Well, well, well, this week has honestly been a pretty tough one, but hey, you can't smell the roses without feeling the thorns, am I right? Now that I've started this off with a cheesy metaphor, I'll go into why this week was rough.
First of all, the week started right off with me getting a nasty cold that was just RELENTLESS, let me tell you. My nose was pretty raw by the end of it all from the constant tissue blowing that I had to do. I was also just exhausted 24/7, but I refused to sit inside because of this, and I tried to keep working as hard as I could. On top of that, I was unable to taste for a solid 3 days, and what is life without tasting food? BUT I am happy to say I survived, and my dry nose is recovering.
Second unfortunate event of the week was that Sister Garcia fell and hurt her ankle pretty badly, which hindered her ability to walk. Due to the fact that we walk, and walk, and walk, it put us in a slightly tricky situation. But we put our thinking caps on and figured out how we could still get work done. With some good support for her ankle and a lot of prayers, it's a-ok now. Yay!
Third challenge that was faced was that it was WET. And COLD. And DARK. With this combination, most people do not want to listen, and since this area consists of finding, finding, and more finding, it can be a real struggle. But it's alright! I've got to say, even after doing this for quite some time, I've learned that rejection (I should specify in particular RUDE rejection) always stings. We are at that point when if you knock on someone's door once it's dark, they yell at you for knocking at such an unruly hour... and I'm just thinking "uhhh... it's 6:00..." We went out this week not anticipating rain, but man oh man, did it RAIN. We were soaked through to the core, but it was still a fun adventure, I suppose haha.
OH, and I can't forget to mention that we had NO HOT WATER, and our heating wasn't working soooooo it has made for some chilly nights and mornings. Thank goodness for blankets and warm socks!
A funny story I have to share with you all is when Sister Garcia and I were walking home yesterday evening after attempting to find people. It was pitch black, and we were following our little GPS on our iPad to get home. We were in an unfamiliar area of town, and as we began walking along the path it wanted us to go, we walked up some steps and all of a sudden realized we were in a cemetery. Now, I do not even know why it startled both of us so much, but we RAN the other way, and my heart was just racing soooooo fast. I could only imagine that seeing the whole scene would have been hilarious. We were yelling "run, run, run!!" and our faces probably looked a tad scared. Then we proceeded to laugh for a good 30 minutes, and found another way home.
This morning as I was reading the Book of Mormon, I came across a verse that helped me so much amid the not so grand week. It's in Alma 34:41:
"But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions."
As I read this, I was reminded that I need to exercise patience, even amid the hard days and the trials that I face. Missionary work is not easy, but then again, I never expected it to be! Elder Holland says it best: "Missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience!"
Have a great week!!
Love,
Sister Syddall
P.S. It was Bonfire Night this week, so lots of fireworks... celebrating a man who tried to blow up Parliament, but failed. Nice. (Another thing that makes no sense haha.)
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