September 2011
It all started with a visit from our Stake President late one night telling us that Sterling is going to have to come home from his mission early because of complications that had occurred from his last surgery on his wrist and the discovery of internal injuries. Both requiring extensive rehab and recuperation time, which the mission could not manage. So, Sterling was on his way home the next day, September 3, 2011. Because of the necessity for him to have the flexibility to meet with multiple people and have to be alone, he was given a temporary release from his mission, which is customary, while these medical issues were being fixed.
The doctor visits began and the surgeries scheduled, he had 3. The efforts to fix his left wrist out in the mission field actually caused him more problems and Sterling was advised by his doctors in Salt Lake City to have part of the bone removed from his wrist because of the deterioration and damages done. It is weird to see the missing bone in the X-rays.
Sterling has recovered completely without any lasting physical damages. He has maintained a very positive attitude through all of this as he did while on his mission even though he was constantly in pain.
Calls came from the mission field checking up on him including returned missionaries, President and Sister Hale, and the office missionaries. Those from the mission were very complimentary towards Sterling concerning his faithfulness, his testimony, his maturity, and the positive influence he provided while on his mission. The medical missionary was very effusive about her compliments towards Sterling indicating that how tough, strong, funny, and wonderful he was. That he was a delight to work with and that he never complained.
During this time Sterling continued to study and prepare for his return to the mission field as requested by his Stake and Mission Presidents. It was his belief that he would eventually return and finish his last ten months. Because Sterling was temporarily released from his mission it required him to submit his request back to the Missionary Department to be reinstated as a missionary. The Stake President and President Hale both indicated that they supported this and wanted Sterling to return. Because of the length of time it took to heal from his surgeries and, we think, his age (he was almost 25), he received an official honorable release from his mission on January 18, 2011.
One final irony concerning this story, Sterling has accepted the fact that he was asked by his Stake President to go to a singles ward and has had his records moved to his new ward and stake. He was immediately called to be a Ward Missionary where he served for a year and faithfully went out every week to fulfill this calling, too funny.
Sterling began his mission in unique circumstances. That is, he didn’t believe that he was going to go on a mission, especially not at 23. Sterling learned for himself that the Lord really did want him to go on a mission and it came to him loud and clear. His testimony concerning the Savior was never in question, or any of the Gospel precepts. He simply did not believe that he was supposed to go on a mission. To his everlasting credit and his everlasting joy, Sterling did go and serve an honorable mission in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission. Using Sterling’s own testimony:
“I know that revelation from the spirit exists, for without it I would never have come to the decision to go on a mission” ~ Elder Sterling J. Nisson.
