August 27, 2013 changed our mission and our lives. Wayne and I had gone to the visa office to drop off paperwork early in the morning. Mid-morning I discovered that the tracking number on the receipt had been transposed, so I needed to go back and have them fix it. Otherwise the visa would be lost forever. Wayne was busy and Sister Day volunteered to go with me. We had a fun afternoon, visiting the Chinese Handicrafts Museum. I bought some things. As we approached the bus to go back to the office, we had to hurry to catch it. Busses don't wait for you. Sister Day got on, I grabbed a rail and my feet tripped on the stairs. I fell sideways into the door, breaking my right arm in three places and smashing my right foot against the step, breaking it also. She managed to get me onto the bus, although I kept feeling faint. We got off at our stop and I hobbled across the street (busses have their stop in the middle of the street) and sat down on a flower planter. I told Sister Day that I couldn't walk the five blocks back to the office and that we needed a taxi. There were three in the lane waiting for the light to change. The first two wouldn't talk to her. They kept their windows rolled up. The third agreed to take us the short to the office. She helped me get upstairs. Fortunately there is an elevator in the office building.
Wayne was horrified when he saw me. He and Elder Timothy gave me a Priesthood Blessing and then Wayne, Sister Day and I went to the Emergency room at the New Taiwan University Hospital. Sister Day went with us because she had been there before and knew where to go and which line to get in to. They didn't make me wait long. They took xrays and the doctor recommended surgery. I got a prescription for pain pills and we went home. When we arrived, it was pouring down rain. We had to climb to the fourth floor and I had a broken foot. I sat on the bottom step and looked at Wayne and said, "Now what do we do?" He said, "It's time for a prayer." He told Heavenly Father that we had to get up the stairs because there was no other place for us to go. When he ended the prayer, I said "I don't care how much it hurts, I'm going to ignore the pain and get up the stairs." I stood up and began and went right up the stairs as if there was nothing wrong with me. It was if I was as light as a feather. We think the Lord blessed us with a miracle.
Once in the apartment, I stayed there until we had plane tickets home. It was about 6 days. Sister Day had the hospital send the xrays to the Area Mission Doctor in Hong Kong. We were amazed to find out he was and orthopedic surgeon. (Our mission doctor in Nauvoo was an obstetrician.) He said I had a really bad break and needed to go home for surgery. If I stayed in Taiwan, I would be no good to anyone for 6 months.
The church booked us on Eva Air because they have a direct flight from Taipei to San Francisco. Wayne upgraded our tickets to first class. Our seats folded out into flat beds and we slept most of the way home.
Mark picked us up at the airport and took us straight to the emergency room at John Muir. I had more xrays and began getting a doctor lined up. Surgery was on Sept. 6.
We have been reassigned to the Colorado Denver North Mission.
