Wow. I appreciate all of your love, concern, and prayers in behalf of Hermana Lee and myself. I wish that I could say that after last week the 'eventfulness' stopped... but it didn't, yeah it did the opposite. So lets talk about Saturday. Saturday was a wonderful day full of temple trips, good times with Hermana Rigby before she left for New Mexico, all that fun P-Day stuff. At the end of the day we went to bed, and yup you guessed it Hermana Lee's other side of her nose started bleeding (NOOOO!!!!) it took probably a half hour or so to clean up and get back to bed, but it wasn't all that scary because Hna's Christensen and Brown were there and they also recruited Hermana Rigby and her companion to help too. On Sunday, I really wanted to talk to President Swenson in private so I could freely voice my concerns and the worries that I have about Hermana Lee thankfully, I was granted my request - it would just be later in the day. About 10 minutes later Hermana Lee had another nose bleed. After we got the bleeding to stop President Swenson sent us back to the residence so she could get some rest because after her body passes out she needs to rest in order to get her brain and body back to 'normal'. We were planning on just staying at the residence until Sacrament Meeting and then going to Sacrament, but after we'd been there for maybe only 20 minutes I heard her say something. I went over to check on her and my heart dropped completely. She was covered in blood - her face, her arms, the pillow, the bed, her clothes, this was the worst nosebleed yet, and I was alone. My heart dropped immediately. I started praying with all the energy that I could that someone would come, but I knew that I couldn't just wait for someone to come. I was able to get Hermana Lee to sit up in bed and after trying for a couple of minutes to take care of the blood and stop the bleeding with a stash of toilet paper we keep in our room I had the crazy thought to take her to the bathroom. Yes, I had the thought to take a girl who faints when she sees her own blood to a room with multiple mirrors when she was covered in blood. Although it seemed completely illogical to me I knew that I had to do it. So I told Hermana Lee that we were going to go to the bathroom and her one job - all she needed to do was just keep her eyes shut. Somehow, but some amazing miracle Hermana Lee kept her eyes shut for the entire time! (usually she forgets what is going on and opens her eyes every 15 seconds). When we got to the bathroom I was scared, but somehow able to try to help. The problem was that her nose wouldn't stop bleeding. Instead of being able to focus on cleaning off her arms and face so she wouldn't see the blood I had to focus on stopping the blood and it wouldn't stop. I pinched her nose, I stuck toilet paper up her nose, I tried everything and nothing was working. About 20 minutes in Hermana Lee said to me "this is really bad, i'm scared, it's not stopping, you need to leave me and go get help" HA! Yeah that was the absolute last thing I was going to do in that moment. NO WAY was I going to leave her. So I said to her 'no, all we can do is pray' I'd been praying in my head this whole time, but i knew also that I needed to keep Hermana Lee focused on something other than the bleeding so she wouldn't forget what was happening and open her eyes. It was at that moment that I remembered the verse of scripture in D&C 25 "The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me" Immediately I asked Hermana Lee what her favorite hymn was she responded "There is Sunshine in My Soul" I sang it and it seemed to comfort her. Then I sang my favorite "How Firm a Foundation" verse 3 that says: "Fear not, I am with Thee, oh be not dismayed. For I am Thy God and will still give Thee Aid. I'll Strengthen Thee, help Thee, and cause Thee to stand. Upheld by my righteous Omnipotent hand." As I sang those words the Spirit testified the truth of them unto me. I was scared, I was alone, there was so much blood and I couldn't stop it and was afraid that at any moment my companion would pass out on me. But as I sang those words I felt almost as if God himself were speaking them to me. They brought me so much comfort during that time of need. I sang about 2 more songs and the amazing this is by the end of the 3rd song the bleeding was slowing and by the end of the forth the bleeding had stopped and Hermana Rigby and her companion had come back to 'check on us'. Wow! The Spirit is so incredible! I was given the thought to sing, as I did Hermana Lee was comforted, I was comforted, the bleeding had stopped, and help had arrived. God is so aware of us. That was a scary 40 minutes of my life, but God was aware and He knew just was I needed in order to be helped. How indredible! After i had filled Hermana Rigby and Hermana Mitchell (her companion) in on the details Hermana Mitchell volunteered to stay with Hermana Lee so Hermana Rigby and I could run and find President Swenson and tell him what was going on and ask him what to do. Pres. Swenson lead us to the on call doctor who was able to talk to Hermana Lee on the phone and tell her that tomorrow (Monday) she could go back to the ear nose and throat doctor and cauterize the other side. President Swenson also reassured me at this point in time that I would be able to talk with him that afternoon and receive a Priesthood blessing. So that afternoon I talked to him and I was able to tell him my concerns and fears about not really the nose bleeds, but about what happens because of them (the passing out, the memory loss, the complete exhaustion, etc.) It felt good to be able to tell him exactly what was going on. He then gave me a Priesthood blessing of comfort - I am so grateful he did. I have been able to reflect on that blessing multiple times this week and recieve comfort and guidance in knowing that God is with me, aware of me, and thankful to me of how I am caring for Hermana Lee. It truly was an amazing blessing. President Swenson then talked to Hermana Lee and apparently told her that she needs to go to counseling to figure out this problem. So on Monday after going to 'the outside world' to see the doctor we went to the counselor. But first lets talk about the doctor, I don't know why the doctor on Sunday told us that we could have the other side of her nose cauterized because when we got to the ear nose and throat specialist the doctor told Hermana Lee that the one side of her nose that he did cauterize wasn't fully healed yet and so if he tried to cauterize the other side it would be some sort of a hazard and something about burning a hold in her nose - i didn't understand it, but moral of the story is we didn't get it cauterized (great! *sarcastic). Then we went back to class and waited to go to the counselor. About 15 minutes before we were going to leave for the counselor Hermana Lee started to get really panicked, and it escalated very quickly. One minute she was telling me she was nervous and the next she was dry heaving over the trash can and sprinting down the hall to the bathroom. She was having a full on panic attack. I don't know how long it lasted, but Hermnana Lee was dry heaving and struggling to breath for maybe 10 minutes, and I didn't know how to help her calm down. Thankfully, one of our Elder's must have told Hermana's brown and Christesnsen what was going on because they came and were able to help her too. Finally she was able to calm down and somehow she made it to the counseling office.
Yeah, this week was a struggle, because those events I just described were only Sunday and Monday, and I could probably describe an event like that from each day, however I would like to touch on just one more - Thursday. On Thursday, Hermana Brown, Christensen, Lee and I were about to leave the residence to go to class after gym. Hermana Lee was using the bathroom and then we were going to go. We were just waiting in our room for her (because in the residence you don't always have to be with your companion if one is showering or in the bathroom) and so all of us but Hermana Lee were in the room. After a couple of minutes I saw a hand hitting the ground from outside the door. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but when we opened the door all the way I saw Hermana Lee on the ground and yup, you guessed it - having a nose bleed. with lots of blood. (why does there always have to be so much of it?!) we couldn't get this one to stop either, I was less scared this time because i wasn't the only one there, but I was more scared because the blood wasn't stopping and because these keep happening! (this was like number 11 i think) Anyways, this one wasn't stopping it probably had been going for 25 minutes when Hermana Brown and I decided she needed a blessing. We booked it - yes I left my companion, but we called it a sort of split cause Hermana Christensen was holding hermana Lee up so she couldn't really just drop her and switch me spots and it was an emergency - anyways we sprinted to the classroom got some elders and ran back. The elders had to run to their residence to grab the oil so while we were waiting I was talking to a semi conscious Hermana Lee and told her the elders were going to give her a blessing. I asked her if she believed it would stop the bleeding and help her and she said yes. The minute that she said yes the bleeding began to stop, and shortly after the elders had given the blessing the bleeding had completely stopped. Wow. I truly know the power of God is real. I know that He is aware of us, and He wants to help us. He has given us the means to be helped and will if we ask Him to - whether it be through song, prayer, a priesthood blessing, what ever it may be God will help us, because He is aware of us, and most importantly because He loves us. I know. I know this is true!
I don't have much more to write about this week because I've honestly been taking care of Hermana Lee all week (lots of my time has been spent in the counseling office waiting room cause she's been seeing a counselor almost consistently each day). Although I am going through scary times and I feel unrested at times and worried all the time, somehow I am still happy! And I know that it is because I am where God wants me to be. I know that there is something to be joyful about in each day. If we look for the joy in each day and strive to embrace it we will have happiness in our lives, even if we are going through hard times. God wants us to be happy. "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured" - Pres. Hinckley.
One last cool thing I found this week in my scripture studies - Alma 7:11-12 (I think that is the verse) talks about how Christ suffered for us so He would know how to succor His people. In Espanol the word succor = succorrer , which means 'to succor' or 'to help'. the cool part is that the word "correr" (which is in the word Succorrer) means "to run". Christ does know how to succor us and He not only will succor and help us, but he will "run to us" He will be by our sides the minute we need Him reaching out to help us - all we have to do is choose to take His hand.
I love and like you all! Happy wedding to Roxanne and Andre!!
Hermana Anderson
Nothing against Sisters having facial hair!
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Raquel and Sister Lee loving the snow.
Sisters going to the Temple.
Cleaning blood from the bed!
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