Intermission in the Mission - April 8 to May 11, 2009

I think it was Monday afternoon on April 6th while I was driving down Main Street in Mesa with Wayne to show our rental house on Dana Street when Wayne casually says, I need to talk to you....ok, what??? "Well, I talked to the Mission President this afternoon and Jake's flying home tomorrow.....he'll arrive about 1:00 pm. His pilonidal problem is coming back and he needs surgery again." Well, I about drove off the road but managed to control myself and sure enough we picked him up the next day!!! He was not in the best of spirits but was glad to see us and we of course, were so happy to see him but sad that he had to have another surgery. To make a long story short, we contacted a father/son doctor team in Eugene, Oregon who together pioneered a procedure that has been very successful to cure the problem. We arranged to meet with the doctor two weeks later and he had the surgery on April 21st. We stayed in Oregon for eight days for post op visits and I although it was no vacation, we had a great time together. Jake's friend, Jon, who lives in Kalamath Falls came to spend one night with us so that was fun for them to get together and then Jake and I just hung out, talking, playing games, reading, and just catching up on life!!! I will never forget our time together and it surely will keep me going until he returns home from Guady in October, 2010. Yes, he flew out on May 11, the day after Mother's Day to return to his mission. We have received the best emails of his mission so far in the last two weeks. He was made Senior Companion today and is doing great. His latest emails follow. Love, Mom