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| Elder Mikesell and Elder Mussleman rocking their eye infections... |
Quite the week, quite the week indeed :P Someone tell my wonderful earthly father that this will be quite the hefty update indeed.
On Monday, after my emailing, I decided I would have the warts on my hand taken care of which seem to have been multiplying since March. The water that comes through the tap here isn't potable or always safe like it is back home, so Americans are known to get some sort of skin problem during their mission at some point. I went to the Candon City Hospital last Monday thinking I was just going to be picking up some of the liquid freezing agent stuff. Little did I know that it would end up involving 2000 pesos, a doctor and two nurses with a small surgery, anesthesia and stitches :P
I then entered the charming world of one handed people, which made me very grateful for my two-handedness that I have enjoyed thus far and will enjoy again in a week or two. I have also become adequate at many various activities using only my right hand, including but not limited to dressing myself (including tying shoes and my tie), riding a bicycle in mountainous terrain for extended periods of time, cooking, bathing, and so on.
On Wednesday, we assisted in a ward service activity which took me to San Emilio, a nearby municipality about 40 minutes from Santiago, which is FAR but which I found out is technically still in my area, although the members I was with assured me no elder has seen yet. It ended up being so far that their regional dialect actually changes from Ilokano to Itneg, which sounds about as intelligible to me as Klingon.
On Thursday, we noticed an infection in our apartment mates eyes, Elder Musselman, which was like pink eye on steroids. On Friday, we experienced a monsoon! The difference between a typhoon and a monsoon is the first is all about wind and the second is all about rain. Fortunately, our apartment is well situated and we became an island. One we had to stay inside those three days, during which time I contracted the eye thing as well. The rain was so heavy that we had no service on Sunday, which was very odd. Instead, we went around with the Bishopric trying to help members here whose houses were being destroyed in the floods.
The Itak family is progressing, and I feel they will be baptized :) We had planned to teach them, but the appointment itself was for Sunday sooo ended up not happening. I'll keep you updated. Elder Musselman also finished his mission earlier. RIP. Love that lug. Lastly, before my time runs out, I'm not sure if I ever told you all this, but my companion in the MTC had to go home with worthiness problems. He told us he would be coming back in a year, but when January came and left and he was nowhere on the lists I gave up hope. At the hospital earlier, when I was getting my stitches removed, I got a call from a friend of mine in the office who told me he'll be entering the field on Wednesday :)
Life is good :) Sorry if there are clerical errors in this... typing with one hand and all, haha!
Elder Mikesell III
(Don't worry about the clerical errors... Kelly's got your back :P)
On Monday, after my emailing, I decided I would have the warts on my hand taken care of which seem to have been multiplying since March. The water that comes through the tap here isn't potable or always safe like it is back home, so Americans are known to get some sort of skin problem during their mission at some point. I went to the Candon City Hospital last Monday thinking I was just going to be picking up some of the liquid freezing agent stuff. Little did I know that it would end up involving 2000 pesos, a doctor and two nurses with a small surgery, anesthesia and stitches :P
We were in very hilly area when my bike (which since I have arrived has been a tool of the devil and at times refuses to pedal) destroyed itself. The fancy pants mechanism near the chain which switches the gear finally gave out and because caught in the chain itself and was destroyed, which stopped the bike from being able to move. We were pretty far from home and had quite a few appointments to make, so we decided to just snap the whole thing off and take the chain off the hub so the tires could move freely. I kept the chain from getting caught back into the hub by tangling it around my left pedal and I spent the rest of the time either walking the bike uphill, riding it down hill, or standing on the pedal and using it like a scooter when the roads were level enough to do so :P
It was grand fun, and I think I've started picking up a New Zealander accent. But, don't tell him, he'll get prideful. He and I always debate about how our respective countries are better than the other. I usually focus on our military might and being the birthplace of the restoration and all the prophets. He focuses of New Zealand's Nephite roots and the amazing climate and dairy products to be had there. Elder Smiler's mission ended yesterday when me, Elder Lesa and Elder Macalagium buried him in his "coffin" as we refer to it, or in layman's terms, the bus going to San Fernando for his interview with the mission president, complete with his luggage and tickets for his flight home. I love the big lug.
Super quick: we climbed a mountain with the Stake President and the priesthood quorums here in Narvacan... It was awesome. I met a Filipino at the top who spoke really good English. Asked where he came from. He said he just got back from the states after having lived there two years. I asked where. He said Nevada. I asked where in Nevada. He said Las Vegas. I asked where in Las Vegas. He said North Las Vegas. I asked him where in North Las Vegas, and he replied in a gated community called Los Prados.
