Baptism!

Brazilian obsession with Pinky and the Brain, apparently I am Pinky.

Monday November 11, 2013

Week 6 in Santa Margarida

Dear family,

Wow you guys had a rough week!  I  hope hat Levi is okay and that all car problems are resolved. Things are going well down here. I try not to think of the  4,000 calories of peanut butter that I’ve eaten, or the fact that everything is sticky and dirty, or that animals eat garbage in the streets, or that we are thrust into weird situations on a daily basis…being a missionary is definitely and “experience”.

Monday – Good P-day, and then as Sister Z and I were talking about how we needed to call G to have daily contact leading up to his baptism, he whizzed by us on his bike, and then biked back to where we were, practically buzzing with excitement!  I wish the pictures did him justice because he has animated mannerisms underneath hardened features.  He talked about how much he loved church and how excited he was for his baptism.  He asked about Thomas S. Monson…haha! Sister Z and I were like, “WHUT?”  He had gone to mormon.org like we asked him to and read a lot about the church.  He also invited us to visit the next day so we could teach his sister.  I think we can work with that…he is such an elect person, so prepared to hear the gospel.  I just feel like a tool in the Lord’s hands.  It’s pretty neat to witness God’s power among the hearts of the willing.

 Our house has a disgusting number of snails...and they really like to reproduce when it´s really wet. SZ and I have been teaching them the Lei de Castidade (law of chastity), but I don´t think they are willing to progress and keep their committments.

Tuesday – It was actually really cold and windy here (relatively speaking).  We taught G, his brother, and  his sister the Restoration, and then taught G about the Word of Wisdom.  He expressed how everything made sense and how he wants to be an example for his son, but that he has a real weakness for smoking – everyone in his family smokes.  We promised him that the Lord will help strengthen him to overcome the temptation to smoke. 

             We also taught P and J and their 3 children ages 10, 9, and 3.  This family is a bit of a miracle because we contacted the mom and the kids about a month ago and set a time to return, but they were never home.  On Tuesday we were street contacting on one of the main streets when we met a grandmother with her grandchildren. She was catching a bus, but told us that we should visit her daughter, P.  The kids led us to the house and we ended up teaching the whole family and inviting them to be baptized, which they accepted… except they aren’t legally married, dang it…!

Wednesday – Sister Z was piiiissssyyyy today! Think Sophie (my pony) on a really bad spring day haha! Luckily we had zone training so we got a little bit of a break from one another.  It was a rough day, and unfortunately I was focusing on a lot of negative things about my companion – like how she often forgets something in the house and we have to back track and then walk faster to make up time, or how she is never ready on time, or how we will have had a great day with miracles and as soon as our DL calls or Sister Z talks to another person it is suddenly a “terrible day” as she pretends (?) to be sad.  BUT…I also have the ability to focus on all of her positive attributes: good navigator, persistent, great teacher, knowledgeable, hardworking, focused, etc… I’d be lost without her…but when you’re with someone 24/7 in hard circumstances, there are going to be things that bother you.  I’m learning to have charity and patience.

Thursday – Was awesome!  We had interviews with President Lima and he is truly inspired. I felt so comfortable  conversing with him. He expressed that I am a “miracle” and that my language skills are increasing incredibly fast.  He’s convinced hat I have the gift of tongues, which I actually really believe. The Lord knew that language has never been my forte, and He’s helping me out a lot. As I expressed to President Lima some of my concerns regarding obedience in our companionship he offered only three basic things to do.

1)    Instead of recounting 15 minutes worth of detailed description of personal study during companion study, share what you learned (aka, bits of revelation). This is something Sister B and I did really well, but with Sister Z it has been really painful as she details every single thing she read, and reads Jesus the Christ out loud to me in Portuguese as I feign interest and understanding….studies have been much more meaningful since Thursday.

2)    Participate in daily planning – and not to exceed 30 minutes. As I’m getting more familiar with the area I’m able to help more.  I’m super decisive and we’re starting to get better at planning.

3)    Don’t speak any English in the house. He didn’t actually bring this up, but I asked about it because I saw a major rift forming between Sister B and I and our companions, like on P-day they left us in the supermarket so they could pick up photos…uhhhh…..rules? Anyways, president Lima talked about how there are essentially two marriages under one roof, and if we're going to trust our “spouse”, then our “spouse” needs to be our confidant.  We need to talk about our problems with our companion so that we can be n the same page and confront the problems head on.

Also AWESOME about this day was that I got my first PACKAGE!!!! Thanks Mom.

AND we taught G lessons on chastity, tithing, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Friday – Pissy comp day #3 (probably only 2 more to go)  I love hormones.  Side note: When President Lima was talking about companionships being like a marriage, I said, “ Man, I am thankful I will marry an man!”  President Lima laughed and laughed. 

             Companion inventory was so painful.  This is not a difficult concept in theory, but getting Sister Z to share one strength of the companionship is like pulling teeth. She also couldn’t/wouldn’t express something that I can improve. Ughhh.  She’s never conducted a proper comp inventory before.  But, she did express that I am perfectly obedient with all of the rules and that I’m always ready to go, which was really nice to hear since that is something that is within my control.

            Anyways, after comp inventory we taught a ton.  Man we work hard and I love that about my companion!  M. joined us for a good 5 hours of teaching.  We were able to teach G., P., J., and other investigators.  G. hasn’t quit smoking completely, but has cut back significantly.  We told him that he couldn’t be baptized this Sunday if he smoked anymore.  He is going to make it! We taught P and J about marriage and baptism and they committed to take the steps to get married!  That is huge!

Saturday -  G stopped smoking and passed his interview for baptism.  I accompanied the Primary kids as they prepped for the primary program…..ROUGH!  People here really can’t carry a tune or read rhythms.  Over all it was a good day.  M went out with us again.  He got called to be a ward missionary and he is a little overzealous, but he is a good teacher and helps investigators to progress so I am not complaining.

Sunday – STRESS day!

1)    We were fasting for G…stress.

2)    We left the hours early to help P and J get their family to church and even had members volunteer to pick them up in cars. When we got there they were still sleeping.  20 minutes of waiting later we went to church with the 10 and 9 year old in tow. ..stress.

3)     G pulled us aside after the 1st hour to tell us that he needed to talk to us about something really important before his baptism….Stress!

4)    Our ward mission leader gave a terrible gospel principles lesson on temples.  Sister Z and I were trying to rein things in, but nooooo….tangents, deep doctrine, disaster….STRESS!

5)    I had to give a 10 minute talk in Portuguese in sacrament meeting….STRESS!!!!!

6)    Did I mention we were fasting…..stress

7)    Everyone and their flea infested dog wanted to talk to us after sacrament meeting, but we still had to coordinate how to get P and J’s kids home and we had to talk to G about his problem…..Stress.

8)    G told us about his problem….which was a problem,….which fortunately he had already discussed in his interview, so it wasn’t really a problem…..Relief!

9)    The actual baptism, making it work, coordinating people, fonts, missionaries….stress. BUT, the look in G. eyes as he entered the waters of baptism, and his joy afterwards made all the stress and challenges of a mission seem small.  This work is great, but STRESSFUL!

10)  Lunch at our ward mission leader’s house. He also invited several recent converts and oh man, it was rough. It was literally 100 degrees, I was weak from fasting…people were loud and joking around, I had a 9 year old asking me random questions out of context, which I didn’t understand, and then Sister Z explained that people needed to talk slower so I could understand. Then the hand signals and baby talk came out. It was demeaning, even if not intended to be. So then, I excused myself to the bathroom and cried.  It’s the first time I’ve cried while being our tracting/working.  Sister Z joined me shortly after and we had a tender moment as we shared pains, stress, and challenges.  I’m thankful for her strength.

Well, I love you guys a lot.  If you ever have downtime and the desire, missionaries live for hand written letters.  I’m wiped.  It’s really hot (39 C).  Time to rest.

Con amor e saudade,  Sister Colvin

PS It’s a good thing that I brought 18 months of tampons….as I haven’t seen ANY since being down here.

PPS The bug repellant is crap here. (only lotion and it doesn’t work)

PPPS. I have actual TAN lines!  TAN LINES!!!

PPPPS I have also been compared to Pinky and the Brain…and I am Pinky (like Garrison) WHAT?

A Week for Miracles

 Week 5 in Santa Margarida- a week for miracles!

Dear Family,

            Man I love you guys. It’s hard to think about our family while I’m so far away.  I try to limit my thinking to P-days, otherwise I’d probably cry a lot more.  Things are going well – really well.  Though my body aches, I’m a little sunburned, and days are incredibly long, things are starting to pick up.  I can feel myself getting more accustomed to things, more comfortable speaking, and being able to serve and love my companion with a lot more ease.  We’re getting along great and are able to laugh and work well together. I even successfully explained FIVE jokes to her last week- including a Helen Keller joke and a blonde joke.  So I guess my language skills are progressing.

            We’ve had some interesting run-ins with people this past week…se shared a gospel message with a pastor and said a prayer together. The whole time Sister Z was praying, the pastor was commenting “amen, thank you Jesus, truth, etc…”  It was very distracting, and then he was REALY friendly with us.  As we were saying good-bye, I shook his hand and then he leaned in as if he were going to whisper something in my ear…but no, he gave me a big old kiss on one cheek and then as I was trying to do a backbend away from him while reciting missionary rules, he kissed my other cheek. This hasn’t happen to me before, but Sister Z got a kick out of it.  Apparently this man is what we call a “scorpion” – like how Elders have “snakes” who go after them.

            We also had a street lesson with this 17 year old son of a pastor…Oh my goodness…he was so confused about the role of a prophet.  Sister Z explained, asked questions and re-explained, but this kid kept asking, “So what is the role of a prophet? Why only one prophet? What does a prophet do? Why is a prophet important?” All really great questions ---IF you listen to the answer, but no…instead I watched as Sister Z patiently explained and re-explained things to him.  In the end, the young man was like, “hmmm, interesting, but so confusing.”  So, when things are going rough, or I mix up conjugations and Sister Z knows that I need comic relief, she says, “hmmm, interestante…MAIS…confusendo…” We laugh. 

            (Augh, writing and thinking in English is getting harder! I’m going to die when I have to write applications for graduate school!)

Day to Day Highlights:

Tuesday: We woke up at 4 A.M. (insert groan here) to ride on busses and train for several hours to arrive at the stake center in Flamengo for training/evaluation of all the missionaries that arrive in country with me.  It was great! Everything was in Portuguese, but I understood everything really well.  We were given instruction on how to manage stress and look for signs that our companions are stressed.  My “tell” is that my pupils get suuuper tiny when   Sister Z’s “tell” is that she walks a lost faster and doesn’t sing at all.  Realizing these little things has helped us to understand when the other needs help.  We also did several role-plays.  I was paired with Sister G. Santos.  She’s in our zone and we really click – hopefully we get to serve together at some point.  Anyways, we were all in the gym and each set of new missionaries would practice a technique on their trainers.  We taught so well!  It was an easy transition between what the other person was saying and then the section that I taught.  We even had Elder Superman (what I have dubbed the VERY handsome AP, Elder W) observing our practice.  So that was a huge confidence booster! I was also able to talk with AND understand many of the other missionaries AND talk a little bit with President Lima.  It was definitely an awesome training.  However, the ride on the train with a gross old man pressing against me however, was not awesome.  Cherish the beauty of having a car.  Public transportation is not my favorite thing here. 

I’m tired/hungry/in pain/stressed.

            Side note: My backpack is awesome. I’ve adjusted it so most of the weight is on my hips.  Thanks to the awesome hip straps, and the fact that I’ve been packing a lot light, I haven’t been having back pain recently.

We also had district meeting on Tuesday afternoon, which means we didn’t start our “work” until 6:30 P.M., but man did the Lord bless us.  We found a family while looking for a woman we street contacted.  It was a great lesson.  Sister Z and I used inspired questions, testified strongly, and we were confident in our message.  On our way back from the lesson we were on a spiritual high – confident that the Lord was listening to our humble prayers for assistance in this work.  We were walking down the street, Sister Z on my right, and I saw a thin middle-aged man walking towards us, a ways off still.  It was getting dark and I don’t really like doing street contacts with men to begin with, so I was like, “…that’s fine, I will just keep talking with Sister Z”  An then…right as the man walked past us, I felt an intense immediate pull to talk to him.  Luckily, I quickly heeded this prompting, quickly spun around, walked to catch up with him, and introduced myself and Sister Z.  We taught him the message of the Restoration, left the pamphlet with him, invited him to church, and marked a time to return and teach him more.  These are all things that we do on a regular basis, but I just knew that this time it was different.  I felt this indescribable joy within me, and excitement that I was meant to find this man.  It was a confirmation of this work.  G accepted every invitation and commitment with conviction and real intent. Our entire encounter was only about 10 minutes long, but be knew that this was one of the “elect” that we have been praying for.

Wednesday: We had a great day.  We ate lunch at our Relief Society President’s house.  It was just she and her husband and I was actually able to converse with them about culture, food, visas, government, and Christmas traditions.  It was great!  What wasn’t great was the lack-of-sleep induced pressure headache that started during our mission-wide fast (for our Saturday activity).  I took Motrin with some water and it was a bit better.  The Lord blessed us with another cool day for fasting.  Still it was rough for me because it is hard to think in Portuguese when your head is throbbing.

Thursday: This was a crazy busy day.  We taught 6 lessons and were on our feet a lot of the day, but it was great.  Our last lesson was with S and L.  S has been investigation the church for quite some time and has a really good heart, but need guidance in how the Holy Ghost responds to our questions.  L is her husband (though not legally married).  He is quiet and Sister Z says he rarely participates in lessons. But we taught the two of them with love and sincerity.  I hope and pray that we can help them to progress.

Friday: We had a weekly planning and companion inventory which went a lot more smoothly than last week.  Sister Z still doesn’t understand why I’m happy/smiling/laughing so much of the time.  I think that it’s a cultural thing because Sister B and I laugh and smile even with hardships.  We also found TWO new families to teach and taught 4 lessons, which is a miracle because we had to head back to our house at 6 P.M., pack an overnight bag, and ride on trains until 7 P.M., walk for 30 minutes, and then arrive at the sister’s house near the cemetery for our mission wide activity the next day.  In theory, we traveled on Friday night so we wouldn’t have to get up as early on Saturday morning.

Saturday:  The woke us up at 4 A.M.!!! QUE ISSO?!?  We left the house at 5 A.M. in order to arrive at the cemetery at 7 A.M…..only we arrived at 5:45 A.M. WHAT?? Sister Z and I were not too thrilled about that one.  Anyways, for this activity all of the sisters went to Sao Joao Batista cemetery for a “Dia de Tinados” (memorial day).  Our goal was to share a 3-5 minute message of the Plan of Salvation, say a prayer, and take addresses from people who were interested in learning more. I was a little apprehensive about approaching total strangers in what seems to me to be a very private and personal moment, but Sister Z and I have bee brainstorming powerful questions and phrases about the Plan of Salvation for the past two weeks. As we expressed our love and glorious message of hope with people, I could see their hearts soften. Many expressed gratitude for our message.  It was a great activity (even with waking up at 4 A.M.) Some people really weren’t interested, but we were able to make 63 contacts and teach 26 lessons in the course of 4 ½ hours.  The sun was relentless and I got burned through layers of 70 spf sunscreen, but it was worth it.

            We had lunch with everyone and I took a picture with Elder A and Elder N.  Yeah for district 70-H! Elder A. had lost a TON of weight! 

            Another 3 hours of travel later….and we were home.  All Sister Z and I wanted to do was drink a ton of water, turn the fan on, and collapse on our beds, but we still had a 3 ½ hour of work to do. Miraculously we had 3 lessons with members present. Sister Z and I were really on a roll Saturday night actually teaching people, not just lessons.  I think preparing for the cemetery activity and pondering the Plan of Salvation really helped us to recognize the importance of teaching to help our investigator’s needs.

Sunday: Oh Man. I hope I can write and express my thought and emotions about yesterday.  First off, we went to bed exhausted on Saturday night.  I woke myself up by screaming in the middle of the night.  I had intense muscle spasms in my right calf that luckily lasted only 10-15 seconds – long enough for Sister Z to also wake up in a panic.  I remember feeling frantic, but as soon as the spasm subsided, I was asleep again…really weird, yeah?  (Mom – don’t fret. It was just a vitamin and mineral deficiency because I forgot to take my vitamins for 4 days.  All is well now, thank heavens. Plus I am eating more fruit now.)  Anyways, Sister Z and I woke up feeling like zombies and walked really slowly to church, where we learned that our ward mission leader wouldn’t be there so we would be teaching the gospel principles class.  With 0 time to prepare, my stomach clenched as I thought of teaching a non Preach my Gospel lesson in Portuguese in front of 20 people.  When we walked into the classroom, there was G. dressed in his best clothes – a plain button up shirt, well-worn dress pants, and scuffed boots.  His smile was incredible.  He actually came, and he brought his Bible and the pamphlet that we gave him so that he could follow along.  Sister Z and I taught a great lesson on the life of Christ.  There was great discussion among the members and after we asked everyone to think about effect of the Atonement in their lives.  G. shared a simple sweet testimony…and I felt that same excitement that I felt during our initial meeting.

            Sacrament was fast and testimony meeting. I got to sit on the stand because I played the piano again this week.  I was able to observe the congregation.  I had the impression to bear my testimony again, so I did.  Members thanked me afterwards, and told me that my Portuguese has progressed.  After our lunch appointment, we went to G. house to teach him.  We took M. with us – he is a handsome recent convert of 3 months with a ton of faith and a remarkable willingness to serve.  This lesson was so special.  G. had read the entire pamphlet, prayed and asked God for guidance, got an answer to read Galatians 5, and testified of the feeling of calm and peace that he felt afterwards.  He then told us how he had washed and prepared his clothes for church the night before and that he walked 45 minutes to church and felt badly because he was sweaty when he arrived, but our Elder’s Quorum President welcomed him and showed him around.  He spoke of how he finally felt at peace in this church after decades of searching.  He’s never joined another church because he hasn’t received and answer like this before.  As he was talking there was such a  brightness in his eyes. I couldn’t help but feel that THIS is the very reason why mission are worth it.  I felt like an instrument in the Lord’s hands and I know that He prepared a way for G. to find the gospel.  I shared the Book of Mormon with him and he promised to “devour” it.  I have no doubt that he will.  Sister Z then invited him to be baptized in one week.  He accepted without a single doubt, simple asking what more he could do to prepare.  M. then shared an incredible testimony of his conversion and G. said the closing prayer, including, “I pray that everyone may feel the enthusiasm that I feel right now.”  I shed a few tears in that lesson…and I am praying hard for G. this week. He is incredible. 

            In closing, I’ve been thinking a lot about Mosiah 23:10-11….AFTER challenges and tribulations the Lord has heard my cries and trusted me to be an instrument in guiding this special soul.  I feel so humbles, grateful, and “unworthy to boast of myself.” This is the Lord’s work.  We do all we can do, show our unwavering loyalty to Him, and He will always provide.

I love you all. Thank you for your love and prayers,

Sister Colvin

You Raise Me Up

October 28, Week 4 in Santa Margarita

Dear loved ones,

       P-Days are the best. I love hearing from all of you.  Thank you for your love and support. Even the emails detailing the riveting routine of scooping horse poop and doing yard work make me smile.  I miss it. The work here is essential in many ways, but I miss working with all of you – cherish those moments together, especially you Levi! You will be away before you know it and you’ll realize just how important those small things are.

       The Language barrier is so hard for missionaries, especially when you have grown up in the gospel and have prepared for this moment all of your life…and you CAN’T help people or contribute due to language.  It’s getting better, but I’m intensely aware that I sound like a 6 year old much of the time, and my broken ½ sentences often don’t make sense.  But, I do know that I’m getting better at body language and the language of the Spirit because I’m able to connect with some of our investigators maybe definitely not through the spoken word, but through human contact and the help of the Lord.

       One thing that we are working on with members here is doing “contacts”- talking to a stranger, telling them you’re a member of the church, and then inviting them to church, sharing a short gospel truth, or inviting them to your house to meet the missionaries.  90% of the time the answer is no, but the 10%  that it is yes is awesome.  We do over 200 contacts a week, and from that we get 20-ish new investigators a week…from that, about 2-3 may progress.  It’s a process, but I know that if you pray for chances, recognize them, and step a little out of your comfort zone by doing 10 contacts a week, you’ll be led to those select few that are prepared.  If every member did this, there would be a lot more people to teach, and a lot more people with the blessings of eternity.

       

Mom in reference to your speed walking with Sister Gibby, I will bet you a million dollars that Sister Gibby has nothing on my companion.  Sister Z walks, marches, charges SO fast! I’ve finally swallowed my pride and started telling her when I’m in pain, and we’ve been walking slower.  My body aches by Sunday night, but somehow P-day works miracles and I feel almost 100% by 6 pm on Monday.

       I am learning to roll with the punches.  I’m finding myself content about 70%, happy 20%, worried 5%, and really sad 5% of the time….so things aren’t too bad.  I have already cried, but usually just in our house.  It’s easy to shed a few tears at the end of an exhausting day.  Thank you for writing the line “ don’t diminish your own self worth just because you are in a place of humility right now.”  Sometimes it’s hard to remember that the Lord called me to Rio because He knows I can and will be an instrument for good, and He’s equipped me with tools to push forward – “perseverar ate o fim” or endure to the end.  I read an awesome talk by Bednar this week about the enabling power of the Atonement.  Grace is to make bad men good and allow good men to become better. This mission is a refining process so I can learn to utilize the Atonement.  I’ve thought a lot about the lyrics from “You Raise Me Up” this week:

            When I am down, and oh, my soul so weary

            When I am weak, and my heart burdened be…

            Then I am still, and wait her in the silence

            Until you come, and sit a while with me.

            You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains,

            You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas,

            I am strong, when I am on your shoulders,

            You raise me up , to more than I can be.

Mom and Dad, you’ve always lifted and encouraged me.  Now, so far from home, I’m learning to be lifted, comforted, and edified by another loved one. I’m thankful to be able to learn and develop my relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

Weekly Update:

Monday October 21

            We had an awesome P-day. Sister Z taught with power and authority and we really felt like the week was going to be a week of miracles. We taught L, who is a sweet 19 year old with a 2 year old daughter.  They live in a poor area, and her mom doesn’t like Mormons very much.  But L is sweet. We contacted her on the street and she was warm and welcoming. She accepted the invitation to go to church and on Monday we invited her to be baptized which she accepted if she receives an answer to her prayers. She asks good questions and is really attentive during our lessons. I hope she has the bravery and courage to act on her answer. 

            We also taught J, who is very pregnant. It was a quick street lesson, but I was able to teach and testify about the Restoration of the gospel.  We also taught a few other people that day.  We took M, a 22 year old member with us for the day. She is a little bit shy about sharing her testimony, but once you break down the initial barrier, she is so outdoing and had a powerful testimony.  We started a little challenge between the members and we have them to the contacts!  The missionaries help take some of the pressure off.  M. was nervous and didn’t want to do them at first, but ended up getting 5 contacts for us to teach!

Tuesday, October 22

            We returned to L’s house, taught about the BOM, and committed her to a baptismal date.  We then sprinted back into town, caught a bus, then (literally) ran to our district meeting. I really like our district leader, Elder VW, but sometimes this mission gets caught up with numbers and deadlines/dates rather than souls and needs of individuals. I suppose that is the way in many missions.  Goals become less of “which member could help so and so to progress and have a friend” to more of “how can we get 15 member present lessons this week?” It’s a little bit bothersome sometimes, especially because our goals are the same every week – rather than goals made by an evaluation of past performance and careful consideration of what would help the area more.

Wednesday, October 23

            We had a good lesson with R, a referral from Rl.  R is a 48 year old woman and after the lesson with her Sister Z challenged her to baptism and she chose a date!

            P, the mom of a recent convert, hasn’t been very open to missionaries in the past, but she’s finally allowing us to teach her.  We were able to read and discuss Alma 32 with her. I’ve gotten very familiar with this chapter, and I could feel the Holy ghost bring things to memory and help explain how we can develop faith. I felt like my testimony helped her and that she could understand what I was saying.

Smooshed in a bus on our way to get visas finished. The Visa process never ends!

Thursday, October 24

            This was a travel and business day.  We went to the mission office and police stations to complete paperwork for out visas.  We left at 9:30, caught a bus, rode for 30 ish minutes, then rode on a loud, hot, smelly, rattly train for 1 ½ hours, then rode on a metro for another hour, walked 15 minutes, and finally arrived at the mission office in Flamengo!  WOW, that part of Rio is a LOT different than Santa Magarida. I think it’s pretty comparable to a normal downtown of a medium-big city in the US, but with terrible sanitation.  I still don’t quite understand why there are rivers of sewage everywhere.

            Once at the office we left our companions behind, and all of the Americans (and one Colombian) rode another 45 minutes to the police station.  Man it was good to see all of them, especially Elder N! Seeing him was almost like seeing a member of my family.  Anyways, I traveled with Sister S and we were able to speak and understand each other in Portuguese.  She grew up in Sau Paulo until she was 8 so her skills are pretty awesome.  We spent the next 6 hours at the station, but the time passed quickly as I talked with everyone.  My language skills are coming along rapidly and I am comfortable doing contacts and other small tasks – much of which I attribute to the Lord and to my all-business companion.  Hearing of the challenges of others and how they are struggling through the same things I am struggling through really helped me to recognize the positive aspects of my companionship and how much Sister Z has helped me to grow.  On a mission you often refer to your trainer as your “mother”.  When I was serving in Rapid City, I thought this was silly because Sister B didn’t feel like my “mother”.  We served right along side each other. But here, Sister Z really fills the role of a mother to me.  She helps me speak and understand customs; she grabs my arm so I don’t get hit by one of the many stupid cars here; she gives me small tasks and leads by example; she explains and re-explains things to me; and (like my own mother) tells me to suck it up and get to work…haha!  The motherly kindness and compassion/sympathy is a little lacking, but Sister Z has already helped me immensely in this mission – something that I was only able to recognize as I talked with other newbies.

            We eventually got everything taken care of, but didn’t return to our house until 11 pm…a long day!  On the up side we got like 7 different Liahonas in English, so that was a plus!  I’ve been reading them like crazy…I should probably pace myself. 

Side note: When we  were in he mission office, Elder N and I noticed a package that was like 3X as big as any other package and it was for Elder S…what the heck?! He’s not even in Brazil yet!  That kid Elder gets so many packages! 

Other side note: I love love love Sister B, and feel so blessed to have her in the same house!  Being able to have an outlet has been critical for both of us, and it feels amazing to have someone who understands the cultural shock that we’re experiencing down here.

Friday, October 25

        We taught a bunch of people, but C is the one that stands out to me. She is the woman with lupus and she was a referral form a member. Oh C….I know she feel the spirit, but for some reason she either can’t recognize it or won’t admit that she’s getting an answer.  Sister Z challenged her to say a kneeling prayer at the end of the lesson. C prayed and afterwards we waited kneeling for a minute or so. The spirit was strong and when C looked up, Sister Z and I could both see a change in her eyes, but then she quickly dismissed it.  Ugghh.  Cm’on! The Spirit is not something to be afraid of. 

            We also had a zone fast on Friday….that was long, but luckily the Lord blessed us with cool weather, a breeze, and lots of teaching without a lot of walking! Miracles.

            We had weekly planning and at the end of the planning we always do companion inventory.  PMG details doing companion inventory very clearly – talking about goals, strengths of your relationship, and talking about weaknesses or things that me be impeding you from working in unity.  Companion Inventory has always been a positive experience for me…but here it is VERY different.  I spent a good amount of time trying to explain to Sister Z what a “relationship” is and expressing how it is important to look at our strengths and positives.  Sooooo I thought that she understood me (actually I am pretty sure that she did), so then following the guidelines I asked, “What do you think some of our strengths are?” to which she replied with a long silence and then, “contacts”. 

 ........What about our relationship?  “um nothing. Our relationship is bad.”  Uhhh, okay.  I then probed a little farther because our relationship is really NOT bad, and it continues to grow every day. I then discovered that she compares herself to everyone else and if things are not perfect, then they are bad.  This goes for relationships, baptisms, goals, etc…uh.  That’s really not a healthy way of thinking.  I went on to express how I don’t think that our relationship is bad because we are getting better every day and that is what this life is about. I don’t think it had much of an affect on her mentality, but at least we know where the other is coming from a bit more.  I am finding peace from looking to the future and focusing on the positive, and she is making herself miserable by perseverating on all of the things that didn’t go perfectly. As such, I haven’t gotten any “atta girls” or words of approval from her. I am learning to give myself pats on the back for doing the things that are outside of my comfort zone because I don’t ever hear it from another source down here.  Even the smallest compliment or expression of encouragement can go a long ways.

Saturday October 26

            We taught L again and helped her o recognize the Spirit. We also had an awesome lesson with our bishop and R & G.  Sister Z and I got the impression to be quiet and let him teach.  He taught with great power and clarity.  G committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.

            So that night I had a strong impression o visit a street contact who lives a long ways away…don’t know why.  But Sister Z trusted me and we walked with sore knees and fatigued legs to this person’s house.  We didn’t end up teaching her, but we miraculously had 6 lessons with a member present that night and we were able to do all of our contacts and return to our house on time. It was maybe not the miracle we had envisioned, but it was a pretty huge blessing.  So follow prompting! Even though we returned with sore aching bodies we were filled with thanks.

Sunday, October 27

            Well, Sundays are rough I think it’s because my whole life Sundays have been a day to be with family and rest from our labors, and here it is all about work, ALL. DAY. LONG.  We walked to L’s house to pick her up before church, but she was sleeping…we talked with her mom, who didn’t seem to thrilled to see us…so that was a let-down.  Then zero of the people we’ve been teaching came to church, so that was a bummer.  On a positive note, I got to play the piano for sacrament and that was a huge blessing.

            That brings me up to date. Missions are hard. The difference in culture is hard. But, I know that life is about persevering and finding strength and peace in the Lord. This can only be done through “seeking the good” and looking for positives that the Lord has blessed us with. I am grateful to be here, to be stretched, yanked, pulled, and tried in so man ways.  This church is true. The Atonement is powerful.  Christ’s enabling power of grace allows us to become more that we could ever be on our own.  I love you all. Thank you for your love, thoughts, and prayers.

Sister Colvin

Minnow Week

Week 3, Monday October 21, 2013

On the top of the train platform...public transport is slow, hot, and crowded.

Man, there is nothing better than hearing from all of you!  P-days are the BEST.  Sometimes I literally count down the days, hours, and minutes until P-day.  Sometimes I also count down the minutes until 10:30 P.M. (missionary bedtime). Missionaries are tired all the time!  Between the huge carbohydrate filled lunches, the heat, and 7 hours+ of walking every day, I often slip into “food comas” between 2-3 pm.  It’s pretty bad.  If we stop moving, I’m asleep. If someone else says really long prayers, I’m out. I even fell asleep sitting upright at my desk during personal study.  It’s pretty rough!  I don’t know if it’s just art of the adjustment process of not, but SZ gets a kick out of my narcolepsy.

One lunch…oh man! This lady had just had a baby and SZ informed me that she is really sensitive and that I need to eat, and if she offered more to eat, I needed to eat more so as not to hurt her feelings….3 plates FULL of rice, bean, meat, forofu, and salad & 3 servings of some dessert with lots of sweetened condensed milk and pineapple later…I thought that I was going to explode.  Seriously, I probably could have thrown up, but the emotionally sensitive lady seemed really happy because I liked her food.  I have since learned the TRICK is to take a really small plate the first time because they don’t usually notice or care, then eat that plate slowly.  Then take more for a second serving.  This formula has served me well the fast few days.

There are many, many trials on a mission and I think Rio is about 10X more stressful that Rapid City, but I am coping.  It’s a lot easier to compartmentalize, prioritize, and not freak out when hormones are not involved.  Things are a lot better this week.   My companion and I had a great week.  We worked, laughed, taught, and shared emotions in unity.  She’s a good companion, and has a lot of patience with me.  We’re bonding through our mutual love of the gospel, and now that I can start to understand her, her sense of humor is starting to shine through.  I am really starting to love her and be concerned about her needs….3 weeks in, gah!  I’m so selfish!  It is so hard to look outward when everything inward is completely nuts.

Missionary work is WORK – lots of long days, rejection, emotion, and disappointment with only a few marvelous moments of shining success…but those moments are worth it!  They’re worth it because this church is true and the Spirit is our constant companion. Missionaries are bold, and we always invite people to be baptized within the first few lessons.  I was nervous and wary about doing this at first, but it makes our purpose clear and people know what their expectations should be – when the invitation is extended correctly , the investigator will feel the Spirit and start to understand the importance of following Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in their lives.  Even if/when the person does not accept the invitation the first time it is extended, you will always get to the root of their concern, which helps gauge how to teach to their needs.  Yes, it takes guts and courage, and yes, you do have to present it with love and tact, and yes it shoves me outside of my comfort zone, but I have a testimony of its importance.  

Typical back street.

I haven’t cried in public yet, though I got pretty close during sacrament meeting yesterday.  I have a picture of our family inside of my scriptures and after not being able to understand 2 out of the 3 speakers, I pulled out my Portuguese scriptures and looked at the picture – MISTAKE! Gah!  So many homesick emotions flooded my mind! Usually I don’t allow this to happen except for on P-day.  As I am writing this note, Sister B came into the room and we had a heart to heart about our families.  We shed a few tears and we reflected about how you guys think about and miss us as much as we think about and miss all of you.  It was both a comfort and a heartache.

 Random thoughts/happenings:

*It is getting so hot. We have had a couple days in the 100’s, right now it is 86 in our house and 98 outside, and the summer is only beginning. With the humidity, it makes for a red face and very curly hair.

*Every morning I dip myself in a vat of 70 spf sunscreen and then douse my body in insect repellent.  Then maybe I’ll put on eyeshadow/mascara…maybe.

*Sometimes if we are at a lunch appointment and the food isn’t ready yet, the family will whip out their photo albums and insist that you look at every photo.  Brazilians definitely aren’t shy about the pictures they include …let’s just say that I have seen a lot of skin and boobies – breastfeeding happens.

*Riding in a 12 passenger van with 30 people or being kissed by an really sick lade, or slogging through a muddy street with various types of poop…I think, “Man, I’m glad I got my shots!”

*After caving to my animal-loving instincts, I lightly pet a dog’s head only to watch that same dog run off and aggressively gnaw at its back fleas…I think, “Auggh, I’m gonna get fleas!”

* I am pretty sure that people don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom because there is never any soap or hand towels in their bathrooms….wish I had my pocket hand sanitizer. 

*I love listening to the few CD’s that are allowed.  My favorite is the Josh Wright piano CD.  It is a huge stress reliever.  I never get to play the piano here except for the opening hymn at district meeting last week.  I hope to snag some piano time before our meeting tomorrow.  

*Acai is my new Froyo...fortunately my companion loves it too!

FINALLY, I had a moment this past week where I felt like I was here for a reason and that my gifts/personal experiences will help people.  We taught a woman named C, who is about my mom’s age and has a small seamstress business.  She has lupus, and as we were teaching her, I just felt really connected with her and was able to speak freely, remember my verb conjugation, and she understood what I was saying. I didn’t have to repeat myself or anything. It was truly the Spirit working a miracle in our lives. I invited her to be baptized and she said that she will if/when she gets and answer to her prayers.  It was awesome.

Shark Week

Monday October 14

Dear family and blog readers,

One of the cooler days in Rio.

I try to be as honest and candid with these letters as possible so that furture missionaries may be able to understand the hardships that come with choosing to serve a mission…something that I didn’t really hear or understand very well before serving this mission.  Every . Day. is Hard. You will never feel more inadequate, stupid, selfish, or exhausted (physically, emotionally, and spiritually.) BUT, you will also be in an environment where you will learn and grow more than ever before. You will be trusted by the Lord with a great responsibility, and with His help, you can and will succeed.

Down to realness details…

Point #1:… (warning for the squeamish, it must be shark week for Sister Colvin)….

Menstruating on a mission, SUCKS! The very moments when you want to curl up in a ball, your are forced to talk to 50 new people a day. When you don’t want to talk to anyone, you have to speak openly in broken Portuguese and overcome misunderstandings.  When you are grumpy and crampy and bloated, you have to walk for 7 hours, smile, and spread the gospel.  It, SUCKS!  The language barrier is rough enough, but when you are trying to explain that you really can’t wait another 2 hours to go to the bathroom (for what should be obvious reasons) and your companion tells you to hold it, well your crazy monthly hormones might lead you to feel resentful and picked on….it’s rough.

Point #2: You will feel stupid.  It is a given.  I feel extremely inadequate and insufficient with the language, and I often wonder what the heck I am doing here. The language and cultural barriers are huge. I feel like all I know how to say are things like, “I need this, I have pain, we should do this, I need to pee, etc…” I feel the tension within my companionship from misunderstanding and I feel myself becoming more and more introverted. I can also feel my spirit of adventure waning.  Everything is extremely intimidating and I am constantly being thrust outside of my comfort zone! There is definitely a fear of opening your mouth.  I have always felt so comfortable and confident with spoken words, and it’s difficult to feel so broken and inadequate with this language.  That being said, I can recognize that I am improving and getting better at some things and I know that I can do this. I try to turn to the scriptures during discouraging times and remember that Christ has felt everything I have felt and much more.  It’s definitely a growing experience and I am being shoved through this refiner’s fire. It’s hard to relax and roll with the punches, especially with my control-freak tendencies, but I am learning.  Slowly…Very slowly. The whole patience thing is coming along really well though!

Point #3: Being a junior companion in a foreign country is frustrating.  In Rapid City we shared all responsibilities, so it was easy to have a job, make a plan, and feel useful.  Here, not so much.  I finally asked to start taking addresses of contacts and organize the area book.  My senior companion very reluctantly obliged. It’s impossible to work if you don’t have a job and can’t teach or speak (which is our #1 responsibility.)

Point #4: You will realize just how cushy our life in the USA is.  Simple things like sanitizing spray or printing off emails are a foreign concepts among the missionaries here.  I try to be sensitive about money, but I am not shy about spending 30-40 reais (15-20$) on groceries a week.  They just don’t spend money. Which I think doesn’t make sense because it is our money that we earned to pay for our mission and we need to eat. Different culture!

Walking the hills...all...day......long!

This is where we teach!

Some things that I have learned this week, and answers to questions that have been specifically asked:

1. The son of my bishop (she must be learning some Portuguese because in English we say, my bishop’s son) is serving in Fortaleza and living with Garrison! Small world and yet another blessing of our inspired calls.
2. The peanut butter that Sister C loaded me up with in Rapid City has been a HUGE blessing. I think that I have gone through ½ of one already!
3. Mom, I loved the seminary BoM handouts and stickers that you sent!  Please send more.
4. Acai is amazing. It is soooo good. 

   

   Acai berries.

5. Everything sticks together here…my breath strips, envelopes, paper. …gotta love the humidity.
6. Brazilians might be tone deaf.  Sunday hymns definitely have a different feel to them.
7.  There is a “Dia de Criancas” every October 12th here.  It is essentially a “Father’s Day”, but reversed.  Parents go all out, rent buildings, blast music, buy a bunch of balloons, and give gifts to their kids.  There is also a lot of alcohol involved, so this past weekend was interesting.
8. Computer keyboards are very different and I haven’t had enough time on them to learn to type in Portuguese.
9. Music that you hear in the streets is mostly American artists blasting every where. It is obnoxious! Seriously, it is everywhere we go!  It is hard to feel the spirit when J. Beebs is blasting!  My housemates (except for Sister B) have about 30 songs total of peppy versions of primary songs, just one step up from Disney tunes at the MTC. 
10. Dominant Smell: A combination of garlic, cooking meat, dog poop, or some other kind of poop, and garbage.
11. Transportation: All walking.  My back and my knees are starting to bother me, especially my back.  There is no way that I could do this amount of walking without my backpack, even though I pack really light.  If an appointment falls through, we can literally be walking for 7 hours straight.  My knees hurt if we walk a lot of hills.  I try to explain to Sister Z that we need to be a little bit careful with our bodies no so that we can continue to work more later, but she just pushes through the pain, and I feel like a whiny achy American.  She already had what sounds like ankle bursitis though. BUT, she is tough and a very hard worker!

There are some crazy lessons taught in this mission…one time we were teaching a lady who was basically yelling at us, there are lots and lots of flea ridden emaciated animals here, and often the person you are teaching is not sober. We have taught in houses that have been 95 degrees and the floor has been literally covered in cigarettes.  We have been in places where there is a strong smell of feces and urine….but still we teach and we testify (mostly Sister Z teaches and I nod my head and try to smile at socially appropriate times. Haha) Last week we contacted 254 people – meaning we contacted them and shared some part of the Preach My Gospel lessons with them, or we invited them to church. This work is hard.  The adjustment is really, really hard.  Like compared to about 10 failed National “B” Exams, 5 Lile breakups, and 3 senior recitals all bunched into one and thrown at you before you have had the time to condition, prepare, or fully train yourself. I know that it is hard for everyone.  Sister B has helped me a lot. 

I try not to think of home or family too much because I get very emotional and I am already shedding enough tears of frustration and exhaustion…haha.  But, I love you and I want to thank you so much for the many things that you have sacrificed and provided for me through the years. 

Sister Colvin

P.S. BTW, everything is MUCH better this week because Shark Week (what I have dubbed my week of menstruation) is finished! We had some miracles and awesome moments. It is great, I will write about it for you to read next week! Sorry about the delay.  Also...it is starting to get HOT here. I think it hit 104 yesterday. I am loving having my Costco skirts and Walmart t-shirts. I may look like someone else's grandma (my own grandma's are too hip to qualify), but I am comfortable. Also...the sandal Jambu's are the BEST. No foot pain! No sweaty feet! A huge blessing! 

Sister M.S. make a delicious b-day cake for our district leader!