Thursday, March 28, 2013

Thursday, March 28

I drove back to Temuco early in the morning and again met with President Martinez in the clinic. He said that during the night he had a dream of Elder Babcock in the clinic with many doctors in the room. The doctors removed the tubes, and Elder Babcock sat up in bed. For me, the dream was a promise that Elder Babcock would be able to leave his mortal body and his spirit would be able to enter the Spirit World and be a missionary there. In this difficult time I felt the Lord was telling me that I should have faith in His will. I had felt a strong impression during our previous mission that my next mission would be without Elder Babcock. I thought maybe I was going to die before we arrived in Concepcion, but had not even considered that Elder Babcock might die on our mission.

Thursday was also a very difficult day. Dr. Rivas said that the antibiotics were not working and Elder Babcock was worse, with more ear infection and infection in the bone near the ear.

Missionaries began to fast for Elder Babcock. Assistants to the President remained in the clinic at night with instructions to call me with any changes. The President said that missionaries should be at the clinic all the time, all day and all night, especially when I was not there.

The Sisters of the branch in Tolhuaca accompanied me to my house in Victoria for a second night. Dr. Mikesell, the mission doctor in Santiago, called me while we were traveling and said they were on their way to Temuco and would arrive in the morning of March 28. That night in Victoria I prepared to stay in Temuco for three days. I did not know if Elder Babcock would live or die. In my thoughts and prayers I was preparing for his death.

On the morning of the 28th, when the President returned to the clinic, he told me of another dream, for the second consecutive night. It was rare for him to have clear and realistic dreams. He said that in this second dream Elder Babcock not only sat up in bed, but he stood and greeted him with an abrazo (a big hug). His skin was transparent, but he seemed to have a physical body. In the dream the President was very happy and decided to take a picture of him with his cell phone to show Sister Babcock that all was well with Elder Babcock. He picked up his phone, but then he woke up.

My son suggested that I stay in Temuco. He had found a hostel on the Internet, Pewman Ruka, only two blocks away from the clinic.

On Thursday Dr. Mikesell came with his wife and spoke with the doctors. He told me the situation was very serious, but he had confidence in the clinic and treatments.  If he were to die, Elder Babcock would not die for lack of good care.

Sister Mikesell told me that sometimes it is better if a person dies, because it would be worse to live without his personality and with mental disability. She offered to fly to Salt Lake with me and Elder Babcock's body. My sister Betty also volunteered to fly to Chile with her son Kirk, who had served a mission in Chile, to help me.