Ben's First Big Sickness Away From Home--Bronchitis This Week

This is the letter we got from Ben last week, September 13, 2014. There were lots of prayers on Ben's behalf after we read this letter.

Hola Familia,

This week was great, a little long, and phlegmy....

This last weekend my companion and I decided to clean off all of the mold and mildew that had gathered in the walls of our house (it is such a problem here, the air is so humid). We cleaned it all off, but I think I ended up inhaling a large amount of mold. I ended the day coughing a ton, coughed almost consistently for a this whole week. 

Sunday afternoon I had lost my voice completely. Tuesday I started to cough up phlegm and all sorts of other fun stuff. The mission nurse gave me some amoxicillin. It continued without getting better until Thursday, when my chest started with a dull pressure and with a sharp stabbing sensation when I breathed deeply. As soon as I got that feeling I knew I needed to go see a doctor. So, I asked for a priesthood blessing and went immediately. 

They took an x-ray of my lungs and ended up having a rather severe case of bronchitis, about 1 day from becoming pneumonia. The dosage of amoxicillin I had been taking was not anywhere strong enough, so they increased the dosage and sent me home with another two kinds of pills and a prescription strength cough syrup, and with the order to stay inside and sleep as much as possible.

So two days later, I have a voice (it's extremely low like a country singer), and I continue to cough up an annoyingly large amount of phlegm, and I no longer have chest pains!

So proselyting wise and office work wise, I couldn't get anything done. I stayed with another missionary from the zone who is waiting to have a surgery for his hemorrhoids and for now can't walk for another week, and his companion went with my companion to the offices to be able to continue to work. It was really hard to leave back all of the work and trust that my companion could do all of the work on his own. To my relief he was able to get everything and even more done.

I had lots of time to reflect, read, and not talk (a whisper was literally straining my voice). It was nice to just have time to read, study, and learn from the scriptures

Well I hope everything is going well back home. Good luck with your classes, study hard.

I love you all very much and hope you have a great week. 

Love,

Élder Benjamin Taylor

Lots of Conferences & Going to the Temple

Here is Ben's letter from September 6, 2014

Hola Familia,

This last week was amazing! The mission, during this set of transfers, is going to be having interviews with President Cook accompanied with a session in the temple. We had a group arrive Tuesday night from Melo (A department in the middle of the country) to stay in the hostel here on the temple grounds. 

We have been put in charge of the transport and food for the conference (Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner for the zones that need to travel a large distance), and Lunch for everyone else. It has been fun, but a ton of work to cater 25 people every day. 

This next week we have 3 conferences and the following we have 4. Our zone had it's conference this past Wednesday. It was so great to attend the temple and to feel the peace. To just forget all of the worldly things for a few hours.

Yesterday was a little crazy, we were traveling all over Ciudad Vieja (the historical district of Montevideo where all of the banks and utilities companies are situated) all day trying to finish up the Rent for our now 85 missionary pensions and fix some problems that we're having with the light and water service in some houses  

I am proud to say that I feel comfortable getting to and from anywhere in Metropolitan Montevideo by bus. It has made me realize how ungrateful I was for having a car back home.

It seems that everyone has stayed rather busy back home. I hope that everything continues going well. 

I love you all so much!

Élder Benjamín Taylor