I am often reminded of how fragile life is, and in these moments, I become very pensive. Like right now. My last district leader on the mission was Elder Schenk...he is one of the best missionaries I know, and it was an honor to be able to serve with him, and he became a very good friend of mine! He was scheduled to finish his mission this June, going home with the same group as President and Sister Moreira.
And in an instant, plans changed, lives changed.
Yesterday afternoon, he was going to cross a busy São Paulo street, as is not uncommon among missionaries! He was on the corner, waiting to cross, and all of a sudden, a bus came...neither he nor the bus driver saw each other, and the bus hit him. He went immediately to a hospital, but it was a hassle, and to make a really long story short, he was in critical condition, and it took about 4 hours of surgery for the doctors to figure out where to start. He suffered severe head/brain trauma, and they were afraid there would be serious brain damage involved. The Lord truly protects His missionaries, even in situations like this....the miracle is that while he is still unconscious and unable to see or hear, he did not suffer very much brain damage, and the doctors are today reconstructing his head. The rest of his body does not even have a scratch on it.
I got this news this morning and began thinking immediately about how fragile life is, how quickly it can change. Elder Schenk will finish his mission as soon as he is able to fly back to the USA, because it is unknown how long it'll take for him to recover. I keep thinking about his family....his friends here. How are they doing?? How are they taking this news? There is no answer as to "why" this had to happen to such a good kid, why he has to go through this, and there is no one to blame. This is hard on his family, both here and in Brazil, and those of us who are blessed to have him in our lives.
So if you are reading this, PLEASE keep him in your prayers...he and his family need all the help they can get right now.
And once again, I am reminded....don't take life or anyone for granted. Things change in the blink of an eye.
And in an instant, plans changed, lives changed.
Yesterday afternoon, he was going to cross a busy São Paulo street, as is not uncommon among missionaries! He was on the corner, waiting to cross, and all of a sudden, a bus came...neither he nor the bus driver saw each other, and the bus hit him. He went immediately to a hospital, but it was a hassle, and to make a really long story short, he was in critical condition, and it took about 4 hours of surgery for the doctors to figure out where to start. He suffered severe head/brain trauma, and they were afraid there would be serious brain damage involved. The Lord truly protects His missionaries, even in situations like this....the miracle is that while he is still unconscious and unable to see or hear, he did not suffer very much brain damage, and the doctors are today reconstructing his head. The rest of his body does not even have a scratch on it.
I got this news this morning and began thinking immediately about how fragile life is, how quickly it can change. Elder Schenk will finish his mission as soon as he is able to fly back to the USA, because it is unknown how long it'll take for him to recover. I keep thinking about his family....his friends here. How are they doing?? How are they taking this news? There is no answer as to "why" this had to happen to such a good kid, why he has to go through this, and there is no one to blame. This is hard on his family, both here and in Brazil, and those of us who are blessed to have him in our lives.
So if you are reading this, PLEASE keep him in your prayers...he and his family need all the help they can get right now.
And once again, I am reminded....don't take life or anyone for granted. Things change in the blink of an eye.
Thank you so much for your love and support. We were told about your blog and appreciated reading it. We have created a blog to inform people of Elder Schenk's status. Please share with anyone we may not be able to contact. Thanks again. www.elderbrittenschenk.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI am Elder Schenk's aunt. Life does take sudden turns, and we don't know why. What we do know is that God is in charge. He has already blessed our family with miracles. Britten is doing much better than expected. His surgeries have gone well. His parents are, hopefully, going to obtain the final approval for their emergency visas this morning in California and then they will be on a flight to Sao Paulo to be with Britten. The speed with which those visas are being obtained is no small miracle. We appreciate everyone's prayers in Elder Schenk's and his family's behalf. We know that God will heal him.
ReplyDeleteMelanie Clark