We were all excited for the chance to talk on the phone this past Sunday. It seemed like it would never come and then poof, it was gone in a blink. I kept thinking that Jessie would call us some time during the week to tell us when and where to call her on Sunday. But alas, no contact……..no information. So, being the ever diligent mother I am (maybe I’m just stalker-ish) I went to church in the morning and then ran home as soon as the three hours were done. (Sorry folks! Relief Society duties had to wait…..no meetings that afternoon!)
I waited. Ate. Waited. Slept. Waited. All the while the phone was right next to me (yes, even in the bathroom…..gross!) and still………no call…….no Jessie. The day was quickly waning and I was afraid I wouldn’t get to talk to her. Finally at around 4:30 pm she called! Yahoo! But wait! She called to say she couldn’t talk just then. They had to go to someone’s house so her companion, Hermana Beltran, could call HER mother in El Salvador. Okay, then when can we talk? Jessie gave me the phone number and we agreed I would call her at 8 pm Puerto Rico time.
So at 6 pm mountain time, on the dot (of course!), I called the number she gave me. It turns out no one was home at Hermana Beltran’s house so she didn’t get to talk to her mother. (The poor thing. L I felt bad for her.)
But, finally Jessie and I were able to talk. First she explained what had been happening that day, then she went on to explain the weeks previous. Apparently Hermana Beltran has been very ill for a while. To add to it, she contracted a virus (or something) which has caused vomiting and diarrhea. Yuck! When Jessie’s email chat with me ended abruptly the Wednesday before, it was because Hermana Beltran passed out at the library. They had to wake her up and get her back to the apartment. And, Hermana Beltran isn’t the only one who is sick. Hermana Peterson, who is Hermana Jiminez’s companion, in Ponce has the same illness. They’re both extremely ill.
Jessie tells me that Hermana Peterson was stuck in the apartment for two weeks, so of course, Hermana Jiminez was stuck too. In order to keep working Jessie was driving to Ponce (40 minutes away) from Adjuntas to get Peterson and Jiminez, and then driving back to Adjuntas. The two sick sisters were staying in the Adjuntas apartment during the day (2 bathrooms – thank goodness!) while the two healthy sisters went tracting. Poor Jessie never got any rest at all during this whole thing.
By the way…….apparently Ponce is VERY hot and uncomfortable, while Adjuntas (in the mountains) is cool and comfortable. Another good reason for the sick girls to take refuge in Adjuntas.
While Jessie and I were talking (37 minutes into our allotted 1 hour talk time) she was beeped with an incoming call from President Alvarado. It seems, prior to my call, the girls had called the mission president to tell him that Hermana Beltran never got to speak to her mother. I think they were hoping she’d get to call the next day. So, since the incoming call was from the mission president, I told Jessie I’d call back in a few minutes and I hung up.
Well, I did call back……..again and again and again. Boy, that’s a long talk with the president! When I finally got through about 40 minutes later I found out that President Alvarado had patched Hermana Beltran through to her mother through his phone. How great is that?!? She got to talk to her mother after all. I felt bad I had been beeping in over and over. And to add to it………..she definitely didn’t talk for her allotted hour. I hope it wasn’t my fault!!!
Finally, Jessie and I reconnected. We talked for a few minutes and then Kyle got on the phone and talked with her for a short while. (Cody, the dog, even had a minute with her…….he was snuffling the phone and shaking………he misses his girl, Jessie.) After she and Kyle spoke her time was up, so I was ready to say goodbye when she asked if we could have family prayer together in Spanish. Heck, yes!!! (Of course, neither Kyle nor I speak Spanish…..still…….) So, I put the phone on speaker and Kyle, Cody, and I kneeled at the couch for prayer. About halfway through the prayer the phone disconnected. Really?!? While I was dialing her back, she called in to us. She started over and we finished the prayer. Then it was goodbye until Christmas.
Jessie and I could’ve easily talked for hours. Hardly anything was covered during our interrupted conversation and I felt a little gipped. Still, it was most wonderful to hear her voice and know that she is well. I suspect there will weeks of non-stop conversation when she gets home from her mission. Jessie is a talker and she’s not been able to share everything with me through our interrupted emails and then this call. At least I know she’ll want to share when she comes home, so I can wait.
Jessie wants everyone to know how much she LOVES getting your letters. Although she doesn’t have time to write back, she wants you to know she appreciates you and your loving support. So do I. Knowing she’s getting more than a letter from me each week is very comforting for this mother. Hey, her brother hasn’t even written her yet! Thank heaven for all of you!!!!!
Although she still feels inadequate in her grasp of the Spanish language, she’s functioning well and doing the work. She’s still struggling with adapting to the Puerto Rican culture and the ways of the people, but she’s trying and I’m sure it will become second nature to her soon. She’s been out long enough that there’s a chance she’ll soon be a trainer for one of the new sisters expected to arrive in Puerto Rico. To be honest, the thought of it scares her because she says there’s so much Spanish vocabulary she still doesn’t know. Regardless, she’ll make a great trainer whenever it happens and those under her tutelage will be blessed.
Please keep praying for her. She feels your faith and support and it keeps her going during the challenging times. Love to all of you!
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