Week 52: Paging Doctor West

To start off, I have a quick announcement.  Next week we will have our P-day on Tuesday.  November 2nd is Día de los Muertos here, so we'll be working that day.

This week was very different.  We did almost no missionary work.  What happened is that an elder from each companionship in Valle Nuevo got sick, at the same time!  My companion, Elder Maldonado, woke up last Tuesday feeling super sick, and the symptoms he described sounded just like dengue.  The mission nurse approved a day of rest, and we stayed home.  We were supposed to meet up with the district leader and Elder Le May for a baptism interview.  They showed up at our house an hour before we were supposed to meet with them, because Elder Le May was feeling super sick too.  So I went to the interview with the district leader, and worked with him the rest of the night.

The next day we were still home sick.  Around lunchtime Elder Le May called and told me that they would be coming to my house after lunch, because he didn't think that he could make it home, and my house is closer to where we have lunch.  When they came over, Elder Le May looked even worse than on Tuesday.  He and Elder Maldonado spent the whole day in bed, trying not to throw up.  Around this point the symptoms of the two sick elders started to differentiate.  Elder Le May had a fever all that day, but in the late afternoon it shot up to 103.8ºF, with the maximum dosage of Tylenol in his system.  We got his temperature back down to less dangerous levels (around 102ºF) with the help of ice packs and every fan in the house.  His temperature was stabilized by bedtime, but he was feeling too sick to try to go home, so he and his comp spent the night in my house.  The two sick elders took the beds, Elder Castro (Le May's companion) took the spare mattress, and I slept on the floor.  Fun, I know.

Around 1:30 Thursday morning I was awakened by Elder Le May.  He said that he couldn't sleep and felt like the fever was worse again.  The thermometer said 104.  Once again, the Tylenol did nothing for the fever, and we had to use ice packs to get his temperature back down.  I didn't sleep much the rest of that night.

Thursday the nurse sent us for a blood exam.  Elder Le May's exam showed 149,000 blood platelets per mm cubed.  That's low, and is a positive test for dengue.  We were told to stay home, manage the fever, and take another blood exam on Saturday.  My companion did not come back positive for dengue, but another exam showed that he has parasites, hence the dengue-like symptoms without a fever.

We spent the rest of Thursday, and all of Friday, in the house.  Saturday we had a double baptism, for an investigator from our area and an investigator from the other area.  After the baptism we got sent to the hospital.  My companion had thrown up blood, and Elder Le May's new blood exam showed a decreased number of platelets.  The doc said that my comp just had a bad reaction to the anti-parasite meds, and gave him new meds, and sent us home that night.  Elder Le May is still in the hospital recovering.

I'm out of time for this week... Have a good week!

Elder Colton West

El Salvador, San Salvador East Mission

Baptism of Ruby!

Week 51: Livin' On A Prayer

Why is Elder West using a BonJovi song for his email title this week?  Because.....  OOOOOOHH We're halfway there, OOOOOOOHH livin' on a prayer!!!

Yes, I am at the halfway point of my mission.  Last Monday was my "one year left" day.  Next Thursday is my mission birthday.  So that makes tomorrow the official halfway mark.  It's crazy how fast it's gone by.  I feel like I barely got here!  But somehow in the last year I've been able to learn a not-entirely-new to me language, learn how to teach the gospel, gotten used to the millions of differences between life in Central America and life back home, been truly converted to the gospel I'm teaching, had my testimony strengthened like I can hardly believe, and along the way I've helped several people be baptized.  It's incredible, and I can't wait to see how the second half of my mission goes.

Exciting news: Ruby Durán is getting baptized this Saturday!  And her parents are getting baptized next month!  Setting a solid baptism date for this family has been difficult.  They've had some challenges with being able to pass a baptism interview, mainly for the necessary marriage of the parents, but also for some personal problems that have happened.  But I am happy to report that they are willing to get married and be baptized!  Xiomara (the mom) came to church for the first time this Sunday!  We are seeing the hand of the Lord working to move this family to a baptism.  Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed for my investigators, especially for this family.  Your prayers are being answered.

To answer questions about the sickness that I had last week: yes, I am doing better.  My symptoms had disappeared completely the morning after Multizona, and have not returned.  That rules out Dengue, because short of a miracle happening as a result of a priesthood blessing, Dengue does not suddenly go away like that.  And I didn't receive a blessing for that sickness.  It's a good thing though, because if it was dengue, and I got dengue again in the mission, I would be sent home.  The reason is that if you contract dengue a third time it can be life-threatening.  So yes, I am very grateful that it went away.

The climate here has been amazing this week.  It has rained literally every day.  The last three days the clouds have not cleared for longer than 30 consecutive minutes, and there has been rain most of the day.  It's wonderful for two reasons.  One, everything is very cool right now.  Two, all the rain has washed the smog out of the air.  Breathing clean air is rather rare in the San Salvador metropolitan area, so I am thoroughly enjoying it while it lasts.

I found out in this change that people are actually reading the blog.  Honestly, I had kinda forgotten about it.  Two weeks ago, a new elder in the zone (and new to the mission) mentioned that he had read some of the blog before he left for the CCM.  Apparently, someone has put a link to it on Facebook, on the San Salvador Este mission moms page I believe.  Wow.  So "hi" to all of the blog readers!  Hope you're enjoying what I have to say.  And if you have any questions for a real live Elder, send them to the curator of the blog, and she can pass them along.

Time's up!  Gotta go shopping!  Have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Colton West

El Salvador, San Salvador East Mission

Editor's Note: I'm not certain why his "one year left" day was last Monday, the 12th. He left for El Salvador on 10/28 with a report date to the MTC (CCM in spanish) of 10/29.  So, yes, next Thurs 10/29 is his mission birthday!  Perhaps their "one year left day" is a bit earlier because they process them for home before their actual report date so they are home by then? I'm not sure. Does anyone out there know? All I know is if they want to send my boy home around the 12th next year instead of the 29th I would be JUST fine with that! MISS HIM LIKE CRAZY!!!

The San Salvador equivalent of "cold and rainy".
For us it feels like sweater weather.

We had a lizard in the house. It looked super cool
but runs really, really fast!