Howdy from Woodville,TX where I WILL be serving for 6 more weeks w/ Sis. Mapa as my companion! We're pretty stoked about that. It has been an exhausting and eventful week filled with plenty of adventures and miracles. I can already guarantee that this email won't do it justice.
Monday kicked off the adventures well w/ a trip to the emergency room. We had a preparation day w/ our zone in Beaumont. Our member friend C* M* had driven Sis. Mapa and me down and she and I were chilling on the stage in the gym just laughing and talking and watching most of the other missionaries play dodgeball. (she and I had had our fill of the actual playing) We'd been relaxing there for about an hour when I got a funny headache and mentioned it to her... then soon felt hot... and she said my face was bright red and my forehead burning up... then my heartrate began to accelerate... and all of those symptoms increased. At first we were joking about my random symptoms, and then the heartrate made us both nervous and I told her to get Sis. Mapa. I layed down on the stage. She called Sis. Moldenhauer (mission mom) who told them to have me get a blessing and take me to the hospital. I asked the two elders standing by the stage to give me a blessing. Then I tried to get up (w/ Sis. Mapa's assistance) to walk to the car... and I passed out. One of our recent convert friends Daniel, was there playing w/ all of us and he happens to be a nurse so they grabbed him and he talked everyone through helping me. I passed out like 2 more times trying to walk even w/ assistance, so a few elders just carried me to the car while I was unconcious, but trying very hard to be concious- it was like a really bad dream. They drove me to the hospital, Daniel quizzing me and testing my vital signs the whole way. It turns out they're not really sure what caused all this except that it was likely dehydration. I got feeling much much better very quickly and spent hours in the ER just feeling tired and having bloodwork and tests done. We finally left the hospital a little before 10 pm and I called the Moldenhauers to give them an update. President Moldenhauer answered and suggested that Sis. Mapa and I stay in and rest tomorrow. I quickly searched my mind to find the appropriate, respectful resonse to let him know I would be fine to work... but instead I popped out w/, "What if we don't want to?" He was surprised and amused and told us that would be fine as long as we used good judgement and followed the Spirit.
The whole experience was pretty surreal. What is clear about all that took place, was that the Lord's hand was in it. Everyone was in the right place at the right time for me to be properly taken care of. We saw many little and big miracles and felt the Lord's love.
Tuesday morning we got up bright and early to travel to Kingwood. President Moldenhauer holds a monthly Zone Leader Council w/ all the zone leaders and periodically invites a companionship of sisters to attend. Sis. Mapa and I were ivited and it was a wonderful, edifying meeting. It was a particularly interesting experience, because the majority of the meeting was spent being trained on some new missionary tools by a recently returned missionary in the Beaumont 1st ward.... that RM happened to be Jason Palmer, one of my best childhood friends. It was very good and very strange to see him.
Due to lack of time we'll jump to Friday New Years Eve. We had a wonderful zone meeting in Beaumont in the morning, and got back to Woodville around 3. Then A* G* was interviewed for baptism by our district leader which went very well. In the evening we had a couple of particularly stellar lessons with investigators. Both J* W* and C* H* have now set baptism dates for the 28th of this month. It was all led by the Spirit and completely awesome. We then went to bed at 10:30 and slept straight through the night. The new year still comes even if you're sleeping :)
Saturday was a pretty long hard day. By the time we came in for the night and were weekly planning we were both just exhausted and not feeling too sushiney. We tried singing a hymn to lift our spirits and it helped, but not enough. We were dreading transfer calls too, but were pleasantly surprised by a phone call informing us that we would be staying together in Woodville for another 6 weeks! We really were hoping for that, but completely not expecting it. We're going to work SO hard! Sis. Mapa goes home at the end of this transfer though. I'm going to miss her so much.
The biggest highlight of our week happened yesterday when A* N* G* was baptized. She was even baptized by a fairly recent convert, A* L*. The whole thing went so very well, even though Sis. Mapa and I were stressed to the max trying to make sure everything was in order. She had several family members and friends there to support her, many of which joined us for Sacrament Meeting. Amazing things are happening here in Woodville! I love missionary work!
I'll leave you w/ one of my many favorite quotes:
"Never forget that you came to earth as a child of the divine Father, with something of divinity in your very makeup. The Lord did not send you here to fail." -President Gordon B. Hinckley
Love y'all!!! Smile!!!!!! Send mail!!!
*~Sister Pilmer~*
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