Nightmare

 Mission Presidents and their dear companions have many things to worry about.  For example when I was privileged to serve as a counsellor to three Mission Presidents in Canada I would watch the blood pressure of those good Presidents rise every time a winter storm rolled across the mission.  The mission had 50 to 60 cars driven by young missionaries from Southern Utah, Arizona, California and other warm places.   A few of those worries are awarded nightmare status in the hierarchy of worries.  Perhaps one of the greatest worries we face is an accident which harms a young missionary.  We send many prayers to Heaven asking God to watch over and protect these dear young missionaries.

Last Sunday we were to have a rare day which was to be different from the frantically busy life of Mission Leaders.  All of our interviews and visits were cancelled at the last minute because of COVID restrictions.  We woke up Sunday morning with no particular place we had to be.  There was, however, a quiet concern that often on those rare days something terrible happens.  It is kind of like God schedules these disasters for just such days.  It came right on cue.  At 9:45 AM I received a call from Elder Torres, one of our most senior missionaries.  His companion is Elder Kilala, one of our younger missionaries.  Elder Kilala is bright, always happy and smiling and loves to be a missionary.  I could tell in an instant because of the panic in Elder Torres voice that something serious was wrong.  He began, "President......there has been an accident .....Elder Kilala is bleeding from the head."  The two Elders were riding their bicycles from a Sunday Sacrament Meeting in Catabban to another in Burgos about 10 kilometers away.  The day was overcast, but clear and warm.  They were in no great rush as they left in plenty of time.  It happened in an instant.  Both bicycles were hit by a motorcycle coming the other way.  The motorcycle first hit Elder Torre's bicycle in the front wheel.  Both Elder Torres and the driver of the motorcycle were catapulted over their handlebars and landed clear of the accident.  Elder Torres injured both arms but happily an x-ray revealed no broken bones.  

Elder Kilala was not so lucky.  He forcefully slammed  head first into the concrete road.  I believe that if he was not wearing his helmet the impact would have killed him or at the very least caused significant life changing injuries.  X-rays of his scull and leg revealed no breaks, but a CT Scan would later reveal multiple facial fractures, the most significant was the break and displacement of the cheekbone.

My initial though was more of a desperate prayer..."Oh God, help me not lose my own".  We were quickly out the door and on our way to the scene.  They were almost an hour away.  I phoned the District President who presides over the 9 Church congregations in the area.  President Bannagao lives in Burgos.  He rushed to provide aid.  A member of the Church came upon the scene and scooped the Elders up and headed to the Burgos Health Center.  Burgos is too small to have a hospital.  Half way to the Health Center they met the Barangay Rescue team who transported them the rest of the way to the Center.   The Rescue team then returned to the scene to aid the motorcycle driver.  The motorcycle driver, scraped and cut, had left the scene with his bike.  They settled on taking the bicycles to the local police station. The Elders were met at the Health Center were by President Bannagao, who transported them them to a hospital in nearby Roxas where we met them.  The hospital is small so it was unable to provide x-rays or a CT scan so we took them to Cauayan City which has a larger care facility.

Happily, we were able to obtain the assistance of a plastic surgeon who specialises in facial reconstruction.  This skilled surgeon works out of Santiago City about 2 hours from Burgos.  Wednesday we dropped him off for surgery.  Because of COVID restrictions no visitors are allowed in hospitals but each patient is allowed to have 1 person stay with him.  Elder Torres happily assumed that responsibility.  We felt a bit like a parents dropping their son off for the first day of grade 1....anxious, but knowing we were not allowed inside.  Elder Kilala made it clear he would not be pleased to go home to recover.  You have to just love that boy!

The surgery went well.  Elder Kilala is now out of hospital but is only allowed to eat soft foods.  Poor boy.  Donna brought him home and made him every soft food she could think of.  He is anxious to get back to work.  He is here to teach and baptise like his friends serving in Maddela.

I thank our Father in Heaven for his kindness and perfect love.  He does send his angels to watch over his missionaries (D&C 109:22).  I can sleep better without nightmares now that he is out of hospital and on the mend.