Yep! I'm in Santiago right now. ¿Por què? Porque.
Let me tell you about my week.
Monday
night, we had to make a super unexpected move from La Florida to Jardìn
de Valle (the sector next to us.) It was only Hermana Pineda and I, and
it's because Presidente Warne doesn't want us to be exposed to the
sickness in our casa during the period of time that it's considered to
be contagious...so, this week, and I believe the next, we are living in a
different casa. We had to pack up all of our things and move out. We're
still working in La Florida, but we just have a little longer walk!
On Saturday,
I got a phone call from Hermana Jett (the couple misionera in charge of
the health of the missionaries) in which she said that we (Hermana
Pineda and I...along with seven other missionaries from all over the
mission) needed to travel to Rancagua on Sunday night, because we had an appointment at the hospital in Santiago on Monday
morning. All 9 of us had been around Hermana Rodriguez (who is very
sick) in the last few months, and so we needed to go get some tests
done.
Needless to say, I literally saw my life flash
before my eyes at this news. (For those of you who do not know, I
actually have a severe allergic reaction to pain, needles, blood, etc.)
(That was a lie.) (But I might as well have this problem.) (Back-track.
When confronted with a needle...or a doctor's office in general...I
might as well mentally and emotionally regress to the maturity of a
fetus.) (I have a problem.)
Anyway, I almost started crying right there on the phone. But, somehow, I got through it.
Sunday
night came, and we had to pack our things for the night in one of my
big suitcases (because I left my little suitcase in the old casa...and
we didn't have any other options for an over-night pack!) So we've got
this giant, bulky suitcase with both our things in it, along with our
backpacks, and off we go to find a bus to Rancagua. We were with Hermana
Berbert, who works in Jardìn de Valle. (She's awesome.)
Anyway, there was a lot of moving around...and a
little chaos for the three of us. First, we traveled all the way to the
bus station, then we found out that there were absolutely no buses
leaving for Rancagua that night. Then we ran to the train station, and
we received the same news. Then we almost got back to the bus station
when Hermana Berbert realized that she left her bag in the train
station, so we went back and forth, and then in the bus station we found
out that no one was going straight to Santiago, either. So then we
called the Assistants to the President, and they told us to buy tickets
to Rancagua for tomorrow
morning...so we did. Then we were walking back to the casa when they
called again and told us to try to get refunds, because they were
actually sending someone to pick us up NOW. So we had to walk back to
the terminal, get refunds, and walk all the way to the McDonald's that
they told us to meet them at.
NEEDLESS TO SAY I'm a little bit EXHAUSTED. BUT
THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE guess what? It's the life of a missionary! And
that's how I got to Santiago.
I was praying so
hard in the doctor's office that I wouldn't bawl my eyes out when they
needed to give me a shot. I came so close to loosing it a couple times,
but I kept praying, praying, praying...and then a miracle happened.
Mom. I didn't cry.
I DIDN'T. CRY.
THEY
STUCK A NEEDLE INTO MY ARM AND INJECTED FOREIGN FLUIDS INTO MY CUERPO
AND I DIDN'T NEED TO BE HELD DOWN OR ANYTHING. (The fact that I'm
sharing this proves that I have no shame. Yep...I've had to be held down
before.)
Anyway, if anyone needed to know that there's a God, there's your proof.
ALSO. An important life lesson: thinking about super-gluing your fingers together? Not as fun as it sounds.
Yeah, that happened this week. I was trying to help
Hermana Pineda mend her suitcase, and before I knew it, my entire right
hand was burning...for a few seconds, I didn't understand why, but then I
saw the clear liquid hardening on my fingers, and I screamed...mostly
because my first thought was that my hand was melting...anyway, I had
the good sense to keep my fingers separated, so can I get some points
for that?
This week, I have understood a ton more that people
have said to me! It was kind of a dramatic increase. So I'm super pumped
about that! Honestly, I think it's because I've been living with so
many different countries. (In Jardìn de Valle, I've got two Hermanas
from Mexico, too!) This is really awesome, because I've felt more
confident in contributing in the lessons.
Our investigators this week...hmm. This week was
rough. I'm not sure why. I could blame it on the craziness of having to
move and having different conferences, etc...but really, we just needed
to do something different. It was really hard to find people to teach
this week. Our investigators weren't answering their phones, and if we
had an appointment, they usually called and asked if we could do a
different day...for the most part, I think they sincerely want to keep
learning and are just busy...but then that begs the question, how
serious are they about learning more?
BUT my faith is still solid. I have faith that we
can find a family to teach this week, who has been searching for
something that we have to offer!
All of your
letters are a strength to me every week! I dang love you guys. Enserio. I
know that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, restored upon the earth
through the prophet Joseph Smith, with all the keys and authority of the
priesthood. Every day, my testimony deepens a little more, and so does
my enthusiasm to help those I serve to grow in the gospel!
I LOVE YOU GUYS. A TON. I TALK ABOUT YOU ALL THE TIME TO EVERYONE. SERIOUSLY.
ALSO
I'M SUPER PROUD of mah fam for the Book of Mormon read-a-thon! I wish I
could do that right now!! Seriously. We never have the amount of time I
want to study. It's because we're so busy! I love it!
CAN'T SAY THIS ENOUGH--I LOVE YOU GUYS.
You
should purchase a copy of Preach My Gospel and study it together as a
family. This isn't just me saying it. I've read a lot of talks about
people's lives changing by studying PMG as a family, personally, before
the mission, as well as after...DO IT!
LoooooooOOOOOOooove,
Hermana Thomas
ooxxOXx
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