Indonesia - Week 6

> Hello all!!!
> It feels like I haven't written in a month...but I'm still alive! So I’m sure as many of you all know, last Monday I woke up with a very sharp pain in the left side of my lower back. At first I thought it was from sleeping wrong, so I tossed and turned a bit, but to no avail. I decided to get up to get some Ibuprofen, but I couldn't even make it out of the doorway of our room because of the pain. I came back in and fell on the bed, the pain was unbelievably strong. I'd say that it was easily the most pain I'd ever felt in my life. So anyway we go to the hospital, they do some x-rays and CT scans and determine that I have a kidney stone! WHAT?!? How does that even happen?? Kidney stones are typically found in MALES ages 30 to 50...so OF COURSE it happens to me! Haha. The doctors aren't sure of the cause of kidney stones, some say it's genetic, some say it's not drinking enough water. The next morning I was treated using a shock therapy thing called Lithotripsy (high-energy shock waves are used to disintegrate the stone). They gave me some drugs so I wasn’t in too much pain. I stayed at the hospital til Wednesday morning, then I came to the mission home at Senopati where I’ve been staying for the past week. I think I’m getting better, for the past couple nights I haven’t woken up with any sharp pains, so that’s good. I still don’t know if I’ve passed the pieces of stone yet, the doctor said it would be like tiny pieces of sand, barely visible. I’m hoping that since I haven’t felt any sharp pains recently that that means it passed…or at least the bigger pieces anyway.
> It has been so nice staying here at “Hotel Senopati”, the other missionaries call it. President and Sister Marchant have taken very good care of me, I am so grateful for their hospitality! They’ve made me feel very at home here. Sister Marchant even let Sister Mongan and I help her decorate their Christmas tree. That was really nice and it definitely made it feel a little more like Christmas here, since the weather is no help.
> Oh, last Thursday Sister Hewlett taught the English class alone (since I was out of commission) and apparently she decided to teach them hospital vocabulary and words to use when you’re sick, so the children all made me ‘get well’ cards! I about cried as I read each one. It was SO cute!
> Yesterday we had Zone Conference (my first one in the mission field)! It was neat, even though I understood less than half of it. Presdient and Sister Marchant spoke, along with all the missionaries who are leaving before next conference. Each of the Sisters got matching batik skirts, and the elders matching batik ties just as a fun gift from President and Sister Marchant. I love the skirt! Batik is a very popular fabric made in Indonesia. The good batik is hand made with this big metal stamp thing, and I guess it takes a really long time. It’s so beautiful! I’ll have to send pics next email. All of the sisters here sang “The Olive Tree” for conference. It turned out really well! Sister Millecam took pics so I’ll try to get a copy of those. Mom, I thought you’d like to know that!
> Anyway, I’m so grateful for this Christmas season. Being in bed this past week has allowed me plenty of time to ponder about our Savior and what He did for us. I want to share a little message with you that came to me one night as I was trying to sleep:
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> During this time of gift-giving in celebration of Christ’s birth, I hope we remember that the value of a gift is not measured with dollars and cents, but rather with love.
> In John 15:13 it says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
> I testify that Christ’s love for us is so great that He suffered for every pain, sickness, temptation, grief, sorrow, and sin that every human has and would ever face. He paid the ultimate price and laid down His own life, providing a way for us to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven. This Atonement is the greatest gift the Savior could give to us. It was purchased with His precious blood, and proffered in perfect love; a gift with a value that no price could match.
> Let us learn from the Savior’s example that the gifts we give need not cost a worldly treasure, but perhaps require instead a sacrifice of self: our time, effort, or care. The greatest gifts we can give are ones from the heart, presented with love…gifts without a price tag.
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> I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas this year, always remember the Reason for the Season!
> I love you all!
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> Dengan Kasih,
> Sister Okamoto