Transfer 3, week 3 - oops a little out of order, sorry!

Well this week has been interesting. Starting on Thursday night I started getting really sick, I have been getting horrible migraines, hot flashes and nausea. Well I'm not going to waste any time I have on my mission, so I was still out on the Square and in TC/Beehive. But I would just be going back and forth to the bathroom literally every 20 minutes throwing up. But the problem is... I haven't really eaten anything since Thursday night. I went 2 days without eating a single thing! I'm just not hungry. I have been extremely thirsty though! I drink like 8 of my 24oz water bottles a day. Monday morning I woke up and it was my worst day, I just felt like death. I was getting my shoes on and my DL came in to go on exchanges that day and she looks at me and says half laughing "You look absolutely miserable, put your pajamas back on." So I had to stay in bed all day yesterday, and as a missionary, that is one of the hardest things. I just kept thinking about all the things I should be doing, I should be doing missionary work, not laying in a bed all day sleeping. But it is what it is. Sister Poulsen, Mission president's wife, came by to see me and she brought me some food and sprite. The sandwich didn't last too long in my stomach but the sprite worked miracles! I haven't had soda in over a year, so that was strange, but I was finally able to keep some food down after that. This morning I even ate a small apple :) I went to the doctors this morning, and he gave me some medication. He doesn't know what is wrong with me, but he thinks these drugs will help. The problem is, when I take this medicine, he said I will be out in 5 minutes... how does this help when I'm a missionary? I need to be awake! Well, we'll see if I end up taking the medicine.

Enough about that! This past Sunday we were able to go speak in a ward near Draper. Which I was hoping I'd see Ethan, but obviously Utah has a fair amount of wards. It was Sister Barrett, Sister Ficquet, Sister Rodrigues and I that spoke. The morning of our talks, Sister Rodrigues and I decided to switch topics, so I didn't prepare a single thing. A big tender mercy of the Lord: I was last on the program! Sister Rodrigues talks a lot, so I got about 4 minutes to talk when it was supposed to be 8. I spoke on the submitting to the will of God, which I have had a bit of experience with in my life. So it all went well, grateful for that opportunity. I loved being back in a family ward! I love my all missionary ward, but it is definitely way different than a family ward. We also had a musical number, which I had a solo in, and that was scary. It was good! But I was also grateful that the ward was small.

I guess I'm not being very chronological, but on Saturday Amir came to the Square and was interviewed by President Poulsen! It was strange because we had gotten an email from him that morning saying that he had to cancel, and so we just went to lunch instead. We were home and I was sleeping during lunch, and Sister Rodrigues comes in and basically screams "Amir is waiting for 'Sister Gretchen' in the North Visitors center!" So I jump up, trying not to pass out from moving too quickly, and we scurry our way over to Amir. He apparently had been waiting over an hour! Whoops. Well he met with President and everything is figured out. We all think it's best if we wait until his wife comes here to get baptized, because of the risk it puts her in. Amir said that they should get the final word on February 25th about her visa (my moms birthday!). We pray that she is able to come.

On Wednesday, we were working on our song for Sacrament meeting and we got a call from none other than Kennedy! He's one of our investigators that we found within my first few days in the mission. Well he wasn't progressing so we had to drop him. But he was on the Square and wanted to meet up! Funny story with that, that will unfortunately have to wait until after the mission. But he is back on track and wants to keep commitments, he wants to learn more about the Book of Mormon and truly find out for himself if this is true.

This week has been tough for me, physically and mentally. I have been struggling a lot with my imperfections. There are so many things that I need to improve to even get to a starting point of where I want to be, but it has been so hard to gather my thoughts and know where to begin. I ended up making a chart in the front of my Preach my Gospel, where I'll always see it. It is a chart of my weaknesses. It kind of surprised me how easily I was able to come up with my weaknesses, and how much I am adding continually as I go throughout the day. I then got to thinking about my Savior, and how His weakness chart would be blank. He's perfect! He doesn't need to work on being patient, or being unselfish, or not judging people. Some of my biggest imperfections! He is already a master at these qualities. He set the example for these attributes! But I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that through Him I can slowly erase my weakness chart. That because of Him, because of my love for Him, and because of His love for me, I can become the person that I want to be. That these weaknesses of mine, can be made into strengths! I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I have felt the enabling power of the atonement in my life, I am a firsthand witness! I testify that we each can become clean, become better through our Savior, because He loves us, because He paid the price for us. Thank you Heavenly Father, for loving me enough to provide me with a Savior, so that I can be better.

I'm sorry this letter is so jumbled, my head isn't on quite straight this week. We'll see what this medicine does. I love you all!

-Sister Brock