Welcome to a week of repeats. It hasnt been the best...but I´ll try to focus on the more interesting and good parts.
First thing---things with my leg have pretty much gone down the drain. Right when I always think I am healed things collapse again. It was especially bad this week. I tried walking and working but starting Tuesday I just kept kind of falling down in the street. I had to have hermana Piriz on one side of me and Aracely on the other...both holding up half of my body so I could kind of walk. We went around like that for awhile but once I started crying from the pain my companion said it was time for me to rest....and she didnt let me leave the house again.
But I got lots of visits from members and friends and got to hang out at the houses of my favorite people and practice cooking...so it wasnt all bad. And in the mix of that I decided that my time was done...I have an insane desire to stay and finish my mission...but my willpower is not enough to supply me the support and strength I need to walk.
So I cried myself to sleep everynight and started packing my bags. Friday the pain was just too much to handle. I couldnt sleep all night and woke up in too much pain to even walk to the bathroom. So I called my favorite doctor who was out of town...but returned home early to see me (the awesome Dr Loyola). He seemed pretty shocked to see an hernia causing me so much pain and did some more tests on me and changed his mind...because maybe it wasnt a hernia but something worse. And so I got an appointment with a spine specialist.
Okay....well Saturday we had to do something for the 5th time on my mission....that would be disinfect the house of scabies. Its weird how I am so not grossed out that there are tons of little bugs living under my skin. I know YOU are probably grossed out by that and never want me in the same neighborhood as you again...but Chile has been working its magic on me :) We even have a little dance and chant for la sarna. Its fun!
So for the last week or two I have had a lot of trouble sleeping. Not just because of the pain in my leg but from just waking up and feeling scared at night. I have a panic attack almost every night that someone is in the house. I have been fine for so long after the break in so I wasnt sure why all of a sudden I was getting scared again. Saturday night I mentioned it to hermana Razeira and she said that she too couldnt sleep at night and felt weird and scared. The other two hermanas admitted the same things too. So that night we slept with all the lights on.
And then last night (we are still talking about repeats)...another man tried to enter our house. It was only about 11:30 but we heard noises on the roof. At first we thought it was a cat or something but we decided it was too heavy..and it was dragging something too....maybe a ladder to drop into the backyard and get in through the back window. We all freaked out and went running into the front room and did our now routine calling of the elders, bishop and President. All of which were at out house in a number of mins. The elders came in in their pjs with brooms to attack the intruder with. They found us four hundled in a ball shaking and crying. But the police came and checked everything out and I called Aracely who was over in about 2 mins to protect us.
We ended up putting all our mattresses on the floor and eating ice cream and talking the whole night. I literally fell alseep at 6:45 in the morning. My poor little hija was crying the whole night. It didnt help that a group of drunk teenage boys were outside our house all night chanting something and screaming. Oh the mission....always something exciting! But dont worry...it was the last night we spent there. We are getting a new house!
This morning I had to get up after 15 mins of sleep. Aracely got up with me and we caught a bus to Conce (Aracely took time off work to come with me so my little comp could go to a zone activity at the beach...she is the best!!). I had my spine specialist app and guess who took me to it....President and Hermana Arrington! The whole thing took about three hours but it was really good. President told me that no matter how complicated the solution to my problem could be....we know there is a solution and that I can finish my mission...because thats what my blessing said. So I was able to fill with new hope that I can finish and I can stay in Chile!! All those tears for nothing!!
Forgive me for not writing what the doctor said about my spine...I´m really just so tired and cant remember anything. But it will all be okay. Maybe I need spine surgery and a new hip next week.....haha jk. I´ll let you know what Doc said next week. But for now I am okay!
I love being a missionary. Every day here I love it more and more. And every trial that makes being a missionary harder....makes me appreciate it that much more...
I had more to write but you will have to excuse my sleep deprived head for today.
How did it go with the 5 book of mormon challenge?
Love you all!!
Hermana Orchard
ps. I want to go home and sleep so forgive me for not answering any of the emails this week!
