On Halloween night, at around 9:20 pm, we got a call from our Stake President informing us that Eric had gotten hurt earlier that evening. He and his companion were helping a less-active member with a service project. The member was high up in his own tree (about 40 feet) cutting down limbs and the Elders were putting the limbs into a nearby truck. Once all of the limbs of the tree were cut down, the member started cutting down segments of the tree itself (the trunk). About the 3rd or 4th segment, which was about 16 to 20 feet long and roughly 30 inches in diameter, fell to the ground, it then pivoted, hitting Eric and slamming him against the truck. He laid on the ground in a really weird position and everyone there told him not to move.
He was taken to the nearest hospital (Mercy Hospital) in Redding, CA by helicopter...it was about an hour and a half drive away. They ran some tests, took some x-rays, and an MRI and discovered that he had fractured his pelvic bone. It was really scary. The mission president called us about an hour later and confirmed to us the details that President Bigelow had told us earlier. Eric didn't sustain any internal injuries or bleeding. The fracture was in a "non-weight bearing" area, which meant he would be able to walk as he recovered (as pain permitted). His right lung was slightly deflated, but they said that should get better on its own. It really was a miracle. Thinking about what could have happened was very humbling. We got to talk to Eric on the phone the next morning and that was AWESOME! It was so good to hear his voice. He was emotional, but in good spirits. He knew Heavenly Father had protected him, and so did we. He was in the hospital for 4 days...
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About 5 days after Eric was hurt, I got an email from someone in Eric's ward. It was so sweet. Below is our email exchange...
"Hello Sister Jones,
I wanted you to know how very impressed my husband, Jack, and I are with your Elder. He is such a hard worker and his love of the Gospel is so very apparent.
We were so shocked and saddened to hear of the accident but he is handling this challenge with such maturity and spiritual grace. We saw him today and his spirits are high, he seems to be improving by leaps and bounds. He truly loves the investigators he's teaching and they love him also.
Rest assured that we will watch over him.
With much love, Sharon" (Bonnifield Eggleston)
I responded to her message with the following:
"Sharon,
I woke up this morning with a little bit of a heavy heart and concern for my son. When I read your message, it was like a burden had been lifted. You were an answer to my prayers. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and kind words. I do have peace that Elder Jones is where he should be, and I am continually grateful for that witness. My husband and I have felt very strongly that he is being watched over and taken care of. But it means so much to me that you would take the time to write me a quick note of assurance. I deeply appreciate it.
Thanks so much.
Melissa"
And she responded with this last email:
"Interesting isn't it when we gain evidence we have been an instrument in the hands of the Lord. I'm grateful I listened to the promping to write when I did rather than to put it on the never ending list of things to do "later". The Lord loves us all, I know this more every day.
Have a peaceful day. Sharon"
I was so grateful for her taking the time to do that. It literally helped me feel so much better. On that same day, I got a call from a different lady in Eric's ward. (Donna Ridley, who coincidentally is the mother of a guy named Andrew I dated back in college--small world!). She said some really nice things about Eric and said how impressed she was with him also. She said she was so sorry that he got hurt. I appreciated this call so much! What amazing gifts we were given! I'm so thankful that these people followed the prompting of the Spirit that day. There are some great people out there!
When Eric got out of the hospital, he didn't go right back to his area in Weaverville. He stayed near the hospital and he and his companion moved into an apartment with 2 other Elders (so there was 4 total). At this point, we still weren't sure if Eric would need to return home to recover. We didn't know how quickly his body would heal, or if he would be able to keep up with at least some missionary work. We were taking it a day at a time...After about a week or so, when Eric got a little stronger, he spent his days with a senior couple in Redding. They would pick him up in the morning and take him to the Institute building where they taught classes and Eric would try to rest, make some appointments, and practice walking. This was a great arrangement and solution for Eric and is essentially what allowed him to stay in the mission field. I found the couple (The Barlows) on Facebook and I sent them the following message:
"Elder and Sister Barlow,
I am the mother of Elder Eric Jones. I hope I'm writing to the right couple. I just wanted to thank you both for all you have done and are doing for my son. My husband and I feel a deep gratitude in our hearts for you. My words cannot express how thankful I am for your service. I don't know if Eric will be returning home or not, but knowing he has been watched over by you both has brought my husband and I much peace. Thank you again, so much for your kindness.
Melissa Jones"
And here is what Elder Barlow wrote back:
"Brother and Sister Jones,
Thank you for your kind words. Elder Jones is so gracious and always thanks us for anything we do. Over the last week we have seen a steady improvement in your son. He eats anything we fix and says he loves it. We teach at the Institute here in Redding so we pick him up at the apartment at 8:30 and take him to the Insititute building where we have one of those old rocker lounge chairs with a foot stool that he rests in. The cot we have for him to lay down on has yet to be used. We leave the Insititute about 3:30 and he comes to our apartment and rests on our couch until about 7:30 when we either take him to the apartment or Elders pick him up. He is on the couch resting right now.
He is getting around better on the crutches and getting in and out of the car seems to be getting easier. He is VERY cautious on how much pain medication he takes and is only taking the prescription at night, which helps him rest better.
President Weston checks in regularly and decisions on where is the best place for him to recover are in his hands.
We have six children and 25 grandchildren so we are old hands at taking care of injured children.
We do love Elder Jones - feel free to send a note anytime and we will try to get back to you.
Elder and Sister Barlow"
We were so thankful for this couple. And we know President Weston (the mission president) was inspired to have Eric stay with them while he recovered. President Weston, by the way, was AMAZING! In the beginning, we talked to him several times a day and then it tapered off to once a day for awhile. He always tried to keep us informed of Eric's progress. We will forever be grateful for his sincerity and sensitive nature of letting us know what was going on.
About 3 1/2 weeks after Eric's accident, there was a big zone conference for all the missionaries in the mission and a lot of the leadership attended this conference. This was kind of a "test run" for Eric because it lasted several hours and we didn't know how he would be able to handle the day. He did great! Still on crutches, he was called up to the pulpit to give a 5 minute talk. Every missionary was told to prepare a talk incase they were called up. Eric was one of two missionaries asked to speak that day. He and a sister missionary. That was such a humbling experience for Eric and what an amazing opportunity for him to bear his testimony. He's been such an awesome example to so many people...there and here. We are so proud of him!
At the zone conference, Eric met a couple who are the parents of a friend of mine and Todd's. She and her husband were in our BYU ward way back at the beginning of our marriage. Her name is Julia Oldroyd. Her parents live in CA and her dad is a member of the mission presidency. They sent her a note, with the following picture. And Julia forwarded it to us. It was so cool!
"Hi Julia, We had our Chico Zone Conference today and Elder Jones was there. Please forward this photo to his parents. He is doing great. Even though he is still on crutches his spirits are high and he is anxious to get back to work. The doc said that in 2 months he would be able to ride a horse. He is not planning to do that however. Elder Jones gave a short talk in the Mission Tour Zone Conference today. Love, Mom and Dad"
We heard from Eric on Monday in an email and he said he is now off his crutches and back in Weaverville, his original area. It's only been 5 weeks tomorrow since he got hurt. We are so grateful for the service of all the people who helped Eric. So many people prayed for him and we know the Lord blessed him in his recovery. What would we do without the gospel? I really can't imagine it. I'm so thankful that Eric wasn't more injured. We know he was protected at the time of the accident and blessed with a speedy recovery. We just had Thanksgiving last week! And we have so much to be thankful for! :)
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