Email from Mom: Thursday, April 7, 2022
From: Mom
To: Kaitlyn.garcia@missionary.org
Date: Thursday, April 7, 2022
Subject: Spring break?!?
Hey!
Happy Wednesday. It’s an early middle of the week email from home
because I am sitting at the airport waiting patiently to board a flight.
But in order to get here it was NUTS! There are so many people leaving
for spring break that the parking lot is chuck full. Seriously. They had
parking attendants waving you in to where there was an open spot. All
of that and I am sure you can begin to imagine what the inside of the
airport looked like! This trip we fly from Salt Lake to Honolulu where
we have a layover and then jump on a flight to Kauai that is like a 27
minute flight. So lame but whatever.
This has been a low key week. B didn’t go to school on Tuesday (I wonder
if we will ever make a full week again) because she had a sore throat.
One of her friends she hung out with over the weekend ended up with the
flu so maybe that’s it? Anyways, other than that I have spent the week
trying to get the house together to get out of town. I hadn’t dusted
like *really* dusted in what feels like forever so hands and knees to do
floor boards and on a step stool for ceiling fans. I got some Easter
taken care of for Brooklyn too. You’ll never guess, a new pair of shoes.
I
also got her some super cute small stud earrings from Alex and Ani.
I’ll have to try and remember to take a pic to send to you. Last night I
should have really focused on getting totally ready to leave town but
instead I finished some cookies (the ones I sent to you) as a surprise
for Brooklyn. She actually said I did a good job! She even took a Jordan
and a Croc to school today for lunch. I call it a total win and worth
having to stay up later than I planned to get packed.
Brooklyn woke up today with a sore throat again. I looked and it was red
but not white spots so she headed to school. Tyler called our hormone
replacement doctor to see if he will call in a prescription that we can
have mailed to her while we are home so Grandma doesn’t have to take her
to the Dr if we can avoid it. I am anxiously waiting to hear if he will
do that. Brooklyn chose to stay tonight and Friday night without
Grandma there. She loves that. I worry sick and hate it but it is a
short window of time before she can drive herself where she will need to
be and not need Grandma to stay so…
It was so sweet of Sister Nordfelt to respond the way she did to my
email. She thinks the world of you and is so proud of you. She loves
having you as one of her missionaries. I am glad to hear that a period
going away is normal too. I do want you to be sure to track these last
few months though so we have something in hard proof when you go to a
checkup when you get home. And Sister Nordfelt wants you to be sure to
let her know if you have any sort of abnormal pain or if you feel like
something is ‘off’.
I also asked a question on the Mom of Brazil missionaries page about
hair loss. It appears it is happening to a LOT of missionaries (both
Sisters and Elders) right now. Some say their missionary has Covid and
they are thinking it is a side effect. Others who like you haven’t had
the Covid said it is environment, country change, and also stress. That
last one doesn’t surprise me at all. I imagine as you go to work each
day that you more than put everything you have on the table and expect
the highest of high out of yourself too. I admire that but I also know
how much it all plays into our well being. There was one Mom who said
her daughter started using the yellow garlic stuff you are using and
that helped. Also they say if you can spend a little extra money on
shampoo that is better than just everyday normal that would be good too.
Use your card for that. Do what you can until you are back home.
Tyler got your taxes filed this last week too for last year. You should
be happy to hear that you will be receiving a refund of almost $4000
that will be deposited into your account! 
I
will keep an eye out for it and make sure it gets in there for you.
Crazy to think all of this is as grown up stuff as it gets. Filing taxes
is definitely a sign of being an adult right? I’m glad he got them done
for you.
I’ve been wondering a few things and would love to hear your thoughts
when you find a chance or some time. Nothing pressing or even must
do…just some thoughts in my head when I look back at all you have a
complicated.
- on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), how happy are you in this very moment?
- if someone asked you today (like I am), what is the biggest take away
from your choice of serving a mission? Especially a mission during this
madness time of Covid being such a factor
- when you left I know you had a testimony of the Gospel and of the Book
of Mormon. What do you see as the biggest growth that has come from
being a missionary on both of those?
- if you had to make the choice all over again, knowing that you would
do the home CTM, knowing you’d be reassigned to the MBM, and then still
having Covid play into your everyday life in Brazil?
- a mission is about growing as an individual in a relationship with
your Heavenly Father. Do you have a top 3 list of times that you KNOW
for a surety that that relationship has guided and directed you as one
of His missionaries?
Thanks for entertaining me and my wondering brain. I have had a lot of
thoughts as I have looked back at the progress you have made and the
steps you continue to take every single day. You have made such a
difference in the lives of people from the US to Brazil. And let’s not
even think about the ones you have touched and changed here at home. You
have served a valiant and diligent mission. One that I will forever be
grateful to you choosing to make. I love listening to so many talk about
your emails and they light up at sharing what they take from them. I
love being your Mom! Thank you for allowing me an inside look of this
adventure and journey. Keep working hard. Keep being amazing and keep
sharing the goodness of all you are and all the promises that the Gospel
has in store for those who want what you have. Posterities are better
because one day Sister Garcia showed up in the life of someone and gave
them this great gift. Nothing better than knowing the eternities are
going to be full of eternal families because of a choice you made.
I love you to the moon and back. Forever and for always, no matter what!
I will be 6 hours behind you on Monday. I will plan on being up at 4:00
or 4:30 (so 10 or 10:30 for you). Let me know if that will work for
your schedule to call? I will send a message on messenger and you can
thumbs up or down me?
Lone you. More than you will ever know.
Mom
