Blessings Amid a Pile of....Bad

Food poisoning = no good. Monday was fine until I returned from a trip with some students to get a heater (see post before this for details about the need for a heater). My stomach wasn't feeling so hot on the back of the motorbike but I thought maybe it was a bit of motion sickness...for the first time in 8 months? Anyways, when I got home let's just say it started coming out both ends. And didn't stop! After 3 hours I called my boss in a bit of a panic and feeling like crap. I got a few tips and tried to tough out the next couple hours. But by 9pm I was severly dehydrated so J.P. came to my house, called the doctor, and took me into the SOS Clinic.

They put an IV in my right arm and loaded me up with some painkillers and anti-sickness. Then they tried to take a blood sample. I guess I was so dehydrated that my veins were too small to find, but that didn't stop them from moving the needle around a ton to find it. It hurt. So did my stomach. And my head. And I was tired. And thirsty. Ugh. I really just felt helpless, like it was just never going to get better. I started crying really hard and saying I wanted to go home...which is a sentence I have only seriously uttered once before this night. The nurses wanted to give me more painkillers, but J.P. explained that I was just sad. It was one of those moments where you just want your mom, ya know? I was only there a few hours and managed to get a few hours of sleep that night/morning. I spent the next 3 days feeling pretty crappy, but was able to attend Bible study on Wednesday night which was some much needed "people" time.

I remember laying on the table shaking due to dehydration with tears streaming down my face wondering what God's plan was in all this. Maybe I would have to opportunity to share a story with a nurse there? Maybe J.P. would have a life changing conversation with the doctor? Well, none of that happened. However I did have an amazing chance to talk with a friend about where I draw my strength from and who would be my Healer. And then the CRAZIEST thought crept into my head...well more like popped in there: I would do it ALL OVER if I could have that conversation with someone else. WHAT?? Who actually wishes to be sick like that? But in some weird way I feel like that was more like what I thought signing up to be a "volunteer" with LCMS World Mission would be like! Plus, I think people relate more to stories of suffering and the "miraculous" healing!

In other awesomely awesome news this week....Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving as an LCMS team. I have to say that is one of my favorite days in Vietnam so far. I felt like we really were a family! Everyone sat close, chatted about traditions from home, and we ate REAL turkey :) I definitely wasn't expecting that! I was actually pretty homesick that day. I woke up and thought, "This is Thanksgiving....but I don't smell my mom cooking anything...and we're not going to the Lions game." God has certainly blessed me by placing me with such an amazing family here in Vietnam- people I can depend on and who love me. I have way more than I can ask for!

Friday was my first day back in the classroom for the week, and although I was coughing pretty hard I loved it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the classroom is one of my favorite places in Vietnam! After class I went to dinner at my new favorite burger place called My Burger My (the second My has a Vietnamese tone on it which makes it mean American). I took one of my new good friends and although it was a lot of food for him (welcome to America haha) I think he liked it, and of course the company ;) Afterwards I went to see Mamma Mia with Yung Ting. Now let me tell you, Yung Ting is NUTS about Mamma Mia. We're talking about listening to the soundtrack or watching the movie at LEAST once a day. Saying he has it memorized is an understatement. He was STOKED about the play and LOVED it! I did too :) The high schoolers did a good job, even when there was a short blackout in the middle of Dancing Queen (how Vietnamese).

Tonight we had dinner at Hank and Donna's from church. They invited tons of people and had the dinner completely catered. I felt like I was at a wedding! The dinner was SO nice! All the "young people" from church sat together and had a blast! I was really feeling like an outsider in their group, and still do from time to time, but tonight was a nice big group event and we all enjoyed each other's company. Another huge blessing: people who are in similar circumstances and the same age as me! We concluded the night with karaoke down the street. I haven't done karaoke with American's before! It was good, but the place had a serious lack of English songs. Seriously, I haven't been to a place that didn't have Spice Girls! I hope we do it again sometime :)

Look, we haven't changed much have we?

I'm looking forward to December a TON! Thursday I will be attending the wedding of one of our LCMS employees and friends out in the villages. Also, Sarah and Betsy, whom I met in Taiwan last Easter for an LCMS retreat, will be visiting for 4 days and staying here at my house! I'm excited to do the tourist thing again! It's been a while since I've been to all the sites! Later this month it seems like everyone's families are going to be visiting so that should be fun. I am MOST looking forward to my mother and sister coming at the end of the month! I miss them so so much, especially my sister. I admire and love her so much...and this will be the longest period of time we'll have spent together in over a year!