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

Thanksgiving Week!

This week has been a little crazy and stressful with everything going on. Lots of people getting sick and needing appointments etc. I actually got a pretty bad headache the last two days and intermittent waves of nausea but I have been taking ibuprofen and drinking tons of water which has seemed to almost kill the headache completely. Tomorrow we are switching to Aetna the new insurance company so I´m sure getting use to the new system will cause some stress but hopefully by January I will be a costumed to everything.

Looks like everyone is having a fun Thanksgiving Holiday! I would kill for some thanksgiving food, especially pumpkin pie. Ryan´s Razor looks like tons of fun and a lot of mud. Today I helped a lady in our ward decorate her Christmas garland in her house and it made me a little homesick. Wish I could help Mom decorate the garland on the mantle again this year but you will just have to send me lots of pictures!

Today we have two baptisms that we are really excited about. One is the mother of our convert Rafael. Rafael is going to baptize her which is going to be so neat to see. Two of our converts Rafael and Richard are both attending mission prep after church and Oswaldo and his family are so excited to go to the temple in a year.

Con Amor,
Hermana Lyman

Ecuador.... Only Nurse!

Ecuador.

Now that my wonderful trainer has left me here alone and with a cell phone that NEVER stops ringing life has picked up quite a bit. Hermana Williams went back home Monday morning so last weekend we visited some of her converts which was neat. I can definitely feel the added weight and stress but am adjusting well. Most of the medications have different brand names so I have been constantly researching medications. I have several different packets that Area Medical Doctors have made with different medications for different problems to cut down on the number of clinic visits. These have been a great resource for me. Now I want to go to nurse practitioner school when I get back because I am LOVING it but at the same time stressed out of my mind!

My Spanish is far from fluent but this week I have been able to speak so much better and understand a lot more. This was my biggest fear that I would not be able to understand sick people that only speak Spanish but the Lord has strengthened me so much and I am able to understand most of what is being said. How great is his power and I know there is no way I could handle this calling without his strength. This week has been such a testimony builder for me that I am understanding phone calls that before I could not. I am so blessed. I am actually in a trio right now with the other two Hermanas that are my roommates. Hermana Blas and Hermana Aramayo that only speak Spanish so this will help me learn the language better as well. President Dennis told me he is searching for a new companion for me so maybe by Tuesday I will have a companion.

This week I had a phone conference for Aetna training, the churches new insurance, which will be effective December 1^st. We now have to contact Aetna first and give them the information and what clinic or doctor we want to use to get approval then we can send the missionary. Also it is only with doctors and clinics that have signed contracts with Aetna which as of today we only have 2 clinics in Guayaquil because they are still in the process of adding more doctors.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Con Amor,

Hermana Lyman

Short But Definitely Sweet!

Hola!

Thanks so much for the e-mails! Not much new to write about this week. My companion leaves Monday morning to go back home so I should get a new companion Sunday. I´m not sure if she will speak English but in all honesty I hope she doesn´t. We don´t speak Spanish ever unless we are teaching a lesson or in studies. I have progressed in the language just not as fast as I´d like. If I get a Spanish only speaker then I know I will pick it up in no time. I´m probably going to be really stressed for the next few weeks to adjust to everything. Also I will be the only nurse which means I now have all the responsibilities for that. Also we are changing insurance companies starting Dec 1st so I´ll be doing some training for that. 

We have 2 baptisms of a married couple 25 years old tonight. I still have a lot of progressing to do as a missionary but I would have to say my understanding of the importance of the gospel teachings has a whole new meaning now that I have witnessed how it changes lives. These people that pray for the first time and have prayers answered through the spirit and to physically see the change in families and homes is such a blessing. I am most thankful for the restoration of the church. I am so proud to be a member. Everything good comes from the church, it changes lives. I am also speaking in sacrament tomorrow over missionary work so I´m a little bit nervous but at least it is an easy topic! We haven´t made the video yet they keep pushing it back.

Love and miss everyone!

Hermana Lyman

Hola!

So today is our p-day instead of tomorrow. Our schedule seems to be crazy lately because a lot of things have been happening on Saturdays so we´ve been having to change our p-days every now and then to Fridays. Tomorrow our ward council is being filmed as well as our pan de guineo activity. For the last two weeks we have had a general authority at our meetings and having extra meetings in preparation for the film. Our ward has had a lot of growth and for this are making a film for South American wards to show as an example. Last night the general authority actually told us that it might not be filmed until next Saturday so I might have p-day on Friday again this upcoming week.

This week has been pretty crazy with making appointments and getting medicines for sick missionaries. President and Hermana Dennis have been in Peru all week for a training conference. We have to get approval for any appointment we make and sometimes for medications that we send out. With them being out of the country it has been hard to communicate in a timely manner. Also yesterday President´s daughter got sick at school so we had to go pick her up and take her to the mission home. We are excited for them to get back! This week I also went to a doctor appointment with a Hermana to meet a doctor and to see some clinics and a hospital in the southern part of Guayaquil. Before Hermana Williams leaves we might take a hospital-clinic day so I can be familiar with the locations and facilities. 

This past Sunday our converts, Rafael blessed the sacrament and is talking about serving a mission in a year and Oswaldo received the priesthood. It was such a great thing to witness! They both are so great and Oswaldo and his family have been so blessed and are so happy. His wife and son have two chairs set up in their living room waiting for us every time we have an appointment with them. They are excited to go to the temple in a year to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity and I should be able to attend!

Love and Miss Everyone,

Hermana Lyman