The last first day of transfers

Dear Family, 

Today is the first day of my last transfer. I am freaking out a bit because I thought that my time here would never end and I am being proven wrong. I will be staying here in Eduardo Gomes and I am really happy about that but Sister Smith was transferred. Will be interesting to see who will be the next companion. 

This week we traveled to Maceió for leadership counsel. And we are beginning to see a real difference in the two mission presidents but It is amazing to see how  much the mission really needs Presidente Gomes.  Tuesday he called us to the side and told us we would be separated and put in different situations so that we could help more sisters. The shock came this morning when we heard that only 5 of the 50 sisters were transferred. We will see what happens. 

Sorry the email is short. I didn´t have any questions to answer.  I love you all and wish you a great week.

Love Sister Martin

Change of plans

Dear Family,

This is the seventh week of the transfer and I don´t believe we are at the end of this transfer. Time really flew by. I was worried that the seven week transfer would be long and drag a bit but it didn´t; I wish it had! Time is passing too fast for my liking!

This week there was a change of plans. We had planned on going on splits with this one companionship in our zone but due to health problems, it didn´t take place. It was sad not being able to help out but it got even worse on Friday. We got a call Friday morning from our zone leader saying that presidente was heading to the stake center and wanted to meet with us and the zone leaders. Immediately. We started to get a bit worried because he didn´t say why. And something like this had never happened before. So we didn´t know what to think. But what we weren´t expecting was presidente sitting us down and saying that one of our sisters was going home because of health problems. She is new to the mission and would be ending training this week if she had stayed. When we asked if she would stay the week until transfers, presidente said no. She would be going home the next day. He had us call them up to come and talk with presidente. We stayed while he talked with her and let her know the harsh news. She cried, we comforted (or tried). It was a shock when she said Tomorrow I leave and Sunday I will already be in my home ward. It was a shock to my heart and  I felt cold at the thought. Just imagine. Something ending so soon when you thought you had all the time in the world. 

This makes me think a lot about repentance. This week we taught and thought a lot about repentance and how urgent it really is. We never know when this life will end and we never know what will happen in our lives. So we need to be ready. So there isn´t "oh, next week I will get baptized" " I will change tomorrow" No. It doesn´t work that way. We have to take advantage of the time we have because we don't know when it will end. We don´t know when our mission will end and when we will go home. 

This Sunday was fast and testimony. I love the first Sunday of the month. We started our jejum on saturday for a specific investigator. Sunday came and at the start there was not a single investigator at church and we got a little sad and when to our classes. The teacher in relief society mentioned a quote that I liked a lot. She said that "quando deixamos a fazer nossa responsabilidade, alguem sofre" Basically. When we don´t do what we should, someone suffers. Maybe our investigator didn´t come to church but if we didn´t try to help her, certainly she would suffer. If we didn´t do our part to teach, those here in Eduardo Gomes. Suffer. Interesting right? Soon after showed up a family we had begun teaching this week. A mom, dad, and four children. We didn´t expect that. But I love how we can be praying and fasting for one thing and that doesn´t happen. But God gives us something Better.

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Sister Martin

PS I hope this was long enough. I ran out of time a bit. 

Love. It's all about love.

Dear Family,

This week was a lesson in love and service.

Today I was studying Presidente Monson´s talk on Love being the Essence of the Gospel. It talks about our need to love and serve our neighbor. If we don´t love those in our redor how can we truly love God? And he told a story about a flight with 150 that went hours out of their way to pick up a severely injured child to take him to a hospital. The people in the plane lost hours of time, a lot of connections and important appointments. But no one complained. In the end the actually pulled together money to give to the boy and his family. I got goose bumps. Because it is easy to love and to be charitable when things are easy. When things are going your way. But just imagine. Spending an entire day on an airplane when it should only be about an hour or two. Am  I willing to stay calm? Am I willing to not get impatient in that circumstance? Do I love and serve even when things are hard or taking a long time?

This week was full of worries. Worries about our investigators and our sisters that we take care of. It was a test of this love. It was a test of my desire to really serve. We spent a lot of time thinking and praying to know the best way to help those that we are responsible for. 

I love you all and hope the best for you all with your responsibilities and new homes and averything that is going on. My prayers are with you!

Sister Martin

P.S. haha i wanted to warn you that that video would probably make it to facebook. It was during lunch and there was a bunch of youth from the ward there and they wanted to hear a song in English!

It's cold?

Dear Family,

This week I felt cold. I didn´t think that was possible here in Brasil. But this week it rained bastante and a strong wind accompanied the rain. So I actually got cold and pulled out a cardigan to get warm and used my Christmas toe socks while in casa. 

I feel like I learned a lot this week, spiritually and not spiritual stuff too. I left my area Tuesday night to head over to Atalia for divisões. Atalia is on the edge of the city bordering the ocean. It is a richer part of the city. I stayed there with one of my old housemates, Sister Castro. I love getting to see new houses and new areas. It makes you really grateful for where you are. I feel like I learn more from the sisters than the learn from me. I got a real appreciation for the Sabbath day as we taught a woman who firmly believes in the Dia do Senhor being Saturday. She wasn´t even willing to hear our message about the plan of salvation that our Heavenly Father made for us because she was so worried about Saturdays. It was sad. Later in the week we began teaching a mother of two. She received us very well and we began talking about the Restoration. It was an amazing lesson and I felt the Spirit there testifying. Then at the end of the lesson she rejected us completely (while politely) saying she wouldn't want to pray. Sometimes the Spirit talks to us. Tells us what is true and we don´t want to hear. Sometimes it is so strong that it is like he takes us by our hair and bangs our head against the wall yelling "Its true you idiot!" (maybe without the idiot part) but even after all that we still don´t want to act or change because it is hard. Makes me think. Am I sufficiently humble to change and move according to the whispers of the Holy Ghost?

But I also learned how to make truffles this week! It was so exciting! I am thinking that I should begin to sell these things. Brigadeiro, torta leite, trufas. Not here while on the mission but man these things are so good. They are especially good with a filling of brigadeiro.

Anyway, I hope all is well and all house moving is going over well. I love you!

Sister Martin

Vislumbres

Dear Family,

It was a bit hard to really work this week. The week started with traveling to Maceio for a leadership counsel and getting back late Tuesday night. When we got to the bus terminal we entered the office to pay for our tickets. The Brasil vs Germany game was playing and within the five minutes that I was in the office Germany got three goals. There was a lot of yelling. But it was all good afterward. Brasil was even happy that Germany won the cup over all. People were applauding for Sister Smith and I yesterday (because we are Germans of course)

Then Thursday we spent the day having interviews with Presidente and Saturday and Sunday were consumed with soccer.  But we did what we could with the time that we had. 

This week we were talking with one of the young women of the ward and she said that she had a reference for us. She took us to his house. And who was there? A 94 year old man with a severe smoking problem. I will be honest, I was shocked a bit. But we sat down and began to talk about the gospel. He doesn´t come from a super religious background and as he is 94 he had trouble understanding us (Thank goodness Bruna was there to help). He was very receptive to our message and readily accepted to pray and at least try to go to church. He has a strong desire to quit smoking but didn´t believe it would be possible. We encouraged him to start smoking a little less every day. We returned a few days after and he was already down to smoking just 5 cigarros por dia. It was amazing. 

Do yall remember Andréa. This week she was called to be the second counselor in the relief society. It was a shock but so cool! My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much.  I love seeing the progress! The other day she had us help her sign up to get the Liahona for a year. 

With the new mission presidente came the new focus of the temple and really doing family history work. Its getting me antsy to work on geneology as here we can only encourage others to work on their family work. Now I am not here to work on me or my family. I am here to strengthen others. Help others come unto Christ. I just hope that this deisre to work on family history work stays with me (It is new. Before I never had a desire to work on the family tree). 

I love you all and hope that this week is great! I hope summer is going well!

Sister Martin

Wait, how old are you?

Dear family, 

This week was amazing. Wednesday was the best, It might have been the best birthday I have ever had. The started with a healthy breakfast of pancakes with brigadeiro on top. Then as we were walking to lunch my housemates began walking really fast then stopping and talking with random people on the street who then stopped and said "happy birthday" to me. I felt like I was in a movie! Everyone stopping to talk with me to wish me a happy birthday. Até this one random woman came out from a salon and gave me a hug saying parabens; I laughed. Lunch was amazing with Ednaene and Bruna. They planned a surprise with Nilza, with bishop's wife. I had no idea but they surprised me with a cake, a small party, and Brasil flipflops. I felt the love! Then we made our way to São Cristóvão where the bus broke down and we began walking. We owe it to our gained weight after so much cake. At night my housemates surprised me again with a really good trifle cake. I ate very well this day!  I love my house mates. They are the best. 

Tuesday was crazy as we met our new presidente. It was odd. It just felt like someone was missing. But I think he will be good for the mission. The best part was the closing prayer where the elder thanked for meeting the new Presidente Gonzaga (he didn´t even realize that he had said the wrong name).  The new presidente's name is Gomes. Hard transition.

Friday was the Brasil game and Independence day. Brasil won! And of course after the game there was a bunch of fireworks going off in every direction and so to celebrate the 4th of July, my two American housemates and I began singing the Star Spangled Banner while looking at the fireworks. It was patriotic. The only thing missing was the hamburgers. 

But Sunday was the best of all. Ernando got the preisthood and Barbara bore her testimony about their conversion story. Just about cried for pride and happiness. Seeing recent convert progress and changing is the best thing in the world. 

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful summer!

With love,

Sister Martin

Flashback

Dear Family,

I also don´t believe that I am turning 22 this week. It doesn´t seem possible. Didn´t I turn 21 last week? Time flies!

We aren´t allowed to watch the world cup at all. So during Brasil games we are to return home and stay there until the fireworks start or when we think it is safe. For instance if Brasil and Germany continue and they play against each other. I think I will stay inside for a while. But we still get to work a lot! the problem is that the month of June has a lot of holidays as well.

So my new companion. You will never guess who it is. Sister Smith, aka my first companion from the MTC. It was so funny because it was so easy to transition into the new companionship. Usually it takes a week or so to get really accustomed to how the other teaches and their personality and everything but this time is was pretty easy. The funny part was remembering how hard it was to teach our "investigators" in the MTC 15 months ago and how normal it is now. We can see big changes in one another! We also have a new house mate. So now it is three Americans and one Brasilian. The ward didn´t believe it (I was the first American sister in this area in a year and a half and now there are three)

After last Sunday´s adventure to São Cristóvão, Miracles are beginning to come forth! We only go about two times per week and since this week was transfers we didn´t have the chance to go until Friday. And it was amazing; We went from lesson to lesson teaching with members and teaching references from members. People that were really looking for something in their lives. it was perfect. We are trying to do our best there to help the ward in its goal to open up a branch there soon!

Sunday during Sacrament meeting Bishop got up to make the announcements. He then said that I was invited to come and sit up and the stand and that all those giving a talk should always sit up on the stand. I, confused as I gave a talk last week, slowly got up and walked to the front to sit. I turned to Bishop and asked what topic I should talk about. The first counselor then looked at me and asked when was the last time I had talked. I said last week. Bishop looked embarrassed and said I could return to my seat. I was silently laughing as I returned to my seat and the bishop got up again and said that I had been called to see if I was will and ready to give a talk in whatever moment. I had passed the test and then lectured the members to be the same. In reality he had just forgotten that I talked last week.

Tomorrow we will see our new presidente. We called him last night to say welcome and everything but it was very odd. Presidente Gonzaga prepared us to accept whatever change the new presidente made without complaining. Then last night we got a call saying that the meeting was moved to 8 o'clock am.  Meaning we would need to leave 6:30. His first change. The first thing we all did was cry out because of the injustice of it all. Welp. I think we need to learn to accept the changes better.... But I am excited to see what will happen!

Love you all and hope you have a great 4th of July!

Sister Martin

One of the seven big Catholic churches in São Cristóvão

I think I found the biggest World Cup fan . . .

and so I gave him a Book of Mormon