I've Grown A Foot Or Two!

Family!

Yes we were able to go to the Florida Keys for the service project! It was awesome! It was so cool!! We just cleaned up the beach and we got helping handsT-shirts! It was lots of fun! I was able to see everyone from Hialeah again. They said they can’t wait for me to go home so I can be their friends on Facebook. I love my Latin’s :) The service project I did was just moving a family. I did lots of lifting. Probably wasn’t the best idea. I knew you would be mad at me haha.

Doing service at Florida Keys with the Stake! So rewarding

I am glad you liked talking to Sister Boga! I was there when she called you :) She is amazing. She is one of my best friends. She reminds me so much of mom. She is the closest thing i got. When I told her about the ER and about how I might have lupus she said her sister has it and she asked if I knew anything about it. I said no. So we went online and did research and turns out I have more of the symptoms then I thought I had. I have the fatigue, butterfly rash, hair loss, mouth sores, constipation, joint pain, the tips of my fingers are red etc. If I have lupus it attacks my joints, so Sister Boga who has Hashimoto disease has problems with her joints too. She gave me a supplement to help them. After she talked to you, me and her had a one on one talk and she talked about how my health comes first and about praying to see if I need to come home early. She gave me an awesome pep talk and really helped me.

Waiting in the ER

So about the visit to the Emergency Room. So every morning we go on a mile jog. Usually it’s a slow one haha. Anyways, so on Thursday, I was just doing my normal jog and all of a sudden my back clenched up super bad. It hurt so bad I fell and had to catch myself. I thought it was just a back spasm because I usually have a couple of those every day and they just last like 5 min or so. So I kept jogging, but it hurt so badly. So I started to just walk. It took everything in me to walk back to the house without crying. When we got into the house I told Sister Smith, I can’t move. My whole back felt like there were pliers going up and down my spine clenching my back together. Even just moving my eyes to look down hurt so badly. I called Sister Richardson at 6:40 in the morning. She told me to just lay down and try and relax my whole body. So it took me 15 minutes to actually do all that because every move killed me. So I laid down for 2 hours with a towel in my mouth trying to relax. It was about 8:30 and we had an appointment at 10 so me being me I was like okay I need to take a shower. I get to ancy just sitting for too long because I know I need to be doing stuff. I always have to be moving now haha. So I tried to get up. Yup it wasn’t happening. It took me 25 min to stand up. After I finally stood up I called Sister Richardson again and she said just take my normal meds and call Sister Martin our mission nurse. So I did and she said to just put ice on it. I was so frustrated!!! I asked can i just go to the ER? Both Sister Martin and Richardson said no because they would just give me meds that I already had. So i just took my Flexeril and knocked out for a couple hours. I woke up and it was worse!! So Sister Martin said go get a heating pad so I did. That didn’t help. I kept asking can I please go to the ER, I just want to get rid of this and get back to work! The other sisters that we live with were just about to take me. So since they still said no, I stayed in bed in tons of pain until 6. When I said “okay I am just going to go work.” So we went to our meal apt then to ward correlation. We got home at 9:00 and by 9:30 they finally said that I could go to the ER. I was like okay let’s go!!! Sister Smith came with me as well as one of the other sisters who I love. First Sister Richardson said to go to urgent care. We did and what do you know? It was closed. So I was like bump this take me to the ER. So they did. We go to the ER and they took me in, got me evaluated and everything. Then they said they were going to give me two shots full of narcotics and steroids. So they come in with the shots both with needles 3 inches long!! But I didn’t care I was willing to do whatever it takes to get this pain gone. Which is saying something because I hate needles. I got a shot in my arm and the other in my butt, that one hurt the most. I was screaming. Then they left and kept me for a while to monitor me. The drugs worked! I felt like a dead fish. My muscles were so relaxed haha. I don’t remember the car ride home I was so high. Apparently I thought I was a penguin on the ride home. We didn’t get home until 3 in the morning and then I didn’t wake up till 9:30 the next morning. I was out cold!! But it worked and the nurse also prescribed me for Vicodin in case it happens again. So now I am fine just getting really tired an exhausted.

Sister Boga said that my back freaking out could have been a flare up of lupus. I also told the Riggin’s about it to yesterday. They and Sister Boga are the only ones who know. I have been keeping it all on the down low but turns out Brother Riggin’s mom has lupus so they have been helping me and sending me info about lupus. They have been lots of help. So yeah that’s what happened. I can say though I really wish I was home!! haha I have been praying really hard about what to do because I don’t really want to come home early. I only have 12 weeks left. Today I was reading in Alma 58:40 and it talks about the Stripling Warriors and how they had wounds but they still kept fighting and kept going forward. So I think that was my answer that I need to stay but we have interviews with President Richardson this week so I am going to talk to him about it and receive a blessing. I just don’t know what to do. I am getting tired, I am 20 and my body feels like I am way older but I know that this work is so important and I want to finish strong. I will let you know what happens next week. But I most likely will stay unless something crazy happens. :)

Went to Fort Lauderdale Temple with Sister boga

This week we got to see Melvin and Bianca. They are the 2 most solid people we are working with! They are both getting baptized on the 21st! :) Melvin is amazing. We have pretty much taught him everything and loves church so much and the Book of Mormon. He has no Word of Wisdom or Law of Chasity issues so that’s good! :) He is boss! It’s like teaching another Damien! Bianca is amazing too! She is 23 and married and so sweet!! I love her so much!! She is already listening to conference talks! She just loves the gospel!! Teaching her has been amazing!! :) They are so elect and ready!! God is good!!

Oh and Damien!! So Damien wasn’t able to get work off on Sunday but we went and saw him that night. Man that kid is a boss! I was telling him how next Sunday might be my last because transfers are next week and how he needs to pray that I will stay until I go home and he said, "I will pray, but remember if you leave you leave. That’s part of missionary work. God needs you other places. Look at Sister King. It’s like you are a secret agent and every six weeks they call you and tell you, you have another mission to complete somewhere else. Its Gods work not yours." So, Yup! My recent convert threw down on me about missionary work. I love Damien. Next Sunday though he will pass the sacrament :)