Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Last (spider-bitten) Leg of the Journey

It was so much fun having Bryan visit us.  I was getting homesick for the family so seeing Bryan was a great blessing.  His visit gave me the hope I needed to survive our final stretch of service here in Africa.  Everywhere we went, people loved Bryan and wanted to talk to him.  He took us on some wonderful adventures that we would not have otherwise been able to enjoy.  I’m slow getting photos processed and experiences ready for posting because on the final leg of our adventure in the bush country, I was bitten on my legs by a flesh-eating spider and a giant African tick.  I became deathly ill and required divine intervention to survive.  I was fearful of being bitten by a malaria-carrying mosquito as I am a mosquito magnet, but was unsuspectingly devoured by one of the multitude of spiders we encountered.  I was treated with Malaria medicine that seemed at times to exacerbate the symptoms.  As I endured the darkest and most difficult night to hang onto life I heard these strains of music and the words went through my aching head.

“Abide with me, ‘tis eventide,
And lone will be the night
If I cannot commune with thee
Nor find in thee my light
The darkness of the world, I fear,
Would in my home abide.
O Savior stay this night with me;
Behold, ‘tis eventide.”

I felt a calming presence with me throughout the night.  “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”  When the sun rose after the darkest night, I put my left hand across my right forearm and thought, “Hooray!  I’m still clothed with mortality!"  I was cool.  My many days and nights of pain and fever had finally subsided and I was on the mend.  

Thanks to prayers, priesthood blessings and ultimately the tender mercies of a loving Father in Heaven, I am finally well, though am still struggling to regain my full strength.  I’m grateful, so grateful to have lived to tell about it.  So I’ll be playing “catch up” for awhile regarding this leg of the journey here in magnificent Africa.
 

6 comments:

  1. Oh, my dear Joy. I just caught up on your Blog posts this morning and was terrified to read of the flesh eating spider and African tick that made you deathly ill. Judy Graham is coming to visit on Monday and I will surely let her know that our dear friend struggled to live, and is gratefully still here in mortal life. What an awful experience for you and Chuck, too.
    How neat to have son Bryan spend 2 weeks with you. Such experiences you shared together. I enjoyed reading all about it and seeing your neat experiences.
    When do you return? This year, right? May the Lord continue to bless and protect you dear, brave, faithful servants. Love, Wanda

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  2. Thanks for taking the time to read our BLOG, Wanda. I'm doing well now. Every trial creates an opportunity to draw closer to the Lord. Of course my husband had to put on the movie “Arachnophobia.” I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing that!
    Please give my love to Judy. I sure loved working with her in the Stake Relief Society. She's brilliant and very creative - like you!
    We complete our mission in three months and will live in Arizona. We appreciate your kind words and your interest in our mission.

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  3. So scary! I'm so grateful that you were blessed to get through this. The things you share from Africa are fascinating, but I don't think I would be brave enough to go there.

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    1. I like Emerson's quote: "That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved." Perhaps we think more of persisting than being brave. Some one said that if we face our fears, the death of them (the fears) is certain. This has been a strengthening and growing experience for us. We think that the single senior sister missionaries are the brave ones here. Their courage inspires us. You would be an awesome missionary, Vicki!!

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  4. Just now reading about your personal trip to "arachnophobia". I'm glad that you successfully survived the experience. I'm not jealous. I understand that you may be building in Gilbert, Arizona when you complete your spiritual safari. If so, you could end up as neighbors to my daughter, Renee and her family. They recently moved there and are renting while their house is being built a short distance from the temple.

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    1. That would be fun, Vaughn! We will live on a desert property in Queen Creek in an existing house. Come and visit us on your trips to see Renee's family. They are blessed to be near the new temple. We love working adjacent to the Johannesburg Temple and serving there often. We'll miss the convenient access to the temple and our association with those who serve there.

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