Always a little something extra

Every six months, the mission presidents in our five-country Area are gathered for a seminar of instruction by the leaders of the Area.  This one was in Lima, and it was our last such meeting out of the nearly five years we've been in South America.  Our 'class' of fifteen presidents and their wives gathered for one last photo together.  Notice that they are smiling.

To get to the seminar, we had flown to Lima from the other end of the Mission where we were conducting quarterly interviews with the missionaries.  During the interviews, my right foot started hurting, and by the time we flew, it was time for the crutches.  (Foot on left, wife on right)

The good new was that we got to board the airplane first.  The bad thing was getting wheeled out to the plane like an aged invalid.  No, hold it, I guess I WAS an aged invalid.
Anyway, we got to Lima, and with the hurt increasing, the nice senior missionaries serving as Area Medical Advisors took me to an x-ray place, where all looked OK.

The next morning, we snuck out of a couple of hours of the seminar and went to the Clinica Delgado, which would have been considered fancy by anyone's standards.

I was seen by Dr. Wagner Grau, a truly gentlemanly internist, and actually head of the Medical Society of Peru, who made time specifically for us.

He diagnosed an infection and started antibiotics.
Unfortunately, all of this has required extending our stay in Lima by a couple of days.

I've been doing my work in less-than-formal attire while elevating and resting the foot.

It finally seems to be coming around, and we'll head back to the hills early tomorrow morning.  We have very much appreciated the kind help of the Area Medical Advisors, Dr.'s Burton and Asay, and the permission from the Area presidency to make sure that things were getting better before sending us back, where care would have more likely involved a sheep-dung poultice.

We hope that all of your extremities are doing OK, and that your poultices are more pleasant.

Dave & Paula