Hello Everyone!!
I
know you probably weren't worried, but just in case you were... I'M
ALIVE! And here's why you might have been worried... ALL the details ;)
TMI? Oops.
Where to begin.....
November 14th. Friday night: Sister Miller got up a few times in the night to puke.
Saturday morning:
I told my companion to rest and we could call Sister Wada after I got
ready. I was feeling sort of sick but didn't really question it and went
on with the normal things. Worked out, showered, ate breakfast and
started studying. I went in to the other sisters study room when it was
time for companion study and suggested that one of them work with me
that day because we had 3 lessons to teach and my companion certainly
wasn't coming with me! It was beginning to become complicated trying to
make a decision of who should stay with Sister Miller and who should
come with me because I still needed to exchange with Sister Funakura but
she had pneumonia! so I called Sister Wada and explained the situation.
Then she asked me the real problem and I admitted I felt sick too. She
convinced me to cancel the lessons and stay home. Good thing cause
within an hour or two I was vomiting, too!
For
three days it was the same story. Lay in misery with a fever. Puke. Get
up and go to the bathroom a lot. It felt as frequent as every 5 minutes
but I'm not sure. And try to drink water and sports drink because I
knew I was dying.
The elders came and gave us blessings on Sunday night.
Monday night I
knew I was not getting better and I was concerned because we weren't
getting help. So I called and everyone felt like we needed to wait to go
to the doctor in the morning if we could get an appointment. But...
With a number of calls between several different people and confusion
about what everyone wanted everyone else to do... I end up calling 119,
the emergency number! Sister Wada said they would speak to me in English
but that was not true. They asked for our address and then said a bunch
of things I didn't understand at all and then 3 men and an ambulance
showed up at our house. We decided to go with them because I wanted
help! The other sisters cancelled their lesson and came with us.
And this is my adventure in an ambulance and a Japanese hospital!!
So
no one speaks English... And we are too sick to want to talk but I used
my best Japanese and also learned lots of new vocabulary about my
symptoms. First time in an ambulance. It was cool I guess. I felt
horrible. And my companion was doing wayyy worse than I was. We sit in
the ambulance in front of our house for forever while they call around
to find a hospital and explain that we are 2 sick Americans who are okay
at Japanese, and our roommates, a Japanese girl who doesn't speak
English, and another American who doesn't speak Japanese. Then we
finally leave and get there in like 10 minutes!
At
the hospital they have me sit in the tiniest wheelchair ever. I'm
seriously confused about what they do with the fat people. Then... They
ask me if its okay to give me an IV and I was strangely not terrified of
anything even though I was in a hospital! In a foreign country where
they don't speak my language! I hate doctors in America and this should
have been worse! But I wanted to feel better that bad that I was willing
to go and do whatever it took. Anyway I'm sitting there in a
wheelchair, wanting to vomit and go to the bathroom and feeling really
hot and faint but they start sticking needles in me and taking my blood
and asking me a lot of questions and getting my blood everywhere in the
process. I finally ask them if I can lie down and then I puked. And then
they took me to a bed where I could lay and have an IV. Blood test
results came back and I was fine! They were guessing that I must have
gotten a poison or toxin of some kind... They took a stool sample and
had me go home after the IV.
Sister
Miller didn't mention until we got to the hospital that she has acid
reflux disease. Turns out that made it really hard for her to drink
during all those days of vomiting. So she got super dehydrated and her
kidney stopped working the way it should. So they kept her!!
I got home at 3 in the morning, still feeling bad but a tiny bit better.
Stayed in bed for several more days. Each day a tiny bit better. Stopped the vomiting, but kept the fever and the diarrhea.
Finally get the results from the lab and we got SALMONELLA food poisoning!!! No wonder!!
My
stomach would kill anything I put inside... Water, food, anything. I
would feel terrible and have to go to the bathroom immediately. Lost
tons of weight I think.
Friday night I
went back to the hospital for them to check on me and they gave me some
antibiotics. I think they are magic because I really am improving tons
each day now! My goal is to feel good enough to eat like a sort of
almost maybe normal person on thanksgiving!
Sister Miller is still in the hospital... Keep her in your prayers!!
I
think I will get out of bed and slowly do some normal things these next
few days. I'm really weak and my stomach is still really sensitive and
it moves around a ton, but I feel like a new human! I'm so grateful!!!
I've been dreaming about all the food I want when I feel good again. And
it's mostly American. I'll go on a search for something that tastes
like America. Like carbs and cheese. Hahaha
We
get transfer calls next week. Don't know what will happen!! President
Wada told me to concentrate on getting healthy right now and worry about
the work after that. He knows me well. Today is temple P day. Didn't
feel up to traveling that far :( But maybe they will let the sick people
from our zone go next week if we are feeling better! A good percent of
the mission is sick right now. 2 are currently hospitalized. :(
I can now say I'm a survivor of Salmonella! Yuck. It really takes the life out of you. Don't eat chicken. Ever. Or eggs.
Each
experience we have is a blessing. I've been blessed with wonderful
roommate sisters who have showed patience and love. It is lonely and
weird to have my companion away from me, but I guess we bonded over our
strange symptoms and miserable experience. Sister Wada told me this was
my time to receive revelation and I thought she was crazy at first. I
couldn't think of anything but making it to the toilet on time and I had
heard that sick people can't feel the spirit. Well they are wrong and
sister Wada of course is right. I guess God really isn't about
efficiency if he allows his missionaries to sit out for several days...
It was interesting to really try to understand what God's work is about
and why he would let me lay on the ground and puke my guts out when
there were souls to save and I was willing to help him invite! And
that's what it's about. It's a willing heart. It's not perfect
statistics or service, perfect lessons or golden investigators, the
largest teaching pool, or most SOS invitations. It's my heart. And for
days while I lay on the ground with no energy in me to serve him, at
least my heart wanted to. And he was fine with that. And he showed me
that he loved me and he didn't leave me alone. It's important for me to
know these things so I can testify of these things. He loves me and he
loves us all. Pain and sickness is part of that road to glory. Let's
keep on traveling! Also, everything is a miracle.
I've
learned a lot this past week and a half. Learning to find joy in the
journey. make the most of the TIME I have here. To build real human
relationships. To love. To love each moment and not worry or stress
about what others might expect. Just do what God wants me to do when he
wants me to do it. Be satisfied with my best. Receive revelation. Be
genuinely happy. Not work harder than is necessary. This work is work
but it can feel like fun. Make this into a memory I will feel happy
about. Christ is the REASON. He is the reason I'm here. He is the way.
Because of Him, we can endure and overcome hard things. Because of Him,
we can return to our Heavenly Home. I love Him.
I
love being a missionary. This is the longest shortest best worst most
amazing difficult incredible experience ever. I love my testimony. I
love the message I share. I love the people. I love learning about God.
He has given me so much. All that I am is because of Him. Forever
grateful, forever indebted.
I
love you all. Write me :) Oh. And happy thanksgiving! Eat a big
American meal for me :) I'm thankful for many things. YOU. Eternal
Families. The gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for love.
Love,
Sister McKenzie Reeves
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