CHRISTMAS 12/24/2023


Story time!

So at around 9 on Monday night, as I was getting ready for bed, I got this sharp stabbing pain in the right side of my stomach. Now I know some of you have had this pain before, so I'm sorry if this triggers any PTSD. I thought it was just a normal pain so I shrugged it off and tried to get some sleep, but I was just in so much pain I couldn't fall asleep. At around 3 in the morning I decided to call President Nikoia and he told me to go to the closest hospital.

When my companion and I got there, I told them the situation and they said a doctor would be with be any minute. Well 4 hours passed and we were still sitting in the lobby, New Zealand hospitals aren't the most efficient. They eventually got me in the back where they did a bunch of blood tests and an ultrasound but still couldn't determine what the cause of the pain was. My blood work showed that there was an infection in my body but didn't have a definitive answer for where it was coming from so they decided to keep me overnight. They told me they were gonna keep me in a room for observation, but the "room" had around 30 other sickies in it and they were a bit loud so I didn't get much sleep.

The next morning the surgical team came to see me and told me that it was most likely appendicitis and that they would need to operate pretty quickly. I don't remember much after that, but I was told the surgery went really well, my appendix was super inflammed and infected so it's good that they were able to remove it when they did. 

So that was my Christmas week!! Not really what I expected my first Christmas on the mission to be like but I am very happy that everything worked out and I don't have to worry about that flippin useless organ for the rest of my life! My companion and my district were super supportive and loving and came to visit me lots which made everything a lot easier. I am so lucky to have them in my life right now!

Also, while I was laying in that weird room with all the moaning sickies, I started talking to the dude next to me. He was about a year older than me but was in the hospital for the same reason, and ended up having the same operation done. As we were laying there waiting for our surgeries, we started talking about my church and some of our beliefs and I ended up giving him a Book of Mormon and inviting him to church. Then on the next Sunday his whole family showed up for sacrament meeting! He was unfortunately still glued to his bed but the fact that his family showed up just made me SOOO happy!

I guess everything happens for a reason, if it took me getting appendicitis and emergency surgery to get them to church, then so be it.

Okay one more really quick story then I promise I'm done. I have been really starting to get better at speaking tongan now that there is a tongan Branch in my area. So I was at the Tongan branch Christmas program and talking to these Kids in Tongan, and when they heard me speaking their language they ran up to their mom and said "MAMA MAMA ʻE lava ke lea faka-Tonga ʻa e palangi", which is "MAMA MAMA the white boy can speak Tongan!". Thats actually happened twice now which I found really funny!

This time of year has been a bit rough with my Mom's passing being two years ago today, so definitely keep my family in your prayers. To everyone who has read this far, go hug your moms!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH










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