Primary Program - Kissie Branch 19/6/10

Sierra Leone

Two days and a wake up!

Friday night with no more than two days and a wake up before we're in the compound on the hill. I'm still walking around barefooted and have a dozen things to do before I'm ready. There's Bill O'Rielly to watch for his latest view of Obama and then Rush to catch on his archives later on tonight and last but not least I've got your basic Office to pull up. I don't know how I'll ever get it done. The only consolation is that I should have plenty of time to catch up on my sleep when I arrive at the center on Monday.

I do have a horse ride with the boys scheduled for tomorrow; one last time before we leave. Its supposed to be raining but we'll see how it shakes out. I figured I'd take out my dog and horse tomorrow and then shoot 'em so no one will mess with either while I'm gone.

I thought I'd do a nostalgic visit to the office today to see how it looked without me there and my little office manager friend who helped me run things for the last six years looked up, sneered at me, and said, "stop spending so much money". It's pretty sad. Yesterday I was the big boss that no one messed with and now I'm the little man getting messed on. I guess I have to be better to Diana so someone will love me.

We received our missionary call to Sierra Leone Freetown on one condition: that Eldon pass a stress test five months after his stent operation last November.

We were nervous.

What if all that Eldon could do--eat right and exercise so he could sustain a raised heartbeat for some minutes--wasn't enough and it turned out that he still couldn't pass the stress test. Perhaps the stress test would reveal more artery damage.  How would we face our friends, family, and ward with failure?

On April 20th, with prayers and trepidation we showed up at the Central Utah Clinic. It had been
five months from the stent operation in November.  We figured if  E didn't pass this time then we'd have a few weeks longer for second chances.

Eldon got electronically hooked up as if he were a condemned man ready to get zapped in the electric chair.  He started walking on the treadmill with the doctor continually checking the readout.  After about every four minutes the treadmill increased in speed and incline.  His target heartrate was 132.  After about 15 minutes --hallelujah -- he reached the coveted 132 and even sailed past it.

The doctor and I couldn't find any abnormalities (I was looking at the readout too) and he said Eldon did very well.  We passed!!  Hallelujah, we are going to Sierra Leone --unless, of course, sometime before May 24th  we're attacked by terrorists or swept away by a flooding Utah Lake or buried by that earthquake which isn't just an 'if" but a 'when.'