Encarnacion 15

15 February 2016
Semana 45

What piece of news definitely has the spotlight right now is this ZIKA world epidemic thing...I dont know any of the details besides what people slip me through the grapevine, which is something along the lines of: people shouldn't get pregnant and everyone should be wearing repellent.

Here in my area, we have DENGUE: the missionaries worst nightmare. Since I dont know the scientific name for each the three types, we`re going to use: baby dengue, mama dengue, and big papa dengue.

baby dengue gives you a fever, body pain of someone that got hit by a bus, and sleeping habits of a new born

mama dengue gives you the fever, the pain, and spots (the spots resemble you bleeding internally or something super terrible like that)

and big papa dengue is fever, pain, and bleeding outwardly from your pores. how delightful is that.

Positiva Dengue ! Ugh, the worst is yet to come

well...now that I`m all better, I guess it`s safe to mention that last Saturday I started to feel sick...and then worse on Sunday, and then Monday Hermana Albach said I had to go to the doctor. I SWORE I would NEVER go to the doctor here, but I do approve of the clinica TAJY; its almost American. When the lady took my blood it didnt ever hurt, which is even hard to manage when getting blood drawn in the states. Anywho...so yeah, my results came back POSITIVE with DENGUE :O And that little annoying peice of news led to a long really really long week incarcerated in the pension. I have never slept so much in my entire life. I have never felt so weak in my entire life. picture this: the battery life of a really old iPhone; you charge it for 2 hours and then it runs for about...10 minutes until its time to plug it back in. I would sleep for 2 or 3 hours, get up to go to the bathroom, drink some water, and....then be completely exhausted and ready to go back to sleep. haha so pathetic. Hermana Santana was a trooper and stayed by my side (not that she had a choice) the whole time :) On the plus side, I only had baby dengue. The other types keep you in the pension for 2-3 weeks, so I feel super blessed to have been healed after just one.

Something funny though is that, as I had mentioned, I received all of those church movies last week, so.....8 movies later...it was basically like I had a church Netflix marathon for the week haha and a week was definitely enough. What`s a bummer is that I`m still really tired, but that`s the mission :)

Being in the pension all week makes you crazy and really gets you thinking about home. like home, in Utah, with snow, and my mommy, who could be taking care of meeeeeeeee....mehhhh just loads of self pity haha I think the hardest day of my mission was Saturday. It was the first day that I could go back to work, and I was honestly scared because I was nervous I would not have the strength or the energy to make it all day. When 6pm hit I was struggling pretty hard, but not wanting to quit. So we went a little longer and a little longer...and we made it until the end of the day. I know Christ walked with me all day long, helping me to keep going.  I know he is always walking with us, but if we ask, he will willingly help us to carry our burdens. I know it was because of him that I found the strength to continue. It is because of him that I find the strength EVERYDAY to do this work. Sometimes it is so hard, and it is so unbearably hot, and the people seem unbearably mean, but none of it matters, because he is here with us. And for each moment that its hard, if we can just get past this part of the climb, Heavenly Father will always make the view at the top breathtaking.

happy and now also healthy :)

have a good week

love love love you all

hermana cannon