Out of the Frying pan...‏

This week has been pretty tough. I got out of one illness and another started. Out of the frying pan, and into the fire. This Wednesday I woke up with pain in my right testicle, I studied with my companion and we ended up calling the Health Secretary because the pain got a lot worse and it swelled up to about 3 times its normal size. They told me to go to Cartagena where they diagnosed me with an Epidydimus infection, and sent me home. It has since gotten better, but it has been a very painful week (I couldn't walk for about 3 days, and I was in bed), they were worried that it was something called Varicosela, that I was going to lose my testicle. It has been a hard week. Antonio didn't get baptized, because he is very nervous, but passed his interview and will be baptized very soon. The real miracle this week has been Wilminton: The other week Hermano Wilminton told us he had a few doubts and questions about the doctrine. He has been reading The Book of Mormon, the Bible, and Principles of the Gospel (Principios del Evangelio) together every night. Among other doubts He told us that he didn´t beleive that God had a body of flesh and bones and that God cant appear to man. I studied hard to answer those questions and the time came to resolve his doubts, I felt the spirit guide us and I didn't end up using what we had planned. We decided that transfiguration was required to have a experience seeing God, so the first doubt was resolved. As for the second he was pretty stubborn, until I had a quick little inspiration from the spirit. I told him "Do you beleive that God is omnipotent?" he responded of course. I told him that God would be a limited God if He didn't have a body, and that if He didn't have a perfect glorified body He would be limited too. He understood and said in the next moment that there was not any doctrine that we had that was not true, that he was ready to be baptized (he asked me if he could be baptized the same day!) And he told us in another visit that he could not deny it any longer, that the Book of Mormon was the word of God an equal to the Bible. This was a big step because at first he rejected the Book of Mormon, and wouldn't read it. He fulfilled the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:16-19 as he put the Bible in one hand and the Book of Mormon in the other and then put them in one hand and said "This the true word of God." Really, it is the written word that helps these people and we just stand back and watch the spirit testify of the rest! We had another rescue: Luzmerry Torres who now is planning on going to the temple and is going to have a calling soon! We really helped her change her life! Mom, I have so much more respect for you now, because I am practically my companion`s mom. He has never lived alone ever, and even though I have been in pain all this week I still had to do ALL the cooking and cleaning. Bleh. I am having a very rough time in my mission right now, and I am just waiting for the trials to pass to work towards my potential again. On another note, I don't know if you guys can look up Ciprofloxacin, because its the medicine I am taking and I think it has given me crazy emotions. I have had times this week where I said I was a little tired and as I was sitting down in a chair or bed I fell asleep for 2 hours. Other times I went to my room and shut the door and quietly cried for long periods of time and felt very alone. Other times I have gotten mad, and other times very happy and joke-y. I'm trying to control it the best I can, but it has been a very hard week. Also, our house has bats living between the roof and the ceiling, that are crapping all over the place and the ceiling panels, when they are shaken by bats leaves "bat powder" everywhere. President told me that this is extremely dangerous and I have had to talk with my landlord lots of times, but he is always drunk. I have had to verify with him that he was going to fix the Bat problem but never has-so we are feeling pretty trapped. Another note on the house-air conditioning doesn't exist here in Colombia practically. Another-the poor neighborhoods here have figure out how to steal the power to the "rich" houses, so we have been living in the night in the pitch black, with fans that don't work, and the house smells like bat poo and it is very hot, and our refrigerator leaks out and spoils the food because the power usually is out for about 8-24 hours at a time. This time in my mission I have learned to endure some stuff, but I am happy because Arjona has made me the way I am spiritually. Anyways, I hope you guys are well and enjoying the summer! I know I sure am (Summer 24/7 for 2 years).