We woke up to a drizzly Saturday morning and after enjoying some biscuits and gravy for breakfast we checked email about 10am on the HF radio. As we were reading e-mails the house started shaking from an earthquake somewhere else in PNG. Little did we know our lives were about to get shaken up as well.
One of the e-mails we got was from Simon’s dorm dad informing us of the following: Simon had broken his leg last night when he and some of his friends were “mud surfing” in the rain on a very muddy soccer field. He was running and getting ready to slide when his left foot snagged causing it to bend under and he and a couple other kids around him heard it snap like a branch. His dorm dad came and got him with a four-wheel ATV and took him over to the clinic to see our mission doctor. He was not in a lot of pain until the doctor started moving it around and checking it over and finally put a temporary cast on. Then it really started hurting and he was given an injection for the pain. Back at his dorm he slept in a recliner all night with his foot propped up, and had to take some more strong pain medicine during the night. This morning his dorm dad drove him into town to the hospital to have X-rays taken.
Meanwhile out in the tribe we were just reading the e-mail about all that was happening and found out they had been trying to find a way to contact us to let us know a plane was on the way to get us. So we dropped everything and packed our bags in a hurry and finished just before the plane arrived to bring us to town. The weather was pretty bad but opened up just enough for the plane to make it out to our tribe. We needed to be out here just in case Simon needed to go to Australia. (Bad breaks usually need referred to Australia.)
But after we arrived we heard that the doctor had been able to examine the X-rays and said it was not as bad as he had originally thought. There are two breaks, one on each bone, about 10 cm above the ankle but the alignment is good. The doctor doesn’t think a trip to Australia will be necessary. So we will be staying here at the mission school with Simon and Rachel for at least a few days until Simon gets his leg bones set and a new cast put on. Since we don’t have a car we really thought we should stay right at the mission school and they had a bit of a time trying to find us somewhere to stay here because it’s a busy time here and the guest house was full. But, thankfully, they were able to work it out so we could be near the kid’s dorm, the doctor and the school.
We would really appreciate your prayers for Simon that his leg would heal quickly without any complications and that the Lord would be using this in his life to draw him closer to Himself. It’s not going to be easy for him to get around and he is really going to miss his active life for awhile. Thankfully his dorm is right by the school though, so he won’t have to walk far.
Thanks so much for praying! We really appreciate it.
Love in Him,
David and Shari