Monday, November 23, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey Everyone,

Just thought I would give you all an update on my condition.  As most of you know I saw Dr. Kropf on November 12.  After he reviewed the blood work I had done in Belize he agreed that I should continue with the antibiotics to treat cellulitis .  That weekend my arm got really swollen again with a lot of little welts and lines in my arm that would come and go.  On Sunday a friend of ours was able to get us an appointment with Dr. Coffman who in an infectious disease doc.  I went in the next day and had blood drawn, then saw Dr. Coffman on Wednesday the 18th.  The new blood work and my symptoms all indicated that I have parasitic worms living in my arm!  Probably Toxocara and Strongyloid worms.  He prescribed me a medication that I took for two days. He drew more blood to send off to a lab that will test for other worms also.  Hopefully this week I'll get the labs back, and then probably more medication to kill the "Hatchlings"!  Then hopefully I'll get cleared - then back off to El Salvador/Belize!

While I've been home I've  been blessed to have many opportunities of service! I received a calling to be an advisory to the Young Men to help them see the importance of serving a mission.  I've been serving in the Temple, The Bishops Storehouse, and many other activities! I've gotten the chance to go and talk to the friends and family.  We came to the conclusion that I was brought home for some work that needed to be done here at home. I feel that with this whole situation that I'm in the Lord's hands and he wants me to do something here. I'm thankful for all the Love, prayers and concern that I have received while being home from everyone!

Love, Jake



Thursday, November 12, 2015

Jake Is Home

Hey,

I'm sure many of you already know that Jake is home.  It's been a whirlwind of events.  He has been dealing with an infection and cellulits in his arm for about a month.  The closest doctor that had the credentials necessary to treat him was a three hour bus ride away in Belize City.  He has been on several medications and it was still reoccurring.  Then his attending doctor had to take an unexpected trip out of the country.  So erring on the side of caution the church's Area Physician in Guatemala  decided it was best to send Jake home for treatment.  We got the call on Tuesday that he would be returning home the next day.  Jake was heartbroken to leave his mission but he arrived last night at 9:30 with his usual big smile and positive attitude.  He had an appointment with his regular doctor today and it went great.  Dr. Kropf wants him to finish the round of antibiotics that he is on.  Jake will have blood work done on November 23 and then see Dr. Kropf again on November 25.  If his CBC comes back with good numbers then Jake will be cleared to return to his mission in El Salvador and Belize.

Jake is feeling great and knows that his visit home is in the Lord's hands.  We all realize that Heavenly Father has a plan and purpose for this short visit home.  We feel extremely blessed to have him in our home, and to have him share his experiences and testimony with us.  It is going to be a special Thanksgiving!

Love, Angie & Jeff & Jake



Monday, November 9, 2015

John!

Hey Everyone


This week was pretty cool! First thing cool is all the languages we have encountered in 3 months! Hebrew, Greek, Italian, Chinese, Kriol, English, German, Garifuna, Spanish, Quche and Ebo. Lots of different things her in Belize.

We had 60 people in church this week, which was awesome. Elder Leslie and I brought 5 investigators! We Found this Rosta man,  and this other family that speaks both English and Spanish so when we teach them lessons we have to teach in both languages.
For a spiritual experience, we went to go look for a guy named John. And we walk up to this house and start yelling "John!" and out walks this guy.. and he asks, " Who sent you here?" and us being missionaries we yelled "Jesus!".  He got really excited and said hold on I'll be right down. Turns out, John had just gotten done saying a prayer asking God to send someone to talk to him. He was thinking that one of the members sent us because he talked to one last night so it was expected... but we hadn't even talked to the member so we wouldn't have even known!   Super cool guy.  He was baptized 13 years ago and is starting to come back to church! 

We met some really cool Italians that thought we were going to help them sell weed wackers but when we told them no they stormed off. 

Well this week I've decided that I'm just going to stick with Mac and cheese because it's easy and pretty cheap so that will be my new food of the week!

Not a super long email because we had to go to Belize city today to the doctor to check up my arm.  Now they think I have a staff infection or something and they gave me a bunch of pills to take.  I'll be fine so don't worry!  We also ate at a buffet restaurant that cost us $20 BZD which is expensive. 

Thanks for all the messages everyone!

QUESTONS:
Are you having any more problems with your arm and ankle?  Well my arm swollen up again
but my ankle is doing fine now!

Are you still taking your antibiotics? Yes Mom, I am still taking my medicine - 2 times a day. 

Did you ever figure out how you got the infection or maybe sprained your ankle?  No, they 
don't know what happened. They now think that it might be a staff infection.

How are A and his mom?  Well  We are still working with them.. They didn't come to church this last week because they were gone but we will see if they come back.

Are you still practicing your Spanish? I am still practicing my Spanish. I read in the BoM 
every night in Spanish before I go to bed.

What do you speak most days - English, Kriol, Spanish?  We mostly speak English. Kriol is more of just to open up the people's hearts and to make us look cool.

What kind of service to you perform?  We Raked a bunch of leaves this week. Not sure why but everyone was raking.

Do your church meetings typically run long or short or do they follow the same pattern as 
our church meetings do? The meetings run just the same time as usual.

How do most people get to church - drive, walk, bikes, bus?  Most people have to walk to 
church. There are only two people with cars. 

Did you get you Nike socks in your birthday box?  Haha, yeah I got the Nike socks! Super 
cool!

Is your Ceviche-investigator working on making changes so he can get baptized?  The 
cevivhe was actually made out of gizzard.  Yes, he is trying.  We have some things we have to 
work on with him.

Did you learn anything new about the area you are serving in and how they are related to the Nephites or Lamanites? Well the ruin Lamani... Laminites.... coincidence, I think not... it 
was an actual name found on the temple.

Did you get your tie and your Nike socks in your birthday box?  And, yes, magically the tie 
and the socks were still in it!

Bless Meh Breddas!

Elder Stiles

Monday, November 2, 2015

Sweating Out Of My Eyeballs!

(Jake has had a serious infection in his arm for the last 3 weeks which turned into Cellulitis.  Sounds like he is doing much better - YaY!!)

Elder Jacob Stiles
PO Box 79
San Ignacio, Cayo
Belize, Central America

jacob.stiles@myldsmail.net
elderjacobstiles.blogspot.com


Hey Everyone,

Well this week was pretty good but man was it hot!!!!  I never knew that it was possible to sweat out of your eyeballs but it is!  Usually I don't sweat at all but this week was something else!  I definitely miss the cold. 

Well Monday we went to the doctors to have them do an ultrasound on my arm and it was cool having them put the gel on and seeing the inside of my body! 

We got invited by this guy that we are teaching to go to his $22,000,000 island to go hang out and help him clean it up. Too bad we had to deny his offer.. I told him after the mission we will!  We also had a lesson with an investigator where we made Ceviche and watched the Restoration Movie.  At the end I told him to remember the spirit he felt and he told us that he couldn't forget it and that he felt it like 7 or 8 times.  He is super cool but he has some things in the way of him getting baptized so we will have to continue to work with him.   Here in Belize it's just as hard to get directions with people. They all say you just have to "Go-So" and don't ever give you actual directions.  Also the one investigator that we had just up and left and we don't know what happened to her...  So we are working with a little boy named Alejandro and his mom is a less active and they speak Spanish.  So we will try and get her to come back so we can baptize her son! 


That's all for this Week.  Today we are going to a Mayan ruin so should be a good day!

Bless,  Elder Stiles

QUESTIONS:
How is Elder Leslie's injuries from his bike wreck?  Is everything healing OK?  - Everything is OK with Leslie.

What about your arm and ankle?!  - My ankle and arm are fine as well.

Do you have any idea what happened to your ankle?  - The doctor thinks I sprained it.

Did you get a priesthood blessing?  - Yes, I got a blessing.

Do people in Belize do anything for Halloween?  - The people here just dress up and drink a lot.

Did you have to be in your house early on Halloween?  - Umm, not us but the elders in Belize City did.

Have you been able to baptize "Tiffany" yet?  - No, we have not baptized Tiffany. She has disappeared off the face of the Earth. 

Have you met anymore people or families that you have been teaching?   -
We are teaching a boy named Alejandro. His mom is a member and we hope that he can come to church to be baptized.

Have you preformed any service this week?  - We preform service everyday!  That's the only way people will listen to us if we help them.

What do you do at church each Sunday?  -
In church we basically do everything;  greet, talk, teach the classes, help the Branch Prez after he is done.  Lots of work that has to be here in Belize.. I did not bare my testimony because we went like an hour and a half.

What are the coolest animals you have seen?  - Well the coolest has probably just been the giant lizards here.  They are the same ones we ate in El Salv but they're everywhere!

What do you do in your free time?  - Ha what free time? jk The only free time we have is on Monday and we usually get our hair cut or do something with the other missionaries.

How do you get to Belize City?  Bus or what?  - When we go to Belize we have to take a 3 hour bus ride that we have to stand up on the whole way.

Have you gotten to go to any Mayan ruins yet?  - We are actually going to a Mayan ruin today hopefully.

How's the language coming there?  - The Kriol language is getting easier to understand.

Does the time seem to be going by fast or slow?  - The time goes by crazy fast! Like it seems like every day I'm saying that it's the weekend because it flies by so fast.

Did you ever burn your tie or whatever you're supposed to do at 6 months?  - And, no, I never burned a tie.  I'm not sure if I will but we will have to see.


(click on images to enlarge)

I have no idea what this is a picture of but I'll ask Jake next week.  It's too nice to be his house.

Ultrasound of Jake's arm

Jake & Elder Leslie's bedroom.