Email Home: Monday, July 4, 2022

From: Kaitlyn.garcia@missionary.org
Date: Monday, July 4, 2022
Subject: Surprise!

Surprise!! Here's for real the last email from Sister Garcia:) You gotta know about the last week duh! I can't wait to see you!!! I love you to the moon and back

Monday! My last pday and it was lowkey stressful I can't lie haha! We got up and got ready for the day and then headed to the Mercado São José. I had a few things to buy souvenir wise so I got that all knocked out and we made our way back to Camaragibe. By the time we got back it was already the afternoon and I still had a few things to do. We ended up st the capela and we all just hungout and played spikeball. This time around I didn't do so good but that's okay haha! We had a good time and that's what matters I guess. I was able to get all my stuff done thay I needed too. I don't even know how I feel honestly, just just many emotions and feelings I think. 

Tuesday was such a bitter sweet day! We got up and got rolling because we had Mission Conference woot woot! We were able to make it there and prep before everything got started. This Conference was focused on the Restoration and we all studied the Restoration Proclamation. It was such a good Conference and I learned so much. I'm gonna miss getting to have experiences like that with all the missionaries. We also had Swarma for lunch and it was so yummy :) We need to come back to Brasil just to eat Swarma again deal?? After lunch that's when my stomach started to flop flop because I knew I had to bear my testimony. I had so many thoughts going through my head that I don't even remember what I said. I've loved my mission and it means everything to me. I don't even have words to describe my love for the Gospel, my love for the Savior, and this experience that I've had. Anyway, now that the sappy part is over haha! There were only a few tears shed as I said Goodbyes to some of my favorite people and then we made our way back to Camaragibe. We had a few things planned but the majority fell through. However we were able to call Henrique with the Elders in São Lourenço for a little pass off lesson. Henrique is so solid and I'm a little jealous we have to give him to the Elders. It was a really good lesson though :) We also had a lesson with Daniel and the Elders in Carmelo. Daniel doesn't give me good vibes so we decoded to have a lesson with the Eldets to see if that would help because maybe we can pass him off. Long story short, it was a pretty bad lesson, Daniel didn't pay any attention, he answered the call shirtless, he hated that the Elders were there, and it was pretty black and white that he only talks to us because we're Sisters. It was a rough lesson and not very bacana. We wrapped up the night and I honestly just have so many thoughts going through my head haha! I'm a little nervous this week is going to fly by and I don't think that I'm ready :) 

Wednesday we started very last exchange. It was meant to be last week but with São João we moved it to this week. It was with the trio that we take care of in Várzea and Sister Feitosa and I got to stay in Várzea with Sister Fernandes. I can't lie, I was a little nervous because I know she doesn't like exchanges so I went in a little cautious but it was actually better than I thought. She told me that her first STL's weren't very good and she just doesn't have the best idea but that she likes us and it's just something she has to get over. We had a jam packed day and visited so many people! Not only that but it also rained and I took on more rain haha! I'm only a little nervous that I'll get sick before I get home, vamos ver :) We had some good lessons and Sister Feitosa literally killed it! She's grown so much :) We also had a free minute so we stopped in at the little bakery/ice cream place and we got a small piece of this like oreo cake and it was so good! We had a busy day visiting people and visiting members too. They're opening Várzea and they're killing it so it was good to see that everything is going good with them :) Sister Fernandes is super cute too and literally is a TWIN for her trainer but overall it was a really good exchange :) 

Thursday we wrapped our exchange and I said my last Goodbyes to the sweet sisters. I hate Goodbyes, they aren't very fun. We had a last DC too and at the end Elder Ruiz had everyone take a minute to say goodbye to me. It was super sweet and I got to bear my testimony again. I'm gonna miss it holy cow haha! We spent the day in Tabatinga on Thursday too and we saw some miracles! We were able to top by a members house really quick as soon as we got there and then head to visit some other people. We ended up finding a group of high school kids and they all gave us their numbers. I do have a funny though, when we got in front of them one of the guys leaned in to the girl that was there and she goes, 'He says you're the prettiest' and points to me. I literally hadn't even said anything yet! I don't mind jovens but this is too much. We visited a few more members and actually got a referência! Her name is Polly and we got to give her a Book of Mormon and she was literally over the moon! It was the happiest I've ever seen anyone to get a Book of Mormon. She has so much potential! We wrapped up in Tabatinga and made our way to Jardim Primavera to visit some more people and see who we could find. Thankfully we had no rain but still no one was there :/ What can you do?? We ended up getting in touch with Diogo too! Satan is really working hard on him these days so we just decided to read with him and it didn't go too bad. It was a good day :) 

Friday was just a day.... it was a good day but there was so much to it. For starters the three of us were literally just all dead. I don't know what happened but we all were so slow to wake up. I think I'm low key still a little sick so that doesn't help, gotta love the rain:) We had money for lunch so we decided to kill 2 birds with one stone and go out to eat st the restaurant that's right next to the bank so we could take out MSF. That was the biggest mistake we could've made haha! We ended up being stuck at the bank for 3 hours because the machine wasn't giving Sister Bradford her money. We had to call Bank of America and it was a mess. It's still not fixed but we sure tried and gave it our all. I just hope she can get her MSF soon. We left the bank and got to work! We were able to top by a few houses and were even able to give Clesia the Restoration woot woot! She has some really good questions too and it was a good lesson. We're still trying to decide if she has a lot of interest or not but nonetheless it was a good lesson :) We also made some fun hiking adventures to Bairro Dos Estados. It's seriously all just Ladera and I love it! Ir was a little more tiring but it was still good and we were able to teach this guy the Sisters found on exchanges. It made it all worth it to say the least :) As we were getting ready to leave Bairro Dos Estados we passed by this açaí place and course had to make a quick pit stop ;) We made it to the capela with just enough time for a few phone calls. We tried but no one answered, instead we got a message from Irmã Conceição basically saying we're the worst because we aren't taking care of her referências. Sister Bradford and Sister Feitosa both were super crushed and I was too but I ended up sending a message explaining that her friends literally don't want to talk to us. It was a heavier night thats for sure but there were still so many highlights :) 

Saturday we had quite the day haha! We tried to do everything possible because it was my real last day without church or anything haha! We got some really yummy pizza for lunch too, pizza here is different too! We also went to visit some of Irmã Conceição friends that she sent us an audio about on Friday. Literally not one of them is interested in the gospel but we did out part and sent a message to Irmã Conceição explaining again. We also made our way to Tabatinga one last time! I seriously love Tabatinga and this time we walked all the way there. It was super fun and we were able to take on a little rain too ;) We stopped by Vitor's house but when we got there they all gave us their bird and told us they aren't interested at all in hearing from us. I was a little sad but we low key already knew it but still not so fun. We also stopped by some of the rapazes we found a few days back. We were able to talk about the Book of Mormon with them ans even marked a day to bring each of them a copy. They have potential it'll just be using the jovens and getting them to church :) We also got a min lessons on how to fly a kite because they thought we don't have them in the US haha! On our way back we stopped by Polly's work and were able to talk to her and invite her to Sacrament. We were supposed to have a noite familiar too but because of the rain it wasn't safe to walk there so we ended up at the capela. We were able to have two really solid lessons and even marked one of them for baptism! We even got to call irmão Marcos and have a noite familiar online. It was really good to be able to talk to his family too, they're a less active family that we're working with. To really finish off the night we ordered the best açaí :) I think it's all starting to hit me too, the mission goes by too fast haha! 

Sunday finally came. We got up and got right out the door. We had a good Sacrament meeting and I wanted to bear my testimony but our members are super active and they all got up to share their testimonies haha! It was after Sacrament meeting that I wasn't ready for haha! President and Sister Nordfelt were in the Ala Carmelo so they said hi to us before going to our classes. I was doing so good until Presidente Nordfelt asked me how I was. I didn't cry but I sure wanted too haha! Our class went by super quick and then we headed to lunch. I couldn't have asked for a better last lunch! It was with Irmão Alex and his wife Irmã Emilia. They're the cutest and have the best story too! We ended up eating lunch with their entire family (well really the family of irmã Emilia haha!) and they're Baptist. It was such a good lunch though and it was at the very end that they found out I'm leaving. They were so sweet and irmã Emilia almost cried as she hugged me goodbye. I love her! I haven't really made it a big deal that I'm leaving too so it was all a lot haha! We got back and it was honestly just a blur. I got all my stuff ready to go and I realized just how much lighter my suitcases are than when I left ;) We also had one last call with the Sisters and they're so sweet. I'm gonna miss them :) Really I'm just gonna miss everything, but it's okay :) I can't wait to see you!  I love you to the moon and back!