Elder Guymon's Awesome Adriatic Adventures: Sick :(

May 18, 2015

So I forgot my notes but I'll try to get by without them... we will see!
So to start off I thought I was a little sick last P day but man it really hit me Monday night through Sunday! I had a really bad stomach sickness that gave me really bad cramps so that was hard! I was on some medicine to help with digestion that I was told to take from the mission nurse and on a diet where I was only supposed to eat bread, rice, and bananas! Like how is that even possible?!? I tried to follow it but I wasn't perfect! I also was drinking a concoction of salt, sugar, and water for electolytes so that was fun! The medicine instructions were in Albanian so I pretty much did what I understood and assumed that God wouldn't leave me hanging out to dry with the gift of tongues on understanding medicine and it all turned out alright so that was good! We basically just walked as little as possible but it was still pretty rough, the nurse said to maybe just take a couple days in but I decided if we just didn't walk a bunch I'd be alright! So we planned lessons close together one after another and I definitely saw blessings from continuing to work even though I was sick! All of our lessons kept actually going through! That never happens and so we were able to just stay in our classroom and people came to us! It was a super obvious sign to me that He appreciated that we were still trying to work and He would make it a little easier for us! This was the first time I have ever had bad stomach cramps that I can remember and holy cow those things make you feel like you want to die! Another side effect of being sick is that I also got super home sick and wanted my mama! I mean if you don't get homesick while you aren't feeling well I don't know who you are! So I definitely haven't left that behind yet but its getting better I think, just comes and goes.
Another awesome thing this week is Gini! He keeps becoming better and better! We have been able to meet with him a ton and he is really working with us!
Something actually cool that happened was this guy Are came up to visit Elder Verushi from Elbason and he has been a member for 8 months and was taught by Verushi and he is soooo cool! This guy is like covered in tatts like has them all over and has been to jail a couple times and has done everything but he totally turned his life around and he is filling out his papers for a mission now!! That's so cool but also he is an awesome example for Gini! and so he was only supposed to be here one day but he missed his bus to go to Elbason and actually stayed with Gini for a night I swear that was from God because it was awesome and they got along really well! Also now that I am feeling better we are starting to work out every morning with Gini at 6 which is sweet! We figure the more time we spend with him the less time he is with cigarettes.
I'll tell you what I am actually so grateful for 3 month transfers when it comes to missionary work because it gives us so much more time to actually form relationships with people and really put down roots which I love, like I can't imagine already being transferred it feels like we are just getting going!
Also this week I gave a couple Priesthood blessings in straight Albanian and man I'll tell you what I was freaked out for that! I was pretty nervous that I wouldn't be able to say everything that I felt was needed to say for them but everything actually went amazingly well and I know I got some serious help on them!
So this week I went on a split with the zone leaders and that was pretty good! It's really helpful for me right now to see the way that everyone works so I love the chances to do that! Their house is so nice! We only had one lesson that day though so it was a whole lot of walking around street contacting but it was good and I learned some different ways to street contact!
Something that wasn't so great this week was that Faton didn't pass his baptismal interview because he said he wasn't 100% sure about a living prophet today. When I heard that he didn't pass I felt awful. So we had a lesson with him the day before about prophets and I felt the impression that I should tell him to pray personally that night to know that Thomas S Monson was a living prophet but we kinda started talking about other stuff and I just decided the moment had passed and when I heard he didn't pass it was like the spirit totally brought that moment back to the front of my mind as if to show me hey this really was a prompting that I needed you to say to him and this is what happens when you don't listen. I know I suck trust me, but luckily he isn't getting too down about it and we are just going to do the interview next week and I'm sure it'll all be good! Definitely a testament to just have courage and say what I feel though holy cow I'm not going to be messing that one up again trust me!
Verushi took him not passing pretty hard and that night he called the ZL's and the AP's to ask if they could do the interview instead because I guess he didn't think Acheson did it right idk but they both said no of course and he got super mad and ended up chucking our phone at the wall and cracking the screen a bit which really scared me. Idk he just is a little angry sometimes. Then he asked me to call the president to do it and I had to have the courage to say no to him which took some serious courage but he didn't push it. The whole night he was talking about how other missionaries just didn't understand our work and stuff idk I'm just really trying to learn all the good things I can from him but still struggling sometimes.
I talked to Acheson the next day and he said he understood and that he has had problems before so Acheson is just looking out for me which is nice to know! He seems alright now though which is good! Anyway I think that was my week we had a ton of lessons which was awesome and I definitely keep seeing the spirit in my life which is just so mind blowing but awesome!
Anyway I love you all and sorry this is late but happy birthday Grandma Moss! I don't have your email sorry! You are all awesome and I love you it's definitely good that I'm homesick because it means I have such a great home and family!
Elder Guymon