There's a bun in the oven, and this one's coming early, because I only have eight months in the mission.

That's right.  I'm training.

Gotta go, the internet is going to crash.

Love you!

Hernama kirkland

The subject line is basically what happened in my week.  We had a baptism on Saturday and it was wonderful!  Crisitan is a joven who is making a lot of changes in his life.  I love seeing how the gospel changes people.  His father is a recent convert and we're working with his mother, who has health problems so it's hard for her to attend church.  But we'll get there.

There are probably some people out there who aren't in my mission who haven't heard of chikungunya, although I've mentioned it a few times.  It's the fashionable jungle disease of the now.  And I got it Monday night.

Chikungunya = 20% fever, 30% rash, 15% swelling, 20% headache, 70% joint pain.  That's right, it's so bad it adds up to 155%.  I should hear all my missionary friends wince when they realize that that means knee pain, foot pain, and it hurts to shake hands.

We figured out it was chikungunya Tuesday morning after district when the rash started showing up.  And then we had the bad luck to run into the stake president, the bishop, and the ward mission leader at the church.  So that night the stake president and the bishop called the mission president, and then the relief society president texted us asking for the mission president's number.  So the next day we got a call from Hermana Boucher.  "I hear you're feeling a little under the weather."  "Yup."  "We've gotten some calls from some very worried members..."  So basically the only reason we stayed in was because the members would have FREAKED OUT if they had seen me.  Half a day Wednesday and we only left for one appointment and the baptismal interview on Thursday.  Really frustrating, I wanted to work.

Saturday was the baptism which was beautiful.  Ward mission leaders are wonderful because they make baptisms a lot less stressful.

Sunday we had a half-stake conference and they asked me to play the closing hymn.  So I got to my feet and walked up to the front and Hermana Ponce said that everyone's heads swiveled to her and she was all, "yup my companion has chikungunya."  She just laughs and the way I walk.  So all the members freak out, as normal, and the missionaries are like, "been there."  I'm not about to listen to the members in a country where a headache is an acceptable excuse to blow off an appointment.

Included are a picture of our baptism and a selfie from last night which basically sums up why the stake president called the mission president (again!) like, "Yeah Hermana Kirkland is straight up dying."  Facial swelling is not equal to dying, thank you very much.

I'm really doing all right, before you all go all WebMD on me.  I'm fine.  Just gotta take my Aleve.

Also this means that none of you will be getting letters until my HANDS stop HURTING like an EIGHTY-TWO YEAR OLD WOMAN

If it's true that cracking your joints gives you arthritis STOP DOING IT PEOPLE IT'S NOT WORTH IT

I love the beginning of the month because we have money to buy food.  The fridge is so full.  Last week, week 5, was super poor week in Hermana Kirkland territory.  I bought a sack of onions and three packs of ramen (as well as the food we share, of course) which just lets you know where my priorities were.  But todays I bought a lot more (we all did).  Grapes were cheap so we all bought grapes.  It's the beginning of the month and money=healthy food (i.e. no one bought ramen).

Yesterday we had Area Conference and it was soooo good.  I played piano, which is what happens when the stake president lives in your ward and remembers ten minutes before the meeting that someone needs to play the music.  Direct (translated) quote from Elder Holland -
"I'm going to stop speaking in my awful Spanish now.  It's just terrible."  President Packer gave a wonderful talk.  He talked about the conversion of Alma, how he didn't suddenly jump from sinner to saint, but just turned around to face the light.  I wasn't in the Spanish area, but we had the blessing to have an investigator in the meeting, and my companion said that when President Packer said, "Alma wasn't perfect," the investigator said, "Me neither."  And his father, a recent convert, remembered what Elder Holland said about FHE and he really wants to do it!  I love recent converts.  I want more of them.

Much love from Puerto Rico!

Hermana Kirkland