Phone Call Home: Monday, June 20, 2022

Almost the last call

This was a surprise early call today from Sister Garcia! She was supposed to be going into the big market place to do some shopping for souvenirs but it appears that poor Sister Bradford is under the weather and not feeling well at all so they will hopefully get in next week. 

Sister Bradford is so super sick that when we were talking she was sleeping. I guess it sounds like she was up most of the night with both ends (!) not doing so well. Sister Garcia said they all ate the same thing and everyone else (including the Elders who ate with them) are doing okay. She messaged President Nordfelt and asked if her and the other Sister (Feitosa) could leave Sister Bradford at the apartment resting and go get her some stuff like Gatorade, etc. President asked them to wait until the end of the day to see how she is feeling so they will stick around and get some cleaning done and Sister Garcia has a few things she is working on as well (letters) that she can spend some time on. 

We talked briefly this week, not long so that Sister Feitosa could call her family, but a lot of it was about what is happening here and what it looks like when she returns in 15 short days. Holy cow, just typing that makes me all sorts of giddy and excited. I wish we had travel plans but...I am still working on the whole patience thing. Sister Garcia is really starting to put a lot of her thoughts on what is next for her here at home. She has been a  missionary working on just mission stuff for the last 17 1/2 months and trying to transition to 'normal' is starting to consume some thoughts. I imagine, again, very normal. 

She talked a lot about how little things like asking Brooklyn to put together a play list of songs for her has helped her heart. Sister Garcia has worried for Brooklyn pretty heavily throughout her mission. Losing one sibling would be tricky but Brooklyn lost both when they chose to serve and that has made Sister Garcia worry often about how Brooklyn is doing. Little does Sister Garcia know what kind of play list has been put together but...it will be fun nonetheless. Brooklyn has loved having the distraction to work on instead of focusing on how long we have left until Sister Garcia returns home. 

I failed to talk to her in our short call about her homecoming and how she wants that to look. I need to get that to Brother Imlay. He is conducting the month of July and is trying to get his ducks lined up so he can plan. I have sent her a message and hopefully by the end of the day we will have some solid plans in place that I can pass on. I still cannot believe that this is our 2nd to last pday call that we had today! 

I know I say it every week but I am so dang proud of all that you are doing. I simply cannot imagine what it must be like to put everything aside and go to work on the Lords errand. No questions asked. You have pushed through lame stuff like Covid, being reassigned, learning a new language, training, having multiple states in missions, traveling to a whole other country even though you had never done that before, learning to read a map, how to Uber, working with other Sisters and Elders, learning to love the people of the MBM and also those in Brazil, and never not once stopping. You have committed full force since the moment you opened up your call. You have proven to me and to so many others around us exactly what a missionary should look like. You have been more than all in and more than 100% committed. I pray that you will forever cherish this short window of time you have been set apart as a full time missionary. I also hope that there will never be a moment that you wonder if you gave it your all. I promise that you have given so much more than that. Keep up your hardwork and we will talk to you for our FINAL call next week! Ahhhh so freaking excited!!! I love you for forever and for always.

To the moon and back,
Mom