Moving Forward

I don't like commenting too much on the "What's App" with our cohort. I am not even sure how many are actually signed up or participating. I worry that my opinion may not be what others are hoping for or what they need or want to hear. I worry that I speak a little too authoritarian - partly because I am older, partly because I don't know what it is to be in my 20's anymore.

I did write a few comments this morning :

I had to do another blood draw yesterday when the Madagascar medical were concerned over me having a blood related issue. This after having the US medical clear me. I think there are higher standards they worry over and literally cannot deal with hardly any treatments or prescriptions in the field. 

And yes, I have flights and travel arranged.

I worry that the "thalassemia" they are concerned over will not be the issue as it is very rare, somewhat genetic (which is not likely from my family) and I have no symptoms. But that they will be concerned over lower iron or white blood counts which again translates badly as I have no symptoms related to these issues. I guess we'll find out next week when the results come back.  They are very picky.

I would like to say that just getting this far is a great story in itself. It is unfortunate that we get so much praise from so many when we literally haven't yet served. And yes, I do believe that when a door is closed to us...you know the rest. 

The adventure started for us at the very beginning and how we deal with the unforeseen (even these complications) is one of the reasons we were chosen in the first place. Finally going or not in a couple weeks may not be the end of the adventure at all.

Spoke with my sister Deb and she told me she and Jenny (my neice) do have thalassemia, though the effects are little. That was a surprise and has me all the more worried that I'm not going to like those test results. I give my chances 70/30 against the Peace Corps sending me now - if that's an issue for them, even if I tell them I experience no symptoms and never have.

I also talked with Lee Benson, the same reporter that wrote a Deseret News article about me when I finished walking around the Great Salt Lake several years back. I had sent him a press release and this email with a link to one of the YouTube Channels. I'm trying to be a good promoter of the Peace Corps ideals and push the good that they do.

Lee,

It was great talking to you today. You did such a great job in capturing the spirit of that walk around the lake years ago.. 

Happy to provide you with another story about an alternative to church service. Not any better or worse, just different. I served a full-time mission to Belgium in 1979-81. My wife and I served in the Chicago, Oquirrh Mountain and Provo Temples, and we also both served as church service  missionaries in our middle years for the church in the Music and Cultural Arts department of the church for years.

I guess because I worked for the church in Publishing (Senior Producer), Correlation (Field Coordinator for Research), Deseret Industries (Job Coach/Trainer) and at BYU (Media Lab Supervisor) that I just wanted to do something different. And thought my time in the military (which is mostly about war) would be so nicely bookended with some time in spreading peace.

It's a story about service at an advanced age, an unusual husband and wife sacrifice, and the desire to have an adventure while doing some good.

Here's the link to one of the two Peace Corps YouTube channels I've created with the goal to eventually tell the story of the people of Madagascar, how they live, how we help and how we're all in this together.

Thanks,
Rick