August 5 2013

Standard Mail: Sister Stephanie Anne Hellewell Philippines San Pablo Mission Brgy San Juan, Alaminos 4001 Laguna Philippines Through the Pouch System: Single sheet letter on white paper. NOT LINED. folded in thirds and taped at top. No envelope. Stephanie Anne Hellewell Philippines San Pablo Mission POB 30150 Salt Lake City UT 84130-0150 IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND A LETTER THROUGH dearelder.com THEY WILL DELIVER IT TO THE SALT LAKE OFFICE EVERY MONDAY MORNING. You do not need to pay postage!!!!! Just click on "pouch letter" then Philippines San Pablo mission, then type in Stephanies name and type your letter.

 It has been quite the exciting week here in Tayabas, it is really sad that I was not able to fulfill my purpose as a missionary most of the days. Instead I got to go to the hospital 3 times! Be emergency but temporarily transferred to Barra and have quite the exciting week of fieldtrips! Let’s start from the beginning....

 Lizards. Long story short, you should always check your shoes for baby lizards... you never know what you will find in them. Two: the snails... I figure I might as well mention our pet snails we cannot seem to get rid of... I love them much more than our cockroaches and ants though. anyways, they gross me out I don't know why... but they are just big and slimy.... bull frogs: so there are ginormous bull frogs here that are really loud!
We had a sleep-over in Barra Wednesday night. I believe it was to make it to San Pablo in the morning for the new missionary one month check up... I’ve seen them here in tayabas, but mostly dead on the road... I’m actually quite afraid someone is going to feed me one, so I just don't ask if they do...... ha.

 Barbie: I've spent a lot of time traveling this week I went to Barra twice, San Pablo, and a few other places.... I’ve never been called barbie so much in my life before... I’m used to people staring at me now though. I just turn the stares into oyms...

 Now as for the hospital.... We were going about our day, and sister basa has been sick, really for a while now... I feel like she is always sick. We had to walk to opias for our lesson with sister teoxon who is probably my favorite investigator right now, because she is young, and actually keeps commitments! She is so great I wish I could chica-chica (chat) with her better. After that we walked to Lalo, another Barangay and taught mc legado. Which was only about a 15 minute walk. sister basa was pretty much about to pass out by the time we got there... but mc was actually available (she likes to punt us) and I had to teach the entire lesson number two by myself.... I don't know how many of you have taught the plan of salvation all by yourself, let alone in Tagalog, to someone of whom you cannot understand for the life of you when they talk (and it is also next to a loud busy street) but I did not understand a word she said to me, and she has trouble understanding me too, so I have no idea how that lesson went or what her concerns were, but hey I taught the lesson, tried really hard to listen to the spirit, and had her read lots of definitions in the pamphlet.... I hope she's alright cause before she was praying to joseph smith to know if he was a prophet... yikes... For those of you who don't know, we only pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ, not to prophets or apostles or "saints"

 anyways, after that lesson we went home and called sister P, (mission presidents wife) cause sister basa said that the pain spread to her chest not just her back, and she was having trouble breathing. Sister P sent us to the hospital here in tayabas. I have pictures... but it is really not much. The emergency room is one big room probably not larger than my family’s living room and dining room and is just four gurneys and two desks. It was a little scary. I'm told it is one of the good hospitals though. It is in the same hallway as the x-ray and ecg we had to get for sis basa which was nice! I only spent about 20 bucks on the ER trip, x-ray, and ecg... and that's without insurance! then plus the money for the medicine! it was crazy! I made friends with the doctors, whom a few spoke English which was good because I had to translate to president and his wife what was happening because they do not speak tagalog either. It was pretty exhausting, but it was good, and my knowledge of anatomy and physiology really came in handy and I knew what medical things they were talking about. Let’s just say I hope I never get sick enough to go to the hospital, and if I do I pray they just send me to Manila. Medical care is much much different in the Philippines. It’s no wonder there is such a problem when such a big city like tayabas has a natural disaster! The ER alone only has four beds and four doctors! The next day we returned for results... and traveled to the city of Barra for the night! With sister ombao and sister wilks

 The next day we went to San Pablo for our new missionary training check-up. It was so great to see all of my mtc batch mates and get to talk to them... we all have the same frustrations with the culture, language, and abilities or lack of trying for our trainers... which means I’m normal YAY! {?}

 The next day sister Basa was throwing up again and the pain was much worse and what would ya know... spreading.... again! We called sister P and were sent back to the hospital. They told us earlier in the week we could only see the specialist if we got her admitted... we tried to get her admitted but it was so confusing if there was even the doctor she needed and the secretary lady did not speak any English like the doctors do, and I didn't understand completely, just some, and I was trying to translate to president and I just didn't know what to do... president just got frustrated and decided it was best for us to go to San Pablo, to a better hospital with someone who could help us. We got back to the apartment to pack, and he called again saying sister basa was to travel alone to san pablo and I was to stay in my apartment until the Sister Training Leaders returned from Barra and they would take me back to Barra to work with sister's wilks and ombao, planning for four days. We packed, sister basa left, and I had two hours or so of some nice relaxation and study time alone... that is the first time I have been alone in the last two months or so... it was a little weird, and not that fun since there wasn't really anything I could do but stay in my small apartment with ants as company.

 They returned soon and took me to Barra, it is practically an island, but is connected somehow... it is also a bit hotter there, but it felt soo soo good to get out and teach after a week of being cooped up or in the hospital, stressfully trying to translate what was happening. turns out I should've just stayed in tayabas with the other sister's because sister basa ended up not being admitted in san pablo and came back 24 hours later... but she is still sick, and I am losing diligence in my excess study time... not good.... but for Sunday the sisters did an exchange with us so that we could go teach (since I can't teach alone, basa can't really teach at all, but she could go out, and the STL's can teach alone or with a new missionary) which was a blessing...

 Today for P-day I went to the OCEAN! In San Juan. It was soo so so beautiful! It was also really hot, and as missionaries we are not allowed to swim... so that was a little annoying. I am very burnt and still hot, but it's alrgiht it was so pretty I will send pictures... mom dad and jj I’ve decided I don't want you to pick me up from my mission. I want to go home, get released, and we come out here over Christmas so that I can go swim in the ocean!!!! I was almost praying I would trip and fall in! Ha. I'm sorry this doesn't seem to really relay the things that I have learned this week I do not feel, but it was quite the week of travel and adventures! I will probably either go back to the hospital this week or be transferred again while basa goes, because the results and prescription of the doctor in San Pablo did not help at all and she is still the same.

Wish me luck!

 I love you all. and Family, it is good to hear how much fun you are having with aunt carolyn, her kids, and grandkids! It sure looks like a lot of fun from the few pictures I saw!

 Mahal Kita, Sister Hellewell