Well, we are finally starting our mission blog. We think it will take the form of a journal, so we hope you will be thoughtful as you share it, lest it become too personal....
Today is Friday February 24, 2012. We have been here for 2 months and 12 days and we are starting to feel very much at home. Today we visited the LaFole family. They live in Anse Bertrand, at the very upper tip of the right wing of the island of Guadeloupe. They are a family of 5 (actually a few more who have grown and moved away). They are "amis de l'eglise" translation: "friends of the Church". This is the term used when speaking of nonmembers who are interested in learning more. They have been coming regularly to the Abymes (pronounced a-beams) branch for the past several weeks. The mother and father appear to be in their later 40's or early 50's. Their oldest daughter at home is Elodie age 22, then a son Sebastian 16, and a youngest daughter Agnes (pronounced an-yes) 17. The mother has been in poor health since October when she became suddenly ill and wound up paralyzed and in a coma for several weeks. Her health has been slowly improving, but her balance remains compromised and she has little strength. Diagnosis: unknown.
The family began coming to Church after the daughter met the missionaries at a bus stop and became interested in the message of the Church. The first Sunday they came, they were in Sunday best and stayed all 3 hours. They came 3 weeks in a row - stayed all 3 hours, the Father actively participating in Priesthood meeting and the children enjoying the Sunday School class that Linda helps teach.
The family invited us over for a family home evening and dinner a week ago Monday. I enquired about the mother's health and was perplexed by the lack of diagnosis associated with such a dire health problem. She was clearly ataxic (poor balance) and so I proceeded to do an abreviated neuro exam. She was alert, appropriate, showed some generalized weakness, some hyper relexia (abnormally sensative nerve reflexive tests) along with the balance problems. She had no specific localizing signs (nothing worse right vs. left) no cranial nerve abnormalities, and seemed otherwise ok.
We continued chatting when sudddenly the mother moaned, fell over on the couch, and had a grand mal seizure. I thought of the counsel of my medical student neurology professor, "when you see a grand mal seizure, relax, step back, and enjoy one of the great phenomena of nature". Unfortunately, the others in the family had not heard that advice, and became somewhat hysterical - particularly the youngest daughter who is studying to be a nurse. She was convinced that her mother was having a "diabetic attack" of some sort, and tried to ger her to drink sugar water. The mother was somnolent following the seizure, and was unable to drink and I tried (without a lot of success) to reassure the family. The mother was mildly diabetic, but on no medication that would render her severely hypoglycemic (give her very low blood sugar and hence might induce a seizure). The mother recovered fairly well, and we left as calmly and reassuringly as we could under the circumstances.
We learned that she had another seizure later that evening, went by ambulance to the hospital, and was kept under observation for a couple of days and discharged home.
To make a long story a little shorter, we visited the family again a few days later. The father asked to be baptized immediately and wanted his wife to be baptized as well. I think he was afraid that she might not survive long and wanted the ordinances performed. I congratulated him on his desires, but encouraged him to add wisdom and wait and see that his wife's health was improving to the point where all would agree that baptism would not compromise her medical condition. He reluctantly agreed. While we visited, the home teachers dropped by as well, so we all knelt around her bed and prayed for her health to recover. I was asked to be voice and did as well as my improving, but not quite there, french would allow.
Linda and I fasted the next day.
That was a couple of days ago. We had looked at her medication list and found that in addition to all of the other medications (a lot) the doctor had added an antiseizure medication. Last night we dropped by the pharmacy at Linda's suggestion and tried to find a pill organizer. The only one we could find was a leather case with a fancy and very effective system of tracking a week's worth of 4 times daily medications. It was a bit expensive and we were worried that they might be embarrassed by such a nice gift so we passed. A few minutes later we decided to get it anyway and we could always minimize the gift by explaining, "since I'm a doctor I have easy access to such things..."
Today we went to visit them.
The mother was on the veranda smiling and waving, the father was astonished at the pill box organizer - he had been told to get one by the doctor, but had forgotten to get one and was so pleased that we had brought just what he needed. The youngest daughter was pleased and flattered that we encouraged her (as a nursing student) to help take charge of organizing the pills for her mother.
They were all thrilled with the improvement in their mother's health and they ascribed it (justly I think) to the power of heaven blessing their mother and preparing the way for them to receive baptism according to their faithful desire to do so.
I think I was more astonished than any of the family. I do have faith that heaven can heal, but I did not know that she would be that much better that soon. When we knelt around her bed two days ago, she looked very weak.
Yesterday we were reading in Helaman 5 about Nephi and Lehi in prison. The scripture says that "when they saw that they were encircled about by a pillar of fire, their hearts did take courage". This seemed to say to me that faith does not require that we know the outcome - just that we have faith that He can if He will. Sort of the same with Shadrach, Meeshach, and Abednego - "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand O king. But if not, be it known unto thee ... that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image..."
I was so pleased that she is doing better. I pray that all will go well.
For you medical types, I wonder if she didn't suffer a form of Guillam Barre syndrome. That has a fairly good prognosis. I am not sure of the association of Guillam Barre with seizures...
Well - there you have an interesting afternoon in the mission field. It really is a wonderful life.
Tonight I have a meeting with the Abymes Branch Presidency. I am 2nd counselor.
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