19 March 2012

Hey there all you happy people!

So I got sick (I think I told you) and then I got better, but not 100%. So I was just waiting to be able to talk to Sister Lanius. We went to Garanhuns (2+ hours from here) this weekend (from Saturday to today) for training and interviews done by President Lanius. We planned to eat lunch early and we were told that the bus passes at 12:30 or 2:30. We planned to get the first bus or the 'lotação' which is a rental van which usually passes too, but it's hours are a lot more sketchy. Unfortunately we discovered that the bus passes at 12:00 on weekends and 11:55 on Saturday. We ran to the bus stop and we got there as the bus should have, but it had passed early (it never passes early, almost always late!). So we waited for the lotação. Then we found out at 1:00 that the lotação on weekends only leaves from the other end of the city, and the only way to get there is Mototaxi (motorcycle taxi, c´mon it's not that hard to decipher!), which is against rules or walk for 4 km (more than two miles). We had to get to Garanhuns at 3:30, so I was freaking out a little...OK a lot (I really hate being late). So we half-walked, half-ran over two miles in the blazing sun down a street with zero shade until we got there at 1:30 and the man told us that we had to wait for at least three more people to show up for him to be able to make the trip. My companion and I prayed and about ten people showed up all at once at 2:00. Since it usually takes two hours, I was pretty worried about being late, but I just tried to pass the time without looking at my watch. When we finally got there it was 3:25! I have no idea how that happened, maybe because we didn't stop as often because it was a weekend, or maybe the Lord just knew how badly I wanted to get there on time, so He helped us. I just know that we got there...and no one was there. I started to even think that maybe we had gotten the date wrong or something, but our zone leaders showed up too. Eventually the entire zone except those with the keys showed up and we were waiting outside the chapel. When we finally got inside it was 4:10 and president wasn't there yet. We set up the room and sat waiting for him. He showed up at 5:15 (his last meeting had gone WAY late and he couldn't get there any faster.

We started the meeting and Sister Lanius got worried hearing my cough. She said that an elder had had a cough that wouldn't leave and it had developed into Pneumonia so she was pretty concerned (I am in good and loving hands with this couple, believe me, mom) after the meeting we went to the public hospital and Sister Lanius was my companion for two and a half hours as we waited to be attended, to take an x-ray, and to take the medicine. It was a little strange, but she is a really kind person. We discovered what I was already thinking, and for the first time in quite a while I have developed Bronchitis again and now I'm taking some weird medicine called 'Melxi". It's made of honey mixed with pineapple...but it's prescription...I don't really get it...but, whatever! So when I went to get the medicine that they gave in the hospital (a shot and one of those breathe-in-those-masks-that-

spray-liquid-medicine-into-the-air things) Sister Lanius had to stay outside (though she looked in the door quite often). The nurse was a little (a lot) impatient and decided that I didn't speak Portuguese, so he just said one word sentences like: Come. Go. Chair. When he said the last one he pointed to a chair that was marked "broken" but there was nothing even remotely broken about this chair. I sat down as he prepared the needle and rolled up my sleeve. Then he yelled, "NO! Stand up!" I stood, "Chair!" I wanted to scream at him but I just said, "But I just stood up." and he responded, very helpfully, "NA BUNDA!" I got the message and turned around. He gave the shot, but he seemed to have given me a new nickname: "Hey, Bunda, come here" "Hold this, Bunda" "Bunda, no" "Sit here, Bunda" and on it went about fifteen times in front of all the other people being treated. When I finally left I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but he had already left and a female nurse released me. I was so going to call him "Sem cerebro" and tell him that I speak fluently, but to understand someone usually they have to speak in full sentences, but I lost the chance. Probably God's hand. So that's how I got my new nickname.

I went to Boa Vista on Sunday and it was amazing to see everyone again. Some of the people that we baptized are still active and super-strong in the church. And most of the members did double takes because I've lost so much weight here. It was amazing. Things are going well and I love you all a lot.

Until next week,

Elder Page