It's HOT

Its HOT

So this last week started out with much potential for greatness. We had temple tours on Tuesday and they were good. One of the tours my companion and I split to do a tour for a mother and a daughter. The mother was a member but the daughter was not. She was actually sort of from America (living with her father there) and going to school in LA. In fact she was returning to LA the next day. Her English was just as good as mine and we got along great. It was an awesome tour, she wasn't sure if she believed in God or wanted to follow her mothers footsteps with her religion, so we talked about how she could find out as we looked at different paintings. When we ended up at the temple I think she was really very touched, the spirit in the tour was very strong. I challenged her to pray for herself then go find the church nearest her in LA. I think she will.

Wednesday we had Interviews with the President. Those are always fun. They also include training from the Assistants to the president and a chance to get to talk with other missionaries. Wednesday night of course was English class. I actually had a pretty good lesson prepared and I think they really appreciated it and had a lot of fun. The last 30 minutes of the class belongs to a spiritual message and we watched the old family home evening movie "A touch of the Masters Hand" about the little beat up violin that no on e wanted to buy until the master played it and made beautiful music. I connected it to all of our self worth, no matter how we look or who we are, souls are precious in the sight of God. The spirit was there, and then I gave them the invite/home work, go make a friend this week, extend that happiness to someone who they didn't know, and who needed it in their life. They liked it.

Unfortunately, by the time English class ended I was not feeling too hot. Actually, literally speaking I was feeling very hot. I was burning up. We rode very slowly home and I took a cold shower and then crashed. Thursday I couldn't really get out of bed. Some how during the night a semi truck must have very nearly run over my head because it was in a lot of pain. Luckily our morning appointment canceled. We were able to go out about lunch time to buy some needed groceries but we quickly made it home. Thursday is our weekly planning day which is allotted 3 hours, and which I slept through. Then slept though everything after that too. I didn't really get out of bed much that day besides to take some Advil and drink what small amounts of fluid I could get down. My poor companion was going stir crazy in her corner of our little one room apartment, but she planned for us and then changed all our appointments to different days.

Friday morning I thought I was improved, at least enough to go sit at the church while sister Wu taught some needed lessons and prepped an investigator for her baptismal interview. We also had district meeting. and by the end of that I was pretty much done. I went out on the couch our chapel luckily possesses and very nearly died. It was too cold in the rooms with AC, but the rest of the chapel doesn't really have any AC, Taiwan's summer is already fearsome, and I was running a very hi fever dying on a couch unable to really relocate. I thought my eyeballs were going to roast in their sockets and my brain was going to melt out my ears. My companion was very worried. The elders gave me a blessing then gallantly went out to fetch me some medicine directed me by the mission nurse (who is my good buddy). Dear Wu jiemei did everything she could to ease my suffering, she rotated ice packs behind my neck and on my forehead while massaging my scalp to keep the headache at bay and also singing me soft childrens hymns. What a dear companion. We managed to have the lesson with the baptismal candidate then we took the MRT home.

Saturday I was a little better. The Mission nurse Elder Calvert had me on a stiff regimen of Tylenol then ibuprofen rotated every two hours and it was breaking my fever. So we went to the chapel again. Today was another investigators bapt. interview so we had to be there. It was a bit better, I just took it easy all day. And both of our investigators passed their interviews! Their names are WeiFan and NiuNiu, I don't know if I've mentioned them before or if you can even remember them ( I know Chinese names are hard to grasp) but they are getting baptized next week and they are so excited.

I am more or less whole and without brain damage by today. Though I have to say, that is the most serious fever I can remember having in a long time and I'm thankful for my companions patience and love. Glad that's over.

Well this week is the last week of my transfer 6. This Friday are move calls and they will be mighty interesting indeed. There will be a lot of moving in our district I think, and I think I might be one of them. But who can tell with these things?

Well this has taken me forever to write so I must bid you all adieu. But it is done with the very most love I can muster up. I want to send a special hug to my Nana and my Grandma who faithfully continue to write me despite their challenges. *hug*

Love,

Sister Thiessen