Things Just Got Rio: Transfers and other Lessons I wish to learn before I die

October 2, 2014

Life lessons of the day: swallow your pride, take the blame, be quick to repent and quick to forgive.

Today was just one of those days. We had to give a zone training at 8 am today. The elders put

Our Zone

us first, so we literally has no time to pan what we should say. It was frustrating, and so pointless since 8 am training is just not a great time to train missionaries. When you take away a missionaries personal study time and companionship study time it affects everything that you do – teaching, focus, insight, and coordination. Anyways, after the ineffectual training we headed out to lunch at S. which is a one hour bus ride away. On the way we got a text from another member asking us if we were coming to lunch….uhhh??? Well, we at there last Thursday and failed to explain that it was on a once a month thing. So then she got sad and guilt tripped us by saying how she had canceled visiting her son in prison and how she had been cooking all morning. We felt pretty terrible, and as senior I always take the phone calls…so I took the blame and felt horrible that this sister had sacrificed so much for nothing. THEN we got to lunch and found out that a third sister had also been expecting us for lunch…what??? We only had one number and one name on our calendar. The day just got progressively worse from there. I had a very less-than-shining moment when my feistiness and hard-headedness and go-getter mindset got the worst of me. I said some things to someone I care a lot about, that while true and needing to be expressed, should not have been expressed in such a blunt and disrespectful way. I ended up really offending this person. Sister Burris helped me to calm down and then make amends with this person. I had to take all the blame for the situation, but I am slowly learning that this is what you do when you want to preserve a relationship – you just take the blame, try to repent, and try to forgive. Hopefully I will get this lesson learned before I die…I am a dang slow learner.

Sadly for me, I was transferred to an new area. I left behind my sweet, kind Sister Burris who will be a Sister Training Leader with Sister Tingey. They will be amazing and do wonderful things!!. They will get to see our sweet 13 year old investigator H. get baptized this week.

My beautiful companion, Sister Burris. I will never forget her.

Froyo helps the blues of transfers.

HARD GOODBYES!

I got transfered to Santa Cruz, which is not too far away from my first area in Santa Margarida. I am with Sister Viera. She is a beautiful little missionary from Manaus (aka the AMAZON!) I´ve known her for a while and she´s pretty fun. We are in the best ward ever--the members are amazing and have already helped us a ton (including picking us up from Botafogo and loading us up in a car and driving for 3 hours so we didn´t have to wrestle with suitcases on the bus/train!) It is a very very humble area (we are literally in the WORST internet café right now)......but the people are wonderful and we are excited to work. I am still senior, and still sister training leader. I don't have much time to write, but know that I love you, that I am well, and that I am really excited to take on my new area. There are wonderful, kind, humble Brazilians taking care of me around every corner!

Before getting transferred, we got to watch General Conference was amazing. I was surprised and blessed to have two of my favorite families come to surprise me.