The Week of A LOT

Olá todos! Como vocês estão? 

This week was just A LOT.  I don´t know how to describe it- literally I don't.  First of all, our super elect investigator decided to give us The Book of Mormon back because he decided that the 4 people that told him that this religion is a cult was an answer to him from God that it wasn´t true.  After a longggg lesson including us teaching the 1st, and 3rd lesson many times, and after many questions, he decided to take the book back and give it a 2nd shot.  The next day, Sister Bigelow worked with us for 2 hours and it was the best day of my mission so far!  We had a lesson with a member and helped her to share the gospel with her family and friends and get referrals and we went to the chapel to teach Anderson with another member as well.  Sister Bigelow asked many inspired questions to him and he looked back at us and gave us back the book and said he made up his mind that it wasn't true. We said we would need to postpone his baptism and he got so sad because he wants The Holy Ghost and we wants to be born again and serve a mission, but doesn't realize how The Book of Mormon is connected to all of that. Then, the member that was there showed him a few scriptures in The Book of Mormon and there was a long pause, and our investigator looked down, and then looked back up and said, "3 minutes ago I was going to give this book back to you for the 2nd time, but now I know it's true.  I know I'm in the right path.  Please don't move my baptism back."  We were like alright then you need to read and pray and get your own personal answer or remember the answer you already felt and received when you first told us.  The next day, he was interviewed by our District Leader and his mom signed the papers and he was so excited!  Saturday- the day of the baptism- he says he's not going to be able to go.  We don't know exactly what happened, but he said he just needed some time.  This was one of the saddest moments of my mission.  I know that he knew this gospel is true and I pray that one day he comes back.  I was able to learn a lot about The Lord's timing through this experience and how His will needs to be written on my heart.  His hand is in everything that happens.  I am relieved knowing that we did everything we could to help a young man with a desire to come unto Christ. I will keep praying for him.  

This week we also got transfer calls!  I will unfortunately be leaving Sister Lopez who I love so much!! :(  But, good things can't last forever right?  I will be opening a new area that only had one set of elders that will now have 2 sets of SISTERS!  My area is called Rio Doce that's in Olinda if you want to google it. It´s gorgeous!  And I will be training a new sister that gets here tomorrow!!  It could be a Hispanic, American, or Brasilian because they're ALL coming!!  I`m super excited for this new adventure in the best mission in the world- Brasil Recife! 

Love you all,

Sister Garrick

                                                                Photos:
1- Sister Lopez, Sister Schmidt, Sister Taylor, Sister Anderson, Sister Hernandez, and me

2- The Forbush's will be leaving in the beginning of December :(

3- Ingrid just happened to be at the subway station today :)

4- Northeastern vocabulary

5- last Sunday

6- Fernanda :)

7- Paula choking me

8- Edlma :)

9- HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM ANA AND ELSA! 

10- Fruta-pão is a jack-o-lantern 

11- WAFFLES

12- Snow in Boa Viagem ;)  "It´s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! 

"Está começando de parecer muito como Natal!”

"I Hope They Call Me on a Mission!"

Hello!! 

The subject line isn't about me but about other people!! The missionary spirit is starting to spread like wildfire here in Boa Viagem.  Heinrich is a youth from this ward that helps us out so much and he is about to leave for his mission this week to Porto Alegre!  He gave his farewell talk yesterday and his dad brought his friend and his family that aren´t members to church to hear his son talk and to meet the sisters!  (or as he calls it- 2 American girls he knows...)  My gosh.  Anyways, it was super neat.  There were so many people at church this Sunday- but what was especially cool was that there were so many people in Gospel Principles class this week!!  We also have an investigator named, Anderson who is being prepared to be baptized this Saturday and he told us yesterday that he too will be serving a mission!!   We were like what!!??!  And he was like I know I have to wait a year, but I am already planning it all out!  We hadn’t even talked about missionary service yet!! He has been prepared by The Lord SO HARD and Sister Lopez and I want to come back to Brasil for his farewell talk. 

This weekend Luisa was also baptized and confirmed and it was such a super spiritual experience for all of us.  Sister Lopez, Sister Schmidt, Sister Taylor, and I played and sung "Baptism" for her and when she was baptized she was one of the happiest people I’ve ever seen in my entire life!! It was so cool! :) I love the doctrine of baptism and the symbolism of being born again as a child of Christ.  I know that we need daily repentance and baptism to return to our loving Father’s presence.  I know that He lives.  I know that we are here because He needs our example for all of His children here upon the earth.  Let us all be disciples of Christ!

Amo vocês visse?

Sister Garrick ;)

(I'm guessing Sister Garrick is the blonde one and Sister Lopez the brunette)

#Domingos

 Luisa’s baptism and crepes for lunch ;)

Baptize Converts

Hello all!

This week was great!  Our investigator, Luisa has received many answers from fasting and prayer that this church is true and has decided to be baptized on the 22nd and we are SOOO excited for her! One of our recent converts, Vavá is going to baptize her and it will be his first time!!  We have a great Relief Society program and leaders here and we are so grateful for their support and help with this baptism!  I am truly blessed to be able to serve here in Boa Viagem.

We are in a "correria" this week with lots of exchanges to plan and to do and it´s fun and great and spiritual, but I feel like I need to sleep for 20 days straight, but I know that there is nothing better than being a servant of The Lord.  It´s a lot of work, but it´s righteous work- it's The Lord´s work.  I know this gospel is the only thing that can bring incomprehensible joy into our lives and can allow us to have eternal families.  

Love you all,

Sister Garrick

Photos by the beach in Pina 

(no rules were broken in the taking of these photos- we are not stepping on sand)

Photos: Surprise Birthday party for Sister Taylor :) 

The Week of Meetings

Hey!! 

I literally don´t have time so I´ll just send you pictures.  This week we had mission counsel and then training for new leaders.  President started the training part a little late because we started asking questions about doctrine because he´s super smart and Sister Bigelow wasn´t there to remind him what time it was haha.  He taught our small group doctrine for 2.20 hours and I felt like i was in heaven.  The gospel has become so sweet to me.  It's the only thing that can bring true joy. The Atonement is real and we are God´s children.  I love you all!

Sister Garrick  

Made blueberry muffins from the "just add water" mixes mom sent.  

They were a success!!

Quarta Andar Última Porta

Yeah so the phrase "Fourth Floor Last Door" isn´t as cool in Portuguese (see above) but the talk was great!

I hope everyone had an edifying and enriching spiritual General Conference #LDSCONF weekend!  Let me just say that we are stoked to work with our members even more now and watch out in your wards- the hour has arrived! We have always been missionaries and baptized members of the true church of Jesus Christ, but this conference was a sure wake up call to the reality of being witnesses of Christ.  Please don´t pray for me- pray for ways that you all can find God´s children who are ready to be blessed by and taught the doctrine of Christ.  Pray to have the desire to share the gospel, and for opportunities to share the gospel with the disposition to do so, so that we might gather Israel in these the Latter-Days.

I was blessed this weekend to be able to watch 3 out of the 5 sessions I watched in English and oh how wonderful it was to hear their true voices and sing "Called to Serve" in English for the first time on my mission.  I am truly grateful for the leaders of the Boa Viagem stake that were able to put that together for us and others.  

There is so much I want to say about conference, but I just want to invite you all to do what was said in the last prayer on Sunday night- study and re-study the notes you took and the impressions you received for your personal, daily lives.  Let us work in the Lord´s vineyard together! As President Monson has said and which was repeated twice this conference, "Now is the time for members and missionaries to work together!" 

Love you and grateful for you all,

Sister Garrick


                                                    I´ll be your English teacher
                       

 Tchau Tchau Sister Juárez :(

When in Boa Viagem....

Leadership Meeting: Camaragibe Zone

Pre conference McDonalds and conference pics