Kylie in Cuernavaca: Pain in the...

BACK.

So last week, as I was lying down to go to sleep, my back twinged and started hurting. It was weird because I literally did no physical activity...just laid down on my bed to go to sleep. It was hurting Monday but nothing too bad but then Tuesday, as we were walking to the District Meeting, I felt as though someone stabbed me in the left lower back and it hurt really bad. I got some naproxen and started taking it according to the rules of the mission and asked for a blessing. It hurt really bad to bend my head down and move normally but it wasn't TOO bad. (This story will continue throughout the email).

First off...HAPPY FATHER'S DAY YESTERDAY TO MY PAPA and GRANDPA and my BROTHERS! Thanks for being the best.

Also...changes happened early because President and Sister Kusch are leaving SOO SOON so they had them on Wednesday of last week and....well....HNA CORRIVEAU AND I WILL BE STAYING TOGETHER!!! We are so happy. We figured we would stay together but there is always a chance you can get changed. Hna. Corriveau did her happy dance and we are super pumped for the LAST 6 WEEKS OF OUR MISSION TOGETHER! (Can you tell I am just a little excited about it?) Also, my companion Hna. Garcia is now in my zone so I get to see her before I leave, and my other companion Hna. Skonnard is training! So proud! She will be a GREAT trainer.

Tuesday was a good day other than my back. We went and visited Max again, our old friend that we had stopped visiting for a while because he wouldn't ask his parents to be baptized. He said that he wants to be baptized and so we challenged him again to talk to his dad. We talked to his mom while we were there and she basically said that if his dad is ok with it, she is ok with it. But Max was at church on Sunday. We also weren't quite sure if our investigator Adriana really understood the restoration and how she felt about her baptism, but we went and taught the restoration again and she expressed that it made her excited to know that the church has been restored but that she is nervous to commit to baptism because people talk about having more challenges after being baptized. We addressed her concerns and she felt better about it. She also came to church on Sunday!

Wednesday, my back was hurting pretty bad in the morning so I called Hna. Kusch and she told me to keep taking the medicine like I was doing and that if it didn't get better, to call her and she would talk to the doctor in Mexico. I wasn't feeling too good, but whatever...the work goes on and we had people to see. We went to visit a contact we made in the street who literally lives on the TOPPPPP of this really big hill. I will admit, the whole time climbing, I was thinking...she isn't even going to be there! Because it is rare when contacts on the street are actually in their house when we go to the appointment we set the first time. Plus the address was literally...a house, all the way up the hill with a banana tree in front of it...no door and no house number. hahaha. Literally that is what we work off of here. It was hot and my back was hurting, but my companion kept me positive and by the time we got up there, we actually found the banana tree and Sofia was there! We taught her a lesson and she accepted to hear more and to be baptized! We will work with her and see how it goes, but she seemed really interested. Of course, she didn't go to church this Sunday, but sometimes the seeds we plant take some time to bloom.

We visited Gris and finalized all the details for her baptism on Friday. We taught about the temple and she has that as her goal in a year. She wants an eternal family and we hope that with her example, she can get her husband to start coming back to church. She is literally so prepared and has such a testimony of the gospel.

Thursday, my back was mas o menos ok. It was a little sore but I could work just fine. We visited a reference from a member in our ward who sells bread in the streets. He is the best at getting references because he talks to EVERYONE about the gospel and we were able to find a new investigator who seems really interested! We also visited Taurino and he is the best. He is progressing well and is so excited for his baptism.

We did divisions with the other sisters in Alpuyeca on Friday. I woke up feeling fine. I went to their area with Hna. Canales, and Hna. Corriveau went with Hna. Chynoweth. I worked all morning fine, with a little bother but when we got to the food, I have NO idea what happened but I just had so much pain in my lower back. We sat down to eat and it was so hard to sit and even hurt to breathe. I didn't say anything to the sister we were eating with because usually the members freak out and try to give whatever remedy or diagnosis that they can (all of good intentions) but it is just nice to avoid the drama. We got a call from Hna. Corriveau during the food that they were going to head back to bring Hna. Chynoweth home because she was having stomach problems (the mission life is so good to us sometimes. haha) and I was secretly happy because I was in a lot of pain at this time. We were going to all go to the baptism for Gris at 6, but Hna. Corriveau and I just went with an Hermana. We got to the church, we went to start setting up for the baptism and I couldn't bend my neck or move very well. The members would walk in and I would smile like I was fine and then they would leave and I would grimace in pain. haha. Finally, the sister who came with us saw me and asked what was wrong and I was almost crying at this point, but I didn't want to be a problem because we still had a baptism! She bought me a water thinking it could be something with my kidneys and I just tried to take it easy, although I didn't sit down for fear of not being able to get back up. haha.

Despite all the pain, the baptism was beautiful. Gris's whole family (well, in-laws) came to support her and it was a great day. Hna. Corriveau and I sang “Come Thou Fount” in Spanish and her husband cried. Also, Gris bore her testimony at the end and said that she had been waiting for this day for a long time and she testified of the truthfulness of the gospel and how she has goals to have an eternal family. We definitely were crying. She is awesome!!!

Well, when I got home that night, I called Hna. Kusch and she had me call the mission doctor in Mexico who is American (His name is Dr. Stephens and he said that his best friend in grade school was named Paul Durham from SLC). I described the pain and he said that I probably had an inflamed disc in my back and really tense muscles and he prescribed me some medicine to help with the pain and muscle relaxation, but I couldn't get the medicine that night because it was late and we couldn't leave the house. I can't even describe how horrible that night was. I literally couldn't sleep a wink and was so uncomfortable. The next day I could barely move. We painfully made our way to the pharmacy that morning and I just laid in bed all day waiting for the medicine to kick in. I felt so bad because we couldn't work but I literally couldn't move. It hurt to sit to go to the bathroom. You know...staying home on the mission is the worst. I would have rather been out working, sweating, contacting, anything...than being in the house in bed all day. The doctor said that the medicine wouldn't kick in for a while and it would be Sunday or Monday until I was smiling again. Great.

Yesterday we went to church...we gave talks. I used Elder Clayton's talk from conference a lot. I was still in pain but I think the medicine was affecting me weird, but we made it through the day. We had 5 investigators in church and we are super excited for this change! We hope we can baptize every week!

This morning my back was still pretty painful but the medicine is taking an effect now. It is still hard to bend my head but I know it will get better!! Just pray really hard for me. Whether it gets better or not, I am still working. Only 6 more weeks. I told Hna. Corriveau she might need to push me in a wheelchair but that we will baptize everyone while doing it! haha. Just kidding, I don't need a wheelchair. My legs work fine, it's just my back.

Sorry if this sounded at all like I am complaining. Back problems stink. I thought about Katie and Gramps and Pop on Saturday.

I love you all. This week was great and I know that next week will be even better. Can you believe that 6 weeks is all that I have left? I can't. It really hasn't hit me yet! I am so happy right now and I am glad that I am here in Alpuyeca and with Hna. Corriveau. I know that this gospel is true and I am so glad I am a missionary! It is worth the pain. haha.

The gospel is true. Live it.

Love you all,

Hermana Durham

Our little District. We didn't have any changes and I am so happy!