SO MUCH TO TELL YOU THIS WEEK. SOME PRETTY BAD AND SOME INSANELY GOOD

Hi Friends and my sweet Family! PICTURES AT THE BOTTOM

Man there is so much to tell you this week,  some  pretty bad and some insanely good:) 

Bad news first!  Well I've been super sick and had a 104.7 degree fever and went to the mission doctor earlier today and was diagnosed with  Dengue Fever.  And according to him I’m about half way through it now and in about 2-3 days I’ll be covered in rashes and then 3 more days give or take and I’ll be done but will be really fatigued and tired for about a week after.  It's more fun in the Philippines right? ha Guess I'll be staying in the apartment for the rest of this week...wah..wah.. I added our letters back and forth about this illness below but it’s the long version explanation.

Now for some Good News! Our investigators are doing wonderfully,  Sister Marisel is working on her marriage papers so her and Albert can be married.  And something awesome happened on Sunday (we only went to Sacrament meeting then left so I could rest) Albert came to church with Marisel!! We've been trying to teach him the lessons as well but he's been a little shy and disappears when we come to teach.  But I think his heart is softening and he's warming up to us:) Marisel is golden and wants to be baptized so so bad.  She reads the Book of Mormon everyday and is about half way through now.  Hopefully about 3 more weeks and she can get baptized and hopefully Albert will follow.  

Our cute little 92 year old nanay will be baptized next Sunday, she's so excited and so ready.  She's adorable she always pats us on the cheek and squeezes our hands whenever she passes us in church hehe and she has the best questions.  We taught her about the Word of Wisdom 2 weeks ago cause she has drunk coffee for the past 70 years and she hasn't even touched it since then.  Last week she asked us if we could do her a favor and make sure the baptismal font water is warm when she is baptized so we are trying to find ways to heat up the water for her.  

We did splits this week (before I got sick) with 3 companionships they went  well,  I'm grateful that I get to help sisters who are struggling.  Sister Campbell gave me a nice compliment and said that Sisters just really open up to me and feel like they can share their feelings.  It makes me feel good that they see that I'm someone they can trust.  One sister I worked with this week is really struggling with her trainer and feels like she doesn't get to say anything.  She was telling me about her feelings and broke into tears; I started getting teary-eyed as well.  At first I wasn't exactly sure what I could say that would make her feel better.  But I just opened up my mouth and relied on the spirit, I don't even remember half of the things I said but just did my best to comfort her and shared with her past experiences, and quotes that I thought would help.  I love this calling! 

 So A miracle happened this week! We were doing splits earlier this week with the sisters who live 3 apartments down from sister Dickison and sister Strebel and all those sisters.  Anyways we were all having dinner together one night and sister Strebel says 'Sister Jones! did you hear about Jenie?' It kinda scared me at first cause the last time I head she was not doing well and getting really skinny cause she had no money for food.  S. STrebel heard from Sister Andersen that Jenie's husband who had left her 9 months ago cause he had another woman pregnant out in the province, Well.....I guess he came back.....whaaa?? That doesn't sound good...but wait!  I guess what happened is that he had lied to her because he didn't feel ready to be a father and that much commitment so he left and found a job out in the province. Keep in mind he's still really young he's only 19 years old... After a while though he started feeling really guilty and missed Jenie and baby AJ so he came back.  After explaining himself and asking for forgiveness Jenie took him back and (this part makes me so proud!) the first thing Jenie did was start talking about the gospel and how it had changed her life and showed him pictures of her baptism.  I guess since then every conversation they have always ends up on the gospel.  Jenie also told him her desire to enter the temple as a family and be sealed for Eternity.  He told her that he would do everything in his power to get her and AJ to the temple.  The missionaries are now teaching him and he even brought Jenie and Aj to church last Sunday! S. Andersen said Jenie's face was just beaming and she kept saying "my family is complete now".  Jenie's husband also had a miracle of his own, shortly after his return home he text his boss telling him that he was quitting so he could stay home with his family.  After he sent the text he kneeled down and said a prayer as soon as he said amen, his phone buzzed with a text from his Boss saying that he could just transfer to the Branch they have right next to where they live and he could keep his job!! After S. STrebel told me all this I just started balling right in the middle of us all eating dinner haha.  I was so happy!! I've been praying for her for weeks and weeks asking for a miracle to happen and it did!  I'm so happy for her! I pray that they will get to the temple someday:) This was probably one of the highlights of my whole mission! 

Sorry couldn't leave any details out on that one it was just too awesome:) Thank you also family for your prayers in her behalf.  

Mom so proud of you and the missionary work you are doing, Keep it up:) your such a good example! And thank you for the videos I loved them:) 

Being sick has a tendency to make me miss home more, just know that I miss and love you guys.  Dont' worry about me I have lots of meds and an awesome companion who is taking great care of me.  Hopefully this won't last too long, it's really not fun:( 

Hope you can feel my love all the way on the other side of the world hehe love you guys!! 

Love, Sister Ammah Jones 

A few emails about her illness:

Well it started on Friday,  We had zone interviews that started at around noon right when we got there I started not feeling to good and I knew I had a fever.  But I was a good sport and Sister Campbell and I had to give a 90 minute workshop for the zone so we did it.  Towards the end of our zone interviews around 7  I started feeling a little better.  went home went to bed and woke up a few hours later with a fever again of 102.7 didn't really sleep the rest of the day and on Saturday we did splits and Sister Tehei stayed home with me while sister Campbell went and worked our area.  I slept for most part of the day and woke up around 5pm with a whopping fever of 104.7.....yupp...I felt like crap.  Well we called sister revillo and she told me what medicines to take and to put wet clothes all over my body.  Sweet sister Tehei put rags on my legs and feet and changed them every few minutes for me while I was wiping down my own face arm chest and back.  it wasn't going down so we had the elders come give me a blessing.  about 10 minutes after my blessing my temp started to slowly go down and I fell asleep.  I woke up with my sheets drenched in sweat but I felt better but an hour later my temp came back that was Sunday morning and ever since then until now I’ve had a fever of 102  so I got an appointment with the mission doctor and just got back from seeing him, and I was surprised to hear that I have  Dengue Fever.....  He said that my fever will probably last for two more days and then I will break out with rashes all over my body....yipee.  I only know a handful of missionaries who have had dengue in the mission, sister Campbell being one of them ha.  ughhh so yah I feel like crap right now.  I'm freezing all the time, my head just aches and my eyes hurt really bad I can't even move them around without it making me nauseous.  I haven't really eaten anything in about 3 days just some crackers here and there.  Doc said I’ll probably have to stay in until the rashes come and leave.   I’m so upset:(  we had 4 companionships to do splits with this week and another workshop to give.  I didn't sleep at all last night cause my body just hurt and it was uncomfortable and I just cried half the night cause I’m sick of having a fever and was really looking forward to working with the sisters this week.

Jan 19 at 10:42 PM

I'm doing okay , I think some of the medicine is kicking in for the body aches.  

the doctor gave me some medicine for my stomach to protect the lining and keep it from bleeding,  just cause I haven't eaten much for a while and he said I probably won't feel like eating till the fever passes.  

He said antibiotics won't help any so he didn't prescribe any.  He said I just have to wait it out and take ibuprofen for the headaches, and my eyes and a fever reducer.    

But Sister Campbell has been my angel; she heats up water for me on the stove and gets it ready in the bucket for me so I can take a hot bucket shower.  She ordered me a few mango smoothies that they deliver to our door so that I could have something cold to drink; she even wakes me up when it's time to take my medicine.  She's the best! Don’t worry I’m being taken care of:) 

 

Hiking on splits with Sisters, reminds me so much of my first area in Cogeo.

 A lunch with my district YUMMY BURGERS

 SIster Campbell and I in a paddle bike car, It's attached to a regular bike and the Filipino's peddle you around. We use this transportation when we are tired of walking. 

 Just being silly

 More splits with one of the sisters, this area is soooo pretty.

Top of the mountain we hiked to so we could visit investigators