Week 49: Just a Long Week that Felt Short

Hey family! 

Well this week was pretty interesting, I will start off with answering dads questions from his email...

Well I haven't coughed off any blood in these past couple of months but I still have a dry cough always, but when that happens I just take my inhalor (I dont know how to spell that). My skin is pretty good. I have gotten a ton of bug bites and this past week they were starting to become infected and so I put my cream on them and they just itch like always. The doctor hasnt told me anything and I dont know whats going on with that. They havent talked about me going home for a while now so I dont think its an option because I am going home in 6 months. I think I can make it! I hope I answered your questions. 

Well this week was a long week. It was a week that I feel like it took forever but as the same time, it went by really fast. 

This week we had our multi zone meeting and it was really great. I learned a lot about my Savior and how we can use his atonement always. Something that I have been thinking about is how we can use the atonement in our own lives personally and it has made me apply it more each time. Also I got to see all of my friends from Coban and all of my old companions. It was pretty great to see my daughter and hna monroy. 

Also this week I became really sick.... With.... 

Chikungunya

Chikungunya is a viral disease (genus Alphavirus) which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes – including Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The name chikungunya originates from a verb in the Kimakonde language, meaning 'to become contorted'. This refers to the 'stooped' appearance of those suffering with joint pain.

Symptoms appear between 4 and 7 days after the patient has been bitten by the infected mosquito and these include:

• High fever (40°C/ 104°F)
• Joint pain (lower back, ankle, knees, wrists or phalanges)
• Joint swelling
• Rash
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Nausea
• Fatigue

(Family, enough details for you guys? ) 

And I had all of those symptoms just not the rash but that normally comes like 5 days after... so I will see if I get it. 

After the zone meeting I just had a lot of pain in my bones and joints that I couldnt even write or walk. It made it really hard to work but I told me compaion to keep me gooding. I sucked it up and we didnt loose a day at all. We might have only taught 3 or 4 lessons but we did the work that was needed. 

Also I had my first english class here in San Jeronimo and it was a huge success. There were 12 students there and all of them because new investigators because they invited us to go to their house to teach them personally. I am so happy to be teaching again. 

Also I have been dying of heat this week. With the fever and everything, it has made it hard to not sweat.... The presidents wife told me that I am loosing a lot of weight and then when I told her that I was sick, she told that its because I am just sweating off all of the weight that I have gained here. 

But that was my week. I cant send pictures because we are in a differnt computer lab and I dont know how this computer works, but I will send you guys a lot next week. 

I love you all and I am so glad that I am out here serving a mission. 

This week I am going to be completting a year here in the mission and I can not believe how fast the time has gone by.... I feel like I have just gotten here! 

I love this work and I love being a missionary! 

HNA. Fuller

Week 48: Week of Thanks

Okay family, 

Thank you for all of the emails with the encouraging messages. You guys are great and I love you all. :) 

This week was a lot better because I talked to my compaion and we came up with a word to help us when we arent getting along and it is pancake... it works pretty well! It was pretty great to have a good week full of walking and planning a baptism! I was so happy that Hermana Telma entered into the waters on Saturday and she was able to be ready to make a promise with the Lord to be baptized. It was great because she was really ready! Maybe thats why my compaion and I got a long so well.. hahaha, thats a joke! 

Also today I was able to play volleyball and it felt so nice!!! And the people were so shocked, they thought that I sucked at all sports, no that is just basketball and soccer, and they were betting for things, it was really funny. Im not that great, its just the the latinos dont know how to play so they were really shocked that I could actually hit the ball with my hands.... it was great. 

Today I was talking to the nurse and she told me that I should get therapy for my ankle after the mission and I dont really want to do it but I can even point my toes without having it hurt and it kills when I am running so maybe I should get therapy after the mission. 

I was so happy to hear that when I get back, that we are going to be taking a trip to go visit spencer and ashley anne. because when you, mom, were sharing the story about Clara and hating the bicking trip made me laugh so hard and made me what to see them. It will be great to be with family again. 

This week I sent a lot of pictures and I hope that you guys liked them! 

I love this gospel and I can feel it changing me for the better. I love my Savior and I love you all! 

Hermana Fuller

Week 47: Week Like Nephi

Okay well I just wanted to tell you guys that this week was really really really really hard for me. I think I cried every single day this week but I just wanted to have this email be about how our Heavenly Father is always there for us. 

This week there have been a lot of problems, the first is that my compaion and I did not get a long very great this week and it made it really hard to work together but some how the work went forward with having this week being the week with my most success that I have had in my mission. And also even in the small moments that my companion and I got along I could feel how much love she actually has for me and she told me that she felt the same. 

The other hard thing is that our baptism date that we had for this weekend fell through and it made me really think about why. And it made me realize that as a companionship we have had a lot of pride that everything was going to be fine and we didnt really do anything to protect the baptism date, like fasting or doing something special for her and so this week we are going to fast to see if our investigator will accept another baptism date. 

Also I got made fun of a lot this week because I am the only American in this zone... and it has been really hard for me. But something that I have learned that the Lord has a plan for me and that he wants me to learn and to grow from this moment. One thing that is really hard for me is that I still cant say my ¨r´s¨ and its hard for me because the latinos make fun of me still and they ask me how long I have been out in the mission and when I tell them they just laugh and they say, that I should have learned more spanish and that I should be able to speak it better but you know, I am still learning. 

But there were some miracles that happened in this week. My companion and I didnt kill each other. hahaha and also I was able to feel so much love today. Every email that I got, I could feel the love that you guys have for me and I am so very greatful for that. 

I testify that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. I know that our Heavenly Father loves us no matter how we look, what language we speak, if we are popular, smart, or if we are not a member of this church. I am so proud that I have this time to dedicate to my Savior and to be able to have the chance to teach His children here in Guatemala. One thing that I know is that God has a plan for us and that he wants us to keep going and to show our faith in all aspects. I love this church and I love this gospel. What peace it gives to me. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that if we study from it each day we can develope a stronger testimony in this gospel. I love my Savior. I love this work. I love my family. I know that my Savior loves me. I say these things in the name of my loving Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Week 46: My New Companion

Well this week I dont have a lot of time to write so here we go! 

This week was pretty great. 

On monday we had out last pday as district and it was pretty great. But it was sad because everyone but me has changes and it was sad. But we enjoyed our time together. 

Tuesday we had changes and it was pretty great but like it was really sad to say goodbye to my companion because we got a long really great, it was sad but you know, we did have a great time together. I got my new companion, her name is Hermana Layva and she is from Peru. Shes 25 and talks realllllly fast. Sometimes I cant understand her but you know, little by little. She has 4 months in the mission and so she is learning a lot and knows a lot. Its great. Our first day we had some great dats and it made me really happy but you know, I am excited to see how we get a long. 

On Thursday I hit 11 months in the mission and it was so great but so weird to think that I am almost there. But I dont like thinking in that because I like the mission too much! We had a lot of sucess today and I hope that it keeps going this way! But I am really excited to see what happens.

This week we put 2 baptism dates and I am so exctied! One is for this saturday and the other is for next week and I am so excited to see what happens! I am just hoping and praying that everything works out. 

We cleaned the old house this week as well with the zone leaders and they were so scared that I laughed really hard but we had a fun time singing hymns and jamming out. It was pretty great. 

We did lots of service as well and it was great to get to know some new members that I never knew were in my area but its great. 

Well that was my week and today I played soccer for the first time after my accident and it felt so good to play again but I was really scared, so I kept it under control. 

I love this gospel and I love seeing miracles everyday! 

Love yyou all! 

Hermana Fuller. 

Week 45:Changes Changes Changes!

Family and Friends! 

Today I was talking to one of my good friends who is going to be going home this change and he told me that I need to enjoy my mission as long as I can so I was talking to him and he told me all of his tips on how to enjoy the mission. 

Tip #1 Every Pday, do something crazy. 

Tip #2 Dont forget to tell your companion that you love her. 

Tip #3 Dont be a flechona... that means someone who is super strick. 

Tip #4 Eat. Eat. And Eat. Enjoy the food while you can, because its not the same in our houses. 

Tip #5 Love your family but love the work more. 

So I thought that I would share that with you guys today. But here is my week. This time all in English hahaha. 

Monday- Today was a really good pday. We went and played some soccer, which is what we always do when we dont have anything else to do. We then ate some pollo or chicken like always. Adn it was great. I got to explain how Football works to someone who knows english but I forgot all of the words and it was really embarrassing... I miss the states now! We had FHE with Hna Hilda. 

Tuesday- We woke up this morning thinking that we were going to change house in the morning but no one came to help us so we did our studies normally and then we got a knock on the door downstairs and it was a member with his son and a sister and then were there to help us move houses. So we had to pack up really fast and we got everything changed to the new house and it was perfect. We started at 12:43 and ended at 4:24 and it was great. We didnt eat breakfast or lunch and so at 5 we went and ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was good but I ate so much! That after I felt really sick! 

Wednesday- Today was really cold. We went to Santa Barbara for district meeting and we all died together. I had 3 sweaters and a blanket and I was still dying. And the church is outside, and so with the wind, it was even worse. It was terrible. We then went to eat and the food is always good. We then had a great lesson with Yerisli and it was perfect. We are going to fast with her this week so that her dad will change his mind and she can be baptized. She is the one that has been reading her Book of Mormon and has a strong testimony in the church. I dont have any fear with the power of fast and I have a lot of faith that everything will work out! I woke up and I had like a small pink eye for half of the day and it was really painful but with the power of prayer, it went away! 

Thursday- Today we went to a members house and we were able to teach his sister and she is great. She has a testimony on the Book of Mormon and everything, she just needs to get her answer to be baptized and she said that she will do it in a heart beat. I hope that everything works out! Oh and today we got told what happened in the house that the ghost is at. this is what happened.... 

That a guy was working with drug lords and he was being followed by someone in the same gang that he was involved with. So the guy hid his family under a bed downstairs and he went and hid upstairs. He got shot in the head twice upstairs, and that is where I saw the shadow of the guy, and he got dragged by his leg down the stairs and so his head hit every single stair, that is why there was blood on the stairs one day. But when he hit the last step to the first floor his eyes were still open and he got dragged past the room where his family was hidden and his wife and daughter saw him and he saw them.... then 3 days later, they found his body about 5 blocks from the house missing a hand, and thats a sign that they were involved with drugs. Crazy right? 

Friday- Today was different because in the morning it was really cold but when we left to work, it was really hot. Today president told us that we dont have changes and I was so excited because I love my companion and she is just so cute, im happy.  :) I really just want to have a baptism! 

Saturday-  In the morning the Hermana Liders came to do studies and it was good but it was awkward. We had a a great lesson with Yerisli and we all cried and she told us that she has the faith sufficent to have the Lord change her dads mind. Then we started our fast and it was so great. She is so perfect and so cute. I love her. But we do have changes.... I am really sad. But I will find out everything tomorrow! 

Sunday- Happy Valentines Day! Today was a good day. We went to church and we had 6 investigators go to church and 2 of them are referals and they want to be baptized and I am so excited to be able to work with them! We finished our fast and we ate everything in the kitchen, and I really mean everything! it was crazy! My companion packed a little and then we worked at night. It was sad to work together for the last time but it was good to be companions.

Well that was my week and it was crazy! I dont like changes but its okay! 

I love you all, have a great week and work hard! 

LOVE YA!

Hermana Fuller

oh and I forgot my camera at home, so I will send you guys more photos next week!