Email Home: Monday, March 28, 2022

From: Kaitlyn.garcia@missionary.org
Date: Monday, March 28, 2022
Subject: The Rain

Hello hello!
Monday well, it was kind of a mess as you saw when I called haha! The Zone Leaders planned it but not very well haha! After we chatted, Sister Scioli and I got into a foosball game with some of the Elders and Elder Franco literally was so aggressive and angry. He's also shorter so I was really just trying not to laugh haha! It was a fun day and all worked out in the end :) When we for back to the apartment we just got ready to get back into the flow of things. We were social media again just because of all the exchanges we have this week we had to shuffle some stuff around. Not too many people answered but thankfully no one we talked to was in jail so that was a blessing haha! We finished off the night with a phone call with the STL's in Olinda to plan our training for Zone Conference on Thursday. I just hope that it all works out and helps the zones haha! Thanks again for being a trooper and talking with me even though it wasn't ideal :) Oh! And Sister Nordfelt literally loves you!
Tuesday was quite the day haha!  We had exchanges with the sisters in Jaboatão and this time I got to go to Jaboatão! I was pretty excited but I had no idea what the day was going to turn out like. When we got there it started to rain again, we've been getting SO much rain lately. Like SO SO much haha! We've had a few swimming pools in front of our apartment to say the least. Anywho, I got to be with Sister Melo! She's training again and Sister Rossy stayed with Sister Scioli in Torreão. It was a good exchange too and I think Sister Melo had a good time. She doesn't like exchanges at all so I was really hoping to change that but I don't know if it really worked out that way. We walked a ton and Jaboatão has a bunch of hills so it was my workout for the day to say the least haha! It was so pretty though! While we were out it started to absolutely dumb and pour rain so to say we took another shower would be an accurate statement haha! It was fun though and made for a fun day in the end ;) We also taught this woman who literally fell from the sky! Her name is Georgiane and she started to text the Sisters on Monday night and said that she wanted a Book of Mormon and the pamphlets. They were a little confused but it was also 9:30pm so they had to stop so when I got there we started to talk to her. We ended up going to her house and she's seriously a MIRACLE! Basically she had an ex boyfriend who was in the church and when she broke up with him (he used drugs...) she lost contact with the church and missionaries. She found the sisters number because of comuntochrist.org and she literally said she already knows that the Book of Mormon is true! It was the biggest miracle and the best lesson!! Just goes to show again how much the Lord really does prepare His sheep:) We also ended up having dinner with some members in Jaboatão and it was seriously the sweetest family! Again, no one believes that I'm from the states but I've just decided to roll with it and not argue with people haha! It was quite the dinner too, you'll never guess what I ate! I ate goat tongue! Honestly not that bad and would eat again, it didn't really taste like anything too crazy but Sister Melo did not like it haha! But it all worked out because we got sent home with bolo de chocolate so it made it all better ;)
Wednesday we finished up our exchange and it was actually a perfect lily moment! Our Uber too get back to Torreão was about an hour and our Uber driver had already heard of missionaries so we talked with him for the entire hour just about missions, the church, and learning Portugues haha! He was super cool but he lives in Recife Sul. Que droga! But it is what it is haha! When we got back to Torreão we shared some thoughts and waited for the Sisters to get an Uber back, there was a catch though. Elder Mata was in a meeting that literally lasted forever and they didn't get an Uber until wayyyyy later. Seriously they left and we made our way to our lunch for the day. It's hard for me to really feel productive when things are slow and behind like that. It was a good lunch though and the Irmã that we ate with is a nurse so we talked a lot about medical stuff. I have major saudades and I can't wait to get back to school and work and have that as a job. We've been planning our exchanges to be on days when we're in the area to really work with the Sisters instead of the media project so that meant that Wednesday we were back on media. It wasn't anything too wild but we did have more people hangup on us. Sister Scioli is interesting too, if she doesn't feel like talking she gives the phone to me and I'll have it for the rest of the night. To say that I talked a LOT about repentance would be an understatement haha! It was good though, it helps me think of different ways I can teach :)  We also got some yummy açaí so it made it better haha! Honestly nothing too wild happened it was just a long day because we waited for so long to get the Sisters an Uber back to to Jaboatão. We also had one last call with the STL's in Olinda to really just finalize our training for Zone Conference, I'm a little nervous about it but I hope that it goes well :)
Thursday! Zone Conference day woot woot! Zone Conference is always one of my favorite things and I always love getting to see everyone! This time around I was a little nervous about our training but I think it went well. We decided to pair the missionaries up so it was an older missionary paired with a newer one and we had them just talk and give advice basically. I promise it was more than that but it's hard to explain haha! I'll have to explain it later. Zone Conference was good though and we talked a lot about having more faith and how we can stop focusing in the trails and just work. It was good and I got more out of it than I think ;) When we got back we had a few lessons but the real big one was with Sandra. We had planned to go to her house but she needed to go to a consult so we just ended up doing a video call, but hey, that's better than nothing! She literally just talked and told us how much harder her life has been since she's been coming to church and learning more about the church. We tried and tried to explain to her that's the adversary talking and all that stuff. I think she understands that but she doesn't have that 100% desire to really stick firm. It was a good lesson but still a little tricky to weave around. It was a good day though and it was fun to get to see everyone :) I'm starting to think I'm a social person, you'll have to let me know your thoughts ;)
Friday literally came so fast! We were supposed to have an exchange starting in Friday but the sisters ended up canceling on us so that was kind of sad but it all worked out. Friday I got to be chef Garcia again! Sistet Scioli was really craving some beef (normally we get chicken) so I got to make a killer lunch! It turned out pretty good and I learned that Sister Scioli doesn't know how to cook very well haha! But that's alright, I still love her ;) We were on media too and man did we bust out some contacts! I'll have to put a photo in the drive, you'll see what I mean ;) I honestly couldn't even tell you what happened on Friday other than calling so so many people. While we were calling people Sister Scioli started to tell me that she was feeling the exercises that we did on Friday morning haha! Theres a personal trainer lady that has workout videos on Facebook that basically all the Brazilian missionaries do so of course I do them too ;) Well Sister Scioli had a goal to loose her belly so we started to really get into these videos but it's hard with her knees. Oh and the situation with her knees haha! Anywho, it was funny just because she's really hurting and I feel nothing, literally nothing. It's hard to have sympathy but I'm trying
Saturday! Saturday! It was actually a pretty fun day and it was good to get out :) We had planned to go teach Sergio and his family but when we got there he wasn't there, this man literally works so so much. We were able to talk to his family though and Ana Paula even wanted to read the Book of Mormon with us so that's a huge step! It was not anything that we planned but it was still good and worth the visit. We went straight from his house to the Stake Center to celebrate with the Relief Society. It's been 180 years since the RS was formed and it was like a giant birthday party essentially Haha! It was about an hour walk but we got there so that's all that matters ;) It was a good night and there was a BOMB cake too haha! Not only that but we found 2 new people, but theres always a catch. They both live in the elders area... It was good though and we got them all passed off :) As we were getting ready to leave the institute kids were coming into gym for their activity. I don't even have words to describe it haha! It was seriously so so many youth and they were playing Just Dance, to say I was very tempted to stay would be a very big understatement. It was good though and we got to talk to some of the youth and theres even a youth that's called to serve in the temple square mission! How rad is that?! By the time we made it to the door we needed to call some people so we found a room and had some lessons before heading back to the apartment. It was a good night and we learned that theres a set of elders that go every week... they say they have a person being taught but some of the youth posted videos of them dancing to Just Dance. Look, I can't judge and definitely would be me if I was fubeca but I'm pretty sure we can't do that haha! That just means when I get back we'll have to play haha!
Sunday went by so fast! It was also full of miracles and blessings! First off we got a ride to church that was much needed because Sister Scioli's knees were destroyed after Saturday. When we got to church Sandra AND her daughter came woot woot! This is huge because her daughter doesn't like churches, she's a spiritualist. In total we had 5 people come to church woot woot! We also had the best almoço ever haha! Irmã Angela really went over the top and it was so so yummy :) Like to the point that I don't think I need to eat ever in my life again haha! Irmã Angela was called as the new Relief Society president too so we got to chat with her a little bit more than the elders. I'm super excited for her and I think it'll be really good :)
Sorry for the later email this week! We had some things to do this morning and I didn't have time to wrap this up yesterday like I normally do. I love you to the moon and back!