On Monday we got a phone call from President, he said nothing had changed for Sister Paulsen's dad, he still hadn't woken up but he assured us that this was normal and he sounded very hopeful.
Tuesday President called again. He had spoken with Sister Paulsen's mum and her father still hadn't woken up. He sounded A LOT more worried. He told us that it was unusual that he hadn't woken up yet and that we should call Sister Paulsen's mum and discuss Sister Paulsen going home. Sister Paulsen and her mum are the only members so the rest of her family and others do not understand missions and didn't understand why she wasn't on a plane right when it happened to be with her father. We decided that she needed to go home to be with her father. 5 hours later she was on an airplane to Copenhagen. It. Was. Crazy. We had to pack all her stuff and try to arrange for the office to bring her passport and for the Petersons (the Senior couple here) to come over and help us pack and then drive us through crazy London Olympic traffic to the airport and we called our zone leader and district leader and they were able to come and give her a blessing and looking back I have NO idea how we did it all. But we did it. And God was with us every step of the way. The roads were absolutely clear, it was literally a miracle. She got on the plane and the Peterson's and I got a bite to eat realising I hadn't eaten all day ( OH and the church got Sister Paulsen a business class ticket so she was able to go into the lounge where they had free food and drinks and all that jazz, we were so so grateful for that) and then the Peterson's drove me to the temple so I could pick up my new fill in companion. :D Her name is Sister Corbett and she is from Orem!! (She went to Orem and graduated my same year but we didn't know each other!) We stole her from the visitors centre. When we got there she was in the middle of a teach so I went with the Petersons, the Kearles (another senios couple that work in the office that I just adore!) and the APs to a delicious little thai restuarant by the temple. :) It was SOOOO weird not to have a companion ha ha but Sister Peterson was my companion... and her husbands companion of course ha ha oh I love the Petersons. They are the ones we have been working with at the YSA centre. I am so glad I was with them through all of this. It has been a very very emotional last week and those days with Sister Paulsen just waiting... my goodness. But I am grateful for them and I am grateful for her example of strength and I am grateful for this gospel.
Wednesday- We woke up and Sister Corbett's eye was all red and swollen and she said it didn't hurt and she didn't have any pink eye symptoms really so we just continued on with our day. District meeting and out teaching.
Thursday- Sister Corbett woke up a few times in the middle of the night because her eye hurt so bad. So when I woke up at 6:30 "Sister Mills... I am in PAIN!" So we went to the hospital and God bless the NHS we were there all day. They said it was infected (ya think?) and gave her some eye drops that she had to put in every hour, day AND night. :S Miserable. And said that there is a bacteria that is in connection with the infection and that if it doesn't get better then it will deteriorate her cornea and she would need to have surgery... :O
Friday- We went back so they could look at it and we were in the waiting room for 3 hours before we went in to see the doctor again and he didn't say much and just referred us to go see another doctor on Saturday. :)
Saturday- Went to see this doctor "Looks like you have an ulcer on your eye" WHAT?! that's what the paperwork of the other doctor said, but this doctor took a look and she it was getting much better, gave us more eye drops and told us we didn't have to put in the ones every hour and that we could sleep through the night- hallelujah!!
So that is the story of the week. Sheesh! ha ha The Wandsworth curse strikes again!! ;) Her eye looks a little better and she said it feels a little better so we are both just patiently doing what the doctors have told us and just trying our hardest to get better. :) We went and got blessings from the Elders on Thursday and oh my days... I have never received such a direct blessing. I was told first of all that the Lord knows of the pain I am going through and the best way that I can serve our Heavenly Father right now is by taking care of myself. Then I was told that these pains would heal eventually over time if I listen to the counsel of the doctors and my leaders, but if I don't that these trials will continue. Wow. It was such a comforting blessing. Sister Corbett's was just as direct as well, exactly what we need to do to get better. I am so grateful for the Priesthood and grateful for experiences like this that remind me how real God is. He is living and that is why the Priesthood is living and able to bless our lives as well.
We were speaking with some of the elders yesterday and we have stopped taking turns at the London Eye, did I tell you we weren't able to do a table anymore, so we were just walking around talking to people, getting emails and such but the police came out and told the elders that were there on Saturday that it was privatley owned land and they couldn't be proselyting there. It has been very clear to us that God doesn't want us right there in the action talking to people and it is so interesting because that's where we think we should be and that's where we want to be but everything is pointing for us to not be there and to just continue in our areas talking to the people that are here for the Olympics. We are still able to talk with many many people, I think especially here in Wimbledon. My favorite was a girl called Helena that we met on the train. She is here from Estonia for the Olympics and she was so sweet and very interested in learning about Jesus Christ and The Book of Mormon. She was sitting there learning Norweigan so I talked to her about all the missionaries I know from Scandenavia or that have served in Scandenavia and then Laney that served in Estonia as well and she loved that! It's so neat how it seems everyone that has been in my life has just been preparing me for the people that I would meet here so I would know certain things that I could speak with them about and then so I can share the gospel with them. I love it!
One bonus about being at the hospital the last few days is they were showing the Olympics in the waiting room. :D ha ha it is so so funny because apparently mens synchronised diving is my sport because everytime we were there or anytime we see the Olympics on... that is what we see. ha ha
Moves is this week. Wednesday to be exact and with Sister Paulsen leaving and a new mission president... I have NO idea what is going to happen. Stay tuned to find out ;) I love you all! Love, Sister Mills
Oh hello I didn't tell you of the MIRACLES!! I have to tell you at least one. Right. So. There is a girl in the ward called Jennie and we were over at hers a few weeks ago for dinner and she was telling us about a friend that she thought would love to hear about the gospel so we invited her to pray that she would have an opportunity to share the gospel with her, so last week at church she said that she was talking to this friend about when they could meet up for lunch and her friend (her name is Aline) asked if Jennie could on Sunday. Jennie explained that she couldn't because she was going to church and this friend said "Oh I have been wanting to go to church, could I come with you?" :) So yesterday was the day. Aline came to church and Sister Corbett and I taught the gospel principles class about The Church of Jesus Christ in former times and The Church of Jesus Christ today and the whole time she was so involved in the class and we would explain things and she would just be there nodding her head and after the class I was speaking with her and she said "I think it was meant to be that I am here today because I was looking at your church online a few months ago and really interested but I thought it was just an American church until Jennie said that this was the church that she belonged to!" And then testimony meeting. :) Ok testimony meeting here in Wandsworth ward is always fantastic! After she was telling me that she loved the feeling there and she wanted to go up there and share with everyone how she was feeling! :) We are going to teach her tomorrow and we are so so very excited. I will let you know how it goes! AND yesterday at church MAL FINALLY CAME!! Mal is the one that came up to us about a month and a half ago on the tube "Mormons? I used to meet with the missionaries but my wife wouldn't let me get baptised but I'm not with my wife anymore. I want to get baptised. I miss the church and Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon. And sisters, I want to go to the temple!" Well he is just going through a lot at the moment and hasn't been able to come to church but yesterday he was able to come and he loved it AND he brought a friend. :) It was glorious.
Sorry this is so so very long. :) Love you!
*Sister Corbett, Ruth Lorenzo, and I at our little tea party. Lisa was taking the picture. :) Lisa's nan passed away a few months ago and left this tea set for Ruth so everytime we go over we have a proper tea party. We love it.
*Pure downpour as we were walking to church. Did we have umbrellas? Yes. Did we get soaked anyways? Of course. This is England. We walked into Relief Society looking like we had just taken a shower wearing our clothes. AND we had to teach the lesson. Ha! That's when we knew it was going to be a brilliant day!
*Team GB :) We have this pin on our bags. ha ha some members gave it to us to make sure we were cheering for the right team!
*Look what we found just now as we were walking to the library- a GOLD post box. I'm pretty sure someone was takin' the mick and spray painted it last night. It smelt like spray paint.
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