top of page

ON MISSIONARIES: A PERSONAL VIEW (15)

  • Writer: Karl Franklin
    Karl Franklin
  • 1 day ago
  • 4 min read

It was 2006 and Karol and Mike and their three children had gone to Ecuador, where they were serving with a mission at Shell. The mission had a small hospital, where Mike worked, as well as sometimes answering call-in questions about health on the mission’s radio network.


Joice and I arranged to visit the family in Ecuador and went on September 2nd. It was a delightful time with the grandchildren and seeing some of the sights in the country, until something unforeseen happened. However, things changed rapidly.


I’ll let Joice pick it up: “On September 15th while walking on the cobblestone road {on our morning walk} I suddenly found myself sprawled face-down on the road. (I had tripped several times on stones, one on Monday on the sports oval, on my left knee was a wound) This time my right knee was skinned, my lips cut, and an abrasion on my left hand. Karl was beside me instantly, helping me up. I knew I had done something serious to my knee. I hobbled home in great pain. Karl got Mike, who was off work. He inspected me and told me to continue with ice on my knee for two hours.”


Mike came later to inspect and found that Joice could not put any weight on her leg because the pain was too severe. He took her to the hospital where x-rays showed a fracture of the knee cap. Mike made a brace for her and said that an orthopedic surgeon was visiting in a day or so and would look at the knee. I wheeled Joice around in a wheelchair and after one day Joice reported, “It’s been 24 hours since my knee saga began, I’m coping but pretty disgusted.”


It was obvious that Joice would need surgery. Mike called the airline and got Joice upgraded to business class so that her leg would have more room. He also called our local hospital in Dallas to arrange an interview with a surgeon. Our homeward journey was about to begin.


It was difficult and painful. We traveled the long hours to Quito, overnighted at the mission guest house, and left the next day for Dallas. 


The airline steward, despite the captain’s plea, would not let me sit next to Joice. I was not allowed to go into the business class section of the plane, but I defied protocol and went there to talk to her. She could not use the toilet because the cast kept her let sticking out the door. None of the airline staff seemed the least bit concerned or interested. 


If you have ever connected flights in Orlando, you will know the long distances between airlines and the various check points. However, I was able to arrange for wheelchairs along the way,


We made it, and Joice wrote, “NEVER have I been so happy to be home.” On September 25th we saw the surgeon, and, in the meantime, I had rewrapped her leg a couple of times to try and give her some comfort.


Joice was thankful that the emergency treatment in Ecuador had only cost $100. When she told the surgeon he boldly replied, “you couldn’t get through my door for $100.” Welcome to the U.S. medical system!


Joice was amazed at the number of people who told her they were praying for her. I helped by cooking as well as I could (which is very poor) and then preparing for D-day, the surgery.


On September 29 Joice wrote “I was anxious to get the surgery done.” It took over 5 hours before the surgeon reported to me. He said that is was more extensive than he had imagined it would be. 


Joice came home the next day and by October 4th she was washing and dressing herself and even curling her hair and putting on some makeup.

We had some wonderful times, despite the handicap of a cast and the difficulty of Joice getting around. A few times I got her to the back seat of the car, and we would just drive around, nowhere in particular, but with sights and sounds that were different. She loved it.


In her diary, Joice notes how the Scriptures encouraged her and she “wondered what people do in times like these without support of praying friends.

I continued to try and cook and remarked to Joice, “I really appreciate your cooking,” to which she reassured me that “It takes time to cook.” I am much too impatient! 


On October 16th, the surgeon put a new cast on Joice’s leg. Despite not sleeping well, she was healing and the two of us were finding that we enjoyed our times together in a different way. I was so glad that I could serve her!


Joice then went through several weeks of “re-hab” and after a number of weeks had the cast cut off, exclaiming “free at last!” She wrote an information letter for out mailing list called “Cast Off” and received many positive replies.


It had been a long year, with unexpected challenges but by the middle of December Joice was back at work again. God had taught us many things, and he wasn’t done yet!


Karl Franklin

Recent Posts

See All
A Dead End

(a Steve Orr Bible reflection) A dead end can be a negative or a positive, depending on your viewpoint. But when you come upon one...

 
 
 

Comments


bottom of page