FISH SOUP

Our week started a little rough. All the missionaries in St Etienne did a birthday party for our DMP (ward mission leader) and he decided to feed us fish soup. Literally the entire fish put into a blender and heated up and served to us. I don't know how I or any of the other missionaries did it but we did. We suffered for that all night and the next day, though. 

That is about when things got crazy. Tuesday morning my companion went into her room during personal study because she wasn't feeling too well and we all assumed it was the soup. We were about to start the next hour of studies and went to see if she wanted to join us and I found her writhing in her bed, holding her stomach and crying so much she couldn't even speak to me. I darted out and called the elders and they came to give her a blessing. It helped and she slept most of the day... got up a few times and called the mission nurse. 

We decided to take her to a local doctor after she still wasn't feeling better and he figured she has a calcium buildup in her kidney and prescribed some medicine and gave her instructions to rest A LOT. So she was doing that and there I am in the apartment all week! I've been getting a lot of quality studies done so I'm not too worried. I usually do an exchange every night with Sr Bentley or her blue to go see members and all that. 

I was out Saturday evening with Sr Bentley and we got home around 9:30 and my companion was sleeping. Literally two minutes after we come in, my companion is dead asleep and then sits up in her bed and is sobbing and can't talk again and it is way scarier this time! We run out and Sr Bentley is calling leaders and I'm calling members trying to find out who can come and help. The trams and buses don't run that late and the two closest hospitals are... pretty far. One member comes and gives her a quick blessing and we all four get in his car and race to the ER. 

I cannot put into words how much respect I do NOT have for French medical care after Saturday night. We check her in around 10 pm and they are the rudest people ever! My companion is literally dying in her chair, crying and holding her kidney and they are all upset that they cannot understand what street we live on and asking who we work for. The other lady asks me where she is hurting and I said her kidney (really difficult word in French) and she doesn't understand obviously because I am so American (sorry, that was sarcastic) and I point to my side and she's like, your kidney isn't in the front. OH I was so mad. Finally after like, 20 minutes of me kind of arguing with the people at check-in, they take her back and make me go into the waiting room. 

... where we waited for 4 and a half hours. MY WORD. They also wouldn't let us go back or tell us anything really. We were with the coolest member of the ward though who stayed with us the whole time despite the fact he has a family at home and church in the morning. He served a mission in London and so we did some language practice with him, learned all about accupuncture (he studied Chinese medicine) and ... laughed a lot because it was two am and we were exhausted beyond words. Around two a French/English family sat and talked with us and we shared a little bit of the Gospel with them so that turned out to be a blessing. 

At 2:30 Sr Cattin comes out, alone and with some papers and no instructions and on a lot of morphine. The ER wouldn't tell us the test results and said she has to see another doctor later this week in order to find out what is really going on. We got home around three and crashed. It has been a rough week and it isn't over yet. She can't see the doctor until like, Friday so that is difficult. And if this keeps happening President will probably send her to Switzerland or America so that she can get actual health care. We will see what happens. Pray for her! 

Other than that, I'll be in the apartment all week :) I did learn last night that Nathalie (you remember our miracle in Limoges) was not able to get baptized this last Saturday because her spouse (whom she is trying to divorce) will not consent and she is absolutely devastated. She needs your prayers too. Think of her this week. 

I love you all! 

Sr Loder 

Overhaul.

This week was such a weird week... the office elders drove down (up?) from Lyon and overhauled our apartment. We spent days... yes days, cleaning. Not just normal cleaning but deep cleaning. I felt like I was cleaning the nasty stuff at the MTC again. Especially as I pulled out the washer and oven and found grease, slime, HAIR, a spoon, bugs and shattered glass. I was literally almost sick. Point is, it is all gone now and we threw out all the nasty stuff and replaced it. The elders also bought us desks (four sisters, two desks, one chair... didn't work well) and we're feeling better. 

Our washer was broken and we had no dryer, and with four people in the apartment they prefer we have those so they told us they would be getting new ones, yay! Well yesterday afternoon the office calls and says they are on the way with a washer/dryer combo. Come to find out is literally a washer and dryer in one. Really convenient because we don't have much space! They hook it up, check it out and put my clothes in to try it out and they leave. Well, it literally starts spinning so hard that it is pulling out of the wall and pushing the oven and the whole apartment is rattling. OH MAN. So we unplugged it, deemed it a beast and it is untouched. The office will be back soon to check that out... 

Then I got sick. Yay! Haha, nothing serious. I think it just from traveling so much and stress and cleaning and... all that. I'm better now. We relaxed and got some stuff done inside. Apartment overhaul, plus sick, plus an exchange in Lyon... we literally got almost nothing done this week. It's crazy. I was so ready for the week to be over! Now we can get things done. 

We did find a sweet girl in our area book who wanted to meet with us again and she is wonderful :) I'm excited to keep working with her. She loves our beliefs but she got lost because she moved to another apartment building and the missionaries just... never saw her again. Good thing we checked! Last night we went to Lyon for a fireside with lots of missionaries and recent converts :) It was awesome! I used to go to things like that all the time in Ohio with the missionaries and now I get to be the missionary :) So wonderful. I loved it. 

We're happy here. Really sunny today! But still cold. I love the work, but I'm excited to actually do it this week. Even though we still have apartment troubles... it's fine. If that is my work then I'll accept it :) I hope you all have a great week! Sorry about the boring e-mail about my apartment. I'll make it better next week. Au revoir! 

Sr Loder