Monday, January 18, 2010

Weeks 55-58


As a change, I have decided to include the letter we send to Austin, since much of his letter's content is in respond to something we wrote. Mom

-----Original Message-----
From: "Danny & Diane Waller"
To: "Austin Waller"
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 09:48:37 -0400
Subject: Week 55

Hello thinner Elder Waller,

It has been a very long week. I see dad indicated I felt like a prisoner. It is true. We didn't get to do anything for Robert on his birthday, Aug 24, because of the surgery. So we called yesterday to set up something before the next surgery, Sept 21st. Guess what, he and Anita are sick. Sounds like the flu. We'll get around to Robert's birthday one day. I have been insisting on seeing them in person and not just delivering a gift, at least while they are here.

Our Church meeting schedule changed from 1-4 to 11-2 yesterday. Yay! I told Danny I may just have to get a mask and hand wipes in order to go to church.
Although that is going to look strange, especially to the children, (I am not teaching anymore because of germs). But, I feel ridiculous sitting at home. Although yesterday, while Danny was at church one of his co-workers called to get our address to bring over a meal. Wow! Didn't expect that. We had leftover steak in the refrigerator. The food she brought was very good and will be today as well.

I saw Rachel sitting on the porch of the house that is next to hers. It looks like her boyfriend has moved there. He was cooking for her. She doesn't look like she has much time left on this earth. She is very thin and frail but her stomach is huge. Her breathing is shallow. She has been to Carolina, Duke and South Carolina and they had told her they have done all they can do medically. She is now getting holistic treatment from a Christian center in Atlanta. I shared with her my illness and that opened the door. She and her friend, Frank, are reading and studying the bible. It appears to be a constant companion. My only silent concern is that she and Frank are still expecting Rachel to be healed. I began discussing the Plan of Happiness, without using that term, talking about death as more of an advancement to our next stage of life. One that each and every one of us has to travel. We should embrace God's love and that this next stage of life will be filled with more love than we ever thought possible.

I was able to share something I learned that day with her. While channel surfing I found some Howard Godall's Big Bang music education series. You may have seen some of them. This one was on the history of notation. It brought out the fact that notation was only created after the death of Christ. It was for the sake of worshiping him. The monks were desperate to find a way for each church to sing the same songs the same way. So, unsurprising to us, it is the influence of Christ that we have organized music and not just noise. Rachel loved this as do I. She listens to a great deal of Christian music.

I watched a show called "I Survived". It is normally the story of how this person fought off a human or animal attacker, or other types of accidents.
This special show was about three people who "died" and came back. They were all very similar in the feeling of exceptional love at the "entrance" to this wonderful place. The funny part was one lady who was sitting on this stairway to heaven (each person's entrance to this wonderful place was a little different) gazing at the greatest beauty she has ever seen when up comes these cats that wind around her legs, purring and loving her. There are also dogs, who stop to acknowledge her then happily bound into this big ball of light. She has not seen these animals before. So dad says, "Road Kill". We crack up.

Anyway.That's a good place to stop. The stories were very interesting.

I know it is Labor day and we may not hear from you until tomorrow.

Til then,

Love you, mom


Sept 7, 2009
Week 55
Hey,

We work on Labor Day too! So you will hear from me today. I will make an effort to write a letter to Rachel. It is hard, seeings how busy we are, but I will do my best. It is good that you had that missionary moment. Sharing the plan of happiness (salvation, redemption, other various names) is something very crucial in the missionary lessons. I will do what I can in the letter to help.

Roadkill huh? I see plenty of cats and dogs out here. Not much roadkill though. Well, uhh this week was very un-eventful. I was kinda in a bind. If I moved at all, a condition I had would become worse and I would have to start recovery all over again. To explain what it was...uhh....lets just say it hurt to sit down. Yeah. It did not feel good at all.

Not much else is going on here. I wish I could say there was more, but when you are in the smallest area in the entire world, work is few and far between.

With much love,

Elder Austin Waller

----------------------------------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
From: "Danny & Diane Waller"
To: "'Austin Waller'"
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:22:11 -0400
Subject: Week 56

Hello Elder Waller,

I am looking at my letter from last week and it was a really long one. I don't think I have nearly that much to say this week.

Before I forget, next Monday, Sept 21st, is my next surgery. (this is a double mastectomy with the insertion of a port that will allow ease in delivery of the chemo treaments).I don't have the schedule yet, but send your e-mail to Dad's work e-mail address.
danny.waller@onslow.org

It will be good to get this surgery behind me so I can get on with the rest of my treatments and life. I have been hunkered down here in the house to avoid the swine flu and other maladies. I don't want to miss surgery because I am "SICK". HA! Dad says I will need to be re-baptized by the time I get to go to church again. Ha Ha!

I got a card from Aunt Judy. She has just sent her daughter with her grandson to Provo, Utah to check into the MTC. So you have another cousin on a mission. His name is Eric Smith and he is going to South Denver. You and he are 2nd cousins.

I should be back in time to catch your e-mail tomorrow. I have to go for my pre-op again. Just enough time has passed that I have to do it all over again.

I continue to get so many cards. I think everybody in Albertson has sent one and many employees at the hospital as well. And today LaRue Hambrick stopped by with a beautiful fall chrysanthemum. You may remember her. She was the real estate agent who showed us so many houses. She had a case of breast cancer similar to mine in 1991 and is doing very well.

I sure hope you are doing better. I think I created some more crease lines in my face from all the sympathy pains I had for you. Although it is an embarrassing condition, trust me, nearly everyone has been through it or will. But, you do have to manage it by diet or otherwise. You cannot allow it to sit in your system or continue to have a straining situation. Both are very unhealthy. Eating plant foods is your best bet and stay away from too much white bread.

I just finished talking with your grandma Harper and she told me Linda, Aunt Judy's daughter is back from dropping off Eric. She is super emotional. No one can even ask how Eric is doing and she breaks down in tears. Motherhood is a tough job. God gave us all of these hormones to protect and nurture our children but when the children leave, there is no release from the hormones.
It took me months to calm down from you leaving.

I've spent a over couple of hours trying to write your letter in between phone calls, making yogurt, letting Ace in and out, TV...I'm tired and it is after 10pm. Hopefully I'll get to chat with you tomorrow.

Love ya, mom


Sept 14, 2009
Week 56

Hey,

I AM ABOUT TO GO INSANE WITH THIS COMPUTER! AHHHHHH! It is not working right and it took me 30 minutes just to log in! ARGH! Anyways, sickness is...mostly gone. I have something else now that Elder Parker gave to me. Grrrrrr. Yes...I still growl. Oh very fun week today (sarchasm). One of our investigators is moving. We have been sick on random occasions. I hope nothing else will happen.

President Laney did an awkward interview this time around. He came to our appartment! AHH! Clean, now! Not really. Ours was clean. It was just strange. He managed to get to the house at 1. Long time. He expressed concern for you and asked how you were doing. I told him you were doing alright and when your surgery is. I can call him for anything he said. Yay!

Hormones huh? Uhhhh.....yeah. About that.......no comment.

LaRue came over? Man! Everyone knows! Yes I remember her. I can remember a lot of people. One of the things I use over here while teaching the great apostasy is how many churches are on Gum Branch Rd. 60! AHHHH! They are really surprised. "I didn't know there are that many churches!" One of the reactions I got.

Not much else to talk about. It has been a rough week. Oh yeah! I gave two talks yesterday. It was on Unity. I was told to go by the Spirit. I related it to football. Oh, the congregation paid attention when I did that. Also related it to Emperor Penguins as well. They thought it was funny, but it made complete sense.

Love you all,

Elder Austin Waller
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sept 21, 2009
Week 57
Hi Elder Waller,

Hope your week was better. We have been working very hard to get some house cleaning projects finished before the surgery. Maybe dad can be online again when your e-mail comes in. The last time we were both there when your e-mail came. But tomorrow’s schedule makes it more unlikely that you will catch us both. We check in at 8am and surgery begins about 10:30am. It could possibly be later.

I received a very nice letter from Karan Witzel. On one hand it is scary to meet so many cancer survivors, but then I think of the word SURVIVOR and have to appreciate that. Zack’s (across the street) grandmother went through this three years ago. I just found out yesterday from her. Sister Witzel was very encouraging and sounds like she has seen you through quite a bit of nurturing. Being your nurse down the street and P-day meal supplier. She said you have been much better since receiving thyroid medicine. Please thank her for her testimony and for sharing her experiences and for taking care of you. Reading her letter made me feel more in touch with you and comforted.

Monica Madden came over and gave me a picture of a live oak tree as well as a journal and cookies. She said our family was like that tree for our ward. She said she has started acting on feelings of compassion. Her actions were very touching.

As for news, we received a wedding invitation from Cami Moore. She is getting married to a young man from Brigham City, Utah. They are having a dance and bull riding at their reception. Sounds fun.

Dad and I have been hearing a rattling sound from his car. It sounded like a loose muffler. He took it in and they discover a much more serious problem about to happen. The clutch to the air conditioner was just hanging on. If it had broken it could have thrown out parts and could have broken other parts. Guess what! The rattle is gone and they said this problem should not have caused that sound. We again, feel blessed. And it was also under warranty. Yeah!

Dad went to one of Robert’s soccer games. I didn’t go. (I have succeeded from getting sick) Dad left when it went into overtime (it had also started to rain). After he left the teams played two overtimes and Robert’s team won by 2 points.

We are getting the front porch replaced this week. I may be recovering from my surgery to the sound of hammers. The contractor knows and will finish quickly. We were scrambling to find keys to the back door. I had one set, we got some duplicates for dad in case the front door is not accessible.

I see you have been to Barnes and Noble. You need to stop going to Barnes and Noble. I know I said you could buy some dinosaur books but over $200 worth (three purchases)? Please only purchase what you need. Many times buying stuff makes us feel better, but later we are without that money and have too much stuff. I put $300 dollars back into your account for the items you really need.

It is also time to get your teeth cleaned again. I had mine cleaned last week. And guess what. She was another cancer survivor (Laura Young) and was a loving load of information. Dr. Armstrong came in and cried with us. During chemo I have to be very particular with my teeth as my immune system will be weakened. Their office has rarely seen any big problems when appropriate care is taken.

I am confident in God’s love and blessings. I am only going through what so many have done before me and I too will be a SURVIVOR in body and especially spirit. Lean on the Lord for your answers and thank Him constantly for all we have been given. We have added asking Heavenly Father to soften the hearts of those in your area, so they will open their doors to you. Then they can experience the joy, obedience to the gospel principals bring.

Again with all our love,
Mom and dad
-----Original Message-----
From: Austin Waller [mailto:adwaller@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 12:24 PM
To: Danny Waller
Subject: Week 57

Hey,

This week has been hard. Really hard. We go over to Sis. Witzel's home all the time. Quite fun. It has been difficult to sleep lately. I don't know why, but I stay up after midnight without even trying. I'm gonna talk to Sis. Laney about it.

There is one thing that has got me troubled. The strange part, it is not about the mission. It is when I get back! Good grief, I panicked last night. Why? I am completely into the missionary lifestyle and don't really have to worry about anything. Life is simply TOO easy. Next thing you know, 2 years is up and you are slung back into the real world with no buffer at all! AHHH! Scary.

One of the people we are working with who is less-active is coming to church this Sunday! He might have gone yesterday to a Primary Program, but we are not sure. We have been working with Bro. Petty for a while now. I am happy to see him coming back.

Teaching is starting to pick up here. We picked up 2 new investigators this week. It was the first time we were ever let in. I don't really know what else to say. There isn't much. For one thing, I do cover the two smallest stakes in the church!

With Love,

Elder Austin Waller
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sept 28, 2009
Week 58

-----Original Message-----
From: "Danny & Diane Waller"
To: "'Austin Waller'"
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:07:23 -0400
Subject: Week 58

Dear Elder Waller,

This is going to be very short and sweet as this last surgery was major. I was doing as well as expected until Saturday morning I woke up feeling very bad. Achy and hot and cold. Dad was out golfing. Then I looked down at my drainage tube and it was maximally filled. But to my alarm the color of the blood was closer to black that red. I hurriedly drained it and the new drain was very dark red but looked more normal. I took my temp and it was 101.
When dad got home he was alarmed and called Penny Burlingame to check me out. I was taken to the hospital, checked out in the ER and admitted until yesterday about 2pm.

They found I was anemic, and may have a beginning infection. The anemia comes from loss of blood from the surgery but not enough for a transfusion.
I am on iron tablets and lots of rest.

Maybe by the time your e-mail comes I can be here and will be more alert. I rested very well last night and have had a hard time waking up this morning.

Don't worry this is major surgery recovery. It will take about two weeks to start feeling close to normal again.

Talk to you later,

Love,

mov



Hey,

Sorry for e-mailing so late. I got really sick this morning and we missed the e-mail time. So we worked our tails off to figure out how we could do this. I was transferred on Wednesday. Our area was whitewashed. Great. Oh well, I like this area and my companion is cool. We get along great.

Man, I can tell mom was not feeling good at all this morning. Why? Her signature was spelled "mov" instead of "mom." I hope I get better soon as well. I have blisters on my feet from walking so much. Bad ones. Then this morning was bad. You can see in my face that something bad had happened. Hey the priesthood works. After the blessing my stomach settled down and I could get to work. Although, I was extremely exhausted and went to sleep from 10-2. Yeah, this morning wasn't good at all.

I am in the Oquirrh Point Stake over in Kearns. Hey, it's fun here! I like it also because we only have one stake to cover and they are very organized and their main focus is on missionary work. YES! I couldn't get over to a post-office to mail some stuff home, so I will get there next week. My new companion's name is Elder Feriante.

Well, that is about it over here. I got my first refill for my medicine. YAY! While there I met the cousin of a missionary that just came in. It was pretty cool. Also, yesterday we met Elder Gonzalez of the Presidency of the Seventy. He was cool. Really nice. Let me know if there is anything you would like me to do out here. Oh yeah! I already know what I want for my 21'st birthday. You might be shocked about this so sit down if you aren't. For my 21'st birthday, I want to know what you wished you knew before you got married. No joke. One benefit to this...well, actually two. It is free, and it is good for the rest of your life. If you could give me that, it will be great.

Talk later,

Elder Austin Waller

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