We were overjoyed when we saw her name on the ward list in Plano 4th ward. The first thing we did was go to visit her. Once again, she cried with joy and said, "I'm so glad you found me!" Her son no longer lives with her. She had never been contacted by anyone in that ward, but we received permission from her to let the bishop know he needed to meet with her. That was 3 1/2 weeks ago. We waited thinking the bishop would contact her, but didn't hear anything, so we went to visit again.
Her daughter and son-in-law were there. They told us she had been hit by a car shortly after we had seen her and was in the hospital in very bad condition. Visitors were very restricted, but she said her mother had told her about us, and she knew she'd want us to come.
I'm amazed that this sweet girl survived the accident. She is flat in bed and unable to move. Both arms are broken and one is held together with large pins sticking out. Both feet are broken, one has a metal plate in it. Her hip and pelvis are broken, and also have large pins holding her together. She has a big gash in her forehead where her skull was fractured. In spite of all this, she smiled when we entered her room and then began to cry! We told her we were going to find her no matter where she went! When I think of all the many miracles that keep bringing us to her, I realize how Heavenly Father's hand is always guiding us. She asked for a blessing so we contacted some brethren in the 3rd ward to come. I's so wonderful to see the look of peace on her face when they entered the room!
She has a really long way to go, but with love, care, and lots of prayers she may become whole again someday. She is a convert to the church of about 14 years, and has a sweet testimony. She just simply got "side-tracked" by terrible events in her life. We will do all we can to help her get "home again...to the gospel".
Thought I'd tell you a little bit about my Mission Pres. Devin Durrant. I'm sure many sports fans will already know him since he's pretty famous in the world of basketball. To me he'll always be famous as a gentle, caring man who honors his priesthood. The latter is what he adheres to during all his time while serving on this mission. He "rarely" mentions his sport...only when he's prodded into it by the Elder's he cares for here. There's positively no guile or personal self-centeredness in him at all! He's kind and loving; soft spoken and warm. The other remark I can make personally about him is that I feel really, really, short when I stand next to his six foot seven inch frame!
"Devin Durrant was named a McDonald's All-American in 1978 during his senior year of high school. He played at Brigham Young University where in 1984 he was named District 7 Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. He was also an Academic All-American twice. In 1984, Devin was chosen by the Indiana Pacers as the 25th pick in the NBA Draft. He played a season with the Pacers and part of a second season with the Phoenix Suns. He also played professionally in Spain and France. In a Deseret News poll in the year 2000, Devin was voted one of the top 10 college basketball players in Utah over the previous 100 years In that same year, Sports Illustrated named him one of the 50 most influential sports figures in the history of the state of Utah.
Since leaving professional basketball, Devin has worked in a variety of positions including counselor in a bishopric, bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor and stake mission president.
He was born in Brigham City, Utah and raised in Utah and Kentucky. He served a mission in Madrid Spain, and his wife Julie served in Peru. They are the parents of six children."
I read one article about how difficult it was for the team to give him up to serve a mission. He was dedicated to serve and never picked up a basketball to take a shot during the two years he was out. He was totally focused on his mission in Spain and put the sport behind him. That statement tells a lot about how he is here. He is an amazing spiritual leader!
Savannah is 8 months old in these pictures, will be leaving the hospital here in Plano tomorrow. She's always happy and smiling, but for us it's a happy-sad day! We are all so thrilled that she can finally take the next step to going home. Sis. Campbell and I will miss her so much! She's now going to another hospital in downtown Dallas where her parents will receive instructions for her home care. She'll be there for 2-4 weeks before she is finally with her family. My heart will forever be filled with love for this little miracle! It's so amazing to see how big she is now in comparison to how tiny she was when we got here on our mission. It's been a long ordeal for her parents as they've gone through this challenge, but Savannah's fighting desire to make it made all the difference.
I'm always a little more homesick on holidays, and miss my family and friends! The 4th of July was a busy, fun day for us. We went to the early morning flag ceremony and breakfast at church, and then went to the Plano Parade with Marjean and some ward friends. It was short....not as good as Preston's, but we had fun! We went to a movie and out to dinner at a restaurant...Texas bar-b-cue ribs...yum! By the time this was over, all three of us were so tired we didn't stay up for the fireworks....
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