When It Rains, It Pours

**Warning: Abnormally Long Post Ahead!**

Last week on The Chronicles of Moldova:
Michelle notices that her internet in the apartment isn't working. She goes to the router and unplugs it and plugs it back in hoping that it will fix the problem. Well, it doesn't. So, after running a diagnostic test on the wireless she makes the decision to "restart" the router. Little did she know that performing this action would make the internet cease to exist in the apartment for almost 5 days.

And now for tonight's episode of the The Chronicles of Moldova:
When I woke up last Thursday I thought that the day was going to be fabulous. It had snowed outside and it was gorgeous, I wore the perfect outfit with my perfect boots so I would not be wet and cold, and I would complete a fairly large task on my to do list. Well, you know the saying "when it rains, it pours?" Well, since we have been having snow here I would change that phrase to "when it snows, it avalanches!" (I don't even think that's a word) I had to go to the medical clinic to begin working on the process of obtaining my living permit. At the clinic I had to see like 8 or 9 doctors and have certain tests run. Well, one of those tests included a chest x-ray checking for TB. Nelly and I walk into the room and there is a woman and man sitting at the desk. They tell me to go behind the sheet (in full view of the man) and take off everything from the waist up. Then, I was to walk into the next room coming into view of everyone in the room! In the next room was a large, rusty, metal, green time warp-looking machine that he named the x-ray machine. I stepped up into it and he shut the door (imagine rusty metal scraping together). I had a thought for a second that I had just been locked in a furnace and would be the entertainment for the day. Well, there was this big, COLD metal square that I had to press my body against and hug. The doctor told Nelly to tell me, "Don't talk, Don't laugh, Don't breathe." Once he took the x-ray I walked back into the first room where there were other people coming in who were ready for their turn. As you can see, privacy is not the same here in Moldova as it is in the States!

Later, Nelly, Rafael and I were on the rutiera going to the office. Jennifer called me and after I hung up the phone I put it in my jacket pocket. When I pulled my money out to pay the driver I think my cell phone came out with it and fell on the seat beside me. When I realized that I had lost my phone on the rutiera, Rafael called it and it was turned off. Not that I'm assuming anything but I'm pretty sure the boy sitting next to me on the Rutiera stole it. Rafael and I defended the poor kid by saying that his mom probably needed a heart transplant and they did not have money. So he needed my phone in order to sell it to get money to get his mom a new heart. And through this heart transplant both he and his mom will meet Jesus and then he will write me a letter apologizing for his theft and put in the ocean hoping that maybe one day it will get to me.

Then...the icing on the cake. I came home real quick to get my cell phone contract and a few other things for Bible study and then was going back to meet Nelly to go get a new phone, visit our friend Nadea, and then go to Bible study at church. Well, I left my apartment and was walking to the Rutiera. In route there a dog came running out of another apartment building and was barking at me as I walked by. When I passed it, it came running after me and I guess its yapping attracted other random dogs because before I knew it there were like 3 or 4 right behind me barking and following me as I walked. I did not turn around to acknowledge them, nor did I speed up or anything. Normally, they just go away. Well, this time one of those suckers ninja attacked my leg and bit the mess out of it. When I got to the rutiera I felt behind my leg and felt a hole in my jeans but did not see blood on my hand. All I knew was that my leg was burning and it hurt. So, I rode the 35 minutes in the rutiera crying the whole way to meet Nelly. All I could think about was Rabies and I was waiting to start foaming at the mouth!

So I met Nelly, we got a new phone and we went to Nadea's house. Well, I finally was able to look at the bite in the mirror and realized that it was much more serious than I was thinking. Nadea's husband called the doctor and the doctor said to wash it with soap and water, take and allergy pill (yes), and then call the ambulance. So, that's what we did. The ambulance arrived and the EMS people looked at my leg and said "come with us." So, I hopped in the ambulance and proceeded to the ER. Many things happened at the ER, but when I finally saw the doctor he had me come into the room where he had just finished working on another lady. I walked in to see bloody gauze and cotton, bloody tools, and fluids on the bed. Then, Dr. What's His Face tells Nelly that she can't be in the room with me and motions for me to lie down on the fluid infested bed. Eek! He looks at my leg, cleans it, bandages it, sends me home, and tells me to go to another clinic the next day to be tested for Rabies.

We go to one clinic the next morning who takes my blood but then tells me to go to another clinic because there is a doctor who specializes in Rabies. Ok...here we go again. We go to her clinic and she is not there. Her assistant tells us to come back the next day (Saturday) between 10am and 12pm. Frustration. THEN, we come back the next morning and (shocker) she isn't there. We waited almost 2 hours and she never came. "Veronica the Shark" goes and finds the chief of the clinic and tells her the situation. The Chief does her chiefly duties and calls the doctor and tells her to come into work. So, I finally see her and after assessing the wound and asking questions she decides that I need to be treated for Rabies. :(

She says that she can do the first treatment that day but needs to know if I am allergic to anything. Stupid me says that I think I might be allergic to Penicillin. That sends her into a tizzy and she then refuses to do the treatment there and says I MUST go to the hospital and stay A FEW DAYS. Um, excuse me...WHAT?? On the road again. We get to the number 2 hospital where the doctor told us to go and I see a sign that says 'Obstetrician.' Uh, Veronica, I think we are in the wrong hospital. I do not plan on giving birth today! We finally found the right one and the doctor there said that I would have to stay overnight so they could make sure I would not have an allergic reaction to the vaccine. Well, the tears just fell. Part anger, part terror. Foreign country, foreign hospital, foreign language, foreign medical care...yeah, the life of a missionary. He said that if I would not stay overnight then he would refuse to treat me and I would not find treatment anywhere else in Moldova. So, I was admitted into the hospital to get a simple shot for Rabies. I was taken to my room where there were 5 beds. 3 were occupied by other women just staring at me as I walked in and started crying again. I was so glad Irina and Veronica were with me because they just kept telling me "it's fine, it's fine!" I think the nurses understood how uncomfortable I was with the whole situation because a few minutes later the nurse came to me and told me to follow her where she put me in a room by myself. PTL! The room that she put me in was much cleaner as well.

Then it came time for the shotS. Yes, 2. I was only expecting one and then when she pointed to the lower hip region I simply thought "oh crap!" Then I went back to my room where Irina and I talked for hours about life. I will say that I really enjoyed hanging out and talking with her. She is a wonderful, wonderful woman and was so encouraging to me. Veronica came back around 8:30 and with her came Alex, Fyodor, Rafael, and Marc! They stayed for 30 min. and then left Veronica and I to the wonderful world of hospital land. Veronica brought my laptop and Elf so we watched it before we went to sleep. I might have gotten 2 hours of sleep all night. I just wanted to be out of there and in my own bed...well, Veronica's bed :) The doctor let me leave at 8am but I have to go back on Tuesday for my 2nd treatment and will possibly stay all day at the hospital. Please pray for only an hour or 2 of observing.

My treatment will be once a month for 6 months. I think after this second one I will be able to go back to the Rabies doctor and she can administer the rest. That way I won't have to go to the hospital every time and stay to be observed.

THEN...today as I am leaving church and coming home I'm thinking that things will hopefully start getting better. As I'm thinking this I step on some black ice in the road and fall right on my hip. I am now sporting a nice large bruise there...and yes, it's the same leg as my dog bite. I'm telling you, someone needs to cast out this demon in my life! Haha!

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement and love. It's definitely been a tough week full of challenges but I am always reminded of His faithfulness and love. All of these things could very well have happened in the States so I'm not longing and yearning to be home. I love it here and I love serving here. I would really appreciate your continued prayers for my treatment. Rabies and infection are VERY serious and I am praying that God would heal me of any potential threat of either. I know it's in His hands! So, here's the crazy update of my life! I know it's long and if you survived the whole post then I congratulate you!

Nelly, I hope you had your laugh today ;)

The ambulance...not the one I rode in...but looks just the same

Just got home from the ER. The funny thing was that the wound was above my knee, but the doctor bandaged my knee. Not real sure about that one!

The bite. To make myself feel better I pretended that I was bitten by Edward Cullen :) (For you, Dana!)

Up close and personal.

My hospital bed. There were 3 more on the other wall.