The good, the bad, and the ugly…

July 9, 2014

Good news! I didn’t get transferred! Sister Campos and I will be companions for at least another 6 weeks. Yay!

 The work is really picking up. Partly, I think because we made a new rule that when we get punted, before we go to our back up plan, we have to find at least one new person. So, we did a lot of tracting! We found some interesting and some awesome people to teach! We taught Sharon (who we met at a burger stand on Thursday) on Saturday. She was saying things like “I feel like all the different ways I try to come closer to God just don’t work.” or “I feel like there is something lacking in my life.” Wow! Yup.

There is a less active family who lives in our area… 10 kids! The dad was never confirmed because he didn’t come to church the Sunday after his baptism. Well, we had a Family Home Evening at their house on Wednesday night and it was awesome! Filipino style FHE’s really bring everyone together. I remember going to this house one time with Sister Pelayo, but they were pretty cold… THEIR TIME IS NOW! I’m way excited for the Montrios!

Things started getting kinda bad on Saturday. Turns out I got amebiasis again because last time I had cysts that were not killed by the drugs. (Maybe that’s why the recovery was so rough!) Well, I didn’t recognize it as amebiasis right off the bat because the symptoms came in a different order. We worked all day Saturday then went to church on Sunday morning. President and Sister Balledos were there. They told me I should go home and rest up. As symptoms got worse, we texted Sister Balledos and decided to go to the hospital.

Even though I had only been sick for 2 days at this point (unlike the last time I went to the hospital - I had been sick for 6 days), when the doctors in the ER saw me they got me on an IV right away because I was dehydrated. I looked at the scale when they weighed me – I dropped 5 pounds in 2 days. I ended up lying on the tiny emergency room stretcher from about 4 pm until 1 am before I got a room at the hospital. My feet hung off it; it’s definitely Filipino sized :)

Some crazy things that happened during my time at the ER…

They revived a woman, then she died again, then she came back to life again. The crazy part was they grabbed the little finger heart beat monitor thing off of my hand and put it on hers… THAT WAS ALL THAT MONITORED HER HEART! Oh my gosh! I was supposed to go into my hospital room at 11pm but that’s when she came so all hands (staff) were helping her. And it’s not like I could complain or demand someone to wheel me to my room… there was a dead lady on the other side of the curtain! It made my situation seem less kawawa [wretched].

Another funny/kawawa emergency room event… I was trying not to throw up! (Because then I would for sure have to stay overnight.) Sister Campos and the Sister Training Leaders: Sister Oco and Sister Gerhards (Sister Gerhards got transferred to Baguio!) all crowded by the edge of my stretcher staring in anticipation. Maybe that’s why I didn’t throw up! The audience was super intimidating. The Sister Training Leaders came to bring us food, then go on exchanges and go back to the house with Sister Campos to get our stuff. So nice!

While I was at the hospital, a nun came and prayed for me. I told her I was a missionary. She said "Me too!" She served for 29 years in Indonesia and 18 in a state that is really cold and I am drawing a blank on the name right now. Anyway she put her hand on my shoulder and said, “Say a prayer in your heart.”

Oh man! Crazy story: If you get grossed out by blood don’t read...

So my IV fell out and blood started going up the tube (this happened three times). The third time they decided to switch hands, then when they put it in my hand it started gushing blood everywhere. Since they only give clean sheets in the morning, I had to sleep in them. Yuck! I requested tissue and tape and covered the blood. So gross.

I pretty much had an awful night. I think I should just skip the rest of the ugly and go back to some good :)

The next day Sister Dizon and Sister Morill heard that I was still in the hospital. Since it was Preparation Day the first thing they did after studies - before emailing or even eating - was come and visit me. I was so touched! They said they didn’t even know where Notre Dame Hospital was, they just got in a taxi and said, “Take us to Notre Dame!” They came from the church, so it was quite an expensive trip.

President and Sister Balledos drove 3 hours from the mission home back to Baguio just to visit me. I’m pretty sure President was also going to let me call home because he got my home number and dialed it, but the call failed! Dang man! But, I was still super touched by their visit.

Also - Sister Golightly came up from La Trinidad! Her companion went with Sister Campos to 7-11 and McDonald’s so Sister Campos could eat some food. Oh my goodness, it was so nice of them to come! It was great to sit and chat with Sister Golightly for a while. So great.

Then Sister Mortell and Sister Tune came. Sister Mortell gave me the rest of her jello from a package she had received. Yum! (The hospital food here was not super appetizing to me... see the pic.) They also brought me LETTERS! So it was like I got visits from Mom, Em, Whit, Grandma and Grandpa Anderson, Miranda, and the Anderson kids! Thanks so much for the letters!

This week reminded me of when I was 5 and spent the night at the hospital with my broken arm and all the nurses loved me. Oh my gosh!! The nurses here loved that I can speak Tagalog! I really should have been passing out pamphlets in there because so many people were like "Oh my gosh! You can speak Tagalog! What are you doing? How long have you been here!" etc. My hospital vocabulary is really growing.

I was finally released on Tuesday afternoon. I’m feeling much better now. Just super super super tired. And I walk like I’m 90. After emailing, we’re going to buy some groceries then I’m going back to bed! I’m so so thankful for all the love and support- especially this week. From at home and here on the mission. I feel like the missionaries here who came and visited me and took care of me (especially Sister Campos) served not just in their area, but really looked outward just how Christ would have. I am so thankful for their Christ-like service to me and for them sacrificing their Preparation Day time. Just for me. AWE! TENDER!

P.S. GOD BLESS AMERICA! We had a great pancake breakfast this Friday at our house. (Ignore the bedhead in the picture.) :)

 

Pre-plague 4th of July feast

 

 

Pancake breakfast - just like my friends back home in the Fisher's Landing Ward

 

 

Family Home Evening fun from a couple weeks ago

 

 

My attempt at the Filipino "pogi" pose. I'm so kawawa! These hospital pictures were taken on Tuesday, so I don't look too ill anymore. :)

 

 

Trying to "peace" but my hands hurt from all the IV drama!

 

 

 

 

This sign was posted in my hospital room. It was a Catholic hospital :) "Emergency Baptism...by a nurse..." what the?!

 

 

Sorry for the bad quality - I took this picture off the screen of Sister Mortell's camera. Can you see the eyes in the fish? I almost threw up when I picked up the cover. Haha.

Sister Mortell was nice enough to remove it for me. :)

 

 

More sketchy hospital food (not as bad as the whole fish with the eye in tact though)

 

 

Another P.S. Did you know sometimes I write to you in Tagalog and then I have to backspace and think about how to write it in English. he he