The Wonder Diet!

So, I've discovered a new way to lose lots of weight in a week - get yourself a stomach infection! YAY!!! I think I'll make some big money selling this idea!

Seriously though, I don't know that I've lost any weight this week, but Sunday was the last time I ate a real meal. Since then I've had 3 slices of toast and maybe 4 bananas. Oh and some oatmeal! And today I really went all out and ate a baked potato - not the skin though.

Yeah, it's been a rough week! Just comes with the territory I guess, every now and then you get some bacteria in you that makes you stay home for a while. I wouldn't have minded a week off service most other times of the year, but since next week is my last week conducting my studies until we get back, I was looking forward to conducting them this week too. But what can you do! 

I've sent Charley to the store every day I think buying re-hydration drink mix! I've been burning through the stuff! He brought me strawberry flavor today - woohooo!!! And I have a Bible study who just happens to be a doctor too, so she read the results of the lab test (I won't go into details on that part of the story!!) and prescribed me antibiotics and some other stuff and it's slowly doing it's work I think. And I was surprised to see I have no parasites! I just assumed I had given them permanent residence in my stomach when I paid for my visa. 

Living in town at moments like these is such an advantage. All of those kinds of errands are so much simpler and cheaper with a little motorbike and having everything and everyone just right there!

But you know, it's not like we never get sick in the States either. And at least here getting sick is a much cheaper affair! Lab test $4.00. Doctor reading results $4.00. Medication for a week $8.00. Getting to stay home and read and watch movies and blog - Priceless!

But all in all, things are good. Time is just flying by so fast I can't even keep track of it. Service is hectic and I'm at the point that I need to give some studies away. But our upcoming trip will maybe sift out who is really going to stick with it, and maybe some of the sisters who take care of them for me, can keep one here and there! Although it's hard, because you do get attached to all of these people you study with.

I've been calling on an older lady, Gertrudis, from the Atlantic Coast. She speaks Spanish, English and Miskito. Strangely enough, we've never spoken English to each other yet! But I wasn't sure whether to make a regular call out of her or not. She likes to listen, you know, but wasn't sure if it was gonna be more than that. 

She doesn't know how to read, so the other day we were using the Listen to God brochure and talked about how Jehovah made Jesus in heaven before he made anything else. She was astounded. And rather distressed that her church had never told her that before. She immediately made me write the scriptures down (Colossians 1:15-17, John 6:38, John 17:5) and she said she was taking them to her preacher to find out why he hadn't explained this to her before!

There was something else too, that she said they'd never told her, but I forget what it was now. So, I felt like that was a sign that I should keep visiting her, since she has an open mind and seems to want to learn more, and find out what else she doesn't know!

On that same block, I'd been trying to call back on a girl with a busy work schedule. Well, last week I went and found a young lady who is working for her, and she invited us in like she knew us. Turns out she just moved here a month ago from Matagalpa, about 3 hours north of here, and she used to have an Italian sister visit her there. So, that was an immediate study started, just in the brochure for now. But she works there, and if she's not there, she's across the street at the house she's staying at with her cousins. We've had two studies and she seems eager to learn. Sometimes it almost feels like the angels have us keep going back to a house, not to find the original person, but until the one that really wants us to come arrives!! But, who can say for sure?!

So, those are just a couple of nice experiences I've had lately. I could go on forever but I won't do that to you, at least not today!

And since I don't like to post without a picture, I posted this on Instagram but I don't think I ever blogged it. We took our little friend Isaac (11 years old) to practice his first Bible reading on the Ministry School with the sound on and everything to help him feel prepared. He did it last week, and did so well. Unfortunately I missed his sister's being householder last night for the first time. She's 8 and I was sooooooooo sad not to be there. Shame there's no such thing as "dialing in to the meeting" here!