In-Field Week 2 - Welcome to the Hospital

Welcome everyone! It's that time again where I hit you all with another email! This week has been an adventure to say the least. So, I would like to welcome everyone...to the hospital! Don't worry, I'm fine, but my companion was not. So what happened? Well, I'll tell you but first, we have to see what lead up to this.

Monday was P-day so I have nothing to write about really.

Tuesday we had an awesome plan for teachings but Elder Blackburn wasn't feeling well so we stayed inside until like 5 in the afternoon. I studied a lot and made biscuits from pancake batter because I had nothing else to do in that moment and the box said I could. So why not?
During our day, we called our district leader to tell him what was going on. For clarification, his companion is someone I was in the CCM with so we know each other quite well. When we first connected the call and finished our "Hola, ¿cómo estan?" spiel, the companion said something similar to "Tengo problemas con mi compañero manejando" (I have problems with my companion's driving). In response (since this was on speakerphone), our district leader yells "Wheeee!" It gave us a good laugh and is something we will be referencing for a while.
When we did actually end up leaving, we went to an apartment complex near near the north side of our area to see if we could meet with an investigator. They weren't there so we tracted around for a bit. We talked to a guy who was like "I really respect you missionaries" so we gave him a card with our number. Then we headed to the south border of our area....and then back to the north area. So we biked for a good 45 minutes in the "cold". I mean, my fingers were a little cool but this as Texas; cold doesn't exist here (at least to me...yet).

Wednesday we stayed inside again. But we went out that night to visit some interested people and found none :(. But we did end up talking to a lady who we call a 'lost sheep'. Similar to the story of leaving the ninety-nine sheep to go find the lost one, she was one that we had to go find. She was English speaking so we gave her an English Book of Mormon and promised some missionaries would stop by later that week.

Thursday is an interesting day and is where my subject line comes in. Let me tell you the story.
So Elder Blackburn decided that regardless of how he was feeling, we were going to go finding that morning and follow our plan. We finished personal study and Elder Blackburn went to the bathroom and noticed something was wrong. He took a small sample of urine and found it to be red. So, we called the mission nurse who told us to make a doctor's appointment and let her know the time. We did, and waited for that time to arrive. When it did, we headed off to the doctor's office with our zone leaders.
After a few questions, we were told it might be necessary to go to the hospital for a diagnostic. So we did. We were put into an ER room for the night and I slept on the floor with a thin blanket and my bag as a pillow. Those Boy Scout skills really come in handy in the weirdest places. We were also told we could be released Friday. Or so we thought...

Friday, Elder Blackburn had a lot of tests, blood work, samples, and many other things. We got moved into an actual room! So I had a recliner chair to sleep in! We also got to be under a tornado watch and warning, a first in my lifetime. I didn't actually see anything though :(. We were also told we'd be discharged Saturday!

Saturday was...ultrasound day, not discharge day! Psych! Elder Blackburn is expecting a baby girl. Not sure who the mom is though (Not really, but we joked about it after the ultrasound).
Sister Hewlett brought us cookies. She's the absolute best! Elder and Sister Davis are absolutely amazing too. They are the area medical advisors and they were so nice to keep bringing me food.
And the doctor said we have a high chance of being released Sunday. Fingers crossed...

Sunday was....not discharge day. Psych again! We had lots of phone calls with other missionaries and members making sure everything was fine and that we hadn't ceased to exist. Also, President Hewlett visited us and said this is the longest he's had a missionary in the hospital. New record!
Oh, we also got word that the only person we have on date for baptism right now actually attended church! So we might end up actually baptizing him while we're in this area!
We're told tomorrow has a very high chance of being discharged. But they've told us that like every day this week.

Monday. So were we actually discharged today? The answer is...yes, we were. Granted, it was at like 3 in the afternoon but we were finally released.

...And now, my brethren, what have ye to say against this? I say unto you, if ye speak against it, it matters not, for the word of God must be fulfilled.
Alma 5:58

I really enjoy that scripture because out here on a mission (and even in your own lives now), we experience opposition and people actively working against the church. But the Lord himself has said that it doesn't matter how much you work against something, if it is the work of the Lord, it will not stop. This missionary work is the work of the Lord and it cannot be stopped. I know that.

I love you all! Even though some of you, or maybe all of you, are going through some sort of trial right now, the Lord knows you and what you're going through. He wants to help, and He will, but only if we reach out to Him in prayer. I know He will answer, even if it may not be in the way we thought it should be or when we think it should be done. Remember the Lord and His infinite wisdom and that He knows all, including the timing in which things need to be done. Have a great week!

--
Elder Thacker