So I'm allergic...... to the Philippines?!?!?!

Well this has been kind of crazy week. So on Tuesday I finished the antibiotics that I have been taking and there really wasn't too much better so I texted Sister Tobias again. Finally she told me that I needed to get a chest x-ray and see a doctor. So Wednesday we went to Bacolod. I got the chest x-ray and then proceeded to the doctor. Now, let me explain something to you all about doctors in the Philippines. You don't really make appointments. You show up and get your name on a list. And then the doctor sees the people in order of the list. No, it is not actually 1850 here in the Philippines but yes, sometimes I feel like it is. Well turns out I was going to be #16 on that list. Oh and yeah, she only works from 12pm-5pm everyday. Well there was no way that was going to happen. So I texted Sis. Tobias. She told me to go see another doctor. Well he is only there for half day on Wednesday and so he wasn't there anymore. So i took the x-ray back to the lab. Then Sis. Tobias called and said that the other doctor actually was there. So I got the x-ray again and went back upstairs. Well he wasn't actually there, a secretary told her incorrect information. At this point I was about to freak out, but I kept my calm, continued to act like a missionary and just waited for Sis. Tobias to text back again. She told me just to get my name on the list for the other doctor for tomorrow. GAH!!! I did not want to come back to Bacolod AGAIN! But that was what we had to do. So on Thursday we went back to Bacolod. She looked at my x-ray, it was clear. She asked me lots of questions about my symptoms and then her final diagnosis is that I have allergies. REALLY?! Allerigies! She thinks it's because of all the air pollution there is here and all the dirt an all that. Yeah, I'm not sure I really buy that. I've been here for 8 months and never had problems before and I lived in Utah for 5 years which has some of the worst air pollution ever. So she prescribed me ANOTHER antibiotic to be sure it wasn't an infection and also some allergy medicine. So I'm taking it... I feel like my blood is probably running white now because I have taken so many drugs lately, but there you have it. I'm trying to anything to get healthy. But in the meantime we just keep working... can't stop working!

In other news on Friday, Brother Joel Demandar, the husband of Jeannette our recent convert had his baptismal interview and he passed! This will be my first complete family baptisms and I am SOOOO excited. He is ELECT. Like one of the most elect ever. For example, we were teaching him about the 10 commandments. We get to the "Thou Shalt Not Kill" one, everyone always kind of laughs about this one, because usually it's not really a problem for anyone. But of course I was still teaching the doctrine. Then I said that we have to understand that sometimes there are exceptions. He immediately says: "Yeah, Sis, like with Laban and Nephi. Nephi was commanded to kill Laban because the Lord told him to." OH MY GOSH! He is amazing. Who remembers that stuff when you aren't even a member yet?! He not only remembers what he reads but he understands it and applies it. Also as we were teaching him the 10 commandments, he was marking each of them in Mosiah 13 so that he wouldn't forget what each of them were! Man, he is so great and we are way excited for his baptism. And of course they are all really excited to go to the temple in a year. I am excited for them as well and told Sis. Jeannette that if they make that happen that I will come back for their sealing. And I will. They are my FAVORITE family of my whole mission. I don't think that anyone else will ever quite compare. They are awesome and so strong and just awesome.

We also got the opportunity to go and watch the broadcast of the Jubilee celebration that happened Manila this last Saturday. We will have our local celebration on May 14th, but the big one in Manila was this last week. It was awesome. The dancing was so cool and so much fun. It's just so great to get to be here during the 50th anniversary of missionary work in the Philippines. I truly feel like I am part of a great legacy here and that is awesome.

Okay, well I'm out of time and have many things to do today. I love you all and miss you and hope that everything is going great!

Sister Jackson

Pictures from my birthday!!!