So a lot has happened over the last month…. A LOT.

It all started with a service project around the end of April. We went over to a members house to help pour some concrete in their backyard. We went over at 10 o’clock in the morning, all 8 of us. We started out by having to dig a huge area out where they wanted to pour the concrete. So we dug for a couple hours to clear the space. Then the concrete truck showed up and 4 of the other missionaries had to leave. So it was Elder Rodriguez, Elder Delgado, Elder Shupe, and I. We started pouring the concrete from the truck and Elder Delgado and I took off our shoes and hopped in to help even out the concrete. As we were pouring we realized that we didn’t have enough. So the member who we were helping out went and ran to home depot to rent a hand mixer and get some more concrete, so we stayed and kept it from drying. Once we got the mixer we had to mix a ton of cement and I spent an hour lifting 50 lb bags from the truck and carrying them into the back yard. It was pretty exhausting. We had a ton of fun though.

The members were super nice they got us Costco pizza for Lunch and then some really good Mexican food for dinner and by the time we finished it was dark out and was around 9:15. So we were wading in ankle deep wet cement for a couple hours and when I got out to try and wash it off there was a patch of cement on both of my feet That wouldn’t wash off… It was really wierd because it was smooth with my skin it wasn’t like a thick scab. It just felt super smooth. I never felt anything when my feet were in the concrete itself. The next I called the mission nurse and she asked if I could come to her house so she could see it. She told me to go get some Epson salts and soak my feet in them.

So the next day I was soaking my feet and boy was it painful… Probably one of the more painful experience of my life… I was reading the back of the package and It read “Do not use if Pregnant or Diabetic”. I then gave a call to the mission nurse one more time and she told me to go to Urgent Care. When I showed up at Urgent Care the doctor was super confused… He had no idea what it was. He prescribed an antibiotic and some ointment and told me to stay off them as much as possible. At this point I was only going to set lessons.

After about a week, there was very minimal change. I decided to talk to the mission president’s wife after a zone conference and showed my feet to her and the mission president. They took some pictures and gave the area medical adviser a call. They told me to go home and rest until they found out more. So that night we went to a ward mothers day party which was fun. They had a talent show but near the end I received a call from Sister Tew, the mission president’s wife and she told me I need to go to the Emergency Room.

The next morning I went with my zone leader Elder Perez to the UC Irvine hospital in the city of Orange. It was about 10-15 minutes out of the mission and we drove right past Knotts Berry Farm and Disneyland and we took a wrong turn off the freeway and ended up in front of the Anaheim Angels Baseball stadium. We eventually got there and I chilled in the emergency room for a couple hours… I had to give the dreaded phone call to my parents that I was in the ER. That was fun.

So I spent about 12 days in the hospital. They started me off by nearly killing me by giving me a protein drink that contained peanuts… I nearly died. It was pretty scary stuff. But they would give me “hydrotherapy” everyday which consisted of just gently wiping down my feet with a wet rag and soap. But after like 6 days they were able to get most of the cement out of my feet and they said I would need a skin graft surgery, which went really well. It was pretty cool because the last couple days my Mom was able to fly out and join me. She became my “companion”.

My mom and I stayed at the mission home one night before flying home. I was released as a full-time missionary and I am currently recuperating until they let me return to the mission field. I have my last six months left to finish up and am excited to return. I have been seeing a burn specialist at the University of Utah and they have just cleared for me to go back but I have to wear custom fit compression socks for at least a year.

I have been spending a lot of time at doctors appointments, spending time with my family, and going to the temple. It has been a fun time here with my family but I know that I am supposed to be in California. There are people there that I may be able to help out. This is just a little update of what my hectic life has been over the last couple of weeks.

Hopefully in the next couple days I will find out when I head back out to California. Below are some pics. Gotta warn you, some are kind-of gross.

Matt