Email Home: Monday, November 29, 2021

From: Kaitlyn.garcia@missionary.org
Date: Monday, November 29, 2021
Subject: Cleaning, Pauldalho, and Mayara

Hey hey hey! This week was super busy and we had a lot going on. I can't lie either, this week my patience was tested and I was a little frustrated at times. Companions are part of the mission and you aren't going to love every single one of them and get along super well, but man do I try haha! I love Sister Da Mata but there were times this week that it was very clear our thoughts were on the opposite side of the scale. But everything is good and this week was good too :) I'm gonna answer some of your questions first too before I get into my week :) 

- After taling to you on Thursday we stayed up way to late cleaning the apartment to prep for our blitz 

- We didn't end up having our blitz either, so frustrating. Our STL's did no planning and just thought they would magically appear in Carpina. I don't think they're gonna happen this transfer to say the least 

- I did in fact get all my stuff to be in Brasil and it's no longer temporary ;) 

- This year has gone by super quick! I don't know if it's the mission or if it really is just flying by, but I feel like I was at home yesterday. But at the same time no, it's a weird feeling haha! 

- I have zero clue what's gonna happen for transfers. I think I'm gonna leave but the ward thinks Sister Da Mata will leave. I have some worries about transfers I wont lie, but it is what it is too :) 

Alright now here is my crazy week! 

Monday night started off with so many miracles! We had two referrals to contact and a lesson with Mayara. Infelizmente she didn't answer because she had work until later than she thought. But here's where the miracles started! It's funny how when something falls through the Lord really does open other doors :) We've been getting so so many referrals recently and I don't know why. Like for real so so many! We got so many and after we sent a message they ALL said they were interested and we went times during the week to call back and give a lesson. Get this though! We got a referral for a guy named Filipe. He was super down to hear from us and meet with us again. Okay beleza, but a little while later we got a message from this random lady saying that her fiance gave her our number. She said she wants to learn more too! After a few messages we learned that it's Filipe's fiance! How rad is that?! So now we're gonna teach them this week :) It was seriously so cool! And the rest of our referrals wanted to have lessons too! Miracles are so so real :) 

Tuesday was HOT! It gets hotter everyday I swear. At first it started out as Satan's palace hot, then it escalated to Satan's butthole, but today it was like Satan ate a ghost pepper or something. If I wasn't in front of the ventilador  I was sweating buckets. Gross I know! Today started off so so good too! I had a really good study, I always love the days that start with great studies:)  Anyways, after our studies and lunch we just had so many lessons! We seriously had such a full afternoon and get this! Sister Da Mata was sleepy like all day so I got to do more talking and teaching. I wish more of it was in person but oh whale, I'll take what I can get :) We had some really solid lessons and people were pretty receptive. We also had a lesson with Mayara! We just need to go over the commandments with her so simple ya know? I'm just hoping and praying that all goes well for her so she can be baptized :) She's so ready! Once it got later I realized that I had quite the task in front of me. We promised cookies for DC because it's our last one in person for the transfer on Thursday. We have exchanges this week so I won't have a ton of time to do it. That meant that when 8pm hit I started making cookies. Not only that but Sister Da Mata promised cookies for some of our members that we're gonna see on Wednesday. It's a big family too so I have to make two batches. It was quite the night going between the kitchen and then the living room to give lessons. Let's just say I was totally beat and so sleepy by the end of the night. We also learned that we low key have a stalker that was a member referral haha! We both don't feel good about J Barros so we think we need to stop teaching him. He's also low key obsessed with Sister Da Mata and she doesn't feel good about anything. Anyways, I think that's about it for Tuesday haha! 

Wednesday! How is it already Wednesday?! Sometimes mission time doesn't even seem real haha! That's why I gotta soak up every minute of it ;) Wednesday was another cookie making day. Somehow we promised to bring cookies to DC on Thursday so I needed to get going on em. The cookies I made before were for Irmã Renata and Irmã Roberta so I was starting from scratch. I always wanted to be the mom that had fresh cookies at her house when her kids came home from school, yeah maybe not so much anymore haha!  We had a pretty low key day. No one really wanted to talk to us and all our phone calls went to voicemail:/ We had a few lessons but nothing too crazy. We did teach the Restoration to a woman who said she follows a prophet on YouTube. What?! Let's just say she didnt really agree with what we had to say haha! Wednesday went by pretty quick too. Mainly my focus was stupid cookies and trying to teach and not burn anything. I honestly felt like such a trash missionary. I don't know how to really explain it but I just felt like I don't know what I can do for our friends and members here. It only got worse as the day went on and by the time it was dinner we had to be at Irmã Roberta's. I was struggling so much. Again I don't even know how to explain what was going on, but for starters I couldn't even say a prayer! It was literally like I was having a stroke or something. I don't know what my deal was but it was just not good. Anyways, we of course got fed a literal TON of food as always haha! I think she was trying to make me feel at home for Thanksgiving ;) She did say I was looking a little skinny and that I needed to eat more. We finished off the night at Irmã Roberta's house and when we got back to the apartment I had a job to do. I needed to finish up making my cookies yo have them for DC. It was quite the task and my alma was literally already sleeping haha! 

Thursday! The big cookie day AND turkey day! Happy happy Thanksgiving!! I loved getting to talk to you too! Even if it wasn't the longest call it was still good :) It was honestly something I was looking super forward to :)  Thursday was the big cookie day too haha! I ended up skipping exercise time to finish getting the cookies made and I did it. I got them all done by 8:20am, hopped in a quick shower, was ready to head out the door by 8:30am, and made it to the capela all by 9am. It was quite the morning honestly! We had a solid DC today and after we ate our cookies and had some Fanta as always. It was our last one in person because next week we have an all mission meeting. This transfer went by so fast honestly! We left straight from the chapel to get to Irmã Silvainas house for lunch. That woman is interesting to say the least. We had to cancel lunch with her last time because Sister Da Mata was on her death bed and since then she hasn't liked us. We ended up being a little late because the van we were in was stopped forever waiting for people. Anyways, I just kept praying that she would be nice to us and not put anything in our food haha! Thankfully the Lord is merciful and she was nice to us! We actually had a really good lunch and by the end of it she was calling us 'amores' But algo estranho aconteceu. I don't know how but somehow we got to talking about surgery and the recovery process. She then was really open with us and was telling us that she had a breast reduction surgery a while back. If that wasn't weird enough, do nada she goes, "Vocês podem ver né?" She walks over to us and pulls down her dress to show us her scars. Yep. That happened. I saw the chest of one of our members. My mission will forever have stories to tell I think. After that I was in shock that it actually happened and I wasn't dreaming or something. Brazilian people are 100000% open with anyone and everyone. But the good news is, she likes us now so I guess that's what matters? Thursday was kind of a busy day but we had such a good lesson with our new friend Marciano! We taught him the Restoration and he accepted a Book of Mormon. He lives in the neighboring city so on Saturday while we're in Pauldaho we're gonna take him um livro :) I'm super excited for him and I get good vibes ya know? But we also don't know a ton about him so I don't wanna get my hopes up. We had some good lessons to finish out the day too! Overall it was a pretty good day :) 

Friday was just the craziest day haha! It started off early by heading into Recife to get my card thingy at the airport. A while back I had to go and get some paperwork done so that I can live here and not get shipped back to the states before my mission is over ;) On Friday we had to go get my card that says I did all that stuff and I'm good. We got to the airport and ended up spending the whole morning there. We had almost all the Americans there too so my brain was exploding and trying to go between english and portugues. It was quite the time haha! We ended up having our lunch at the airport again with two Elders from the mission office. It's weird to be with them honestly because we have transfers soon and I know they know stuff but won't say anything to us. I honestly have no idea what's gonna happen though. We had one of our members call us and said she was having a hard time recently so we created a plan and planned for our day finally haha! We had a lot to do and literally no time. We got back to the apartment around 3pm and had a list of things to do. I wont get into it but I was a little frustrated that things didnt get done. I love Sister Da Mata but our work ethic (and sometimes priorities) are very different. We were supposed to take a Livro De Mormon to one of our friends but we had to get to the dentist for Sister Da Mata again so it didnt end up happening:/ After the dentist we had "time" (but not really ya know?) and Sister Da Mata wanted to stop at the store to get stuff to make a cake because she wanted to go to Irmã Renata's house. I sent messages and had lessons while she made a cake. It's hard because I have no room to talk, I made cookies this week. But I also made them after 9pm, not when we had stuff to do. It is what it is though:) We ended up at Irmã Renata's and it was fine. I love her and her family :) It was a slower day but I was tired. I think us staying up late to clean and then sitting in the car forever today didnt help haha! Oh! We also didnt end up having exchanges and it was a whole mess. Honestly Friday was just a mess but we're alive and thriving I promise :) 

Saturday was our big day trip to Paudalho! Whatta day it was too haha! For starters we had an absolute miracle and made it there by 12pm! On the weekends the buses get super backed up and go slow so we left at 10:45am to make sure we were in Irmã Neide's house by 12pm. God is good and we were able to get there:) I love Irmã Neide and her family too! Shes obsessed with Chriatmas and she was showing us all her Christmas decorations and talking to us about how she hopes that nothing will happen with transfers so we're both here for Christmas. Her kids are also the cutest! Gabriel loves to ask my things in English, Iasmym loves to play with my hair and bracelets, and Jermaine wanted to know all about Herriman haha! Let's just say our conversations at the table were all over the place! As we were getting ready to go we asked how to get to one of our new friends house to take a Book of Mormon. Both Irmã Neide and her son Jermaine told us that we shouldn't go near that side of town and to tell our friend that we tried and couldn't find it. They were genuinely worried about it and we've been getting some weird vibes from Maciano the past few times we've talked to him. We decided to just take a Book of Mormon to our other new friend, Thiago, instead. We didnt end up going to Maciano's and I'm glad we didn't. He sent some weird messages too so that didnt help at all haha! You'll never guess what I saw too! As we were walking I saw a 10 year old that was literally using a binky. What?! It was crazy and both Sister Da Mata and I were so confused. Anyways, we grabbed a van back to Carpina and made our way back to the apartment. I swear it's getting hotter and hotter every single minute. The van ride back I was seriously sweating more than I thought I could ever sweat. I think the weirdest part is that my brain thinks it's should be cold outside but it's not even close haha! When we got back to our apartment we got going on our lessons and contacts for the day. We had a pretty good amount of green on our area book today so that was nice :) Saturdays we normally just invite to church so it's simple but for some of our friends they're lessons ya know? The night went by pretty quick too and before I knew it, I needed to write in my journal and get to bed. Being in the sun all day today and walking up the hills of Pauldalho literally wiped me out. All the hills there are like the switch backs on the trail by my house. It was a good day :) 

Sundayyyyy!!! I LOVE Sunday's! Honestly today though I was a little stressed haha! Today was all over the place too so that didn't help at all. We started the day already stressed because Mayara stopped responding to us and we had no idea if she was going to be able to watch on our link today. When we got to the capela she still hadn't answered and I just started praying for a miracle honestly. God is too good and just as sacrament was starting we got a message from Mayara! Basically shes been sick since Saturday (and she sounds sick too:/) so that's why she wasn't responding. After a lot of luto, we finally got the link to work for her and she was able to watch! Miracles literally happen all day everyday :) Church went by so fast today too, I don't know if it was because we were trying to get the link to work or what but it all went by super fast. We had money for lunch today so we had a chiller day when it comes to that aspect. We of course made some rice and had some salchica too. Did you know that in Scooby-Doo Shaggy's name in portugues is Salchica?! Anyways, we had out lunch and then had 2 lessons. We had one fall through but the other was with Mayara. She really is so so prepared! We went over some commandments and she literally has no problems with anything. I think something fishy is up because everything is going too smoothly haha! Aftet our call with her we headed back to the church for our Conselho. Irmão Eric was there a little early too to talk to us and see what's up with the area. Our biggest struggle is getting people to church because our area is so big. He's always super sweet and just thanks us for keeping the faith and not giving up. We also got to talk about Mayara and her baptism in Conselho and Irmão Cicero is super happy haha! We had a family night planned but it ended up falling  through (thankfully!) So we headed back to get our weekly planning done. On our way back we met this super strange couple that was selling bananas and talked to us for 30 minutes. It was the weirdest conversation too. The wife was telling us that the devil was trying to kill her with VICKS. It was quite the story haha! We got back and got I to our weekly planning. We have a busy week ahead of us so hopefully everything works out and goes as planned :) it's the last week of the transfer though so who knows. That's about it for this week! I love you forever and for always! :)