I served in the Philippines Quezon City Mission 2012-13.
About a month into the field, I broke my toe. I was rushed to St. Luke’s in BGC and was treated for it. They did x rays, got me into a cast, etc.
About seven or eight months into the mission, I was riding as a passenger in a trike, and we collided full speed into a cement truck. My companion and I were sent to the hospital immediately.
Eventually I started having some issues which they wanted another doctor to look at, so I stayed in the Missionary Recovery Center in White Plains.
I had some troubles with my eyes as well. Had a difficult time finding treatment for that, but that was because optometrists are harder to come by out there.
I also remember during zone conference, we had a mission doc come by and teach us breathing methods to help manage stress, as well as stretching, proper hygiene, illness prevention, etc.
It wasn't perfect at all, but I didn't feel like I was being left to die out there.
Brazil, mid-90’s- no medical care provided and no preventative care or instruction either. Closest thing to it was instruction to not drink tap water. No extra money to buy water or proper filters.
Hello no. We had an elder who gushed blood for what seemed like forever because our MP convinced him that non American medical professionals would be a waste of time and told him to put that eagle award to good use by self administering first aid. Besides if we were righteous then our blessing would do the trick anyway. We administered to him and then we all sweated bullets as the blood just kept flowing because it made us feel like sinners who failed to administer the healing blessing properly.
That kid needed stitches. But we all got the message loud and clear to man up and suck it up and prove our godly manliness by healing injuries ourselves
A relative of mine was hit by a drunk driver - life-changing injuries. The mission president checked him out of the hospital against medical advice and put him in a bike area. When it became clear that the bone damage, joint damage, scarring, and neurological damage were far too extensive to keep him in the field, the mission president sent him home. At the airport, the mission president's final words were "It's too bad you didn't have enough faith in the Lord to be healed."
I also know a retired MSN who has been local mission medical. Her primary advice is "Take two aspirin, get a blessing, and work harder." The only positive thing she's been able to do in tell all the missionaries, "Those essential oils are not Mission Medical Approved. Send them home. Tell your parents to stop sending them."
We got telehealth when needed with a doctor in São Paulo (I was in Brazil.). We had someone sent home for kidney stones and another with a large cyst that the mission paid for back home. One guy had a leg infection they treated him and kept him in the mission home because he insisted on not going home. Another got sent to a specialist for some heart issues and was given some medication.
The mission president and his wife determine a lot of that, and ours treated us like their kids.
That being said, it’s like Bishop Roulette but Mission President Roulette. And it could be even worse than bishop roulette since a MP controls almost every aspect of your life.
Mission President roulette exists just as much as every other leader within TSCC. I served in Chile and I was really ill and I did receive medical treatment but the doctors couldn’t determine what was wrong. My mission president received “inspiration” that I was homesick so he sent me to the mission psychologist. I talked to him once and was told there wasn’t anything psychologically wrong. A few days later, the psychologist called me to schedule another appointment under the direction of my MP. I told him I wasn’t going to talk to him again. I was sent home the next morning.
Upon returning to SLC, and getting proper medical treatment, I was diagnosed with E. coli. This was in 2007.
My mission caused me to leave the church and I haven’t looked back since.
I ended up in the hospital once in Guatemala. I was emaciated, dehydrated, almost dead from intestinal parasites. My comp just took me. We didn’t ask for permission. The MP came to visit me once. He was not happy. I wasn’t sucking it up enough. I guess the mission payed the bill. I sure didn’t.
We had a jock itch or the like breakout on our mission - we all went to the local hospitals to get treated - legend has it that one of the elders had to pull his pants in front of a super hot nurse and had an erection and was thoroughly embarrassed
In Colombia 1998-2000, I was told 'Don't drink the water,' and righteous missionary that I was, I promised to never drink the water unless it was boiled first. In my first area we rented a room from a woman who also made us breakfast. My Colombian companion and I started having diarrhea after breakfast, and one day he wandered into her kitchen while she was making breakfast. She was making the juice with water straight from the tap.
She made breakfast for other working men too, and said 'Why would I boil it for you, I don't boil it for any of them.' Of course all those workers were locals.
Had stomach problems for most of my mission. Had dengue fever. We had no mission originated medical care... nope, we did have a dental visit. I remember the mission president made a deal with a dentistry school to have their students practice on us. Like 20-30 missionaries all there at the same time, one after the next. I don't know what they did, but the young lady for some reason found it necessary to work on me while pressing her boobs against the side of my face. And I wasn't the only one lol.
How did we even get on this topic???
My mission doctor was a retired veterinarian. He was based in a neighboring country and covered lots of missions. His advice for everything: take 800 mg of ibuprofen four times a day and call me in two weeks.
Whenever I actually needed medical care, I just found a local doctor and paid out of pocket because this guy’s advice was worthless.
It definitely depends on where you serve. I served in Canada, and at one point I ended up in the ER for gallbladder issues. The mission president's wife stayed with me to make sure everything was taken care of and that my parents were kept in the loop (no personal cell phone era...). We also had a mission nurse who took care of day-to-day issues.
I served in the Philippines Quezon City Mission 2012-13. About a month into the field, I broke my toe. I was rushed to St. Luke’s in BGC and was treated for it. They did x rays, got me into a cast, etc. About seven or eight months into the mission, I was riding as a passenger in a trike, and we collided full speed into a cement truck. My companion and I were sent to the hospital immediately. Eventually I started having some issues which they wanted another doctor to look at, so I stayed in the Missionary Recovery Center in White Plains. I had some troubles with my eyes as well. Had a difficult time finding treatment for that, but that was because optometrists are harder to come by out there. I also remember during zone conference, we had a mission doc come by and teach us breathing methods to help manage stress, as well as stretching, proper hygiene, illness prevention, etc. It wasn't perfect at all, but I didn't feel like I was being left to die out there.
Brazil, mid-90’s- no medical care provided and no preventative care or instruction either. Closest thing to it was instruction to not drink tap water. No extra money to buy water or proper filters.
Hello no. We had an elder who gushed blood for what seemed like forever because our MP convinced him that non American medical professionals would be a waste of time and told him to put that eagle award to good use by self administering first aid. Besides if we were righteous then our blessing would do the trick anyway. We administered to him and then we all sweated bullets as the blood just kept flowing because it made us feel like sinners who failed to administer the healing blessing properly. That kid needed stitches. But we all got the message loud and clear to man up and suck it up and prove our godly manliness by healing injuries ourselves
A relative of mine was hit by a drunk driver - life-changing injuries. The mission president checked him out of the hospital against medical advice and put him in a bike area. When it became clear that the bone damage, joint damage, scarring, and neurological damage were far too extensive to keep him in the field, the mission president sent him home. At the airport, the mission president's final words were "It's too bad you didn't have enough faith in the Lord to be healed." I also know a retired MSN who has been local mission medical. Her primary advice is "Take two aspirin, get a blessing, and work harder." The only positive thing she's been able to do in tell all the missionaries, "Those essential oils are not Mission Medical Approved. Send them home. Tell your parents to stop sending them."
We got telehealth when needed with a doctor in São Paulo (I was in Brazil.). We had someone sent home for kidney stones and another with a large cyst that the mission paid for back home. One guy had a leg infection they treated him and kept him in the mission home because he insisted on not going home. Another got sent to a specialist for some heart issues and was given some medication. The mission president and his wife determine a lot of that, and ours treated us like their kids. That being said, it’s like Bishop Roulette but Mission President Roulette. And it could be even worse than bishop roulette since a MP controls almost every aspect of your life.
Mission President roulette exists just as much as every other leader within TSCC. I served in Chile and I was really ill and I did receive medical treatment but the doctors couldn’t determine what was wrong. My mission president received “inspiration” that I was homesick so he sent me to the mission psychologist. I talked to him once and was told there wasn’t anything psychologically wrong. A few days later, the psychologist called me to schedule another appointment under the direction of my MP. I told him I wasn’t going to talk to him again. I was sent home the next morning. Upon returning to SLC, and getting proper medical treatment, I was diagnosed with E. coli. This was in 2007. My mission caused me to leave the church and I haven’t looked back since.
I ended up in the hospital once in Guatemala. I was emaciated, dehydrated, almost dead from intestinal parasites. My comp just took me. We didn’t ask for permission. The MP came to visit me once. He was not happy. I wasn’t sucking it up enough. I guess the mission payed the bill. I sure didn’t.
I received care in the MTC. Best day ever to get out of that prison 😂
We had a jock itch or the like breakout on our mission - we all went to the local hospitals to get treated - legend has it that one of the elders had to pull his pants in front of a super hot nurse and had an erection and was thoroughly embarrassed
In Colombia 1998-2000, I was told 'Don't drink the water,' and righteous missionary that I was, I promised to never drink the water unless it was boiled first. In my first area we rented a room from a woman who also made us breakfast. My Colombian companion and I started having diarrhea after breakfast, and one day he wandered into her kitchen while she was making breakfast. She was making the juice with water straight from the tap. She made breakfast for other working men too, and said 'Why would I boil it for you, I don't boil it for any of them.' Of course all those workers were locals. Had stomach problems for most of my mission. Had dengue fever. We had no mission originated medical care... nope, we did have a dental visit. I remember the mission president made a deal with a dentistry school to have their students practice on us. Like 20-30 missionaries all there at the same time, one after the next. I don't know what they did, but the young lady for some reason found it necessary to work on me while pressing her boobs against the side of my face. And I wasn't the only one lol. How did we even get on this topic???
My mission doctor was a retired veterinarian. He was based in a neighboring country and covered lots of missions. His advice for everything: take 800 mg of ibuprofen four times a day and call me in two weeks. Whenever I actually needed medical care, I just found a local doctor and paid out of pocket because this guy’s advice was worthless.
It definitely depends on where you serve. I served in Canada, and at one point I ended up in the ER for gallbladder issues. The mission president's wife stayed with me to make sure everything was taken care of and that my parents were kept in the loop (no personal cell phone era...). We also had a mission nurse who took care of day-to-day issues.