Phone Call Home: Monday, March 21, 2022

Oy...today with this girl was MADNESS! Ha. She was at Zone Pday at the mission home and there were missionaries all over the place and it was SO FREAKING LOUD! I swear it must just feel like a daycare for the poor Mission President and his wife with them being there. :/ But I will say that the smiles on all of the missionaries I saw during this call today make it seem like it was just one big social gathering and they truly enjoy what they are doing and who they are surrounded with while doing it. 

Sister Garcia is still loving Brazil and is getting the hang of the whole STL. She says she doesn't love love it but she enjoys it and is willing to serve and do whatever it is the Lord needs to her do while she is there. They had two (2) exchanges this week since they have four sets of Sisters they are in charge of. Sister Garcia got to spend some time with Sister Morais this time and she loves loves her so that was a total win! I think that really, even though being an STL is a lot of work, Sister Garcia likes the change up here and there when it comes to the exchanges part of mission life. Which I totally and 100% can understand. I would imagine some days just feel like super repetitive almost like the movie Groundhog Day. :) 

Sister Garcia had Zone Conference this week as well. This girl LOVES a good spiritual anything and she absolutely loves being able to have her spirit fed through meetings like this. She loves President Nordfelt and his sweet wife and hangs tight to all the lessons and advice they give during conferences like these. I love watching as Sister Garcia talks about this and how excited she gets and then you get to see the sparkle in her eye too. Seriously...a spiritual giant right in front of me on a call. 

Sister Scioli is struggling pretty heavy right now with her knees. They bother her daily and she is waiting for the healthcare system to give the green light on her getting a cortisone shot. The healthcare system in Brazil is a public one so anyone can go in for anything at any time and it doesn't cost them anything. The hard part is that when you have someone like Sister Scioli who really could use some help like RIGHT NOW...it isn't always the case. They have paperwork to go through, work with the Mission Home, etc. Sister Garcia has been so tender and patient while Sister Scioli waits. Sometimes the load gets a little heavy on Sister Garcia's shoulders because Sister Scioli can't walk or just gets to the apartment and needs to rest but she is handling it like a total rockstar. 

Another big for this week is Sister Garcia had an in-person interview with President Nordfelt! She was so looking forward to this. She recognizes that her time on her mission is quickly coming to an end and she wants to finish strong. She does not want to get trunky but realizes that there is much chatter about home going on either on calls or in emails/messages. She doesn't feel (or so she says) that we are all creating a distraction but it clearly is something weighing heavy on her heart. She also wanted to ask President Nordfelt if there is anything he can see that she can improve in order to remain diligent and dutiful during her last few months. I am sure you all know, just like I know, that President Nordfelt just smiled at our sweet Sister Garcia and told her that he knows she is a consecrated and devoted missionary. He knows that she wakes up each day ready to go about the Lords work. He told her how grateful he was to have her as one of his missionaries and that she is doing great things. He also talked to her about the inward coming distractions from home and how to handle that and how to do it with grace so as not to offend. Sister Garcia said she just absolutely loves and adores him and is so humbled by him and loves his example he places in front of her day in and day out. As a Mom, I am beyond words grateful to know that while away from home (thousands of miles in fact), my girl is loved and being cared for in more ways than I will ever truly know. 

As Sister Garcia was on the call with me today I heard in the background amongst the madness "I'd love to say hello". You will never guess who jumped on our call? Sister Nordfelt! Oh my heart about exploded! This dear lady has played such a pivotal part in this mission for ME and just being able to finally introduce myself to her and pass on my love and appreciation to her face to face was one of those priceless moments in life. I could hardly contain myself and my emotions however! I had tears welling up in my eyes the moment I saw her come on the screen. Sister Nordfelt has 100% filled the role of "Mom" for me while Sister Garcia has been away from home. I know the love and the trust that Sister Garcia has for her and just that alone will be a blessing I will forever be grateful for. She was so kind and told me that nobody has ever taken care of her and President Nordfelt like we have when it comes to including them in packages that we send. She also wrapped her arms around my girl and grinned from ear to ear as she expressed her love and appreciation for her as a missionary. She shared what a blessing it has been to have received her so ready to hit the ground running and to not have to question her abilities as a missionary in whole or with the language. She was so sweet when she told me that I should be so proud of her and all that she is doing and has done. There is a great work in Brazil and those who get a small moment with my Sister Garcia are changed for the better. Words will never truly be able to convey what it meant to me to be able to have that small moment in time to exchange a brief conversation with Sister Nordfelt. In Sister Garcia's words, this was indeed a lily moment for me today that I will hold close to my heart for forever.

It was so funny as I was visiting with Sister Nordfelt and she mentioned packages. There were three (3) Elders there who I believe live here quite close to home as well who all said 'I want a package!' Sister Nordfelt said 'she will send you one, be careful'. So as Sister Garcia and I were finishing up our call I told her I would be more than happy to put a small something together for each of those Elders as a thank you for adding 'fun' to the time that she had had on her mission. She gave me their names (Elder Evans, Elder Cowley, and Elder Anderson) and I promised to do my part.

Bruno is seriously the BEST thing on the planet! I love that he is in Brazil and will quickly put something together and get it on its way to these missionaries for us.

I don't know that I will ever truly be able to better a Monday than what today had to offer. Being able to see Sister Garcia in her full element with other missionaries surrounding her, being able to listen as she rattled off Portuguese (and I have NO clue what she says!), being able to listen to her giggle and to see her smile as she interacted with those who were there, and then to be able to share a moment with Sister Nordfelt and hear her speak so highly of Sister Garcia. Today was one of those 'missionary blessings' you hear about. Black and white. No question about it. My heart today is so full and I am eternally grateful for the choice that Sister Garcia made to serve a mission on behalf of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Until next week...keep doing all you do. 

I love you for forever and for always,

Mom