there are no pictures this week because elder maccarthy was feeling rather ill as you'll read below.
also, his incident with the wild dog has some good news: the dog is still alive, which means elder maccarthy doesn't have rabies! woohoo!!!
lastly, please keep elder maccarthy in your prayers, he could sure use them :)
"this is HIS mission, you gotta do what HE wants" - Elder Bringhurst
so i think i learned one of the biggest lessons of my mission these past couple days, and also was humbled big time into really the importance of my calling and work here in the mission. so this past thursday until sunday i was dog sick. it started thursday night with a sore throat and fever and i didnt really think anything of it, figured id just sleep it out and wake up the next morning fine. well the exact opposite happened haha. i woke up at about 2 oclock friday just absolutely dying, throat felt like id been drinking sand, my head felt like i had monkeys playing the drums in it, i was rocking a pretty good fever, and the worse was my back pain which was seriously horrible. i was miserable to say the least haha. i tried to fall back asleep but it was to no avail and i laid there in my little bed tossing and turning trying to fall back asleep and sleep off the feelings. anyways 630 rolls around and briz wakes up and can see that im dying haha and asks me whats up and so i recount to him everything that im feeling and so forth. he says huh that stinks take a cold shower and medecine and see if it helps. i did and it didnt. i was sweating while taking a freezing cold shower!!
it was ridiculous haha but anyways so although yes im dying i suck it up because we had to travel to ocotlan that day to do baptismal interviews, this actually turned out to my benefit because ocotlan is a few hours away by bus so i was able to rest on the buses but still felt disgusting haha. we then after a few lessons and things that day around 7 i had to call it quits. i had absolutely zero energy i couldnt walk for 5 minutes without having to stop and rest or sit down and basically ya i just had zero energy what so ever. we head back to the house and get there at about 8 i go straight upstairs and to bed because im just dead haha. and then comes saturday...i wake up saturday morning and im even more dead then the day before! however briz tells me that yesterday was my day to rest and that today i had to get back to work and that he was sorry it had to be that way. and ya not gonna lie i was a little bugged cuz i had no desire to do anything and its not like i really rested all that much the day before haha but nonetheless i sucked it up and got ready to go work. i barely had enough energy to stand up in the shower and had to bring a chair into the shower to use while i showered and i felt like a zombie walking around because i was just shot. the worst too was that my body wasnt retaining any water because id drink and drink and due to the heat and my fever id just sweat all the water out and ya haha.
so before we leave the house to get to work i go upstairs to my room and shut the door and kneel to say a prayer. my prayer went something along the lines of Heavenly Father you know i dont have any desire or energy to work today, you know i want to just stay in my bed and rest today, however these 2 years are for you, your will your work your time, not mine. so im putting it all in your hands. i cant do it but you can and so please help me today. and with that prayer i got up and well i didnt feel any better and i felt maybe i was being punished or lacked the faith but then realized nooo thats not it, theres a lesson i need to learn today. and so off we went and slowly but surely went from lesson to lesson teaching and helping. i cant even count how many times i couldve sworn i was sleeping but yet still kept chugging along on my bike, coming back to consciousness and realizing that i was riding a bike and seriously not knowing how it was possible.
around 6 that evening my sickness decided to amp itself up a little and give me one last run for my money and from what i think was a combination of my fever and the food we ate that day i started throwing up alot. and it was raining. and so heres poor little Elder Maccarthy tootin along on his bike in the rain throwing up every now and then and without consciousness just kinda pushing on forward. i dont really know how i did it. i remember it was absolutely miserable and i wanted to die haha but yet here i am and i made it. we finished the day and like the night before i stumbled upstairs and literally just collapsed into my bed. wet clothing and all haha. it was one of the hardest days of my mission. not only because of how sick i was, but also because my sickness induced feelings of wanting to go home so that id have my mom and my family to take care of me.
ill be honest that i didnt want to be there haha i wanted to be back in my bed back home with my mom bringing me medecine and chicken noodle soup and all that good mom stuff. however i didnt have that option and so it was hard. but aside from how miserable the past couple days had been when i had the chance to look back, i was shocked at how the past couple days were also some of the greatest and most spiritual days ive had. one thing i really noticed my how much i bore testimony and of the words that i spoke. i feel that without a doubt that those past days that the Lord took me in his hands and moved me from place to place and when it came time for me to speak he spake for me. as i looked back and thought about each person we met with and remember the things they said, the looks on their faces as they listened and just everything really made me realize the power and importance of what im doing, and of Christ did when he was here. after i had said that prayer and told the Lord that i cant do it, im gonna do what i can but hes really gonna have to help, i know he completed with my cry of help, and it turned out to be such a great day because i didnt do a single thing that i wanted to do, it was all for him. and he recognized that and helped me. im not sure if any of this recountig has made anysense im still a little loopy and im sure some of it youre gonna read and be like what is he saying haha but what i wanted to share with you all is how great of an experience these miserable past couple of days had been haha. and that most of all he really does hear our prayers and help us.
i know without a doubt in my heart that heard my prayer that morning as i cried for his help and support. and i know that it was just him that helped me this day. but also all of you back home reading this letter who pray for me, and all the people in the world who pray for the missionaries. i know i received help from my ancestors and my personal favorite, my future kids and grandkids as they sat there on the other side of the veil cheering me on saying go dad go!! i know that there was a reason that i needed to go out those days and meet with those people. eventhough i didnt have any crazy amazing lessons or experiences with them, they needed to hear what their Father wanted to tell them that day. and i feel like the Lord was testing me too. he wanted to see if i really was willing to put myself and my wants aside for a few days and do his work his way. and i feel like i did that. and its definitely an experience that im going to remember the rest of my mission and also the rest of my life. that when we put ourselves in the Lords hands and then ask for him to guide our steps, we just gotta get those feet a moving and let him carry along. it was a great lesson to learn, something i feel that i already knew yes, but that he really wanted me to learn it and learn it good. and well i sure was taught a thing or two and the hard way too haha. i hope that maybe you all can learn something too from this experience that i had and more importantly i want you all to know that this same experience i had is applicable to each and everyone one of us in all aspects of what we do. from the big things to the small things this simple principle of ask and you shall receive will always be true. so try it! and i promise you will come out of it blessed and with a new view and perception on things.
i love you all and thanks for all of the prayers. its hard to be a missionary at times but thats why i have an amazing support back home of family and friends who love me, pray for me, and support me in all my doings here in the mission field. have a great week everybody and keep being awesome!
much love from mexico,
Elder Maccarthy
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