update

Ray's arm is pretty-well healed now. He will have a fairly nice scar, I think. Matthew says that girls "dig scars". Oka-a-ay. His hand function has improved a little bit but has regressed from the progress shortly after surgery. The muscle is weak and has atrophied some. The doctor said it could take months for the nerve to regenerate, so we have to be patient. Thank you for all of your prayers! Your love and faith were felt and very much appreciated!

Ray's big owie! (You may not want to look at this if you have a squeamish stomach!) NOT KIDDING!

About three months ago, Ray woke up with numb fingers and difficulty using his left hand. We thought maybe he had slept on it wrong and hoped it would work itself out, but it didn't. A few days later, we went to have it checked out at a local hospital. They performed an MRI to verify Ray hadn't had a stroke, then a few weeks later they did a nerve function test on his arm. (Ray said it was incredibly painful, and it wasn't much fun to watch either.) The diagnosis was an impinged nerve below his elbow which prevented normal function of his hand. The doctors recommended that he not wait until returning home to the United States to have it treated because it could cause more damage to the nerve and chance of recovery would be decreased.

A very good doctor at an exclusive hospital in Bangkok was recommended. Ray contacted him and asked if he determined that surgery was necessary, would it be possible to perform it in just a day or day after our initial appointment so we didn't have to make another trip. (Udon is about 350 mile from Bangkok.) He said that could be arranged. We saw him on Saturday, July 5th, Ray had an MRI (showed that the muscle was already beginning to atrophy), saw two other doctors and had other tests on Monday the 7th, and had surgery on Tuesday the 8th. Pretty quick service.

Ray with Dr. Suriya--an excellent doctor with a great reputation.

NOW here comes the close-your-eyes-if-you-have-a-squeamish-stomach part! We've never seen an arm in quite this way before, have you?

 And here's his arm all stitched neatly closed. MUCH better!

 He spent until the morning of the 10th in the hospital, and we flew back to Udon in the early afternoon. We were so happy to get back to our comfortable home and start working again!

That night we enjoyed going to the Book of Mormon study class with about 15 in attendance (not counting the missionaries). It was great!

Ray is using a sling to help support his arm and to keep the fingers from swelling, and he props his arm up on a pillow at night when he sleeps. He says it doesn't hurt, and he hasn't needed any pain medication. It really seems miraculous. The stitches are scheduled to be removed on Thursday the 17th. It could take months for the nerve to regenerate, but at least the process has begun. It has been frustrating to him not to be able to use his left hand/arm but we are hoping that will be temporary.

We feel very blessed that he has had such good care and so many people praying for him.

A temple trip

It is a very big deal to have people go to the temple from Thailand. The closest temples are in Hong Kong and Manila, The Philippines. It takes a lot of planning and saving. We had a group from Udon that were able to travel to Hong Kong to attend the temple. They were so excited as they prepared! They worked on family history, so they could do work for their own families while there.Tuey (the girl in the right front in the black dress) is one of my piano students. She could hardly control her excitement as the time drew near. She was able to do baptisms for her ancestors and was sealed to her mom and dad.

These three couples were sealed for time and all eternity in the temple. They had a special dinner that evening to celebrate the occasion.When they look at the pictures and talk about it, they giggle almost like newlyweds.

We love sharing the excitement and joy with these wonderful people!

We all got the memo!

I got to church and there were two of the sister missionaries dressed in colors similar to what I was wearing. I told them I was so glad that they got the memo for the day! I just had to get a picture with them--aren't they adorable! They are awesome, hardworking missionaries!

Water for a neighborhood

 Sister Somridii, whom I have talked about before, did not have water at her home. Any water they used was rainwater that they captured in the cistern, or water brought in in 5-gallon bottles. The neighbors' situations were the same. Sister Somridii's home teacher made us aware of the situation. Funds were made available, through the kindness of a friend in the states, to drill a well on her property. The water would be shared with the neighbors, and the neighbors in turn would help pay the electric bill to run the pump. It would be a blessing to all.

Sister Somridii looked on with interest and great anticipation as the well was being drilled. I don't think she knew quite what to expect.

The well was completed in just three days. It was about 100 feet deep, and the water is pure enough to drink. Here is the well--with pump installed and ready for use.

Sister Somridii was the first to hold the hose with clean water flowing. She kept saying "Thank God!"

It attracted attention from the neighbors.

Sister Zaugg and Sister Stewart went with us this day because they were going to teach a lesson to Sister Long (in the red blouse). They enjoyed being part of the excitement. The lady in the striped shirt announced that she was going to come back in a while to have a cool bath. I'm sure she enjoyed it.

It is hard to describe what  a blessing it is for them to have clean water on their own property!