The Worst and the Best of the Mission!

I cannot put words to the week I have had. It is more than safe to say this past week has been the toughest week of my ENTIRE life. Everyone decides they want to be sick the week before Christmas....I will never understand that. I have also been sick this week and had a headache for 4 days but I am feeling much better. My cell phone has been constantly glued to my face and multiple people sent to clinics. The clinics in Guayaquil tend to be very reliable however making appointments outside of Guayaquil and finding specialist takes some time and about a million phone calls. Everybody at the new insurance company knows me by name because we have had so many sick missionaries lately and I have called at least 2 times every day. Wednesday we had 5 missionaries in clinics for multiple reasons, a gallbladder removed, and wisdom teeth removed.  I spent a good several hours on the phone with Aetna, missionaries, and Clinics. I cried my eyes out at the end of the day. This week we also had 18 new missionaries arrive from different MTCs and only 2 new Hermanas. President called me Friday morning and told me I was going to be a trainer....I thought I misunderstood him but the assistants called me and told me that Hermana Smith, one of the new Hermanas was going to be my new companion. I got that nausea feeling in my stomach and thought that President must have lost his marbles because my Spanish is far from fluent and I am stressing so much with my responsibilities for nursing. He explained to me that it is only for a week or so until after the holidays when he can focus more on changes for the Hermanas. Yesterday was the best day of my mission. Never have I felt the help of the Lord so much in my life all at once. Words were just flowing from my mouth and promptings of what to say and do kept coming to mind. No doubt in my mind that this is the Lord´s work and that he is literally carrying me through these days.

I love the Lord, in him my soul delights!

Feliz Navidad!

Temple!!!

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the temple here in Guayaquil. Words cannot express how much of a blessing that was for me. So many questions answered, reminded of many truths, and so many feelings put to peace. Serving a mission is by far the hardest and most stressful thing I have ever done. Some days when I feel like I cannot handle another day, I wonder how Heavenly Father could call me to this work when I am so far from being adequate to fulfill my calling-- the Lord always ALWAYS lifts me up. There is no way I could do this work on my own, absolutely no way. To feel and literally see the Lord´s help in this work really is something marvelous and a wonder. I can feel the increased closeness to my Father in Heaven as I am learning more and more how to lean on him. I understand more of his love for all of his children as I see changes in lives through ¨small and simple things.

Con Amor,

Hermana Lyman

La Enferma

Work, Work, Work.

This week has been crazy busy with trying to manage time between investigators and los enfermos. Today alone I have had 5 people call for sore throats and congestion along with a few yesterday. It seems to be the illness of the week along with anything and everything else. Also 2 missionaries got bit by dogs and one of them this is the 3rd time he has called me for this. With the new insurance company I have to call them first when wanting to send a missionary to receive medical care, they then contact the facility to confirm they will except payment, then the insurance company calls me back to give me the okay. We discovered this week that my cell phone plan will not allow me to make international calls. Aetna, the insurance company, is based in Florida. This has been such a headache because I have had to call the elders in the office to call Aetna from a land line and relaying information. By Monday my new cell phone plan should be in effect. Also trying to contact clinics outside of Guayaquil is nearly impossible. Their numbers are constantly changing so we find about 10 different numbers for each facility online and hope one of them is correct--It has been hit or miss. There is one clinic in Manta that I had to send an Elder to just to ask them for their number. Hopefully Aetna will be able to get in contact with them so we can get a contract there. There have been a few lessons this week where I have been on the phone the whole time trying to coordinate appointments and dealing with the new insurance. It has been nice to be in a trio so that when this does happen my companions can teach and I can manage the nursing problems without impeding the mission work. Now that I am in a trio with the other 2 hermanas that we share a ward with we have been working two sectors--La Florida 1 y 2. They have a pretty large sector in Miduvi which is all government housing so we spend a lot of time trying to catch buses to work in both sectors. Leaning on the Lord everyday to give me strength. I love and miss everyone!

Con Amor,

Hermana Lyman