The work goes on in the office. Elder Almonte (who took Elder Bates’ place) finished a contract on a house today. He did everything himself including all of the negotiations, writing of the contract, dealing with the lawyer, etc. The Elders will be able to move into their new house on Monday. It’s a good thing too. They’ve been living in pretty bad conditions and in a very undesirable neighborhood. And they’ve been without water for months in their current house.
Actually living in an apartment without water is not unusual here. Many homes in the Dominican Republic don’t have a reliable water supply. Many of the Elders have to carry their water to their apartments in buckets. They use large plastic trash barrels and their bath tubs to store water. They don’t shower, they take sponge baths and they flush their toilet with a bucket full of water. As I’ve said before these Elders are like my deacons at scout camp, they consider the inconvenience more of an adventure. But in spite of the hardships they love the Lord, the work and the people.
And speaking of inconvenience and hardship, Elder Lewis was released from the hospital today. He spent 5 days in the hospital with a high fever and in a lot of pain. He is very glad to be over the ordeal. He will spend the next few days resting and recuperating here in the mission office before returning to his area in San Juan.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Elder Lewis had Dengue Fever which is carried by mosquitoes. He said the common name for it; “Break Bone Fever” is very accurate. He said every bone in his body hurt with excruciating pain for days. Including his skull, he said he felt as if his eyes were being sucked out of their sockets. He said he got some relief from the pain when the pain was so great that his legs went numb for a while. He told me he was in such pain that he actually thought he would die.
One of Hna. Johnson’s duties is to write/print all of the checks and pay all of the bills for the mission. Elder Lewis couldn’t leave the hospital until his bill was pain in full. However there was a problem. President Almonte has to sign all checks and he was out of town, far away at a Zone conference in Azua. Hna. Johnson came up with the unique solution. She sent the office elders with the two credit cards from the office, when they maxed them out, they paid the balance of the hospital bill with cash from the office petty cash box. Not bad for someone who didn’t know how to turn on a computer before her mission. Hna Johnson is turning into a regular accountant.
Elder Lewis is my brother... thanks for looking out for him!
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