Happy Christmas and then some!

Welp! Christmas was magical! I had so much fun SKYPEing home! It was so good to see everyone! Best Christmas present ever. I'm so blessed to have such a happy, excited, vibrant, gospel loving family. Thank you for your encouragement and upliftment! I sure do love you guys!!!

So Christmas was fantastic, but that night Sister Clark started getting all achy and feverish. We talked to the Elders who gave us a ride to the Christmas party, and they were feeling the same way. I was still feeling good, but a little nervous, since everyone but me was not looking so good. The next morning we called Sister Ogden - we were her 10th phone call of the morning! Apparently about 1/3 of the mission is sick right now! A lot of it stemmed from the Christmas Eve party - one elder had swine flu! Yikes! And now 40 companionships are out of commission. I eventually got sick the following evening, but not as bad as everyone else. We have fevers, aches, and bad coughs. The branch president's wife, Sister Retallic, is taking us to the doctors today - Hooray! I imagine it will be a joyful time.....waiting in the health clinic, with lots of other sick friends.....she also made us soup and brought us some fruit and other things, which was a BIG help! We talked to Garry Barnes on the phone and he asked us what we needed - we almost had no food. He told us to give him a list of everything we needed or wanted. The next day he and his adorable family showed up with five grocery bags of food - they got all we asked for and more. So....we are staying alive, thanks to the Barnes and the Retallics - such kind people!

There's not much to report on since I've been stuck inside the flat for four days....it's realllllly interesting being sick on the mission. Activities: I read all my journals from the past year; wrote in my journal, listened to the mission Christmas CD on repeat for five to seven hours; learned how to play Backgammon; discussed Korea with Sister Clark; discussed the possibilites of having parcore as a secret talent; coughed; read the longest chapter in Jesus the Christ which included John the Baptist being beheaded, dodge about Mary Magdalene, and some speculation on Beelzebub; read almost the entire Christmas Ensign; looked at pictues; slept; found the courage to shower; read through the area book; made phone calls; made Sister Clark pinky swear that she would no longer support 'In and Out burgers' in an attempt to make BYU less main stream; listened to Brett Raymonds CDs (most kitchy LDS singer of all time-- does the sassy rendition of Book of Mormon stories on "Sounds for Sunday"). Wow! - long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long days. The best part is that Sister Clark sounds like a man when she talks, and I haven't worn make-up for days! Stick out your tongue and say yee-ha!

The church is still true. Please pray for the mission and us so that we will all be able to return to full health soon! We hope to get back out there to teach and preach and do as missionaries do as soon as possible! xoxoxo love, madie