Things Just Got Rio: Mission Conference

November 10, 2014

We spent all of p-day running around doing errands, and then had to travel to Andarai to sleep and get up early for mission counsel on Tuesday. Normally, going to Andarai is not a very complicated process, but our train didn’t stop in Sao Cristovao, so we had to go all the way to Central (already adding 20 minutes to our trip), then ride a metro (the wrong one and had to backtrack), then walk for 30 minutes only to find out that the pout was out in the Sister’s house, the shower is broken, AND on of the sisters was packing her bags to leave her mission 6 months early. It was an interesting night. Neither Sister V. or I slept well and poor Sister Brown now has to spend her last week in a trio.

November 11, 2014

The lovely Sister Brown who will go home at the end of this transfer so that she can go back to school in January!

Mission counsel day – We arrived at 8 A.M. just on time, but President arrived around 9:30 and we started the meetings at 10:00. His 10-15 minute introduction turned into a nearly 2 ½ HOUR (very loud) lecture on how our vision and faith are skewed. I understand his urgency and his passion to try to teach us what is right, but he has a very LOUD way of showing it. There were a few notable things – we now have 4 assistants to the president, our Christmas conference is going to be on December 10^th, and the whole mission is going to be there! That will be great for me because I will leave one week after that! Other than that, it was 6-7 hours of screaming, lecturing, burning, making people cry, etc. The conference didn’t let out until 8 P.M., which meant that we didn’t get home until 11:30. My back and butt just ache after mission counsel.

Me and my tiny companion, Sister Viera. (clothes swap)

The marvelous Sister Burris

I think that my favorite part of the counsel is being able to have lunch with everyone. It is so good to just relax a little and catch up with mission friends. Sister Burris says that Barra is being incredibly blessed by the little seeds that we planted together. It makes me so happy to see that area doing well. My other favorite part is when Presidente greeted me personally as I was playing prelude music. He always asks me how I am doing and how my family is doing. He expresses his love and appreciation for me. It is a small gesture that means a lot and he does it at every training meeting. Although he has a different way of teaching over the pulpit, he has a heart of gold and is genuinely concerned about our well-being.

November 13, 2014

Holy smokes it has been a crazy busy week! I haven’t even had time to journal all week. Today was interview day with President and we were supposed to be in Itaguai (1-1 ½ hours away) by 8 A.M. but guess what happened. Our cell phones were left on silent and the alarm didn’t go off, meaning that we slept in unto 7:55! I have never gotten ready and out the door so fast in my whole life. We miraculously got there by 9, but Presidente had already started. NOT my best moment. Presidente was his normal passionate, yelling, calling to repentance, intimidating self. He chewed out many of us about how seriously we are taking our calling. At first I was shocked because he made several people cry and feel terrible. But then I realize that I wasn’t crying and I didn’t feel terrible. I am just trying my best, being obedient, and I know that this mission president was called to this area for a reason. He needs to get the lazy members and missionaries going and get them ready for the temple.

My interview was wonderful. Presidente was warm and very kind to me. Me asked me, “Sister Colvin, was your mission worth it?” I looked him right in the eye and replied, “100% President, I love my mission. I love this reflective final phase of my mission – as hard as it is to keep going. It is so worth it.”

To top off the day, I got my final Christmas package from Mom, and 2 letters – one from Dad and one from Garrison.

November 14, 2014

20,417 steps today, 5.71 miles – and today was only a half-day of walking because it was weekly planning. Mom sent me a pedometer and it is actually fun to have.

Today was a good, fulfilling day. Even though people aren’t’ coming to church or accepting the invitation to be baptized, I see that their faith is slowly growing. We taught a cute couple tonight that I found by stopping on the street a few weeks ago. At the end, the father thanked us for “increasing his faith”. We also taught L. and her little kids. This time we strategically brought a coloring page for the three year old and I distracted her while Sister V. focused on teaching. It worked! We got in a good lesson on the Book of Mormon.

Not too much else to write. I am happy and working well, feeling positive, striving to follow the spirit, and learning to love the people. I feel completely at peace about my mission and the effort that I have put forth. I pray that I can continue like this and finish my mission with honor and without regrets. I am getting TRUNKY though… I just can’t wait to be with my family again.

November 15, 2014

21,024 steps, 6.62 miles. Today was delightfully cool and breezy with good cloud coverage. The only downside was that I was super sleepy all day long. I think that I actually fell asleep while Sister V was sharing her lunch message. My spirit is happy to keep working, but my body is just about done.

We have been working with an older man who is married to an active member of the church. He is a wonderful, genuinely kind man, but he has a smoking problem that has kept him from being baptized. He has a testimony and has been taught all the discussions many times over the past 30 years. For some reason we feel a sense of urgency to work with his great man with increased intensity.

November 16, 2014

15, 911 steps, 5.01 miles. Today was a good, fulfilling day of working with members and really feeling like we are helping people. We fasted yesterday and today for the drought in Sao Paulo, and I feel like it really helped me focus and receive guidance on how to work more effectively in Santa Cruz. We organized a wonderful FHE with a family that we are reactivating and the Spirit was strong as everyone testified of Christ after we watched the Mormon message: “Because of Him”

In other news: we are staying together in Santa Cruz. It is a huge relief to me to not have to move again and deal with the whole adjustment to a new companion phase. Pray for us to have the energy and diligence we need these last few weeks of my mission.