best years of my life.: Parasites, Musana and Missionaries

Yup... what would Africa be without getting a parasite??? Nothing. So I guess it’s good I got one. Everyone in the house had to get checked and I swear only about 2 people DON’T have one. They told us we got it through something we ate so it only makes sense that we all got it. But basically, today is the first day I am really feeling better. Being sick for a week in Africa is probably the most frustrating, miserable feeling I have experienced and it was hard not being able to do anything and all I wanted was to feel better. I woke up last Friday night throwing up AGAIN and I was just so confused because it had been a week since the first time. We had to wake up Nate and Stuart in the middle of the night and they gave me a blessing. At that moment I was so thankful for the priesthood and the fact that there are guys here that COULD give me a blessing. So now I am feeling sooo much better and man oh man I am happy. I felt like I was just wasting my time away here.

Yesterday was the grand opening of the Musana Jewelry store! Karli, Taylor, Olivia, Elise and I have been working so hard on redecorating the front room so that all the jewelry could be on display. Before it had all been in baskets and no one was really able to see all of it. Musana is a company that some Help volunteers in 2009 started with a bunch of women that sit around and make the prettiest bracelets, earrings and necklaces. There are 7 women and they all are basically the sole providers for their families and so hard working. Eve and Rosette are our cooks and Betty does our laundry. I have grown to love them all so much and seen what strong women they are. The jewelry sells in the US and all the profits are sent back here to Uganda. SOOO the grand opening was amazing! The mayor and other town council members were there and it was a huge hit. They are so grateful for us and what we do here in the community. We sang both the Uganda National Anthem and also our National Anthem and I’m not gonna lie, I got the chills. Listening to the words and realizing HOW lucky we are to be American was the most amazing feeling.

A little shout out to all my best friends on missions right now. This experience has taught me to appreciate the lives missionaries live so much more than I have before. I feel like this has been a mini-mission in a way. I always love reading their letters because they have become so humbled and I can really understand it in a personal way now. My boy Elder Jackson said this in his letter this week:

“I think sometimes because of a lack of faith we dont do hard things because we dont see the blessings that will come. I think i was a little dismayed just because this precious elder had no idea what he was going to be missing. He will never know. It just comes to show that we all have potential for greatness but our agency determines whether we fulfill that destiny. We just have to listen to the prophets and obey the word of God.”

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS. We really do all have the ability to do anything we put our minds to, it just depends on whether we actually do it. I have learned to truly have faith this trip because there were times when I felt like I would NEVER start feeling better. Obviously I knew I would, but it was hard to see an end to laying in bed. I am so grateful for this guy and all my friends on missions. I miss my best friends but I can’t wait for all of them to come home soon! They are the best examples.

Tomorrow we are off on a SAFARI and I just can’t wait.

Two more weeks.