Bad Eye: Take 2

The birds chirped and then froze mid flight on a chilly morning in Missouri. Elder Thomas's alarm blasted and he awoke but his left eye did not open. He did what any missionary would do and forgot about it and then fell asleep during his morning prayer. But after his companion was at a functional level of awakeness to communicate, he relayed that something was really wrong with his eye. Elder Thomas brushed it off and went back to work. The day went on and the eye changed to a crimson shade and the other missionaries told him something was amiss. He dismissed these statements and continued on. I believed I was fine and I still said I'm not sick in a futile effort to exercise the mind over matter tactic. Well, things got worse and we went to the house to weekly plan. At the close Elder Marques told me that it was really really bad but we had a dinner and so something had to be done.

In front of a recent converts home was a graduation party for her sister. The English Elders had already arrived and the Spanish Elders were no where in sight. They were ready for dinner and tacos were already being eaten. Then came a car over the hill next to the home. One of the English elders with taco in hand watched the car pull up. It was a little dark and the figures of the people inside were difficult to determine, but as the car came underneath a street light it was perfectly clear. Inside the car was Elder Marques and his companion Elder Thomas wearing a winter hat, his Mr. Mac winter coat. And an eye patch.

Mom, in my defense, the family we were eating with is really kind, I was hungry and it was the quickest solution at Walgreens. At that dinner I suddenly became the most popular Elder around. Questions varied from, 'Do you really only have one eye?' to 'Is it still Halloween?' Although one English Elder was doubled over laughing at me with my burglar hat, trench coat and eye patch, I was banished to the apartment to recover.

There I watched every 90's church made film we had, watched the Testaments in Finnish and cleaned up our area book. I learned a lesson as well. Patience. I was so frustrated at the fact that I couldn't do anything. I wanted to be out and about and not confined to my apartment with nothing but old Mormon 90s songs playing in my mind. But I prayed to know what to do and got my answer. Stay home. I was frustrated but learned some more about patience. When we are patient we show our faith in a different way.

I was able to go to just enough church to take the Sacrament and see that one of our investigators came! She asked about my eye and so did everyone else. So I was banished. Again.

Later, I called the mission nurse and she said go to a doctor. I called the doc and got a prescription of 'getoverit' which works often with this ailment. It is pink eye, she said, and it will go away soon.

Thanks for your love and support and prayers for me, my companion and my friends!

Elder Thomas