr. Uy and he trained and practiced in the US for 20 years and has
seen lots and lots of missionaries. Dr. Uy said the stitches look very
good and there is no infection. He added another antibiotic (cefixime) as
well as a topical cream (silver sulfiazine) and wants the dressings
changed 1-2 times a day. We did the first change this afternoon (and to
be honest, I was pretty sure that changing bloody dressings would come up
numberous times while we're here!) His ankle is quite swollen and there's
some bruising around the ankle and foot. We clean the cuts with a
solution of sterile saline water and antiseptic, let it dry, and then add a
layer of the topical cream. Then we cover the wounds with a non-stick pad
and wrap the foot, ankle and leg up to about 3" below his knee with an ace
bandage. The doctor has me wrap the foot and ankle fairly tightly, and
then more loosely as it goes up the leg. And he's good to go.
Dr. Uy wants Elder Nay off his
foot for 2 weeks. So, he will not be returning to his area and
tracting. He is okayed to go to appointments with the Elders who
drive and then he can still teach and do missionary work. He just
needs to keep his foot elevated as much as possible, even at night. He
went over and worked in the mission office doing some shredding of old
materials and we had him all set up by the shredder with his foot elevated
and comfy on a pillow. He was so glad for something to do. He
is going to go on one appointment in a little bit, and so has on his white
shirt and tie and name badge again--he looks great! We will make
sure he does not overdo it and gets plenty of rest and foot elevation.
Dr. Uy was also thinking about swelling and traveling in 2 weeks, so that's why
he wants the foot elevated as much as possible.
As far as Elder Nay's arm and
hand, Dr. Uy said they are bruised and banged and will just take time to
heal. Along with his nose. I thought he might have some pretty
amazing black eyes by now, but I'm not sure those are going to develop after
all. He should look pretty good when you see him.
It has been really good to get to
know Elder Nay while he's been in the mission home. Last night he was
telling us about some of the trips you have taken--like the trip to
Egypt when he graduated from high school. He loves his family, that is
easy to see!
Please let me know if there is
anything else you need or would like to know. He is being a great
missionary and living the mission rules, so he will email you on Monday as
usual. Hope all is well at your home!
Sincerely,
Sister Rahlf
21 July 2013
Saturday/Sunday update
Hi Nay Family,
Elder Nay has had 2 pretty good days. Saturday we took
him along to two baptisms. He wasn't on his foot much, but he was worn
out by the end of the day. All the missionaries we saw were really glad to
see him. Today he has a new companion--Elder Odom. He
contracted typhoid fever and has been in the hospital for several days.
He was discharged today, is out of danger, but needs to recuperate at the
mission home for about a week. Elder Nay decided to try pulling off his
pain meds this morning, but his leg was throbbing by the afternoon, so he took
them again tonight. I just finished changing his dressing, and everything
looks good. The back of his leg, down by his ankle is tender today, but
the ankle itself is less swollen. He is starting to have more strength in
his left hand. He really took it easy today and rested with his leg
elevated. He continues to keep in good spirits--we'll have both Elders
help with office work tomorrow for an hour, and then it's back to rest.
He will email you as usual on Monday and can fill you in on these
past few days.
Not much news--but I think that's a good thing! Have a
wonderful Sabbath Day--
Sincerely,
Sister Rahlf
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