1 May 2016

Elder Larry and Sister Bev Elkington

I spoke too soon when I said we were so blessed that Sister Elkington did not have any broken bones from her fall.  On Monday the pain was increasing so we took her to the doctor for X-rays.  They informed her she has 3 fractured ribs.   Then on Tuesday the pain was more severe in her lower back so she was X-rayed again.  She has bruises and an inflammation in her sacroiliac. Whatever, that is – it hurts a lot!

We have greatly reduced our work load to give Sister Elkington a chance to recover.  However, we are still able to do some things,  We just need to be aware of the pain level so we do not overdue things and give Sister Elkington a chance to heal. The doctors say there is nothing they can do for the ribs except prescribe pain pills.  Sister Elkington took one of the pain pills, which made her ill for over two days.  She says she is not taking any more pain pills!

We took 3 of the boys to Church for scouting activities on Wednesday evening.  No scout leaders showed up, so we took them to MacDonalds for cheese burgers and fries. These trips to MacDonalds have turned out to be some of our most productive time.  The boys open up to us about their concerns and their plans for the future.  Eleven year old Shaden asked, “Elder and Sister Elkington, how long is your mission?”  We told him we have almost a year left.  He then asked ‘Who will take us to Church when you are gone?”  We assured him that they were like family to us and we would still be available to help them.  We also talked about the advantages of higher education.  They knew nothing about college or trade schools.

On Friday Elder Elkington accompanied three of the boys from the Reservation and their grandfather, to the Heritage Park Branch father and sons camp over.  It rained and everyone got wet, but I think it was a very positive experience.

We are looking forward to Victor’s baptism on May 14.  We told him we would provide a sheet cake from Costco for refreshments after the baptism.  Elder Elkington asked what he wanted written on the top of the cake.  He said he wanted it to say, “Hope Sister Elkington recovers quickly”. The love these children reflect back to us is gratifying.  We love these people and feel their love for us.