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