Written by Carter. I finished the 40-Day Joy Challenge for the third time. I’m going to sign up to do it again. I like it because it helps me “have a track to run on” in my efforts to experience more joy, knowing that a) “Man is that he might have joy” and b) that I am able to bless others more as I experience more joy myself. Of course, I don’t obtain improved results unless I do something differently than I’m now doing them…but I love the motivation and ideas that Tommy Newberry gives me in this challenge. I’m grateful for good men like him who help me live closer to God’s plan for me. If you are interested, click on the link. It doesn’t cost any money, but you “pay” by his sending maybe 4 email invitations during the 40 days telling about paid programs you can sign up for. That seemed like a small price to pay for the good material I received. You can always just delete those…but those were thought-provoking, as well, and it took me less than 90 seconds to finish each of those promotional emails. Each “joy challenge” activity could be completed in 10-15 minutes. I don’t get anything from your signing up; it’s just been a big blessing for me and I’m spreading the word.

I finished reading Life After the Death of My Son: What I’m Learning, by Dennis L. Apple, who is a Christian minister whose son died of a sudden illness at age 18. It was very thought-provoking. I highly recommend it for parents who are grieving their child’s death…and for those who might be trying to provide emotional support and love to those parents.   

The senior missionaries had a family home evening on Monday at the area office. Everyone was assigned another person to “highlight” and comment on Christlike attributes they had observed in the other person. One of the couples gave a short lesson from Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s inspiring June 1996 Ensign article, “Becoming a Disciple.” It was wonderful just being together. Of course, ice cream with toppings afterward was a nice ending to the evening!

I initiated the evacuation of a missionary off one of the Pacific islands to Honolulu for emergency medical treatment. It was amazing to see all the moving parts to that process: the area presidency, the Missionary Department in Salt Lake City, the insurance company (Aetna), the transport company, the mission nurse in Honolulu, the hospital in Honolulu and the government leader in the island nation had to approve the plane landing amidst a pandemic lockdown. Yesterday, I had to send an emergency email to the airport manager, certifying that the missionary being evacuated had a medical emergency…or the manager wasn’t going to let the plane land! Fortunately, my email sufficed and the missionary is in Honolulu! Breaking news: the mission president just called me. All the tests in Honolulu were negative!

A miraculous sidenote to this medical evacuation: the initial plan was to charter a non-medical plane for the evacuation; the Church had even paid for the flight to make sure it happened. However, there were enough medical concerns about the missionary the decision was changed to make it a medical evacuation. What to do with the paid non-medical charter flight? There were some missionaries who were stranded on this mission because they couldn’t get flights in to take them home because of the pandemic. Apparently, the medical flight arrival softened the decision-makers on the island enough that they allowed the charter to land, also, and they took these “overdue” missionaries home! It’s amazing how the Lord orchestrated all this to put His servants where He needs them to be at this time!

Another missionary was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain who was diagnosed with a liver abscess from amoeba! I’ve read about that in my training, but was never involved in a patient with that condition. I consulted with an infectious disease specialist in US on management. The mission president was concerned because the missionary wasn’t doing well that night. He wondered if this missionary might need to be transported off the island…but where to send them during pandemic? The other missionary was a US citizen, so could go to Honolulu; this one wasn’t! I spoke with the Seventy in Salt Lake City who oversees Missionary Medical about this sick missionary. He told me he was going to put his name on the First Presidency’s prayer roll…something I didn’t know existed until my mission here! I told the mission president this, and he conveyed this to the missionary and their family. The next day, the mission president told me: “This missionary is doing so much better today. Their family said they are doing better ‘Because the prophet prayed for them!'” I believe that is true, but I’m also sure that the faith of the sick missionary and their family was a big factor in their improvement, as well! What a blessing to see miracles like that.

I think I mentioned previously that a missionary was knocked down in June and bitten on the face by a dog. They had plastic surgery right away, but have now developed a keloid scar. They have darker skin pigment, so a steroid injection could soften the keloid, but also cause loss of pigment, so the scar would be more noticeable. I’ve had several emails and calls to a US plastic surgeon on how to manage the keloid. The missionary’s mother is concerned about the long-term appearance. The mission president asked me to call the mother, which I did today. She didn’t speak English, so a local Church leader interpreted for us. They both sure seem to be good people: humble, grateful, but also concerned for the injured missionary.

I received a jigsaw puzzle as a birthday gift. It’s been interesting observing how Faye and I approach solving it. What a blessing to have two complimentary personalities in our marriage! I confess that I don’t always see the differences as a blessing…but I’m striving to repent and do better here — with the Lord’s help!

I listened to two BYU Devotional talks that I recommend: a) Successfully Failing: Pursuing Our Quest for Perfection and b) Wrestling with Comparisons. One of my favorite quotes from the first one was by T.S. Eliot: “If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” It reminds me of when I chose to take an honors level organic chemistry class in college. Several times in the class I realized that I was “in over my head,” but I learned and grew so much more than I would have had I stayed in the other class! In the second talk, he uses the term “wrestling to the ground” the human tendency to compare ourselves with others. He also uses the term “sit with” that weakness, get to know it, learn from it. Wow! What great analogies! I’m going to strive to implement those ideas as I strive to repent and improve through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I’m given the state of being mortally weak so that I can be humble and realize where my real strength lies: in Christ.

I feel to express thanks for those who have influenced my life: for the faith and perseverance of those who founded and perpetuated the community where I was raised; for my parents, who taught me and loved me; for my siblings and their families, who are examples to me and who love me; for my children and their families, who teach me and love me; for Faye, who is just a “virtuous woman” as described in Proverbs 31;  and most of all for God, Who is kind, loving, merciful, forgiving, patient and the essence of Perfection.    I testify that, as a companion scripture to the Bible, the Book of Mormon testifies that all human beings are sons and daughters of a loving Father in Heaven.