I am being neglectful of my blog.  We have many things to do and take care of, but I realized this is the only time in my life I will have as few things as I have right now, so I better get on the stick and keep this up.  Part of this is from last week.

Things are going well - it was really hot on Thursday, but cooled down to 95 Friday - busy all day long yesterday on P-day - helped with an investigator's kids today (11-12 year olds).

Sister Morris was able to scrounge a couple of bikes from the mission. So we have been out riding a couple of times - it's been fun! We have been exercising for almost one week straight - 2 different types of exercising - one inside, the other on the bikes! I can tell you from doing all those different exercises my whole arm feels like it's inflamed. I guess I need to do some more, and other types of, exercises - like the one's I'm suppose to do for my shoulder....

My wrist has not been getting better ~ frustrating little jerk! 

There's this really sweet lady, Lydia, from Mexico, married to a gringo - she has been so concerned about my wrist that she spoke with a physical therapist in our ward (member of the Bishopric). Before Sacrament meeting started, Sister Morris and I walked up to the front of the chapel to hand in our fast offerings to that same member of the bishopric, we didn't know he was the physical therapist (PT). After we handed them to him, he said someone had told him one of the sister missionaries had a back problem - (picture puzzled looks on our faces). I said no, but my wrist really has been bugging me.

He said let me see, and looked at it and said WHOA! (It has been quite swollen on the outside joint). He knelt down, and started moving my wrist around, poked here and there, and made me say OW a couple of times, asked if it hurt when he push here and there (guess what I said . . . YES!)  and said he had the same problem once. He told me to relax my arm, which I tried to do, then said he was going to pop it back in (????).  He moved it this way and that way, yanked on my arm, and it did pop a bit, wasn't too painful right then (and yes - we are standing at the front of the chapel while he's on the stand moving my wrist around).

He said it needed some work, and asked if I had fractured it - um - Noooo - but I told him it started hurting at home during the 'getting ready to leave stage', that it had been xrayed, etc etc. Then he something about treatments, and having to massage it even though it hurt, and that it would take some time to get better.

Then he said, "As you are a full time missionary, I will do it for free." WWWWHHHHAAAATTTT???? Totally unreal to me! Totally! Dan - did you find people would give you things, and do things for you for free because you were a missionary? That is just amazing to me. And here I was wondering how much it was going to cost, and if the PT Sister Lydia wanted me to go to took my insurance, etc.  I am just so humbled and so extremely grateful. 
Anyway, Lydia is going to call and make an appointment for me.  I guess I need to learn to let people help me; a hard lesson for me. And! my wrist is now killing me! The PT said it would hurt - he was right!!!!!!!!

We have 8 people signed up for our Career Workshop this week!

We have changed things around so Sister Morris and I are taking turns, one thing after another, learning to present each part so we will know it all. Hopefully I will be able to do as good a job as she does in some things!

Not much else going on - things are 'normal' for here! Love, Mom/Judy

06/10/12
This is this week! 

We went to Sequoia National Park - talk about way cool!  The trees were so massive and so impressive!  The two main trees we went to see are the General Grant and the General Sherman!  The General Sherman tree is the biggest in the world!  It's not the tallest, but the trunk is massive and it is very, very tall!  I took a video of it, and it was as if I were trying to do a back bend to film all the way to the top!  I love the mountain, and the smell of the pine trees - the Sequoias smell good too, but it is a different scent.  It's still woodsy and wonderful, just different from the pine smell.

This was a couple we met at the General Grant - why do you think I took their picture??!? 

They were very sweet!  It's always fun when you meet someone that's LDS!

Groovy hat, eh?  Anything to save a dye job!

 

This is a picture of the stump, and from the note above, it is massive in size!  It's hard to see where the stump is, but it's right in the middle of the picture.  Unreal!

 

 

This is the long shot of the General Sherman.

This is a picture of a momma bear up a tree - the ONLY reason I am close enough to take this shot is because she is up a tree!  As she started to come down, I started to get further away!  The reason I know she is a momma bear is because on the dry branch next to the momma bear tree is one of her two cubs!  There were supposedly 2 cubs, but I couldn't see the other one, and don't see it in this picture.  Now you know why I backed further and further away the closer she got to the ground!  Nothing more dangerous than a momma bear protecting her cubs!

I have been to physical therapy a couple of times this past week.  Sister Lydia took me on Wednesday, and Sister Morris took me on Thursday.  I can drive, but they wanted to do this for me, so I let them.  I will probably go by myself tomorrow and Wednesday, and from then on.  I am going to go 2 times a week until it is better.  The problem is the cartilage disk in the wrist joint was out of place, and the therapy is to retrain the tendons and muscles to not push the disk out again.  It absolutely kills!
Ice - 3-5 times a day - contrast soaks 2 times a day, exercises 2 times a day, other exercises 3-5 times a day!  I am allowed to get on the computer 20 minutes at a time, and wear my brace while on it, then off with the brace, and off the computer!  So I'm typing as fast as I can, so if there's mistakes, sorry!

We had the young Elders assigned to our Ward (Fresno 7th) over for dinner last night (Elder Berg and Elder Jensen), but as there isn't a Melchizedek priesthood holder in the home, we had our home teachers over too (Paul and Patty Betts).  Then tonight, we had Sister Lydia and her husband Lynn over for dinner.  We had Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup; Sister Morris made homemade french bread, and Britta and Sister Morris made fresh Strawberry-Banana pie - then add salad and cantaloupe for a wonderful meal!  Let me know if you want the soup recipe ~

We have our final class of Self Employment on Tuesday (been postponed a few times), a little helping at the Bishop's Storehouse and Relief Society on Wednesday, then go to the temple on Thursday, then the Elders are coming back over to do an "A-T-M" (awake the members) on Friday.  Saturday we are having a mission conference up in Modesto (2-3 hours north), where Elder Ballard is coming to speak with us!  Can you believe it?!?  Another member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles!!  We are sooooo blessed!   It's been wonderful shaking hands with ALL of the brethren that have been here. 

We will have a "Sisters' Meeting" after the Mission meeting.  Sister Gelwix asked if Sister Morris and I would bring the desserts for the Sisters' meeting.  We are taking something chocolate and something lemon!  YUM!  We are also teaching the young Sister missionaries how to iron.  Combined, that will take most of the day!

Here is a picture of me in the apron the Primary gave to me before I left!  Isn't it cute!

 
My time is up!  Past up!  OOPS!  I hope all is well with everyone!  I will post a story of a missionary experience that happened yesterday, hopefully tomorrow!
I love you all - Time is going so quickly!  I am being blessed as I sojourn through this mission experience.  I am grateful for what I am learning.  Love, Sister Ure