Power of the Priesthood

The day of my half marathon, I was in quite a bit of pain but I figured it was just from being sore. The next day, I woke up and couldn't walk because my foot was in SO much pain. My left foot to be exact, and it was absolutely ON FIRE. The top of my foot hurt the most, but the outer left side hurt too. I wrapped it up with an ace bandage and that did absolutely NOTHING. I walked around on the ball of my foot for the morning while I got ready and when we went to our Temple Recommend interview with the Stake President.

After our interview, we decided to go to InstaCare and see if they could X-Ray it and make sure it wasn't broken or anything. We drove down there and they were closed due to a power outage. Awesome. So we went back home, I elevated it and put some ice on it. We had about an hour to spare before church started, so I figured I could just take it easy. About this time, I also started feeling pretty nauseous.

An hour later, Jake woke me up to go to church. And I couldn't get up. My foot was in HUGE amounts of pain and I felt so sick. Jake insisted I stay home, but he wanted to go without me. OH MY WHAT?! I was SHOCKED! Seriously, he's a different person! He made sure I was all set with drinks and ice for my foot and then he left. And he stayed for all 3 hours. Guys, who is this guy that is masquerading as my husband?!

When he came home, I still felt awful but I had to hurry and get all packed for Girls Camp - we were leaving at 6 AM the next morning and everything had to be packed and loaded in the trailed that night at 7. I made myself get up and hobble around the house, wincing and crying out every time I took a step, and got all packed thanks to Jake running around the house so I could stand in one place. We took the stuff over, got it loaded in the trailer and were talking with the people around us when I felt the INSANELY strong urge to throw up. We excused ourselves and booked it home. Jake got dinner ready for us, and I couldn't eat it. NOTHING sounded good. Jake was starting to get worried and kept saying maybe it would help if I ate something.

I ate some macaroni & cheese and within 5 minutes I was throwing up in the bathroom. 2nd time I had thrown up in my pregnancy, but I felt like I was dying. I came back out, hobbling might I add, and was seriously doubting whether I was supposed to go to camp. How the heck am I supposed to hike around the woods when I can't walk in my house? How am I supposed to do hours and hours of activities without throwing up when I can't stand up more than 5 minutes without feeling nauseous? Let alone do ALL THAT for 5 days?! I told Jake I was worried maybe this was a sign I wasn't supposed to go to camp, but that I really wanted to go so that I could get to know my girls better, and because I was one of the 4 required leaders - they NEEDED me to go. Our ward would be short a person without me. Who else can take a week off their life and just go to camp with that short notice?

A few hours later, around 10:30, I was sure I was dying. Dry heaving again, but nothing would come out. And Jake was getting worried at that point. I decided I wanted a blessing, so I asked him, hesitantly, if he would give me one. He immediately said yes. My mom and I had been texting, so I told her I was getting one and she mentioned a "healing" blessing would be a great idea. I had been planning on having Jake give me what's called a "comfort" blessing. Jake hadn't ever done a "healing" blessing before, and it requires 2 people. And it's almost 11 at night!

We talked about it and decided a "healing" would work better, since I really did need my body to be healed. We tried calling our neighbor, then our home teacher, but couldn't reach anyone. Jake called his brother Clint and he said he would come over but he was in Provo and wouldn't be there for about an hour. Well I needed to go to bed, that wasn't going to work. We decided to call Greg Lovell, a friend of ours in the ward who works a night shift anyway so he was probably awake, and didn't work the next day either. He was awake and about to watch a movie with his wife, who is one of my neighborhood besties and our photographer. He said he'd be right over, just needed to get some oil first {it's used when doing a healing blessing}.

I asked Jake if we could say a prayer to help him get ready and he said he wanted to say one on his own, so he went in the other room for a few minutes and came back. Ok seriously - he wouldn't have acted that way a month ago! He REALLY is changing people.

Greg got there, we talked for a few minutes and then they gave me a blessing. Greg anointed the oil and Jake said the blessing. He didn't mention anything about the baby, but he said multiple times that my foot would be fine, that I would be able to go to camp and do everything everyone else was, and that I would be able to build relationships with the girls that I couldn't build by staying home. That I would be able to help reach the girls and become friends with them. And then he closed it. Seriously, amazing blessing. I LOVE GETTING BLESSINGS FROM MY HUSBAND!!

Greg left, and my foot still hurt but I figured it'd be ok. We went to bed and by the time it was time to get up, it already felt a little better. By the time I got some good walking shoes on it, I could barely feel the pain. I didn't feel nauseous at all. We drove to camp through a super wind-y road and I didn't get sick. I made it through all of camp {don't worry - I will do a real post about camp with the 1000's of pictures I took} and felt fine. The very last night of camp, I started feeling nauseous and threw up in the bushes but that was the only time I felt nauseous until the drive home. That drive home, I felt so sick - we had to pull over 3 different times because I was dry heaving. Didn't throw up, but had to keep pulling over. Talk about embarrassing!

It was a huge testimony builder for me that the Priesthood is real. Jake specifically said I would make it through camp, and I did. As soon as camp ended, I was back to being in pain with my foot {though nowhere near as severe as before} and spent the next 6 days nauseous and throwing up multiple times a day. But while I was AT camp, I was completely healed. I felt fine. Nothing happened to the baby - he/she made it through camp just fine. My foot was able to handle the hikes and all the walking just fine. What an amazing thing the Priesthood is! I am so grateful that Jake can give me blessings, and that Greg was available to come help. And I am SO grateful I made it through camp. It was a wonderful experience and I am so glad I got to go for all 5 days!