This has been a week of miracles. I can't believe that I have only been here for 1 week, oh man. I don't even know where to start.
It took me a few days to get over the shock of the sudden move to Temple Square, but now I am settled in and I feel like I can actually contribute. I 'passed off' yesterday, which means that I know the history and can bridge it to doctrine well enough that they aren't terrified of letting me lead a tour in a different language without saying all sorts of apostate things (Jake, I know how you feel about visitor center missionaries). Apparently this usually takes alot longer than one week to do, but that leads to the next great news...
I have had two Polish tours! The first one was Thursday, and was one of the first times that someone had come up to the information desk specifically asking for a Polish tour. But here I am, with my extremely limited capabilites, and the Poles have started to come. Apparently there has never been a Polish sister here. Sister Steadman in the MTC said that she felt like Moses. Polish is awkward and she said "I am slow of speech, but I know that God will make up for my lack" I thought of her as I started the tour. There were 2 Poles, Catholics, one who spoke a tiny bit of English, one who didn't speak any, and then an American, an inactive member, who was showing them around and knew no Polish whatsoever. He kept chiming in on difficult things to explain to his friends like polygamy and how he used to be able to go to the temple, but now he can't. My Polish was broken and awkward, but they were so kind and very interested. Together we got across the message and our beliefs. It took me half the time to figure out the word for pioneer. I kept asking the woman, and she would shrug, until we got to the handcart monument and she read it "oh! Pionier! " it sounds almost exactly the same! The tour was fun.
Usually visitor center missionaries have a week of training about being a visitor center missionary at the MTC and all sorts of orientation and training when then get here, but I came mid-transfer, so I just got thrown into the pot. I was feeling a little lost, because I didn't know what my objectives were or how to be useful. I would just try to approach people and everything seemed to be wrong, awkward, or focused on the wrong things. Another little blessing; this was a week full of training. We had Zone Conference, a mission meeting, a special "1st transfer" training session with the Mission President, and other smaller activities on other days. They did a lot of training this week because it is slow and will get a lot busier once the lights go on. It definitely helped me be able to understand how to be a good missionary here.
We got to clean the temple yesterday for a long time which was a blast, and I went through a session this morning. It was really cool to see a live session, I never have before.
Sunday was a miracle day. I had another Polish tour and I was praying so hard that they would be able to understand me and be able to feel the Spirit. My Polish was way better and much more fluid. I spoke completely in Polish the whole time. (I just got approval today to study Polish for 1/2 hour most days) Dang, I have to go. Maybe I will write it in a letter and mail the story to you.
I love you so much! have a great day and a great Thanksgiving!
-Sister Stay
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
November 16, 2010
Moja Rodzina,
Well, what a surprise, here I am, in Temple Square! I have received more hugs and hellos than I knew what to do with. For people who haven't heard the story, I found out yesterday that I will be serving in the Temple square mission for 4 weeks, then I will take another IVP test and be off to Poland! I'm excited for the experience, and to learn all of the history. I dropped off my bags, walked to meet my companion, and we went straight to Walmart to buy real food! My companion, Sister Ku, from South Korea, made fun of me for having 3 suitcases, but I made fun of her when we packed up her things (2 suitcases, 2 shopping carts FULL and a huge box) and we both moved into an apartment with 6 other girls... Craziness. It also happened to be one of my roommate's birthdays, so a huge gathering and party was happening. Every Sister that I met yesterday somehow knew that I was going to Poland and were extremely confused as to why I was in temple square, or why I had learned Polish to come to temple square or every possible variation on the story. I felt like I had snuck into a secret club, though everyone was super friendly. I asked Sister Ku how everyone knew about me, and she said "You are in one square block with 200 girls, how do you think they know?"
My whole day was filled with a lot of funny tender mercies, and Sister Ku was a big one of them. Mom, don't worry, one of the things that Sister Ku had me help her move was her medicine ball! She is 27, born in S. Korea and lived since she was 10 in Hawaii and was a convert at 19. She loves rock climbing and hiking, and warned me the first day "I'm sorry, but I'm not super affectionate..." She is more likely to give me a little shove and attitude then to squeal and envelop me in a hug. I love her already. This is her 4th transfer, and I am her first trainee. I foresee some great adventures together.
Today we also got to go to the BYU MOA exhibits on Christ. I know, right? I took the trip back down to Provo this morning, and helped our extremely lost bus driver find his way to BYU and the MOA. We talked the whole way back to SLC about how he is a bike skiing instructor... "There's something following them..." "I want my 2 dollars!" Better Off Dead. I was happy when he got the reference, his mission, and his wife who is investigating the church. It is great to talk to real people, but a new experience to think of ways to be a good missionary without being awkward or super pushy. I feel that people in Utah either are members or have been exposed to the Church many times. I realize I am fine talking about the gospel since that is what I am here doing, but I'm struggling on figuring out the best way to bring it into the conversation. I would love any advice. I still have a lot to learn, and a long way to go.
The art exhibit was great, they had a lot of the altar paintings from Denmark, Mom and Dad, aren't that the paintings you went to see when you were there? Mom, your favorite Garden of Gethsemane picture was there as well. I thought of you, looking at it. There also were a whole bunch of watercolors about the life of Christ. (I'm sorry, but both painters' names have escaped my head)
I still feel like I am just wandering around floating from place to place, I haven't spoken with the mission president yet, and it seems like a different world here with a lot of unspoken expectations. I am so grateful for doing Jr. Miss, I think it has helped me to be a lot more comfortable in this foreign environment. I look forward to the day when I can be an asset to the work here. There are no Sisters who speak Polish here, but they said that there have been a good number visiting lately. I'm not quite sure what the plan is for maintaining my language here... it is very highly emphasized that this is an English-speaking mission, and that is what should be spoken. Every sister who is here with another language is a native from that place, so they already speak it fluently. I will find a way.
I need to learn how to 'pass off' the tours, and then I will also work on doing it in Polish, so I can explain and maybe even lead tours in Polish. It will be good to work towards.
Love,
Siostra Stay
Well, what a surprise, here I am, in Temple Square! I have received more hugs and hellos than I knew what to do with. For people who haven't heard the story, I found out yesterday that I will be serving in the Temple square mission for 4 weeks, then I will take another IVP test and be off to Poland! I'm excited for the experience, and to learn all of the history. I dropped off my bags, walked to meet my companion, and we went straight to Walmart to buy real food! My companion, Sister Ku, from South Korea, made fun of me for having 3 suitcases, but I made fun of her when we packed up her things (2 suitcases, 2 shopping carts FULL and a huge box) and we both moved into an apartment with 6 other girls... Craziness. It also happened to be one of my roommate's birthdays, so a huge gathering and party was happening. Every Sister that I met yesterday somehow knew that I was going to Poland and were extremely confused as to why I was in temple square, or why I had learned Polish to come to temple square or every possible variation on the story. I felt like I had snuck into a secret club, though everyone was super friendly. I asked Sister Ku how everyone knew about me, and she said "You are in one square block with 200 girls, how do you think they know?"
My whole day was filled with a lot of funny tender mercies, and Sister Ku was a big one of them. Mom, don't worry, one of the things that Sister Ku had me help her move was her medicine ball! She is 27, born in S. Korea and lived since she was 10 in Hawaii and was a convert at 19. She loves rock climbing and hiking, and warned me the first day "I'm sorry, but I'm not super affectionate..." She is more likely to give me a little shove and attitude then to squeal and envelop me in a hug. I love her already. This is her 4th transfer, and I am her first trainee. I foresee some great adventures together.
Today we also got to go to the BYU MOA exhibits on Christ. I know, right? I took the trip back down to Provo this morning, and helped our extremely lost bus driver find his way to BYU and the MOA. We talked the whole way back to SLC about how he is a bike skiing instructor... "There's something following them..." "I want my 2 dollars!" Better Off Dead. I was happy when he got the reference, his mission, and his wife who is investigating the church. It is great to talk to real people, but a new experience to think of ways to be a good missionary without being awkward or super pushy. I feel that people in Utah either are members or have been exposed to the Church many times. I realize I am fine talking about the gospel since that is what I am here doing, but I'm struggling on figuring out the best way to bring it into the conversation. I would love any advice. I still have a lot to learn, and a long way to go.
The art exhibit was great, they had a lot of the altar paintings from Denmark, Mom and Dad, aren't that the paintings you went to see when you were there? Mom, your favorite Garden of Gethsemane picture was there as well. I thought of you, looking at it. There also were a whole bunch of watercolors about the life of Christ. (I'm sorry, but both painters' names have escaped my head)
I still feel like I am just wandering around floating from place to place, I haven't spoken with the mission president yet, and it seems like a different world here with a lot of unspoken expectations. I am so grateful for doing Jr. Miss, I think it has helped me to be a lot more comfortable in this foreign environment. I look forward to the day when I can be an asset to the work here. There are no Sisters who speak Polish here, but they said that there have been a good number visiting lately. I'm not quite sure what the plan is for maintaining my language here... it is very highly emphasized that this is an English-speaking mission, and that is what should be spoken. Every sister who is here with another language is a native from that place, so they already speak it fluently. I will find a way.
I need to learn how to 'pass off' the tours, and then I will also work on doing it in Polish, so I can explain and maybe even lead tours in Polish. It will be good to work towards.
Love,
Siostra Stay
November 15, 2010
Note from Tim, Nov 15:
Dominique was able to get clearance last week from the doctor that did the surgery, but the Mission medical doctors wanted to give it a little more time, so Sister Stay was assigned to the Salt Lake Mission assigned to Temple Square to work with Polish visitors, so she will get some chance to use her Polish. We got a call today about noon informing us of this and asking if we could transport Sister Stay up to Temple Square. So we picked her up from the MTC around 3 pm this afternoon. Dalita and I felt like we were busting her out of her long imprisonment and we even took a picture of us with bandannas dragging Sister Stay away from the MTC. We picked up 2 sisters from Temple Square who showed us where Sister Stay's apartment would be and we dropped her off there and said goodbye.The doctors want her to run some tests in 3 more weeks and if everything is ok, she should be able to leave for Poland! She is excited to be preaching the gospel and the sisters we met said that they spend the entire day teaching and that the day is filled with miracles.Thanks for all your prayers and support. It is nice to have her moving to the next stage, even if it isn't the path we expected!
Tim
Here is her letter from November 9th:
This week has been a good one. My district is awesome. On Sunday after the devotional we played signs together, it made me miss our family get-togethers and game nights. I stole Chris' 'go-to' knee sign, it was a blast. There may or may not have been some signs passed around during class the next day :D.
So turns out God is blessing me and everyone around me because I am still stuck in this place. Last Tuesday we had our third General Authority (in a row!) come to the fireside. Elder Ballard gave a great talk about becoming a master communicator. Sheri Dew also came on Sunday and spoke about fulfilling our life mission. It was a subject already on the minds of me and my companions because of that great talk from Women's Conference that mom sent earlier that week. She said that there were three abilities Satan would try to keep from you to paralyze you and keep you from fulfilling your mission. On the opposite side, if we had a firm knowledge of them, nothing could stop us from being an instrument in the Lord's hand and succeeding in everything we were sent here to do.
1. Who we are
2. a personal witness that Jesus is the Christ
3. the ability to receive instructions from our Heavenly Father
I"m pretty positive that since I am still here today, I will get another apostle tonight. I'll let you know ;)
It is hard to stay as driven and feel that I am progressing as fast as I was before the last district left, but I am still working at it. I was able to teach Stasha, the only Polish lady who comes to TRC every week. I taught her the third lesson in Polish by myself, but it was great! It was so nice to be teaching and personalizing, and applying the things I have been learning. For the first time here, I was able to just have a conversation with her about the gospel and how much it has blessed my life and will bless her life. This week if I'm still here I will be teaching the first lesson, I'm excited.
I help the new district with any questions they have about Polish, since we have a lot of time without teachers. It was fun to teach them Mianownik plural, and all the weird little things I do to remember the rules and order of things. After practicing together a lot, they seemed to understand it a lot better. Hopefully I was some help. It has been strengthening my grammar knowledge as well, having to answer why things work the way they do.
I love you so much and am excited to have answers tomorrow, and maybe leave (somewhere..) this week, although I will be sad to leave my new companions and district. Thank you everyone so much for the letters, prayers, and thoughts. They strengthen me and cheer me up. I have been able to see so much how many people care for me and are aware of me. I love you! Kocham cie!
-Siostra Stay
Dominique was able to get clearance last week from the doctor that did the surgery, but the Mission medical doctors wanted to give it a little more time, so Sister Stay was assigned to the Salt Lake Mission assigned to Temple Square to work with Polish visitors, so she will get some chance to use her Polish. We got a call today about noon informing us of this and asking if we could transport Sister Stay up to Temple Square. So we picked her up from the MTC around 3 pm this afternoon. Dalita and I felt like we were busting her out of her long imprisonment and we even took a picture of us with bandannas dragging Sister Stay away from the MTC. We picked up 2 sisters from Temple Square who showed us where Sister Stay's apartment would be and we dropped her off there and said goodbye.The doctors want her to run some tests in 3 more weeks and if everything is ok, she should be able to leave for Poland! She is excited to be preaching the gospel and the sisters we met said that they spend the entire day teaching and that the day is filled with miracles.Thanks for all your prayers and support. It is nice to have her moving to the next stage, even if it isn't the path we expected!
Tim
Here is her letter from November 9th:
This week has been a good one. My district is awesome. On Sunday after the devotional we played signs together, it made me miss our family get-togethers and game nights. I stole Chris' 'go-to' knee sign, it was a blast. There may or may not have been some signs passed around during class the next day :D.
So turns out God is blessing me and everyone around me because I am still stuck in this place. Last Tuesday we had our third General Authority (in a row!) come to the fireside. Elder Ballard gave a great talk about becoming a master communicator. Sheri Dew also came on Sunday and spoke about fulfilling our life mission. It was a subject already on the minds of me and my companions because of that great talk from Women's Conference that mom sent earlier that week. She said that there were three abilities Satan would try to keep from you to paralyze you and keep you from fulfilling your mission. On the opposite side, if we had a firm knowledge of them, nothing could stop us from being an instrument in the Lord's hand and succeeding in everything we were sent here to do.
1. Who we are
2. a personal witness that Jesus is the Christ
3. the ability to receive instructions from our Heavenly Father
I"m pretty positive that since I am still here today, I will get another apostle tonight. I'll let you know ;)
It is hard to stay as driven and feel that I am progressing as fast as I was before the last district left, but I am still working at it. I was able to teach Stasha, the only Polish lady who comes to TRC every week. I taught her the third lesson in Polish by myself, but it was great! It was so nice to be teaching and personalizing, and applying the things I have been learning. For the first time here, I was able to just have a conversation with her about the gospel and how much it has blessed my life and will bless her life. This week if I'm still here I will be teaching the first lesson, I'm excited.
I help the new district with any questions they have about Polish, since we have a lot of time without teachers. It was fun to teach them Mianownik plural, and all the weird little things I do to remember the rules and order of things. After practicing together a lot, they seemed to understand it a lot better. Hopefully I was some help. It has been strengthening my grammar knowledge as well, having to answer why things work the way they do.
I love you so much and am excited to have answers tomorrow, and maybe leave (somewhere..) this week, although I will be sad to leave my new companions and district. Thank you everyone so much for the letters, prayers, and thoughts. They strengthen me and cheer me up. I have been able to see so much how many people care for me and are aware of me. I love you! Kocham cie!
-Siostra Stay
October 27, 2010
Dear Family!
Oh man, tons to say and no time to say it. This was a super crazy week (I seem to say that every week). My district had been looking forward to the 'Halloween surprise' that Mom mentioned a few times and we got it right in time on Saturday night. Everyone laughed so hard when they pulled out the eyebrows and Elder Krzyminski didn't have one. Oh man. Everyone's mustaches also fit their personalities PERFECTLY. I could just see you and Ali sitting in the kitchen planning who got what mustache. Don't worry, pictures will come. We took pictures all night. Needless to say, you won the coolest mom ever prize. Hands down. I never told you how amazing the caramel apples were either. We had them after a TRC and they were delicious and perfectly fall-ish.
Ali- because I know you've been dying in anticipation. The General Authority that came on Tues was Elder Nelson. He gave a great, very simple to the doctrine talk and ended 20 minutes early. THEN, this Tuesday, I was sitting and singing before the devotional when the choir director ( who I honestly think is the actor from 'the music man' his voice is EXACTLY the same. Find out his name and I will investigate....) said "We don't stand to sing the hymns of Zion (yes he speaks like that) unless we are directed to by the MTC presidency or an apostle of the Lord walks in the room." 30 seconds later in came Richard G. Scott. Craziness.
His devotional was one of the most moving things I have ever heard. It was about the precious truths he had obtained about the Spirit throughout his life. He gave us all a handout of the points he spoke about. I know, awesome. I am going to the copy center and will send one home to you. He also used very strong language and spoke directly to the sisters several times during the talk.
Here is what he said "Sisters, I know exercise my divine apostleship and invoke a protective shield on you. As you serve and act in faith with that shield, I promise that you will be protected.Other promises he gave using the phrase "Under authority of my apostleship I invoke a blessing on you.."
- the gift of tongues. I am installing the capability. You have to use it, develop it.
-blessing of confidence, and guidance of the Spirit
-a blessing that the lessons you lear on your mission will be retained throughout your life, and you will be about to use it. You will have an understanding of gospel truths.
It was like a priesthood blessing on each of us, it was crazy. His testimony as an apostle was also the most powerful testimony I have ever heard. He aslo stopped and gave a requirement to the sisters to watch our health, and rest when we need it. His wife had to go home for several months from her mission b/c she didn't slow down when she needed to. She lost that time of service b/c she didn't take care of it.
Even if this was the only reason I stayed back it was worth it. My scripture of the week has been D&C 98:1-3 I love the action words and promises in there. I was companionless for 2 days which was crazy-- I went to the health clinic w/ the Finns, temple with the Ukrainians, breakfast with the Russians, lunch w/ the Italians, dinner with the bulgs, and slept in a room w/ the Greeks.
I feel healthy and fine, and have been studying super hard the grammar. It has been a great experience. Oh! and I saw SUZY Q! I was her host and showed her around. She lives 2 doors down. I love you thanks for the letters and emails. Send Dear Elder if you can!
I have also really felt the fasting and prayers on my behalf. Thank you! I love you and am fine and healthy.
-Siostra Stay
Oh man, tons to say and no time to say it. This was a super crazy week (I seem to say that every week). My district had been looking forward to the 'Halloween surprise' that Mom mentioned a few times and we got it right in time on Saturday night. Everyone laughed so hard when they pulled out the eyebrows and Elder Krzyminski didn't have one. Oh man. Everyone's mustaches also fit their personalities PERFECTLY. I could just see you and Ali sitting in the kitchen planning who got what mustache. Don't worry, pictures will come. We took pictures all night. Needless to say, you won the coolest mom ever prize. Hands down. I never told you how amazing the caramel apples were either. We had them after a TRC and they were delicious and perfectly fall-ish.
Ali- because I know you've been dying in anticipation. The General Authority that came on Tues was Elder Nelson. He gave a great, very simple to the doctrine talk and ended 20 minutes early. THEN, this Tuesday, I was sitting and singing before the devotional when the choir director ( who I honestly think is the actor from 'the music man' his voice is EXACTLY the same. Find out his name and I will investigate....) said "We don't stand to sing the hymns of Zion (yes he speaks like that) unless we are directed to by the MTC presidency or an apostle of the Lord walks in the room." 30 seconds later in came Richard G. Scott. Craziness.
His devotional was one of the most moving things I have ever heard. It was about the precious truths he had obtained about the Spirit throughout his life. He gave us all a handout of the points he spoke about. I know, awesome. I am going to the copy center and will send one home to you. He also used very strong language and spoke directly to the sisters several times during the talk.
Here is what he said "Sisters, I know exercise my divine apostleship and invoke a protective shield on you. As you serve and act in faith with that shield, I promise that you will be protected.Other promises he gave using the phrase "Under authority of my apostleship I invoke a blessing on you.."
- the gift of tongues. I am installing the capability. You have to use it, develop it.
-blessing of confidence, and guidance of the Spirit
-a blessing that the lessons you lear on your mission will be retained throughout your life, and you will be about to use it. You will have an understanding of gospel truths.
It was like a priesthood blessing on each of us, it was crazy. His testimony as an apostle was also the most powerful testimony I have ever heard. He aslo stopped and gave a requirement to the sisters to watch our health, and rest when we need it. His wife had to go home for several months from her mission b/c she didn't slow down when she needed to. She lost that time of service b/c she didn't take care of it.
Even if this was the only reason I stayed back it was worth it. My scripture of the week has been D&C 98:1-3 I love the action words and promises in there. I was companionless for 2 days which was crazy-- I went to the health clinic w/ the Finns, temple with the Ukrainians, breakfast with the Russians, lunch w/ the Italians, dinner with the bulgs, and slept in a room w/ the Greeks.
I feel healthy and fine, and have been studying super hard the grammar. It has been a great experience. Oh! and I saw SUZY Q! I was her host and showed her around. She lives 2 doors down. I love you thanks for the letters and emails. Send Dear Elder if you can!
I have also really felt the fasting and prayers on my behalf. Thank you! I love you and am fine and healthy.
-Siostra Stay
Friday, October 22, 2010
October 15, 2010
Hello family!
Well it has been a crazy week (like every week) but I feel like I have been able to communicate with you a lot, so not a ton is new :) Ah, but I have GREAT news, I got my travel plans!!!! I will be leaving Monday morning 6 am, and flying to Chicago, London, and then POLAND! It finally seems real. My whole district is bursting with excitement. We are definitely ready to leave the MTC. I will miss them though, we really became a family. Apparently we can call during layovers, should I just get a phone card? I still have to get cleared on Thursday by the doctor to leave.
Speaking of doctors, surgery went well, it was fine that you weren't there; I was out of it the whole time anyways. It definitely wasn't worth you staying home from the trip. It sounds like you had a great time! Thank you so much for the letters, flowers, and treats. (I definitely got a ton of junior high 'oohs' and teasing 'ahs' when flowers were sent to me, asking what boy had sent them) Recovering from the surgery isn't what I thought it would be. I have stopped taking all of the pain pills except for the antibiotic and some ibuprofen because the side effects were so bad. However, I still am really nauseous, bloated, and feel like I'm going to pass out. I thought this might have been the Lortab, but two days later it is still lingering... I feel the pain a lot, especially at night, but at least I have a bit more of my mental capacities than when I was on the drugs. I am feeling a bit better today though, and hopefully everything will be back to normal by the end of this week. I don't like not being able to function!! I just am trying to make sure that the things I am experiencing is normal for after surgery, and to avoid having to deal with complications in Poland. Thank you for your prayers, I have definitely felt them. :D
On Thursday after surgery I slept all day (in a place in the health clinic called "sick bay"-- 100% it reminded me of the Space Center. Zach, you should work there :D ), but then was able to teach in the TRC that night. It was awesome. I could recall everything I had studied, answer the questions of the investigator, and for the first time, I was able to teach with the spirit in Polish, instead of just reciting my memorized lines. It makes me very excited to teach real people and actually get started on the work.
Now that I'm not on the Lortab it is really hard to sleep at night (I got 3 hours last night :( ) but when I was on it, I had CRAZY dreams. In one of them, our whole Twin Lakes family was in it! Which reminds me, I see Elder Hunt here all the time and we talk about Twin Lakes. He's way jealous that I'm only going to miss 1 year of it.
On Tuesday we had a devotional by Bishop Richard C Edgley, he is a very good speaker and teacher. He talked about being a successful missionary and how we are a peculiar people. One of the quotes that he said that I really enjoyed was "Faith is the power, obedience is the price, love is the motive, the Spirit is the key, and Christ is the reason" (from Pres Faust). On Sunday Susan Tanner spoke to us in Relief Society (she was in the old YW general presidency) She gave a great history of Relief Society and how Joseph Smith said it was a restored organization, not a new one. She spoke a lot about Charity and our role as women of the church. I also watch Music and the Spoken Word every Sunday. I think of you kids getting ready for church watching it. I liked the phrase "Great achievements are made up of hundreds of mundane acts", talking about Louis and Clark this past week.
Well I love you, here are your Polish phrases of the week:
"Wiem ze mozes to zrobic' " which means "I know you can do it!" Sister Steadman and Marshall and I say it to e/o ALL the time. I think it will continue to be a phrase of the mission.
z byka spadl/es', czy co? --> did you fall off a bull or what? it is a Polish saying which means are you crazy or something? I thoroughly enjoy saying it.
Heath Count:
18 visits to the health clinic and 20 outside visits to different doctors. No joke, we have kept tally.
I love you family, I think about you all the time! Thank you for your prayers and letters, siblings, you will get letters soon!
-Siostra Stay
PS I cleared Physical Therapy for my shoulder, and I’m not worried about it being a problem in Poland.
Sister Stay's Medical Issues
Sister Stay asked me to clarify what she's been dealing with medically, so all of you wouldn't worry.
There's a tube that goes from the kidney to the bladder, and it was partially blocked and causing infections. Sister Stay had outpatient surgery on 10/14 to clear the obstruction. She had a few days of nausea, but has since recovered very well.
She has also had some shoulder pain, and has been working with a physical therapist, and that seems to have helped.
Sister Stay is still planning to leave on Monday for Poland.
October 5, 2010
Dad, thanks for the email :) And thank you for the medical information! It has been extremely helpful!
I'll address the fun stuff first. I have an appointment to see the urologist on Friday, but apparently there is a uro/gynocologist that works at the hospital who is amazing. It would be sweet to see him since I have a cyst+ ureterocele and he would know if things influence e/o etc. His name is Dr Justin Lee, and when the MTC health clinic called they didn't have an appointment until Dec, but the health clinic doesn't try hard at all to make things work out. If you think it would be much more beneficial to see him instead of a regular urologist, then try to get an appt and I think you or Dr Johnson would have a lot more success.
I am working really hard on not getting frustrated by the number of doctors’ appointments I am going to. My companions are a huge help to that. They are both so supportive and cheerful about the whole ordeal. Sister Steadman and I have had tons of adventures and studying together waiting for shuttles/appointments, and Sister Marshall stays in class with the Elders and teaches us what we've missed. I guess this is what I get for complaining about lack of adventures. :) I have felt the Lord help me SO much this week with the language even though I have missed a ton of class. Words and phrases stick easier then they ever have before, and I can speak and say what I want to say.
We taught the first lesson together 100% po polsku (in Polish), and it went great! My companions both were also more fluid and confident in the language. They’ve improved by leaps and bounds compared to any other week. I can't express how amazing it is to see God taking your limited abilities and making them work to serve his purpose. We were watching the RS broadcast on Sat night and it reminded me of that same thing. We all were just singing the melody, and in the last verse, the choir joined in with harmonies, descants, and the organ filled out the sound. That's exactly what I feel happening, it is incredible. As I give everything I have to sing my simple melody; it is taken and filled and made more powerful. I truly am learning about the enabling power of the Holy Ghost.
Last night as we were going to bed the fire alarm went off and all of the sisters had to evacuate our Residence Hall. My companions and I are good missionaries though; we stopped and looked around to make sure we had our nametags before we left. I felt like we should have been a little more urgent about leaving when I smelled the smoke in the hall. It turns out that one of the Sisters had burnt popcorn and set off the fire alarm. The poor sisters in the shower! We were kept up all night w/ instructions of opening and closing windows and doors to get the smoke out of the building.
I have been reading Jesus the Christ and looking up all of the references to things I find interesting. I have been learning so much! I also have been working on gratitude (especially with frustrations dealing with the MTC health clinic) and it has made a huge difference. My companions and I always share our tender mercy of the day as we walk home from class. It makes the day much more positive as I focus on the small or amusing things that went well. I am constantly reminded of the Bible study group that I would go to in Delhi. Marium was so aware of God's hand in her life in the smallest ways, even living in poverty. She shared a story about how her son had injured his finger, and they were really worried b/c they didn't know how he cut and injured it (with no tetanus shots and high risk of infection, even small cuts must be such a big deal!) She said that they prayed really hard that Abhi's finger would heal well, and she knew that thanks to the love of God it was all right.
On Wed I had the ultrasound. It was an awesome adventure. I woke up at 5:30 to drink the 40 oz of water they said I needed to drink (on an empty stomach) 1 1/2 hrs before my appointment. The shuttle driver was late, and paperwork took a long time, so it was 8:30/9 by the time I actually had my ultrasound. I was going to die. I was positive that my bladder was going to explode; even going up the elevator seemed like a dangerous thing to do. I told the radiologist that I needed to use the bathroom some or I else I wouldn't make it through the appointment. As she was doing the ultrasound (which was WAY cool to see all of the organs of my body) she said she was impressed at how much water I could hold.
Well, I love you, I need to go. Thank you, Savannah for the scriptures. I loved them. I think of you every day!!
-Siostra Stay
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