How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Surgery was the most difficult thing I could imagine.
And so I became a surgeon.
Thirty years later, I am not known for speed, or daring, or technical genius. (P.21-23)
When Marion comes back to Ethiopia after his exile in the United States, he has received an education in surgery and passed the very difficult board exams. But all of that comes after this moment of resolution, where he imagines something difficult and then chooses to accomplish it.
Quote #5
The apparition was painfully thin, swaying, but resolute, and it seemed a miracle that it was capable of speech, when it said in a voice heavy with fatigue and sadness: "I desire to begin the time of discernment, the time of listening to God as He speaks in and through the Community. I ask for your prayers that I may spend the rest of my life in His Eucharistic Presence and prepare my soul for the great day of union between bride and Bridegroom." (1.1.77)
While everyone in Missing is dedicated to the practice of medicine, Sister Mary Joseph Praise first shows up begging to have the chance to improve her skills as a nun. Of course, part of her service as a nun is to be a nurse, but at this moment, when she appears before Matron for the first time, she is asking for the time to study, contemplate, and really focus on the skill required to be a follower of God.
Quote #6
As a surgeon, Stone was famous for his speed, his courage, his daring, his boldness, his inventiveness, the economy of his movements, and his calmness under duress. […] But when Sister Mary Joseph Praise, his assistant for seven years, went into labor, all these qualities vanished. (1.2.2)
Remember when Marion said that he is not known for his speed, daring, or technical genius? Well, now we know why he chose to include that information: his father is known just for those things. But there's a catch. Marion may not be a show-off doctor, but he is steady. Dr. Stone, on the other hand, was a superstar, but he choked when it really mattered.