The Power of the Gospel and Good Medication

I am tempted not to post this, as I have had the experience of being with
Richard when he has had pain meds.  It is funny, but not fun.


As a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I
am to use dignified language to help others recognize me as a servant
of God. But sometimes, a servant of God has to lay it down like it is.
This week was rough. I felt like garbage. I woke up in the middle of
the night writhing in pain multiple times. This was not a fun week.

Sorry, I just needed to get that off of my chest. Luckily, I am
feeling much, much better today. I even had some toast! Which is a
major improvement, because I was taken off of my liquid diet on
Thursday, and the only thing I was able to eat was soup, which
promptly made me sick to my stomach and I didn't have any strength to
get out of bed for the rest of the day. So things are looking up for
me.

Perhaps the most memorable part of this week is the part that I can't
quite remember. Last Wednesday, I went to the doctor for an
ultrasound. When I told them that I was still in pain, they told me
they would give me some medicine to help with it. What they didn't
tell me was that it was a shot of morphine.
Now, if you are a member of my family, then you know very well that I
don't handle pain killers or sedatives or anything stronger than an
excedrin very well. My mother especially has a few stories she loves
to share about me lying in the hospital, filled with medication, that
she remembers quite fondly. Whatever was about to happen was going to
be very embarrassing.
So here I am, hobbling out of the room, my companion and the Elders
giving us a ride waiting for me, and things are starting to get a
little shaky. I told them what happened, and they all smiled. They
knew as well they were in for a treat.
We had to go to district meeting right after the appointment. District
meeting is where all of the missionaries in the area come together to
have trainings and other important things. Me and Elder Nebeker
decided to sit out in the foyer as our district had their meeting. I
remember giggling a little, then flopping onto one of the couches.
The next thing I remember,I was lying in my bed with a major headache.
The district leader and his companion were there with a half dozen
bags of cheez-its.
"Hey there, Elder Hall. How are you feeling?"
"What are you doing?"
"When we passed by you while you were on the couch. You said you loved
Cheez-its. So we brought you some."
"I did?"
"Yeah, and you were also singing this song and drooling all over the
place. You were really happy."
"What the heck?"
Apparently I was singing songs for everyone that dropped by, which
included the Zone Leaders, the Assistants to the Mission President,
the sister missionaries in our district, and the Sister Assistants to
the mission president. I was also very intrigued by how paper felt,
and I was very concerned that my legs were numb. All I remember is
that my legs were numb.
Perhaps the worst part of that story was that I really do love
Cheez-its, but I wasn't allowed to have anything except for water and
gatorade for the next 36 hours. But yeah, my morphine incident has
been the talk of just about every missionary in our district and in
the North San Antonio Zone. At least I was happy.

The moral of this week is, sometimes you get sick That's life. And
sometimes, you get shot with a really good painkiller that totals you
and now you're the butt of a lot of jokes that you don't understand,
even though they are about you. But no matter what, the restored
gospel is here on earth. It's teachings and doctrine is of great
comfort for all those who earnestly search for it. There is no greater
joy to be found in life than in keeping the commandments of God.
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
I know for a fact that Heavenly Father loves us, and that his only
begotten son, Jesus Christ, is our savior, redeemer, and lord. When we
show our love in righteous action, there is a blessing given to us,
and many times it is stronger and greater than we can ever imagine. No
sickness, no pain, no sorrow, no problem cannot be overcome by
applying the atonement of Jesus Christ in my life. The worth of every
soul is great in the sight of God.

Elder Richard Hall