Skip to main content

Update

Many people have asked about how Emily is doing since her accident.

Thank you for praying for her and for the man on the motorcycle, Jason.

Unfortunately, we don't have information on Jason's recovery.  Emily was transferred to Suriname less than a week after the accident.  Her communication with the branch president and zusters in Bonaire is limited, but if they had news for Emily, they would share it.

Even without closure, healing is happening, but it's going to take time. Emily has nightmares and is nervous about driving again. Right now, driving is not a problem because she is a biking missionary.  She's also very busy. She and two other zusters in her companionship are covering two areas. They move from one apartment in one area to another apartment in the other area every week, so they can alternate their focus on investigators every other week. Since it's about an hour and a half on bike from one area to the other, the senior missionaries drive them from one apartment to the other on moving day, which I think is Saturday. Keeping busy is good, but I hope they aren't so busy that Emily doesn't seek help if she needs it. I'm not sure how long these stellar sisters can keep up their frantic pace. I am praying that the five dutch-speaking sisters awaiting their transfer to Suriname can get their visas soon. Corruption in the Surinamese government makes getting visas difficult--even more difficult in the last few months.

I am so impressed with the young ladies who serve in this mission--especially the dutch-speaking sisters. I tried to upload a video that Emily sent Gavin on his birthday so that you can see how thoughtful and fun these women are. They are so strong spiritually and physically. They use their strength to build each other up and to serve everybody they can.

I am glad I can pull pictures from the Vermeeren's blog to supplement what we get from Emily each week. It's good to see her happy face. She is glad to have a senior couple nearby and to be in the company of Elders again. Bonaire was a great place to serve, but the four sister missionaries were on their own except for the sweet branch members and investigators who tried to look out for them. Senior missionary couples play such a vital role in this mission (and I assume any mission). The Elders bring an element of fun and comraderie to p-days that Emily missed when it was just the four sisters on an isolated island. At their next transfer meeting, they are having a talent show. Emily and her companions are preparing a rap with good-natured “burns” for each of the Elders. She shared some of it with us yesterday. It's hilarious.

All in all, I think Emily is doing better. She continues to pray, work hard, serve, and enjoy a good joke now and then. We continue to pray for her and look forward to our short video chats each Monday morning.


Zuster Orchard, Zuster McGuire, Zuster Mergenthaler.  Back together as a threesome!

Setting up smartphones--a new tool in this mission.
Moving Day . . . . Once a week.
Emily's brown leg on the left.
Fun P-Day Lunch


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Back To School Meanies

 Letter From the Nest August 15, 2025 https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/back-to-school?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web One August, more than twenty years ago, at an evening book club discussion, my “older” friends (now I look back and know those women were the age I am now), were discussing the woes and triumphs of back-to-school season. One woman was anticipating her youngest child’s senior year of high school. She said, “For more than two decades, our lives have revolved around the school district’s academic calendar. I don’t know how I will plan my life without knowing about school breaks or holidays.” I remember her bittersweet tone as she anticipated freedom from school schedule constraints but also mourned how those constraints guided her choices. What would she do? Other women joined the discussion, wondering if their kids would have good teachers, if they’d be able to balance volunteering in the classroom, how to streamline school supply pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Legacy Stinks

 Letters from the Nest https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/my-legacy-stinks Lately, I have been asking you, “What will you do to make Sunday special?” This is me encouraging you in your worship without giving you a prescribed list of things to do. One thing I do differently on Sundays is that I read a Sunday book that’s “different” than the fiction I read during the week. Usually, it’s a religious book, but sometimes it’s an inspiring biography or narrative nonfiction with an uplifting theme. My Sunday book for the past few months has been “Both Things Are True,” by Kate Holbrook. This collection of essays explores a range of topics, including faith, forgiveness, women’s roles, trials, history, and more. Each chapter contains a dichotomy that fuels the discussion. For example, the chapter on forgiveness explores both the concepts of forgetting and remembering. Last Sunday, I began reading the chapter entitled "The Weight of Legacy," in which she discusses the dichotomy ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lyme Disease??

Let me just preface this by saying that I am soooo grateful for good health insurance. I have been to the Dr. for the kids lately so often, that I am embarrassed that they recognize our family when we walk in the door. So, here's Ricky's story. A couple of weeks ago he was extremely sick. He had a fever for over a week, complained that he couldn't move his legs, and ended up with an awful looking rash all over his body. We went to the Dr. 2 times for this. The first time, she said, it was a virus and it should run its course. When Ricky was getting worse, instead of better, we took him back in to a quick clinic where the nurse diagnosed him with strep (even though the short test was negative). Well, after a priesthood blessing and antibiotics (which we discovered later that he didn't even need to take--and in fact they may have made him feel worse), he got better. Then, last week, I discovered a new, crazy rash on his legs which continued to grow, turn purple on the in...
5 comments
Read more