Adventure in Sports Medicine?

So um…………my adventures in medicine continue. The discovery channel filming on Fronton Beach was amazing. I will post more about that later. In my attempts to play more soccer with my students I have wrecked my knee. I was going for the goal and thought I had successfully stolen the ball when a flurry of legs crashed with mine. My left leg was hit from the side and I fell pretty hard. I did a classic fetal position clutching my knee and had the new experience of being picked up and cared for by my students---pretty humbling. After icing it Friday night, I was unable to walk Saturday morning and the knee was badly swollen. A friend of mine took me to the newest hospital in the largest town in this province (Santiago-about an hour away). I seem to have ruptured several ligaments and my leg has been put in a cast for a month or so. For those of you that enjoy gross medical things, my friend Laura did manage to catch a picture of the doctor sucking all of the bloody fluid out of my knee. Since treatment, physical therapy and a reliable doctor are not readily available in Jarabacoa, I will be returning to the US this Tuesday. I am disappointed to leave in the middle of the semester, but if the ligaments don’t heal properly I will need surgery and am not willing to risk my leg on an unknown doctor with variable training. The new art teacher will be taking my place on the upcoming weeklong hike up Pico Duarte (highest mountain in the Caribbean) with the 10th and 11th graders. I will be staying with my parents in Champaign while my leg is in a cast for the next month and then another month of physical therapy. I will still be writing lesson plans for the school while a substitute will be teaching my classes. I am hoping to make a speedy recovery and return to the DR at the end of 2 months. At the very least I will return to the DR at the beginning of January for the Spring Semester. Prayers for safe travels—(especially traveling alone with a full leg cast through 3 airports), a full recovery without surgery, finances, and the hole I will be leaving in the teaching staff at Doulos. I am once again reminded of God’s grace as good friends have helped me in numerous ways and am extremely thankful that I have access to quality medical care. I am also thankful that my wonderful parents are willing to look after me for the next 2-3 months. The amazing ministry of Doulos will continue to flourish while I am gone, and I look forward to returning to it as soon as possible.