The Rest of the Story...

Our weeks are getting much busier to where we have little time for much more than dealing with constant interventions.  However, there has been a wonderful outcome to "the rest of the story" about Thaubo, the returned missionary I wrote about last week.  He gave us all of his medications (8 were prescribed- one that is used for surgery and causes amnesia!!) yet he remained in a heavy fog.

Wednesday night as we were leaving the office Taylor called his cell phone to check on him and he was just minutes away in the temple parking lot - trying to go in with his girlfriend but he was in so much pain (physically and mentally) that he was unable to stand up.  We brought him to our office where he slept on our floor for about 3 hours because we had a dinner engagement so we came back after dinner and he was still in very bad shape, freezing, chills, mentally lost.  We got him home to sleep and the next day, Friday we had our medical doctor check his heart to make sure he was able to do the mental work necessary to free himself of his horrendous mental condition.  He gave us the go ahead clearance so Taylor spent two hours sorting out the whole story.  He was in such excruciating pain as if a knife was stabbing his heart and needles were literally sewn into his chest.

To make a very long story short - he told about his mom's funeral - where the tradional healer fell upon her grave and stuck a large knife into the ground and then two big needles on either side of the knife saying "Whoever has caused this death will feel this pain."
Now mind you he didn't believe in this "witchcraft" anymore but his culture had been so ingrained in his head that he was truly feeling pain as if he had not been a good enough son and had somehow let her down so he literally felt a knife stabbing his heart and needles sticking into his chest.  Imagine the physical pain multiplied by his emotional trauma thinking he was responsible for her death.
Taylor talked this 25 year old young man through it, convinced him it was all in his head, and after about 2 long hours Thaubo was able to stand up, and walk out, pain free for the first time in one week.

We took him to lunch on Monday (get this--we offered to take him to a pizza place which is the only one we know in the area and he said, "No I would prefer something healthier so he suggested KFC!!! Are you serious?!?  Taylor told him he really is a mental mess!!!  That was truly comic relief. :)  He is still mourning the loss of his mother as you can understand, but he is well down the road to a fully recovery.  He told Taylor that he knows his Heavenly Father loves him so much - and he believes we were called here on this mission just to save him.  If he was the only person we could help - it has been worth it.

See the smiles -- after the long fought battle

for redemption and pain