Monday we went to a nature park and oh, my goodness! The sun was shining and the birds were out and it was a picture-perfect moment. We ate lunch and had fun with the elders, but it was cold. I got a flat tire on the way there and Elder Nogueroles is the man and always fixes it for me. Its been a few times, haha. Oh well. It should be fine for awhile since I am not allowed to ride it anymore. I will get to that in a bit.
Tuesday I woke up sick as sick can be. I have never slept so horribly, and I mean, it was horrible. I woke up to Heavenly Father telling me to get a blessing. I wasn't sure if I should, so I went on with the day and when I broke into a sweat and a fever, really quick, I knew I needed one. A lot of our appointments cancelled that day and it was probably good. I needed to take it easy. So I got a blessing that talked about obedience to doctors and mission leaders concerning my health. I have humbled myself enough to listen, even when I do not want to. It is just my virus coming back since I didn't rest enough for it to fully go away. We had good lessons with all those we met with. It was great, except for all the comments on how under the weather I looked and felt.
Wednesday we caught a train to Nottingham. We had exchanges and they changed the way they do it. Both teams work in the leaders' area and spend the night there. So we went and worked. After lunch, I was trying to fix Elder Nogueroles' trousers that he ripped and I could not focus, so I decided to sleep a bit. I ended up sleeping for 3-4 hours but still had a fever when I woke up. But it felt so good to sleep. It was well overdue.
Thursday we had zone meeting with President, his wife and the assistants. It was fun to talk to everyone. The sisters were asked to bring their pillows and when we broke off from the elders, they really wanted to know why we had our pillows. Sister Leppard taught us about recognizing who we really are, daughters of God and not forgetting that. Also, we learned a relaxation technique, so after so many nights of sleeping only half the night (every night since Monday night), when doing the technique, I almost couldn't open my eyes or get up. It was an answer to my prayer, to learn how to relax. We got to teach Ivo before we had dinner with some members and then we went home to sleep.
The sister training leaders and Sister Leppard have all gotten after me for not resting as much as I should have, so now I am on orders to rest 2-3 hours each day, and I am not allowed to bike. The bikes are still at the elders' flat by the church. They have been there for a week..... not sure when we will get them back. It looks like they are holding them hostage so I don't try. They also check up on me to see if I am resting. I feel like I am getting babysat.
Friday we went to Gainsborough and had some awesome lessons. Michael is a stud in the gospel. Yeah, I feel so blessed to be able to work with him.
Saturday we slept half the morning and then met with Judy. Judy will probably move on to south England for a job and doesn't feel ready to get baptized. We will keep working with her until she moves on but we can't do anymore than that. Saturday night we had dinner with one of our favourite members and then went to stake conference. It was really good. Judy and Michael came and enjoyed it. It was about the temple and we have not taught either of them about it, really, so we talked to them a bit to help answer a few questions. This week we will teach in greater detail to help them.
Sunday we had stake conference - had a lesson at the bus stop with a guy on the way down. It was cool. I love using every opportunity to teach the gospel. It was a good conference and then we had a munch and mingle after church and it was fun.
This past week, after hearing some members talk and I have heard it happen in all the wards I have been in, I realized how mean the saints can be to each other. On Friday morning, I was studying a talk called "Personal Strength Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ" (Elder Richard G Scott, October 2013). It talks about the fathers of the stripling warriors and how they must have felt. At one point, it talked about weaknesses, and how the Lord treats us mercifully. It hit me! Each of us has weaknesses and I know for a fact, mine bug me and I do not want to be judged for them. Some are born with mental or physical weaknesses and for others, weaknesses show up as time goes on. But each of us have them, and if we really are to be more like the Saviour, we need to be just as forgiving and understanding as we help others to overcome their weaknesses. It isn't easy, but, as an example, to see the relief on a friend's face after a role play when he was stressed about how his greenie was teaching and being able to tell him it was okay, that we didn't mind, it was a cool thing. Imagine with something bigger. Each of us needs to be forgiven and helped as we go through life. So, this week I would really like to invite everyone who reads this to try to be more understanding of those around you. I can promise you more peace and joy in your week, and you will be able to feel charity for people that maybe you haven't been able to feel for before.
I love you all!!!
Sister MacKay