Signing Off . . .

So sorry that we haven't posted anything for a while on the blog.  We think enough time has passed with Taylor's recovery that we want to close out his missionary blog.  I have many mixed feelings about this. I have really enjoyed helping to create this record for him of his wonderful service to the Lord.  Thank you all for reading, and especially thank you for your love and concern when we needed it the most.  I firmly believe that your prayers from around the world helped so much in his recovery.  We know how blessed we have been, because we have seen what can happen with the kind of injury he received.  I see the Lord's hand in my life constantly.  I will now have Taylor close out the blog with his testimony. -- Chrissie McBride

Sorry everyone, that it has been so long since a post has been put up!  I guess I'm not quite the blogger my mother is . . . A lot has happened since the last post, and it is hard for me to even believe that I am where I am now.  I am working full-time at a job making plastic parts and am saving up to start school in January.  I can now drive, play sports (excluding football, boxing, and rugby), and do pretty much whatever my little heart desired - as long as I make sure that my head is protected.  "Oh be wise my sons, what can I say more?"

Life can be hard.  At a baptism of a new convert that I attended on Saturday, my Stake President gave a great little talk on the wise and foolish men who built their houses on different foundations.  He said that the rain fell on both of the men - the difference was that one was prepared.  All of us will at some point or other have a little bit of a downpour on our lives.  Just because we have chosen the right leading up to it, does not mean that we will not have that test or trial.  I had a little mini-hurricane pass through my life lately, but all that is left now, is a light drizzle and an emerging rainbow.  I testify to all of those who listen, that the Lord loves us, and everything that happens is for our profit and learning.  I know that the Lord Jesus Christ lives and that no matter what trial or tribulation we are passing through, he has felt it and knows how to succor us.  Not many people know what it is like to suffer a severe traumatic brain injury and a broken skull - but He does.  He has helped me through this hard time and I can never repay Him for it.  I can try to live the way that He taught me to live while serving my mission in the Dominican Republic.  Thank you ALL for your prayers and your concern.  Your charity continually amazes me.  "God be with you 'til we meet again." -- Taylor McBride

 The happy family minus Emily :(

Here she is . . . with Taylor!  Now, if we could just all get together for a family picture!

A Lot Can Happen in Two Weeks!

Well...a lot has happened since I wrote last.  So, I will update to the best of my ability!

FAMILY
We got permission from the doctors to go and spend some time in California as a family - with certain restrictions!  Our daughter Emily was able to drive over from Utah to be with us also.  It was a great way to spend our first time together as a complete family in 2 years!

MEDICAL

On Tuesday, July 12th, we visited the B.R.A.I.N.S. Clinic that is run by Barrows in Phoenix.  We had waited a month for this appointment, so we were anxious to see what it was like and what they would say.  We saw Dr. Cardenas and he was great!  He had studied Taylor's case thoroughly before we came and he spent a LOT of time with us.  He didn't want us to feel rushed at all and wanted to answer all of our questions.  First he talked to Taylor for awhile, examining him all the while, then he took us to the computer and showed us all of Taylor's scans and pointed everything out.  One thing that we hadn't realized earlier was that he also had bleeding in another place higher and deeper in his brain.  Scary.  He gave Taylor the ok to up his physical activity!  Taylor was really excited about that one.  He gave him a schedule of what he could do and what signs to watch for.  If he has problems, then he backs down and then tries again later.  He gave the thumbs down on getting a job.  Taylor was disappointed about that.  He also told him he should never again play or involve himself in any high impact sports.  That is difficult for a very active young man.  The thing we were all most excited about is that we don't have to supervise his every move anymore!  We have another appointment on August 1st, to do more testing and we will see Dr. Cardenas again then.

On Thursday, July 14th, we spent the whole day in Phoenix.  Taylor got another MRI (first one in a month) and then we saw our Neurosurgeon, Dr. Kakarla again.  We got to look at this new MRI and see the improvements that Taylor has made since he came home from the hospital.  The swelling had gone down quite a bit (although there was still some there).  We could see where the bleeding was in the brain and we could also see that the vein is still partially blocked - so only some of it was from the swelling.  The rest of it is because the bone is pushing on it.  The thing that made me happiest was seeing that his cerebellum looked more like it should look, instead of misshapen and swirled looking.  We were thrilled to hear that Dr. Kakarla thought it was time to turn Taylor's case over to Dr. Cardenas (the one we saw on Tuesday).  He said that the B.R.A.I.N.S. Clinic will be his long-term care.

All doctors involved in Taylor's care show amazement that he is doing so well.  We are all very pleased with his progress and know that we owe it all to the Lord.

SPIRITUAL
Taylor was able to report his mission finally!  On Sunday, July 17th, he gave a wonderful talk on sacrifice.  I had secretly worried a lot about the stress this might put on him.  I worried for nothing!  He was so calm and prepared.  He has such a wonderful gentle spirit about him.  Brad and I couldn't have been happier or more proud of him!

MORE SPIRITUAL!
We had the privilege of having a visit from a general Authority!  Elder Wilford W. Andersen is the area authority over the Dominican Republic.  He happens to be from Mesa, AZ and was in town for his own son's missionary homecoming.  On Wednesday night, Elder Andersen and President Barker (our Stake President) came over to visit with Taylor and we got to be involved.  It was a great visit and we could feel such a wonderful spirit.  We were told that the people in the Dominican Republic are stll praying for Taylor and he is also on the temple roll there.  Elder Andersen gave Taylor a beautiful blessing, which was also filled with wise advice.  It was a wonderful night.  Thank you so much Elder Andersen and President Barker for sharing your time.  It really means a lot to us.

Brad and I have talked a lot about what has happened and what we all can learn from this event we are all experiencing in our lives.  We hope that we can be sensitive enough to the Spirit to learn things about ourselves, our family and the gospel.  One thing we have agreed whole-heartedly on:  the silver lining in this whole ordeal is that so far, we have been blessed with 6 weeks of time (LOTS of time) with our returned missionary.  I have heard that many parents are sad and frustrated when their missionary comes home, because they are never home!  They are grown-ups.  They are out with friends, working, going to school, or even moving away from home quickly to get to school.  We have been privileged to spend so much quality time with Taylor and it has been so wonderful!  We were worried that he would struggle emotionally with the whole thing more than he has.  Instead, we have been blessed with a son who has grown up.  He is very level headed.  He is pleasant to be around and has the sweetest spirit about him.  He is so gentle and kind and Christ-like.  We have MUCH to be grateful for.  :)

Chrissie

Homecoming Talk

Taylor will finally be giving his homecoming talk in church this coming Sunday.  It will be July 17th at 8:00 a.m.  If any of you locals would like to attend, our building is in Gilbert on Guadalupe - just East of Higley.  July is the time when most people I know try to get out of the heat and take a vacation.  All of my side of the family will be gone except for my Mom - so we understand if you can't make it.

On another note - Taylor was able to report to the High Council yesterday and did a great job.  We have 2 important appointments this week that we are really looking forward to.  One is with the "B.R.A.I.N.S." Clinic that is run by Barrow's and on Thursday, he is getting another MRI and we are seeing the Neurosurgeon afterwards.  We are looking forward to seeing if there have been any changes and if any of the restrictions can be lifted.  So...cross your fingers and keep Taylor in your prayers.

We will keep you posted :)

Chrissie

X-Rays & Stuff

Brad here.  Just a quick update and some cool pictures. (I think they are cool - I purposely didn't ask Chrissie)

Taylor is doing well. He is increasingly active, increasingly steady, and increasingly bored. He still has to keep things calm - next checkup is in mid-July.

Taylor finally got his luggage and belongings from the DR. Our thanks to Elder Hunter for dragging all of it with him when he came home this week.

The pics:  These are pictures of the x-rays, so you can see where the actually skull fracture is. They ae CT scans - each photo represents a different "layer" of his head.

Normal Life? ... Not!

i

Sorry we haven't given any updates since Taylor came home. We know that an astonishing number of you have been following Taylor's mis-adventure and recovery. We are grateful for your concern.

Yesterday was another big day - he got his stitches out. The doctor commented that you can tell that they love baseball in the DR, because the stitch they used looks just like the stitching on a baseball!

Those of you who have come by to visit Taylor can attest to the fact that he is doing well. That big ol' Taylor smile is still there, with the sparkle in his eye. He enjoys having people over to talk with him. I imagine most everyone that visits leaves with the impression that he is just about better.  He really is doing well... 

But it you watch closely, you see the small stumbles while he is walking, the hesitancy of his speech, the need to steady a little sway with a cane. We are confident that these things will gradually improve. Right now it is difficult because Taylor feels like he is well enough to resume his life. Taylor is definitely NOT a couch-potato. Sitting around "taking it easy" is driving him nuts. So we are constantly reminding him to be patient, because this is going to take some time.

We received some reinforcement from the doctor today. When Taylor asked when he can start exercising, or lifting weights, or swimming, the doctor just shook his head and said "you need to take it easy until I see you again in four weeks with another MRI - and then we will see how things are going." "Taking it easy" is not one of Taylor's strong suits. He asked the doctor what he can do and the doc said, "Lay around and watch TV".  Four weeks from now, he may get some more freedom, or not. - but it is something to look forward to. The visit did reaffirm that there was really no chance that he would return to the mission field.

It is going to be a long four weeks!  So, for now, the extent of his exercise program will be walking. Just walking. He will get a PT/OT evaluation and treatment at something called the "B.R.A.I.N.S. Clinic" that is sponsored by Barrows.  That will help strengthen some of the areas that are needing help.

Don't be surprised if you see him at church, or at the store, or at the movies. He is bursting with energy and the desire to do something - even if he has a headache!  But, if you see him driving one of my cars, he is is so busted!!

Again, Taylor loves to be visited - a visit now would mean much more than when he was high on morphine!  He is also worried about losing his Spanish - so if anyone wants to brush up on theirs, you have a willing victim. Just call first. His cell number is 480-729-2201.

We love and appreciate all of you,

Brad & Chrissie...and Taylor!

Taylor Comes Home

 This is it. THE GATE. The gate that fell on Taylor's head.

BIG NEWS!! Taylor was discharged from the ICU and sent home this afternoon. We were very surprised and happy. We were originally told that he would go to a different room and then when he was discharged, he would go to a rehab center.  He has done so well and has been recovering so fast, that the doctors felt he could come home - skipping the rehab center!!!  But, this just marks the beginning of another chapter.

Chrissie asked the doctor if this meant that Taylor was "out of danger". The doctor actually laughed. He made it very clear that there was a long recovery ahead. Taylor will need months for bones and brain to heal, and even longer for everything to get back to functioning the way it needs to. There will be plenty of doctor visits, therapy sessions, MRIs etc. In fact, he has been instructed that he can't drive for three months. He went through an extensive battery of physical, cognitive and speech tests today. They are working hard to find out what is missing and needs to be addressed in his recovery.  We want to stress though that he is still the old Taylor we know and love.  His personality and other things haven't changed.  Just a few motor skill issues that will be taken care of over time and he will eventually be good as new!  


So many doctors have stressed that they can't believe how well he is doing.  Obviously they don't understand the power of the priesthood and the power of prayer.  There have been so many little miracles along the way and we feel so blessed and grateful that Heavenly Father has had His hand in our lives.  We have had several human "angels" along the way.  The lady in the Dominican Republic who stopped and drove him to the hospital, Elder Allen with his EMT training, all the Elders who helped take care of him, President and Sister Antivilo, the doctor who got him home, so many family members and friends that have done countless wonderful things to help us on the way.  I'm sorry I can't mention everyone.  I do have to mention a certain doctor who was working triage at the ER.  We mentioned Dr. Bishop before - but he also came out of his way yesterday up to the ICU to check on Taylor.  We are very thankful for the part he played in all of this.

We checked him out of the hospital, and on the way home he felt compelled to get his hair buzzed off. So we stopped by Great Clips and had it done. I tipped the poor lady quite well. She deserved it.

He got home and has had some great friends and relatives come to visit. And Panda Express.

So, the Elder McBride era is now over, and Taylor McBride is getting ready to get back at it. It is wonderful having him back home with his brothers. (and Murphy).  He got a lot of wonderful supportive emails from a lot of the Elders back in the Dominican Republic.  Thank you so much Elders!

Again, we can't thank you enough for all of your love, prayers and faith. The Lord has been involved in preserving Taylor's life, and speeding his recovery. We will let you know when he is asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting.

Love,

Brad & Chrissie

(Taylor's proud, happy and very, very tired parents.)

Mission Accomplished!

We proudly announce that Elder Taylor McBride has faithfully completed his missionary service and has been released by his Stake President. We are so proud of him and the mission that he served. While there is a bittersweet element to the way his mission was cut short, we are celebrating his success and dedication.

A dear friend of ours told us he looks at Taylor's return much as when a wounded soldier comes home from war. They are celebrated as heroes, given a Purple Heart, and discharged honorably. We feel the same way about Taylor. We know he served with all his heart, might, mind, and strength.

This afternoon he had the opportunity to visit on the phone with his Mission President, who thanked him for his hard work and dedication. Taylor's main concern was that someone should take care of the baptismal dates he had set up for the rest of the month.

Chrissie, and I were privileged to participate with Taylor and President Barker in a bedside mission report and testimony meeting yesterday afternoon. It was a sweet experience to hear Taylor's thoughts on his service, and his witness of the truthfulness of the Gospel. After we closed, President Barker told Taylor that he felt prompted to release Taylor from missionary service, and to begin looking forward to the next phase of his life.

Taylor does feel much sadness that he was unable to finish the way he had planned, and to say goodbye to the people he had served and loved. He left in such a hurry, all he brought home was a backpack with a few of his personal belongings.

We don't really know at this time what the recovery will be like. How long, how difficult, how restrictive. Eventually those things will be determined. Until then, we ask for your continued prayers and faith on Taylor's behalf. We know that through the power of the priesthood, and the prayers and faith of our friends and loved ones, miracles have already occurred. We have hope and great faith that Taylor will make a complete recovery. In fact, we expect it.

Taylor is happy to have visitors. He is still in the ICU, so please call first: Brad 602-418-3135, Chrissie 480-235-5325. (He would still love to get letters - 2869 E. Page Ct., Gilbert, AZ 85234 - or emails to taylormcbride18@gmail.com)

We are proud of our son, and are glad to have him back from the Lord's errand.

Inside Taylor's Head

We are finally understanding what is going on inside Taylor's head, and I wanted to take a minute to try and describe it as simply as I can.

If you look at the picture above, you will notice there are two different sets of stitches. The top set are from when his head hit the curb. The bottom set is from when the gate hit his head, and is the one we are worried about. It is right above the cerebellum. The cerebellum is Latin for the "mini-brain". It controls voluntary movement and balance, among other things.

(The red part is the cerebellum)

You might not be able to tell, but the lower injury is right on top of the cerebellum. When the gate hit his head, it caused two bad things to happen:

1) The skull was fractured and pushed down against the cerebellum.

2) The brain was injured resulting in swelling.

These two things combined are putting pressure on a vein that runs directly under the fracture. That vein's job is to take blood out of the brain, back into the body. The pressure is causing the vein to be partially "occluded" or pinched off. The vein was also cut a little bit, resulting in some bleeding.

So, the doctors are watching to see if the swelling of the cerebellum will go down to let that vein flow more freely.  If the swelling should get worse, then they would operate to relieve the pressure. This, however, is something they don't want to do, because it is delicate and risky.

Our hope is that the swelling quickly goes down, and the vein can flow freely. So, Taylor will be in the ICU for a few days so they can monitor him.

Waiting...waiting...

Sorry there hasn't been any new news posted - but there really hasn't been much news.

Elder McBride is doing well. He is awake more and communicating just fine. They have been running a lot of tests - MRI, EEG, etc. (The picture above is the EEG checking his brain function - happily they found one) He is getting to be an expert on touching his finger to his nose. Right now the main concern is whether or not the swelling in the cerebellum is going to get worse, or better. If it gets worse, all of the surgery-type options come back into play. We are getting closer to the end of the "window" where the swelling usually gets bad, so that's a plus.

Last night he ate his first solid food since he threw up on Monday: Mashed potatoes, mac n' cheese, and lemon jello.

He is still in the ICU, with no talk of moving him for now. But, he is up taking a walk with the nurse right this very moment. Last night his siblings came in and visited (Less Alex who will be here tomorrow), and he was very responsive and enjoyed it. He even had permission from the Stake President to watch the Maverick/Heat game. He is still a missionary, after all.

Today we should learn more about what is coming up, and I will pass the information on to you.

Beginning to get some answers:

We just met with the neurosurgeon. One of the top men in the world. He has decided to do nothing. He feels that there is more risk of going in and rearranging the bones than in letting them heal themselves. Apparently the depressed fracture is very close to a delicate area that could cause much bigger problems if they went in. Apparently there are some major blood vessels in the area near the fracture and he could bleed to death. So - it is better to leave it alone and let it heal.

The neurologist is pleased with Taylor's motor skills, memory, and brain function, so that part is working well.

The brain did suffer significant trauma (bruising) and it is going to take some time to recover. He will be on anti-seizure medicine for a few months, and he will need to take it easy and be really careful for the rest of the year. A lot of rest. No sports, running, basketball, snowboarding, and most importantly, no going back to the DR to finish the mission. And that is the saddest part of all.

Taylor has only three months left, and wanted to finish strong. Not only will he not be able to do that, his departure was so abrupt that there were no good byes, and plenty of unfinished business. It is really sad for him.

Thankfully, the good news is that the doctor expects him to make a complete recovery. But Taylor will have to be patient, because it will take a while.

For now, it looks like he will be spending a few more days in ICU as they watch for complications that would require more drastic procedures. After that, it will be home to rest.

It seems that in a wide range of terrible outcomes, Taylor has managed to "thread the needle" and find the solitary option that will help him recover and return to normal the fastest and safest. We recognize how blessed he is, and recognize the Lord's hand throughout this process.

We love Taylor and feel for him. We are so proud of him and the wonderful mission that he served. We have no doubt in our minds that his offering is acceptable to the Lord.  He still needs your prayers.

(Thursday, 10:30am)

The Unexpected Homecoming

Elder McBride arrived in Phoenix Wednesday night after a long day of travel. We were so glad to get him home. He was accompanied by a guardian angel disguised as a senior missionary named Elder Kilgore. He is the doctor that serves as the area medical advisor for the Church in the Caribbean. Taylor was tired, but able to talk and visit with us. His speech is good, he is sharp, but a little groggy.

We immediately took Taylor to St. Joesph's Hospital, home of Barrow's Neurological Institute and went through the normal intake procedure. We met with the ER physician, who looked at Taylor's MRI and immediately bumped his case to highest "Red" priority. (The doctor was incredibly helpful - an LDS man named Dr. Bishop - I know, but I'm too tired to make the joke)

In less than 2 hours Taylor had flown through ER, labs, radiology and was in his room in the ICU. The haste did add to our stress. We met with a couple of doctors so far, but are waiting to meet with the main neuro guys later this morning. Chrissie and I spent the night here with him.

So far, it is our understanding that the skull fracture is "significant" or "large", depending on the doctor. It is also quite low on the back of his head. Because of this, the depressed part of the skull is pushing on his cerebellum, which is a part of the brain that influences balance and coordination. There is some internal bleeding and swelling.

One of the neurologists expressed his surprise that Taylor was able to communicate so well and had good motor skills for someone with this type of injury. Apparently the doctor is not familiar with the power of the priesthood and the prayers of hundreds of faithful saints.

It is obvious that the right decision was made to bring him here, and we are grateful for the missionary department for getting him home to us.

We will know more about what the doctors' plan of attack is later this morning. Surgery is almost guaranteed, but we know very little a this point as to what that entails. Will post later today.

The good news: He is home, he is still Taylor, and the Lord is heavily involved.

(Thursday, 5:30am)

Latest on Taylor's Accident

Spoke with Taylor again this morning. He is on his way to the airport. This time he isn't wearing pajamas, and has a doctor with him. He should be good to go. He reports feeling about the same, still having nausea and some vomiting - the car ride isn't helping. He suggested we not have any big meal planned for him because he isn't eating yet - I told him not to worry - we are just taking him straight to the hospital, and he said "Good."  :(

So, he is scheduled to be back in Phoenix tonight, and we should have some better information by this time tomorrow.
(Wednesday 7:00am)
 

 ---

It looks like it will now be Wednesday before Taylor gets home...

Taylor is scheduled to fly out tomorrow morning and arrive tomorrow night. This time he will be accompanied by a wonderful doctor who is serving as the church medical coordinator for the Caribbean - so they'll let him on the plane. Both Chrissie and I got to talk to Taylor for a few minutes. He sounded tired, but coherent, and was able to communicate fine. He had just gotten back to the hospital after the airport fiasco. It was reassuring to hear him. His biggest worry was whether or not he will be able to return to the DR.

I did have a chance to learn more about what could be happening with the injury. Anytime there is a skull fracture with an open wound, it justifies a surgery to go in and make sure there isn't anything that is going to cause infection. Also, the doctors will need to take a look at the dent in the back of his head and decide if they will need to try and lift the bone back to where it should be. (Steve, feel free to edit here)

We are overwhelmed by the outreach and support we have received today. We truly feel loved, and know that Taylor is loved too. Thanks for the texts, emails, FB posts, visits and phone calls. We appreciate every one of them. Please don't feel like you need to leave us alone - you don't. We want you all "in the loop". And your cookies.

Love,

The McBrides

 (Tuesday 7:00pm)

---

Change of plans...

Turns out the airline would not let Taylor board without specific documentation, or the right kind of medical supervision. He will have both tomorrow, and they will try again. So, for now, it is back to the hospital.  We will probably get to talk to him today, and will update accordingly. (Tuesday, 12:15pm)

Taylor is on his way home.  Turns out that his skull was fractured after all. He had a rough night with pain and vomiting, so they re-scanned him this morning and found a compression fracture. I was able to speak to the neurosurgeon, his Mission President, and the medical advisors in SLC, and they all agreed that it would be better for Taylor to be treated here in the States, rather than in the DR.

A few technical points:

-There is no bleeding inside his head.

-The surgery will be to lift the compressed bone back into place.

-The doctor (in the DR) doesn't think it will be too complicated of a procedure.

-They also want to make sure everything is in the right place, and is clean and won't get infected.

He is flying home commercial, which is a good sign, and will arrive late tonight and go straight to Barrows Hospital in Phoenix. (Which isn't nearly as good as Barro's Pizza)

We will let you know more information as we have it.  The doctors, the Church and all of you have been wonderful and supportive. We appreciate all of you.  Please keep Taylor in your prayers.  The hope is that he can quickly return to the mission field and finish out his service.

He does NOT want to come home.

We Need Your PRAYERS for Elder McBride

Dear Friends and Family,


I was waiting and wondering this afternoon why I hadn't heard from my boy yet, when I got a call from the mission president's wife.  She said that Taylor had been in an accident.  She said that he and some other missionaries were going to the church to play basketball. Taylor opened a huge sliding metal gate and it broke and fell on his head.  The gate knocked him to the ground where he hit his head again on the curb.  Thankfully, one of the missionaries that was with him was a trained EMT.  They gave him a blessing and he cared for him and called an ambulance.  Eventually, a lady stopped and asked if she could give him a ride to the hospital.  When they told her they were waiting for an ambulance, she told them that it could take hours.  So, they loaded up in the car and went to the hospital.  The lady even gave him some brand new pajamas that she had just bought for her son because his clothes were bloody.  What an angel.  I am very thankful for her.  


The Antivilo's met them there and have been very involved in his care.  He has a neurosurgeon that was trained in Puerto Rico and then the church has a doctor there that they are consulting with also.  He has 20 something stitches on his head and they x-rayed him and gave him a CT scan.  He was very confused and has a concussion and so they are keeping him overnight in the hospital.  The missionary that is a EMT is also staying with him tonight.


It has been a very trying and emotional afternoon and evening.  Here is a first-hand account from one of the missionaries that was there  I hope he doesn't mind.  It was very disturbing for me to read, but it really tells what happened:


"still pouring rain bye the way and we were soaked. elder mcbride opened up the huge wrought iron gate to the church that slides open. he opened it enough to walk in and went in and then the support pole for the gate broke and the entire gate fell on him. the gate hit him in the back of the head and then he turned sideways and fell over backward and hit his head on the curb as well. so he started having convulsions and bleeding from his head, apart from my comp and i and him and his comp there was one other companionship there. by now there was a huge crowd of people around not doing anything. elder lesuier and i got our shirts off and held them to the back of his head to stop the bleeding, and then i had mcbride´s comp elder sena hold my shirt so that i could give him a blessing. here they have no ambulances so people were coming on motors to try to take him and we kept saying no cause we all had to stay together and were all trippin out cause emergencies are handled a lot differently here. an suv stopped with two ladies in it and we got him loaded in the car and tried to grab all of our stuff and left. 2 of our 3 phones didnt work cause they were now wet but we finally got a hold of the mission president to tell him what was going on. we got him to the hospital and they brought out a gernie and started doing their thing. basically things are a lot different here than what i am used to in the states so im glad that everything turned out alright. they got him stitched up and he is going to stay in the hospital overnight so that they can keep an eye on him to make sure that he is okay."


I just got another phone call from sweet Sister Antivilo.  She said that Taylor's companion called tonight and said that he was worse and he was throwing up.  They went over to see him and then talked to both doctors again.  They both reassured her that he was okay and that it was normal for what he was going through.  They thought about letting him call me, but he was pretty out of it and medicated and falling asleep.  She is very confident that he is being properly taken care of and will call if anything goes wrong.


Please keep Taylor in your prayers everybody.  He could use a letter from anyone who can write also - to help keep his spirits up.  We love him so much and pray that he will recover quickly.  I will keep you updated.


Chrissie

I'm in a WARD!!!

Dear Family,

A new transfer!  Time just keeps flying by!  Where to start . . . my new companion is Elder Sena and he is super cool!  He has about six months in the mission, but he has had his entire life in the church!!  He is the first Dominican missionary that I have met to have been born in the church.  He is from the northern part of the island called Puerto Plata (Silver Port) - which after Bavaro is supposed to be the number two tourist spot in the country.  He only has six months in the mission, but because he is Dominican and has no problems with the language, he is really capable and a great teacher!  All of my junior companions have been awesome missionaries and I have loved all of them, but because Elder Sena is from here - he is really advanced and I feel like I can take a breath and let him take over sometimes.  He understands the importance for us to be really obedient and we are going to have a great transfer here!  This transfer is actually only going to be five weeks instead of six because President Antivilo is going home.

Finally in a Ward!  I didn't even fully realize what I was missing out on always being in branches for my whole mission.  The ward is amazing!  There were almost 100 people in sacrament meeting and we have a huge air conditioned chapel, which made church really enjoyable for our investigators!  The missionaries when I got here were teaching over ten families, which is super good, but they are all kin of frozen right now, due to lack of money or lack of birth certificates and stuff like that to get them married.  A few of them are really there and want it bad.

When I got here we didn't have any baptismal dates put with anyone, but yesterday we had three new people come to church with whom we can put some baptismal goals and hopefully this month we will have at least three baptisms!

Speaking of baptisms, Tania and her three kids were baptized this past Saturday!  Elder Miller called me and told me that it all went super well and that President Antivilo and his family even went!  I was pretty jealous that I couldn't be there, but it is ok, just know that they took that step is awesome!

Dang - Alex is looking so old!  I can't believe he is graduated and gone!  Has he called you yet to tell you how it has gone so far?  Is he selling a lot and is the area very dangerous?  Oh, that reminds me...Los Mameyes is about 20 minutes from Villa Juana and is still in the Capitol.  But, it is more of a neighborhood (suburb) kind of place rather than downtown Capitol.  Think Manhattan to the Bronx, or downtown Phoenix to Tempe or something.

Tell Dan and Fonzie congrats on finishing the school year for me!  I love you so much and thanks for the pics.  Until next week . . .

Love, Elder McBride

Bittersweet Transfer

Hey Pops!

After 6 months here in Villa Juana, I am getting the boot.  My feelings are really pretty mixed right now, so I am not quite sure what to say . . . I will start with the facts.  I will be going to a new area called Los Mameyes in the next zone over - not too far from here.  It is in the city, but right on the coastline, so it will be fun to see the ocean everyday like I used to in Valiente and sometimes in Bavaro!  My companion is going to be Elder Cena, a relatively new Dominican missionary who I don't know.  I have only heard really good things about him and so I am excited!  I haven't had a Dominican companion in almost a year and a half.  He didn't want to speak Spanish with me, so it will be an awesome experience living in Spanish for the first time.  I was with Elder Valdez (from Mexico) for a transfer and a half - but the whole time, I lived in a house with other Americans.  So, I am now going to get the full taste of "living in Spanish"!  My Spanish is solid, but it will be nice to get a little time to perfect it even more.  Los Mameyes is a Ward!  It will be the first ward of my mission!  I am kind of bummed to not be able to have the title of the "only missionary to never have a ward" - but I am really excited to see how organized it will be and how many members we will have.  Los Mameyes is the area that Elder Miller, my current companion, was in before he came over here.  He has been telling me a lot about the area and how it is going to be, so I am super excited!

As for leaving Villa Juana . . . I am going to MISS it!  It has been a really challenging area, but I have gotten closer with my baptisms and with the members here more than any of my past areas!  Even worse, is that I am going to miss the baptism of Tania and her kids!  They were interviewed this week and all are really, really excited to get baptized this Saturday!  When I told them that I was going, they got really sad - but we took some pictures with them and I will write a letter soon with their pics attached and ask them how the baptism went.  Their whole conversion experience was such a miracle that I don't think I will ever forget it!  Elder Miller is staying here in the area and getting another missionary that is one group after me.  I am confident that he will see the baptism through.

Oh!  I almost forgot!  Elder Despain called me last night and told me that he got called to go serve in Aruba!  He was soooooo excited and I am really happy for him.  He is such a solid, obedient, hard-working Elder - so he deserves all of the air-conditioning and Toyota Camry's that the missionaries get over there! ;)  I remember one time when Brother Morris was talking in a Young Men's meeting and he said, "One day, all of the mission presidents are going to be excited to have a missionary from Gilbert - because he'll know that he will be getting and obedient, hard worker."  Well, that totally came true, because all the missionaries here that are from the Gilbert area are really solid missionaries.

So this last Saturday, there were a bunch of Dominican's running around, telling us that the world was gonna end at 6:00 that night . . . it was even on billboards around the city and stuff - but so far we are all still alive!  Did you hear anything about that over there in the States, or is it just something unique to my little island over here?

These are the last 5 weeks of President Antivilo's mission!  The new president should be coming over here any week now and start running the show.  It will be really interesting to see what kind of changes he will implement.  I love President Antivilo and I am going to be really sad to see him go.  I am almost done - why can't he just extend 3 months?! Haha - just kidding . . . 3 years is long enough.  The new president should be really cool and it will be fun trying to get used to a Puerto Rican accent!

I am glad to hear that Stake Conference at home went well.  If the stake is so big, they why don't they split it?  I am also really jealous that I can't write anything on one of those rocks and throw it in the foundation of the new temple.

Tell Alex good luck and congrats and I hope that you all don't melt at his graduation!

Love, Elder McBride