Email from Mom: Saturday, February 12, 2022
From: Mom
To: Kaitlyn.garcia@missionary.org
Date: Saturday, February 12, 2022
Subject: Welcome to Recife
Hey! How are you? How is it being in Recife? How is your training
to be an STL going? I have been thinking of you so much this week. I
cannot even begin to imagine what life is like each and every single day
as a missionary. You have such full schedules already and then you get
moved in a 24 hour period and then you are in a new area doing new
things and it is supposed to just be a 'go with it' and do it with a
smile too. I admire the heck out of you that you can do it all. I am
afraid I would have failed and come home early if I had ever made the
choice to serve a mission. :)
This week
here was another week. Always something that comes up you know and some
weeks are better than others. This is one that I want to not do again
ever again. :/ I'll fill you in in a bit. Brooklyn was back to school
this week and doing what she can to catch up on anything she missed
while in Kauai. She had to do the mile for Probert and she loved that he
started to call her 'Hawaii Girl' because he asked why she was so tan
and where she had been. Funny. She still looks dirty. I cannot believe
still how dark she got in a week there. I bet you and her will have some
comparing to do when you get home. :)
I
had an early dinner one night with Angie Camara Manoel. She is doing all
she can to avoid talking about the ugly situation they have inside
their home with Anna right now and I want to be able to help but I am
learning probably like you have had to ... that unless someone is open
and WANTS the help (or in your case to hear about the Gospel) they
simply won't take it. It is seriously so hard. I can tell her whole
person is hurting you know? I can tell she would love to just scream out
loud and see if someone will just let it happen. I tried to remind her
that there is no judgement being put at her feet by me and that I all
want is to be able to help lighten her load, in any way I possibly can,
and she swears she knows that. I just pray that if the day ever happens
she will really reach out.
Masks at home
and in states around the US are really starting to go away a lot. The
government is trying super hard to say they are glad they implemented
them and that they really worked yet there are so many conflicting
things too that they are trying to say in the next breath that they
totally believe that in the next couple of months they will not be
needed at all. Anywhere. Like planes and everything. I can sure hope and
I can sure keep my fingers crossed right! :) It was really weird to go
to a store after we got home and not have a mask. Both Brooklyn and I
weren't 100% sure if we needed one or not. It was actually pretty funny
to have to have a minute in a car and think about it.
I
have a request this week. I try not to add anything to your plate but I
could sure use any help on this one. I found out (not on purpose) that
Christian has been keeping a seperate Google Drive for photos that just
he and Alaina can see. I also found out that he is sending voice memo
emails back and forth all day on Mondays as well. When I addressed it
with him and told him that he clearly knows it is wrong to have a
seperate drive because he chose to keep it hidden and just between the
two of them as well as the voice memo emails being similar to that of a
weekly phone call without video, he said he knew it was wrong and that
he was going to delete the drive. I had to have a hard discussion with
him and told him that he needed to reach out to his Mission President
and let him know the rules that he has been breaking or that I was going
to. I told him that if this is the mission he is choosing to serve then
the monthly payment for his mission will come out of his personal
account and not mine and Tylers. In typical Christian response after
being caught he wanted to back track and cover and say that it wasn't
going to continue. I don't know that I will hear from him on Monday
because after I sent my 'discovery' email I sent him a message giving
him the chance to speak to his MP himself and to let me know when it
happened so that I can follow up and so that the three of us can work on
a plan to keep Christian honest and committed to his mission rather
than to this girl. Anyways, I know prayers and thoughts on his behalf
would be a welcomed thing. I don't need him to know you know but right
now I just don't know what else to do to help him commit to being 100%
all in and really go to work and put in the sacrifice he said he was
willing to do when he accepted the call to serve. I am so sad for him. I
tried to let him know the crazy amount of promises and potential that
is outlined for him in his Patriarchal Blessing and that he is the one
holding himself back. I put his name in the temple and have never prayed
harder than I have this past week.
Being a
Mom is tricky but add to that adult kids out in the world making
choices and decisions that will affect long term and wow. I just don't
want any of you to have to go through hard at all. In anything. I wish I
could undo this for him but I also know that in order for him to obtain
the great promises in his blessing he will need to experience hard and
trials to build him to be ready for those.
We
are at the cabin for the weekend to celebrate Brooklyn and Kynlee's
birthday. I am excited to be here and to have life slow down some. I
needed a break pretty bad from being inside the house and focusing on
all the things there. I needed to step away and just do something
different you know? The Superbowl is tomorrow so hopefully we will be
home in time to watch some of that. Not a huge deal if we don't though I
won't lie. :) Brooklyn has decided to stay home for her birthday on
Tuesday and I am so stoked about it! I hope she sleeps in and then we
will do lunch and some shopping or something and then we will take her
to dinner or do a pickup of KFC and just eat it at home. Whatever she
wants I guess. I got her a new curling iron thing that I am hoping she
will learn to use herself, some new clothes, some diamond art, and of
course a new pair of shoes. They are Nike and they are like a mint
green. She loves shoes something fierce. I blame Christian. :) HA ha
ha!!! I I hope she has a good day. She was funny and told me that she
was glad she only had to do her birthday one time without you. To say
she misses you is a total understatement!
I
am so excited to hear about Recife and how things are going for you in
life these days. I am hopeful that the transition has been a good one
and that you have found a way to serve your new companion so she knows
that you are there to help rather than to be a burden like her last one.
Not that she was a burden but you know what I mean.
Let
me know what I can do for you. How I can help and what I can do to help
make this new STL position one that will be knocked out of the park. I
am certain you will be amazing and I am certain that President Nordfelt
knows EXACTLY what he is doing by putting you there. I am so proud of
you. I long to have you home and to be able to hug you but I am so
excited to see what the next few months have in store for you as you
finish out and close this chapter in your life. Have the best Sunday
tomorrow. Keep your head up, your heart full of love, and never stop
sharing the beautiful smile you have. You are moving mountains. I love
you for forever and for ALWAYS.
To the moon and back,
Mom
