So we got to talk to Miles today. First full week in Brazil! And almost two months of being a missionary. He seems very nonchalant about it all. We asked him a lot of questions today on his call.
First and foremost he sent me a video of his foot from yesterday and it does't look good. His socks are too thin (something I worried about before he left) and he got a blister on his heel from walking so much. His foot then started swelling and getting all red and hot. I told him to contact the mission presidents wife and go to the dr asap. She was out of town and everything was closed on Sunday, so he went first thing Monday morning.
He doesn't have his health card yet since he just got there, so he paid out of pocket. It was $2. And they spent 2 min total. Looked at his foot and asked if he dropped something on it, to which he said no and they prescribed 3 NSAID's, one of which is banned in the US and EU and sent him on his way.
Thankfully we have Rachel and Matt who are always giving us great medical advice. Matt said it was cellulitis and told him which antibiotic to get.
I must have texted him 50 times. Don't take whatever that first dr gave you. You need an antibiotic. He was pretty chill about the whole thing he's just wearing a sandal on the fat swollen, red foot. And I was worried he wouldn't go back since it was P-Day and they wanted to do other stuff. This is the kid that wanted to finish working on an engine instead of going to the ER when he had appendicitis.
Thankfully eventually the mission mom became aware and he got into another dr. later that day and they gave him a shot and the right prescription. And multiple Drs confirmed that he should definitely throw out the stuff he got earlier. Yikes. Glad he texted us and so thankful we have all these people who are on it and know what to do!
Its been very hot in Sertoazinho! Like 100 degree plus. And humid. Elise shared her tips for surviving hot and humid nights. They included wet sheets, a fan, frozen towels, etc.
His trainer is the district leader and is awesome and they had 37 appts this week and 15 new contacts. He eats at the members houses 3x per week and he said they give him so much food! He's loving it. And it also is hard to eat so much so he'll have to learn those strategies for avoiding getting overfed, haha. The food is good and he has a lot of fun restaurant options. He likes seeing how cheap everything is!
He can't say much yet. But he is understanding a little more. He says its way harder to understand the Brazilians than the American comps. He told us a couple funny stories about getting noticed by all the teenaged girls. And apparently a group of them followed him for a few blocks. They don't see Americans there and he said there are lots of people that look like they could be American but the lighter eyes and his height make him stand out more. Which is what Elise said about Italy too.
Also I sent him some warheads and he brought a bottle of Chick-fil-A sauce to Brazil. His comp and the other elders that share their apt were very excited about the sauce. And he gave the warhead to a member and he was just dying. They don't have sour candy there. But he loved it and Miles said it was so funny.
He put some sunflower seeds on his patio and the toucan came back and ate them! So cool. He got another photo and this one was so much better. His comps have been there a year and never seen a toucan. The woman in my neighborhood lived in that area her whole life and has only seen one at the zoo. So Miles sees one twice his first week? I think its my dad. My friend lost her son and when she hikes she often, even in poor weather, sees a butterfly and she thinks its a little sign that he's there with them still and I think that is exactly what this toucan is.
The highlight of his week was for sure watching Josie open her call. He was able to watch the live and it was pretty cute to see his reaction (tears). We are all so excited for her! Bakersfield, Spanish speaking! I think that is going to be such a cool experience!
He said he loves reading our emails throughout the week. I just send him little things here and there but I was so grateful he said he loved those because I'll definitely send more now. He sent me a sweet note home from the MTC and it made my week.
I'm trying to encourage him to send weekly emails and I think he will start. I told him if he sends the weeklies, he gets more people emailing him in response and that is fun!
I asked him if the first week was super hard and I think he is finding that so far the field is a lot easier for him than the MTC. Funny how we are all so different. But I'm glad to hear it! Hopefully he can do some work from home and rest up his foot tomorrow.
