The Littlest Song Bird: 3 Days, 4 Hospitals, Rabies Treatment and 35 Thousand Hits on Facebook…

Wow! Where do I even start! This week was just a bunch of crazy things and a lot more stories to tell to my future grandkids!

Let me start with the fact that my body is like trying to kill me off. One day we were running to grab a bus and my planner dropped, I turned around and MC (Sister McPherson) told me to keep going. So quickly turning around and not looking at where I was stepping, I stepped into a huge hole and the next thing I know, I was on the ground. I thought that for sure I either broke my wrist (because it had caught my fall and I fell hard) or that my ankle was broken....nope. I just scrapped my knee up. It was a milagre…Then we walked to the bus stop and caught our bus a little after.

Then, I finally went to the hospital to see a doctor about my migraines and got some meds. That just made me young again! The day after taking the meds, I worked the heck out of MC. We got 4 new investigators in one day and the next day we found 2 more! Talk about being on fire!!

Let’s not forget to add the fact that a member in the other ward posted on Facebook a video of me singing and it got like 7 thousand views in 2 days and by Sunday it was at 35 thousand...wow crazy!

So, our week was going really well...all until Friday night. Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnn

As we were walking back from Gabi's house (she wasn´t home) literally out of nowhere MC and I were attacked by a pack of stray dogs. One came up behind me and started growling at me and then he straight up tried to bite me. So naturally I hit him in the face with my planner…but as I was turned around another dog bit my leg. I didn’t even feel it, until some lady in the street started yelling at me saying that it was all my fault and that I went at the dog first. Yeah...we were totally on the other side of the street...and so I was trying to get her name and number, but she wouldn’t even give it to me and she just told me that they were stray dogs. At this point I look at my leg and just see blood. So I asked her for something to clean it up with and she tells me she can’t help me and I need to go to the hospital. So I might have yelled at her to get me a paper towel so I could clean up the blood and after about 3 times of asking she finally gets me some.

Then we were lucky that we were on the street of a member. We walked up to her house and told her son what had happened and she yelled for him to let us in. In the meantime, I called my DL and Sister Perrotti. Then I get it and just like Sister Perrotti, Irmã Regina tells me to hurry and go clean it up in the bathroom with soap and water. Irmã Regina gets me a new bar of soap and a clean towel and I start cleaning up the bite...It was like a hole...in my leg! Not big but nasty looking. Then she called Irmã Cida to take us to the hospital. We went to the first one and a lady doctor sees me. She doesn’t even clean me up and tells me I need the rabies shot. She then looks at the bite, pinches it shut and tells me she can’t stitch it up because it’ll look ugly.

Then we start looking for a post (it’s what they call it here) to get the rabies shot. We were out of luck because it was a holiday and everything closed early. So off to another hospital we go...and here we walk in and Irmã Cida asks to talk to the nurse to see if they have the shot. This crazy nurse said I probably don’t need it, but I should see the doctor...we didn’t stay because there were about 80 people waiting. So we called Sister Perrotti again and she found a hospital but I would have to go there the next day. We get dropped off at home. Being a holiday weekend, I was sure we weren’t going to find someone who could take us to Campinas...so I called my District Leader. He called around and after 5 minutes he tells us that one of MY ex-investigators was on her way to take me to the hospital. Rosangela came and picked us up and we went to Santa Casa (another hospital) there I walked right in and saw a male doctor (which I am now convinced that they take better care of their sick people), He looks at it, says he would like to stitch it up but can’t because of the bacteria that is there. He says that they too have run out of the rabies shot, so they called UNICAMP (the best med school in Campinas, maybe Brasil) to see where I can get it and how getting these rabies shots will be handled, since I am leaving the country in a week. He was really nice. They set us up with a place that gives the shots, marked an appointment for Tuesday, and told us we need to get a stamp indicating I started here (Brasil) and need to finish in the states...they gave me a shot for the pain and then they cleaned up the bite. I also got antibiotics that I have to take every 6 hours. After that, Rosangela took us home at around 11 pm. We waited a little and then ate and I took my antibiotic and then we both passed out (not literally, just from exhaustion). The next day, being Sister Perez, I didn’t cancel our appointment with the Bishop’s wife and we left the house at 9:30...saw a less active and then went to lunch. After that MC would not let me keep working...so we had to go back home. SAD...but I needed to rest. And we haven’t worked since Friday...and yes it killed me a little...but I really shouldn’t be walking. But I was happy I got to talk with 5 people in the hospital about the church!

So not only am I now famous for my FB video...but my dog bite...and I’ll never forget about Valinhos with the scar I’m gonna be left with.

Sister MC thinks I’m crazy…because out of our crazy Friday night I told her how we could use that experience in a lesson. So, there is only 1 true and living church. And that church has direct contact with God. Some churches can get you close to the truth, but won’t get you all the way there. Just like the 2 hospitals I first went to. They only helped me a little. But the last one I went to, gave us all the information we needed to know...to be saved or rabies free. And they were able to help because they had the straight connection to UNICAMP. I just love putting the gospel to everyday things!

Even though I won’t be able to work as I would like...I still know I am giving my all...or at least all that I am able to do. I’m just gonna try to make it home in one piece. I might be crawling or limping, but Ill finish the mission out strong!

Keep the faith and fight a good fight meu povo!

Com Amor,
Sister Perez