Winchester Plague

Due to my bad habit of putting everything in my mouth from infanthood, my immune system still remains like unto steel. However, with Sister Sebald's slight figure and fussy stomach, she had no chance fighting off the virus. After our lunch appointment Tuesday, her legs started swelling and I took her home and tucked her in. Next day we stayed in. Brother Hamilton gave her an awesome blessing that promised that if she would just rest and take her medicine, the virus would be gone by morning. He also brought a lemon-ginger-honey brew for nausea, apple vinegar to gargle, a dead chicken, paracetemol (I think the equivalent is aspirin, but no one here knows), and a gallon of onion and garlic soup that he'd blessed to be the right medicine for her. He made us both eat a cup of it before each meal, which meant our house smelled vile and I couldn't participate in the Zone Fast :( But true to the blessing, the only thing that remained in the morning was a stuffy nose and a slightly sore throat. The swelling was gone, and she was able to attend Zone Conference.

Conference was rad. The Shamos talked about discouragement and rejection, we met Mary from the Bible Videos (she's from Bristol, and all the elders got stupider with her in the room), and we said farewell to Elders Rantsha (Botswana and Edinburgh) and Karjalainen (Finland). They will be well missed, since Karjay was assistant the last year of his mission. He exuded enthusiasm and the unseriousness of missionary work, which both motivated us and put us at ease. (The English tend to be very, very serious.) Elder Rantsha's companions all complained that he walked too fast for them. :) We've got some great missionaries in ELSM. We got to see the missionaries from the Islands, and rumor has it that Kernek and Christensen will die together to make way for elders to work on Jersey again. President also said anyone who can breathe, walk, and bear testimony will be training soon. So...don't feel special.

After Zone Conference, we attempted to work the next day, only to have Sister Sebald relapse. We stayed in Saturday after teaching Lynda ("Don't hug me, I know you're ill!") and yesterday after ward conference. We'll see how pday turns out. The trouble is, we've got a workover coming from Tunbridge Wells (Sisters Housley and Allred the Elder, gasp) and if she's unwell, there's really no point. But I have confidence, if she just SITS DOWN AND RESTS that the promises of the Lord given her in her blessings will come to pass and we'll be able to finally go back to work.

It's really weird to have all this time off. I swing from frantic spells of cleaning and letter-writing to adventures in baking (I made the most awesome stir-fry and Irish Soda Bread from scratch) to feeling apathetic. Happily there are a few conferences on DVD in the flat, so I've been able to hear October 2008 and not go completely crazy. There's not much you can do when you're not allowed away from your companion, as much as I would like to weed the garden...Housley and Allred come tonight at half-eight, so I hope Sister Sebald will feel well enough by then. Tomorrow is pancake day, and Sister Housley started telling me about it starting in May. I'm well excited ;)

So yes. Not much news. But the weather is warming up--everyone was saying how mild a winter it was, and they're all saying it's over. Global warming would really help out, I think. By the grace of God, only one really mild winter in England! Huzzzah! Onto the English spring ;)

Be thankful that you can go do missionary work anytime, anywhere, by yourself or in a group. Our opportunities for that kind of work in this life are perishable. But they reap eternal rewards for everyone involved :)

Love from,

Sister Willard