Murri Mission Moments: November 2009

13 November 2009 started as a normal Friday the 13th. I was remembering the Friday the 13th celebrations that my parents had to celebrate their meeting, engagement, and marriage, each of which happened on a Friday the 13th. It was always a special day for them. Dad would often take Mom out to dinner or would call her if he was out of town, or bring her a silly or romantic present when he came home from work.

We had been on the road for a few weeks and I was ready to be home instead of going out to dinner. I decided to invite our new office couple over for a relaxing, casual supper to unwind for the week. We would eat leftovers from our freezers and fridges.

As I was washing fruits and vegetables that I had just brought home from the store, I noticed that the water pressure in the kitchen faucet was very low. It got so low in fact, that it eventually stopped completely. I went downstairs and tried the faucets in the laundry room and every bathroom. They all worked perfectly fine! I went back to the kitchen and no water. After several minutes, I decided to try the spray hose at the sink. I turned on the water and nothing. Then I pulled out the spray hose and gave that a squeeze. Water came rushing out just like nothing was the matter! Let go and no water out the faucet. Strange indeed. Squeezed the nozzle on the sprayer and water galore. So I proceeded washing the food while holding the nozzle, a somewhat tiring experience. I kept trying to see if the faucet would work. Eventually it started working again such that it was fine. No idea what was happening there except that some piece of something got in there to block it and eventually it washed out.

We started dinner preparations around 6:15 pm after President and Elder and Sister Benson arrived from the office.. Outside on the deck, we turned on the electric BBQ for the hamburgers. In a few minutes, President Murri put the burgers on to cook, while we prepared other items in the kitchen. Suddenly, the kitchen ceiling lights went out. The dining room overhead light also went out. The radio still played. The dishwasher still worked. The fridge was on. The microwave was on. The toaster and mixer worked. The exhaust fan and light over the stove worked, but no ceiling lights. The BBQ stopped and the lights on the deck went out. All other lights in the house worked.

We got a flashlight and checked the fuse box in the pantry. All was in order. No circuit breakers had flipped. President and Elder Benson looked all over the house and garage looking for another fuse box or anything, and found nothing to help in our dilemma. We decided we were supposed to have a calming candle light dinner. President Murri lit the gas BBQ to finish cooking the hamburgers. We brought a table lamp into the dining room, plugged it into a wall outlet, and enjoyed our dinner in the soft light of the lamp. It was fun despite the confusion of the ceiling lights. We did enjoy being able to unwind and getting to know one another better.

I was very grateful that we didn’t have a houseful of missionaries to feed. Counter lamps are not the most convenient in a kitchen during food prep or clean up time, though it was lots better than holding a flashlight. It just seemed so weird that the ceiling lights weren’t working. We eventually discovered another fuse box, and the fuse controlling this was just out of line just a little bit, but enough to cause the blackout.

The Benson’s headed home and I continued packing for our trip on Saturday which included the following situations. We were taking a brand new truck to the elders working in Frazier Park to exchange for their old one that was being put up for sale. We were also taking an elder who was heading home to the airport in Burbank California. We were heading up to Bakersfield to speak in Bakersfield Stake Conference. President needed to speak in the Saturday afternoon Priesthood Leadership Session and we were both speaking Sunday morning. We were also renting an apartment in Bakersfield for us to stay in while we are there interviewing, doing zone conferences, apartment inspections, and speaking in church meetings. We have just gotten tired of the motel scene with certain hours for checking in and out, as well as needing to eat out all the time, so we had Elder Benson find us an apartment in Bakersfield. Saturday was a day we would be up there anyway so we planned to finalize the details and "move in". After conference on Sunday, we were picking up two English elders that were leaving their area in the hands of the Spanish elders, so that they could go to new locations in the southern belt of the mission to replace the missionary that we had taken to the airport on Saturday, and one other missionary that had been transferred to take the place of a different missionary that had needed to be sent home earlier in the week. There were a few other things factored in, but these are the main items.

About 10:40 pm my cell phone rang. I wondered who was needing to call me "after the 10:30 curfew that the missionaries have." I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Dale, our son. I wondered what the trouble was since that is an hour later for him. I soon learned that their new son, Jack Dennison Murri, was at the emergency room at Utah Valley Hospital. Jack was born on Nov 4 so he was nine days old. He was having trouble breathing and I could hear him in the background. It was such a pitiful sound. Their real concern, however, was that his face was showing some paralysis. He was not able to suck or swallow in order to eat. It had all begun about 8 o’clock Provo Time. [Just about the time our kitchen lights went out...] They were hopeful that he would be helped and so was I, but I was also deeply concerned for little Jack and for our son and his wife, Kara.

We continued our preparations for the next two days’ adventures and dropped into bed exhausted a bit late, as usual before a busy day.

At 2:37 am my cell phone was ringing and it took us a minute to register what was happening. President jumped out of bed to get the phone. It was Dale again telling us that Jack was being life flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. Jack had a blood clot in his brain and he needed to get where some specialists could help him. This is a serious situation. I went into adrenaline mode. I don’t think I slept after that phone call, but I must have.

Saturday we prepared to leave in the new truck loaded with apartment essentials, made necessary phone calls, and headed from home around 9:30 am. First stop was Simi Valley to pick up the elder to go home.

Second stop was Burbank Airport to drop him off.

Third stop was the new apartment in Bakersfield, where we signed papers, checked it out, and moved in to our new home away from home. We have a two car garage there to put the car in so that is very nice. It is three bedrooms and two baths, nice size living room with fireplace, and room in the kitchen for a table and chairs. It will suit us just fine and the needs we have there. It is off the street and more like a home than an apartment as it is one level only, no one above or below.

Fourth stop is taking President to Priesthood Leadership Meeting at the Bakersfield Stake Center.

Fifth Stop is the apartment to verify which is the front door key.

Sixth stop is the CVS pharmacy for some copies of the front door key and some apartment essentials.

Seventh stop is Vons for some food for tonight, tomorrow and some future trips and other essentials for the apartment. I hear from Dale that the surgery has gone well and Jack is in recovery.

Eighth stop is unloading all the stuff at the apartment and getting ready for the adult session of conference.

Ninth stop is the Stake Center again where I join Wayne on the stand for the adult session of conference.

Tenth stop is stopping to buy gasoline for the truck.

Eleventh stop is a missionary apartment where we need to get a key a transferred elder took with him to the old truck we are getting tomorrow.

Twelfth stop is the apartment. We made our bed from foam egg crate pads, sheets and blankets. After some supper and several phone calls, we are able to drop into bed so very tired and grateful that our Jack had been so well cared for this day.

Some could say, oh the bad luck of Friday the 13th. But, I was so glad that the water and the lights didn’t go out when I had a group of missionaries to care for at the mission home. I was so glad that little Jack was awake and made noise that his parents could hear and distinguish as a problem and that they were alert to his problems and that he didn’t just quietly drift off to sleep, never to wake again. I am thankful for life flight and well trained surgeons and loving nurses and for an amazing hospital that takes such good care of the little ones and the parents with sturggles.

Sunday was another busy day. First stop, was stake conference for the Bakersfield Stake held in two locations simultaneously. We were in the stake center and spoke there. It was braidcast to the other building, After conference, President has some temple recommend interviews to conduct.

Second stop, was back at the apartment with two elders who were being transferred to fill the spots of elders who had gone home unexpectedly. We had a simple chicken cordon bleu dinner with salad, etc. and then packed up and headed off to the South Bakersfield Stake Center. We still had the new truck filled with our luggage, the luggage of the missionaries, and two bikes.

Third stop was at South Bakersfield Stake Center. President had an interview to conduct and meanwhile the remaining elders and I transferred the luggage, etc. which was in the new truck to the old dusty truck, traded keys with the lucky elders who got the new truck, and were soon off on our way when president finished his interview.

Fourth stop was Simi Valley where we dropped off one of the elders and his things.

Fifth stop was Oxnard, where we dropped off the last elder.

Sixth stop was our very own mission home. We were so glad to be home. The day wasn’t over for President yet, he still had a seventh stop at the mission office to meet with his assistants and finally his eighth stop back at home.

We are very thankful for Jack’s continued progress and improvement. Grateful for technology that allows us to be a part of the events.
For more on Jack’s miracle, please see the blog of Dale and Kara at:
http://themurris.blogspot.com/