Good Experience and No So Good Experience

Hello Family


Well this has been an interesting week. After I wrote you Monday, that night I had a pain that kept me from sleeping; it felt like my tailbone I must have injured it or something. The following day, Tuesday, it was really hard to walk because it was hurting so bad. We went back to the house so I can use the bathroom, and there was blood. (That freaked me out a little) I checked it out and it appeared to be bleeding where my tail bone was hurting. I put some Neosporin on it and took ibuprofen to keep it from hurting. Then that night I couldn’t sleep because it was hurting so bad, but I checked it again and it was forming hard tissue. The next day (Wednesday) I tried to toughing it out until lunch time so I could use the zone leaders phone to call, Hna. Lee, the mission nurse but the zone leaders never showed up for lunch.

I asked the Family Chavez (where we eat) if I could use their phone and they said “yes” so then I tried to call Hna. Lee but their was no answer and I called three times. I tried to call Hna. Fraatz (mission presidents wife) and she didn’t pick up either after calling her three times too. I did what I could as far as missionary work. We went by all the recent convert homes and told them of the activity with Elder Clayton, President of the Seventy, for the following day. I tried to work more but the pain just didn’t let me.

I got back to our house, tried resting and eventually fell asleep. Then at 6-7 pm, we went back to Family Chavez house to eat dinner. I tried calling Hna. Lee from there home again but still no answer nor from Hna. Fraatz, so then I called up the president himself but no answer. After eating I tried one more call to Hna. Lee and she answered. She had just gotten home but left her phone in the house and was gone all day. I told her what it was that I had and she said not to worry it was just an ingrown hair or a cut that got infected and that I should take pills to take away the infection and buy some stuff that is like Neosporin, which I did, but it the pain got worse.

Thursday there was still pain but I had to wake up at 5:00am, get ready, take a shower and be at the stake center in Altagracia at 7:30am. Elder Clayton came with his wife and also with Elder Martino and his wife. I got to shake hands with each one of them starting with Elder Clayton and his wife then Elder Martino and his wife so that was really cool.

Then I sat down (which was really, really hard to do) for about 3 hours listening to these awesome talks. Elder Clayton had me stand up in front of everyone and used me as an example of how a missionary should be (I felt really good inside about that.) That was a really neat experience!

After that we got on the bus to ride home and that had to be the worst pain, bumping down the road, I was almost crying on the way back. I was sitting next to my zone leader on the way back so I explained what it was that I had and he told me that he would call Hna. Fraatz, not to worry that he would get permission so I could go to the hospital.

When we got back to our area, we were to leave again to go to another conference but this time with the recent converts and Elder Romero (zone leader) told me just to stay home, so I went on divisions and was there being watched by the family Chaves. That was the longest 4 hours waiting for my companion to get back because I was in so much pain. Well when he and the zone leaders got back to the house they ate dinner and I asked the Elder Romero what Hna. Fraatz said and he told that he still hadn’t gotten a response back.

Later we went back to our house and I tried to take the pain away by taking more ibuprofen. Well that night at around 2:45 am I woke up suffering, it hurt so bad I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t have a phone or any idea really what it was I had. I woke my comp up at 3:30 am and told him I was in a lot of pain and that I needed help. Then I said “I need to go to the hospital”. So we left the house at like 4:15am and as we were walking outside passing the zone leaders house I felt that I should tell them that we were going to the hospital and we would need to leave the area. Where they live there is a gate that you first have to enter to get in the house and there is a pit-bull that guards the house so if I were to yell to call the zone leader the dog would start barking and would wake everyone up. So I didn’t tell them.

We found a taxi and driver said that he would take us to hospital for 400 cordabas which is 10 dollars for each person (over charge). On the way we stopped to fill up on gas. When we pulled up to the hospital, my intention was not to pay the full 20.00 but to pay $15.00 but where we drove up there was no security guard on duty. If this driver was to flip out and pull out a weapon (which people here do when they don’t get their way) there would be no one to stop him. Since I was in a crap load of pain and needed help, I gave him the money.

Well long story short I got everything taken care of ( it appears I have an abscess). But later the mission calls me and tells me that I need to pay for the hospital bill or that you guys do. And I was like what?! Why?! And they told me because I didn’t ask permission first to go the hospital and I told them that I did call several times to ask permission but never got a response back. So I am trying to work that out… I just hope you don’t get a 500 dollar bill for medical. I HOPE NOT!!!

I was told the missions all the world are really tight with letting missionaries go to the hospital because so many missionaries are taking advantage the medical to get braces or unnecessary things. Next time I get sick I am going to have to wait for 3-4 days until I can even get a response back from the area doctor who lives in the States! I am kind of scared for that because I don’t want you guys to have to pay the bill… that is super unfair. Please talk with the mission and tell them what I told you, how I was trying everything I could to get permission and hopefully they don’t send you the hospital bill.

I love you all,

Elder Buck