An Exciting 12 hours - Journal Entry 2025 04 24

This blog is simply a copy of Ross' Journal entry for the day...

Things have been quite eventful these last couple of days here in Ghana. We had a power outage, which isn't unusual. However, our backup generator, despite being set up, didn't kick in. While Elder Isaac Morrison and I watched, security and the facilities maintenance persons tried jump-starting it with various car batteries. When it finally kicked in, the main battery exploded (a very loud and violent explosion, heard inside the apartments), spraying acid everywhere – my eyes, nose, mouth, arms, hands, you name it. Elder Morrison, who was right next to me, also got hit. It was really bad, so we immediately ran to the other side of the generator with me yelling “jump into the pool and rinse everything.”  We jumped in to get water on our faces, arms, and hands, swishing it in our mouths and trying to keep our eyes open underwater to neutralize the acid as best we could. Even with that, it was such strong acid that it was quite painful.  Krysti heard the explosion from inside the apartment building and ran to see what happened.  She heard me yelling and came quickly and was worried.  I told her to get some baking soda from the kitchen and bring it.  We bathed in that as well.  Thank you, dad, for being a great teacher of Chemistry.

Adding to the excitement, I also have a percussion injury. My ears are still rattling today, and my vocal cords are sore, making my voice sound rough, and sounds are muffled with vibrations in my ear bone. Everything sounds like I am listening to a blown speaker.  So, not a great day overall, but these things happen, and we'll all recover. My throat's a bit rough too from the fumes. It's definitely a side of Ghana you don't see every day in the United States!

Then, things got even more chaotic; the next morning, Elder Morrison was talking to the guards at the gate and I went to say hi as he hustled into the apartment. He mentioned he was going to help Elder Ojediran. Elder Ojediran slipped stepping out of the shower and fell hard on his knee, actually breaking his kneecap; the lower third just broke off completely.

So, we spent a large part of the day trying to figure out how to get him to and then admitted to Hospital. That's a challenge here because they won't even see you until you've prepaid or your insurance has authorized payment. It took over an hour just for him to lie on a stretcher in the hallway, waiting to be admitted. They finally took x-rays and confirmed the break. Thankfully, Elder Dr. Tim Brox, the Area Medical Advisor here, has excellent connections with some orthopedic surgeons and arranged for Elder Ojediran to have surgery that day, which was a huge relief.  We also learned that it was Elder Brox who got the insurance pre-authorization done (I love Dr Brox; he is a man that truly cares about people, as does his wife, the Mental Health advisor for the Area).

After about five hours of surgery, we went back to the hospital to check on Elder Ojediran. Then, Elder Morrison mentioned he had a doctor friend he hadn't seen in a while and wanted to visit him, asking me to come along. On the way in, Elder Morrison seemed to know everyone, greeting many people. We got to the first floor and asked for the doctor, only to find another member – an MTC instructor, as it turned out. This member was in a difficult situation; his father had been on life support for two days, and they were grappling with the decision of whether to remove it. He had used all his savings and needed to prepay to keep him on life support another day, but he had no more money (it costs 4,100 Cedi ($268 USD) per day in advance for intensive care, which is a lot of money in Ghana).

We spoke with him and his family, who were all waiting outside. It was a good opportunity for me to share my experience of a family member’s death and the decisions that come with it. I bore simple testimony that life continues beyond this one. It was a powerful reminder to me of how Heavenly Father puts people in the right place at the right time. Elder Morrison felt inspired to visit his doctor friend, who was in a different building within the hospital complex (many acres big), and his invitation for me to join him became a chance to share my testimony with this struggling family.

It's amazing how the relationships we build matter. They enabled Dr. Brox to connect with Dr. Badoo, allowing Elder Ojediran to have surgery on the same day, which is very rare here. It was definitely not a great period of time, with the executive secretary, second counselor, and first counselor in the Area Presidency all having accidents. But even in these challenging times, it's clear that the Lord works in mysterious ways to bring about good.

PS.  Today in the early afternoon (early morning in Utah) I received a call that said “Elder Wilson, Elder D Todd Christofferson would like to talk to you…”  He called to simply say he heard about the accident and to ask me exactly how I was doing and wish me well in my recovery.  After his visit here in West Africa he wrote me a letter thanking me for my help with his travels, in which he called me his friend; and I believe it.  He remembered me and when he heard of the accident he called to check up, and let me know that batteries are best left to others .  What an amazing man! An apostle of Jesus Christ took the time to call and check on me! What a lesson on how to minister to one.  

PPS.  Elder Ojediran asked me to give him a blessing before we left to go to the hospital.  Imagine giving a General Authority a blessing.  I gave him an inspired blessing, but a few hours later I remembered I forgot to say “seal and confirm the anointing..”  Oops.  I am sure he noticed, but he would never say anything that would hurt another person.  Another learning experience.

Note to family and a few others:  I love you all and wish you all the best.  I am healthy and will soon be back to 100%.  Krysti and I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly led by Christ and we see miracles very frequently and have wonderful faith and testimony building experiences often.  Have a great day and be the very best you.

Ross