DREAM VACATION???

Did you ever think about taking an around-the-world dream vacation?  How about Johannesburg to the Reunion Islands (out in the Indian Ocean, East of Madagascar), then on to Paris, then Singapore, to New Zealand, then Tahiti, Los Angeles, Atlanta and finally back to Johannesburg?  And even better, all expenses paid.

I don't have any pictures to go along with this narrative, so I'll put in a few that have nothing to do with this story. 

So, do you want to see Susan's new haircut?

 

 Well I (Walt), just about got that chance last week.  There are two doctors (senior missionaries) with their wives here at the Area Office.  Elder Barton is an MD and Elder Peterson is a psychologist.  Their jobs are to take care of the physical and mental health of the missionaries in the 11 missions here in the Africa Southeast Area,

Occasionally, a missionary becomes ill or severely depressed and must return home from his/her mission.  When that happens, it is Church policy that someone (usually one of these two doctors) accompany him home.  In the couple of months since we've been here that has already happened 3 times.  The doctors hate it because it means they fly about 20 hours back to the U.S. with the missionary then turn right around and fly back to Johannesburg.  It's a grueling trip for them and they do it without their wives.  Dr. Barton has done it twice and Dr. Peterson once. 

Here's some of the artwork from our apartment décor.

Last week something unusual happened.  One of the missionaries serving in the Reunion Islands, part of the Madagascar mission, became severely depressed and suicidal.  The doctors felt that he needed to return home and get treatment.  This takes many weeks to get the proper medications and dosages, etc. so they don't try to do it here in the mission field. 

The problem was that this missionary speaks only French and no English.  Because they know I speak some French, it was decided that I needed to accompany the missionary because it was more important to have someone with whom he could communicate rather than a medical person with him. So, Thursday, I was asked (told) to go with him.  It meant flying to the island, picking him up, then the stops as described above.  I guess that was the best available route. Overall, it would be 52 hours of flying and 8 days total travel, 5 of those with the missionary.

Friday night I got the expected call from Elder Egan, but instead of finding out my schedule, I was told that Dr. Barton finally decided the missionary needed to be accompanied by a physician so I was off the hook, even though it now meant that Elder Barton was the one who would have to make that trip.  I really feel like I dodged a bullet on that one and I am grateful to Elder Barton.