Hermana Abbigail Harper: WHEN I WAS CRYING IN THE STREET AND IN THE AMBULANCE......HALF THE REASON IS BECAUSE I JUST REALLY REALLLLYYYY WISHED I HAD YOU WITH ME

Familiaaaa,

Mom, I saw your questions but I don't think I'm gonna be able to get to them until next week. Because I have had the absolute craziest week ever. So let's start with the bad news shall we....and mom you are not allowed to call the office or anything. In fact, the nurse was like ya don't tell your family. for real don't tell them. But I have to tell you cause I wouldn't feel right not. But just know that I'm telling you more than they would tell you and honestly they don't know that much so don't calll!!! Ok you're probs freaking out but it's not that big of a deal.....the inevitable just happened....I got attacked by a dog. and it bit me. and there was a lot of blood. My skirt and left shoe are ruined, but anyways this is what happened....Oh it was yesterday.

Our sacrament meeting isn't until 3 so we were passing by for our investigators in the morning and as we entered the dirt street of one of them there was a rounded corner up ahead. My comp was in front of me cause sometimes I just can't keep up with her so obvi she rounded the corner first. That's where the dogs were. So when I rounded the corner after her, the dogs were already there. (ie no time to take out my dog dazer grandma! haha) but ya, I still had my eyes on my comp after roundingthe corner and she was still walking fast 100%. Ok so I didn't even look down at the dogs. Which is probs a good thing cause the giant black lab was apparently charging me at the time. So ya, it totally got my left leg and I didn't even see it happen. I didn't even have enough time to think, Oh no, is this dog gonna bite me? Let alone retreive the dog dazer from my backpack. But needless to say, I screamed, "Hermana help me", but she didn't hear.

So I had to run after her with my leg gushing blood. She finally realized what happened but by that time it didn't matter cause the dogs had already left. All the neighbors came out and some old lady started dabbing my leg with a cotton ball and alcohol and one tied a dirty rag around it. Not super effective. I was scared I was gonna die from some sort of infection or rabies and I didn't know how to convery to everyone that I needed and injection like now. My comp understood what I was saying cause she's good at understanding me but I don't think she realized the siginificance of how important it was....So we started hobbling out to the main road to catch a taxi to the hospital but then the neighbors were like no, we called an ambulance, stay here! Then this guy has me sit on this step, which is just crawling with ants mind you, while he douses alcohol on my leg and yells in the phone to the ambulance that doesn't know how to find where we are cause addresses here basically don't exist. So we finally get in this lady's car and drive to the ambulance, which ended up just being a few streets away.

Oh I'm sobbing this whole time btw. Not cause of the pain, I mean it did hurt, but mainly just cause I didn't understand what was going on and I knew I needed injections. Oh and we sisters aren't allowed to leave the house with our cell phones so we couldn't call anyone. Finally a lady in the ambulance let us borrow hers, but guess what? Nobody answers cause they are all in church with their phones off. Not the nurse, not the DL, not the ZLS, not the president, not his wife. Nobody. So ya, I was totes scared, not gonna lie. In the ambulance they trying to ask me all these questions but I barely know how to answer and my comp didn't know that much and it was crazy. But they disinfected my leg and wrapped it up and gave me a shot in the butt for the pain. That was fun. Then I had my first ambulance ride!! Who would have thought that would take place in South America? Is it wrong I kinda felt like I was in a Grey's Anatomy episode?? haha

Anyways, when we got to the hospital there were onlookers who heard the ambulance coming and when I got out they put me in a wheel chair and the Ecuadorians start taking pictures of the gringo with the bleeding leg in the wheel chair. nice. haha So ya, they give me a tetnus shot but that's all they can do becasue guess what....I forgot this part....apparently they can only know if a dog has rabies if it dies within a week after biting someone (at least thats what I have gathered, but i know it sounds weird) but while I was in the ambulance, the vecinos of where the dog bit me come running over screaming that the dog died. and we were like what?! It just dropped dead? nope. The vecinos strangled it. Talk about intense. I don't like thinking about it but I'm secretly glad. But I kinda wish they would have waited a week cause now idk if I have rabies.

So we went home and finally got a hold of the nurse. She said she was gonna come over and check it out. (she's in Machala) so that made me feel better cause she's a gringo and talked to me in English. And President called us back and had a good chat with me and he told me to buy som amoxicillin, which I did. And we went to the clininc this morning and saw the doctor that is with the mission's insurance, she gave me some other pills to take too. They also said I can't walk for 4 to 5 days. So don't worry. I'm being well taken care of. Hence, dont call the office!! :) I'll send you the same pic of my bite that I sent to Pres Torres. It's really not that bad. The punctures are pretty deep, but they are just punctures, not tears. So ya, that's a plus. It's a bummer though, cause we missed our confirmations :(

Oh, speaking of, we had 3 baptisms this week!!! I figured I would save the good news for last. I know I'm rambling but I don't have time to make this an eloquent non repetitive letter. haha. Anyways, little Clarla Vicente, who is 14, was baptized Friday night!! My first baptism!! It was so awesome. The smile on her face when she got out of the water was priceless.

Carla Vicente

Bolivar

And then Saturday Bolivar was finally baptized!! Him and Luciana finally got married Friday morning, which our zone leaders didn't give us permission to attend :( Which i was sad about, esepcially since we spent all earlier this week helping Luciana hunt down all the papers. ughh.. but whatevs, they got married and now Bolivar is baptized!!!

Elias

And the third is this 22 yr old kid named Elias. The rest of his family got baptized last year but he was away at schoool in Quito. A couple of weeks ago, when he was home for break, we taught him a lesson and he accepted a baptismal date for the 17th. But then he left and didn't return until....the 17th. So it's a crazy story but to put it short, he was taught all the lesssons an hour before he got baptized. That would so never happen in the states....but my comp was like you know he has the desire and he's returning to school tomorrow night so if he wants to then ya, he can get baptized and learn what he doesn't know after. I was like bueno.... haha So ya that happened. He left for Quito again after his confirmation the next morning.

Baptisms are the best! I sang a duet with Michelle sin piano at Bolivar and Elias's service.....lol right??? haha It was bad but these people can't sing in tune so I don't think they cared. I'll probs give you guys more specifics about the baptisms and stuff next week since this week won't be very exciting, with not being allowed to walk much. But just know I'm ok!!! Really. We made it to church for the last hour to congratulate Carla, Bolivar and Elais on their confirmations and everyone in the ward was all worrying about me and wanting to know what happened. The hermanas all fretted pobrecita! que loco perro! etc etc. And all the men told me bien venidos a Ecuador! (Welcome to Ecuador) Literally all of them said that. haha

But ya, I'm being well taken care of by everyone so don't worry about me! I'm not gonna lie Mom...when i was crying in the street and in the ambulence and stuff, half of the reason is because I just really really reallllyyyyy wished I had you with me or could at least call you. I wanted my mommy real bad :( but i have my "mammi" here in the mission and she's been helping me wash and wrap my wound. As she's said "es no igual, pero buenoooo..." haha (It's not the same, but it's all good) is basically a translation. haha. Ya so trauma and joy this week. 3 baptisms. So stoked on that. and we got Alejandro's, the 86 year old, baptism this coming Saturday!! So Machala is doing well overall. Sorry for the sporadic email and I promise I will answer your questions next week Mom!! Miss you all and love you so muchhh!!!!

Oh...... PS send all emails by sunday night!! cause we print Monday morning but don't write till the afternoon. So if it's not there by the time we print, I won't be able to read it (cough cough Rye, Dad, Shells, and Kenz.) I just printed them now anyways so I'll read them tonight, but if you wanna response, do it earlier!) Love you all Until next week...

Madness From Machala (well at least this week),

Hna Abbs Harper