Families Can Be Together Forever

Olá família e amigos!

This week was great! We were able to see the rest of Alberto´s family be baptized and start on the path to becoming an eternal family! :)  Edlma, Navarro, and Heriberto were finally baptized! Elder and Sister Forbush and Elder and Sister Gayle were able to be there.  They gave us the referral of this family and Elder Gayle was even able to baptize Edlma!  Elder Forbush shared a message and we 4 sisters sang a mashup of I Love to See the Temple and Families Can Be Together Forever which was way cool for this family because the main reason they decided they wanted to be baptized was to enter into the temple and have an eternal family one day. :) I love them! 

This week during an exchange, Sister Miller and I were able to eat chicken heart which was mais ou menos...  September 7 is the day of independence here in Brasil and we will be doing service projects.  Since our area is in Recife we will be marching in a parade representing the church I think haha I´m excited! 

I´ve got to send this off quickly, but I thank you all for your prayers and advice and love!

Abraços,

Sister Garrick

Photo 1: The beautiful family and Alberto was able to baptize his sons!

Photo 2: The Forbushs

Photo 3: The Gayles

Stay on The Safe Side of Things

Hey ya´ll!

This week went by super fast! The highlight of our week was that we were able to mark Edilma, Navarro, and Heriberto for baptism!! We are so excited and are praying like crazy that everything will go well!! This week we sang (mais uma vez) at a baptism for the Pina ward.  We sang Joseph´s Smith First Prayer (In Portuguese) to the tune of Come Thou Font with Sister Taylor playing the violin.  It was super cool how well it went together.  This week I learned a lot about The Word of Wisdom and encourage you all to read this talk: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/04/the-word-of-wisdom-the-principle-and-the-promises?lang=eng&_r=1 by Elder Boyd K. Packer and abide by its principles.  He lists A TON of blessings that are promised by The Lord if we keep this commandment and stay on the safe side of things! It´s incredible!

Woah so one day this week we were like walking on the street and literally no one NO ONE was in their house or on the street and we were like well now what?  And then all of a sudden we heard a huge roar like WHOOO YEAH and cheering and then fireworks and people running around and driving crazy honking their horn and we found out that Brasil won the gold for soccer that night.  I felt like I was in the stadium in Rio de verdade.  WOW IT WAS SO COOL and it was impossible to not see them get gold medals placed around their necks because there were TV screens and projectors on every corner of the street.  Being in Brasil during the Olympics is way cool. 

Lots of new missionaries arrived here this week and I was able to reflect upon how it was for me when I first arrived into the field and I´m so grateful for this opportunity I have to be be molded by my Heavenly Father into what He wants me to be and to be able to help other sisters be free from stress, learn how to be an instrument in God´s hands, hear the soft voice of the Spirit, and even learn Portuguese!

I love you all and am thankful for your support, thoughts, prayers, emails, and letters! Have a great week! :)

Love,

Sister Garrick 

P.S. I don´t have any photos so these are old ones I forgot to send :)

Sister M. Costa and I at mission counsel

P-day com Distrito

On the Ônibus

Praia de Piedade 

The Sisters Started the Fire!

(To the tune of Ryan Started the Fire from The Office)

HELLO AMIGOS

Sorry I didn´t have time to write last week!

Why the title? Because 3 weeks ago, thanks to everything I learned at Girls Camp, my comp and I were able to start a fire for a family of members that couldn´t cook food because their stove broke! We made a fire and she cooked her humble cuscuz e galinha! She was shocked at how we started it! Blessings from the Lord com certeza!!

This week Paula was baptized and we are so happy for her!!! We sang with the sisters from Pina, I am a Child of God in Portuguese, Spanish, and English with Sister Taylor playing the violin and me singing the descant.  The bishops of our two wards even asked us to sing it again in Sacrament Meeting! I know that when we sing and play music we are bearing testimony that we know that God loves us and that Christ is our Redeemer! I know this gospel is true and I know without a doubt that you are children of a King who loves you so very much.  Never forget you divine nature and always stand as a witness of your Heavenly Father at all times and in all places! 

Love,

Sister Garrick

Blue ocean filled with sharks be careful

Pizza Hut and guessing the transfers

Problems of singing in 3 languages

I love Boa Viagem

From the chic apartment of our recent convert, Angela

At Paula's baptism

Singing I am A Child of God 

Angela at her apartment!

Divisão com Sister Faria e Sister Iglesias

Cuscuz and guacamole is super good together

Matching shoes for 10 reais (Eu e Sister Lopez)

I don´t know why I´m in love with this horrible picture but it describes 

our relationship as roommates here in Brasil

The one night it was slightly cold (só que não)

Why is Boa Viagem gorgeous??

Sister Juárez is in paradise hahaha

Mexico and pants and O Livro de Mórmon

Boa Viagem :)

Ingrid´s entrevista para ser batizada

Calças

Yo estoy en el Mexico 

Atividade na capela

Bolos para o batismo da Ingrid

She´s so special :)

Ingrid made us bracelets :)

Ingrid´s baptism

I´m in NYC

Paula :)

Everyone calls me Sister Gary because the "ck" is uncommon here sooo....

9 months in the mission!

Ingrid's Baptism

Hello!! 

This week was great and I can't send pictures because of these darn computer viruses UGH! 

1. Ingrid was baptized! You could feel when she got into the water that she was a girl who was ready to be baptized! WOW! At the end all the YW went up to the front and sang When I am Baptized and then everyone started singing with them and it was so spiritual! Wow favorite baptism so far ;) and yesterday made 12 years since I've been baptized! haha

2. This week we had a minute to win it type activity at church to integrate our investigators with our members and it was a success except we showed up in pants and everyone was like "are you sisters?" "Oh look, the elders are here" or the plain straight "I don´t like it." But a few nice members said they liked the pants but yes I know I look like Jack Skellington using them.

3. We had exchanges with the Sisters in Setúbal! I go to to work in their area and it was way cool!  

WOW I need to send pics but it´s not going to happen :( Sorry I´ll write more next week and try to send pics.  I have a lot more to show than to say but I hope you all know how much I love you and miss you all and how much I truly LOVE this gospel.  

Beijos,

Sister Garrick :)

(Note from Sister Garrick's mom: I found these pictures from a district meeting in her emails that the mission sent her.  I'm always anxious to see her face and since she didn't send pictures this week, I'm adding this... ) 

Also adding the picture that was posted on Facebook recently.  This is 

Juliana on the left who lives in Recife.  She had Sister Garrick and her companion over for lunch and shared a picture of them.  Juliana happens to be friends with my friend Corinne here in Houston. LOVE getting bonus pictures of my girl! (and knowing she is being well cared for!) 

Side note: When I showed this picture to Sister Garrick she said, 

"I haven't seen myself filtered in a long time!" 

Legit

Hey ya´ll! 

This week was great! We did our first exchanges and it was da hora.  That means like legit.  Do people say legit still?... probably not.  OKAY! I never have time for these emails but tudo bem.  I got to work with Sister Iglesias this week.  She is an amazing sister from Curitiba and I learned a lot from her! 

BUT THEN

This week.... we finally did it.... we bought PANTS and USED them! WEIRD! But super comfortable.   I also bought some maxi skirts/dresses... it might be hotter and wierder, but if it´s going to protect us from these viscious mosquitos, sejam bem-vindas, calças! 

We had a lot of investigators that we had to drop this week because unfortunately, they aren´t progressing, but I know that just means that we will be able to find those who are TRULY searching for this wonderful truth now! 

This week we also went to the airport to renew my comp´s visa which was a bit odd... can you say tranque??  

I would like you all to take a little bit of time in Family Home Evening, this week, or maybe on Sunday to read this talk https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/the-atonement?lang=eng called "The Atonement" bu Russell M. Nelson.  It is amazing and helps us understand why we are here and how we can use the Atonement to make it back to our Heavenly Father. 

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.  I know that he can help us in our trials, he can succor us and bring us back into his arms.  He is the perfect testament of the scripture, "...the Lord hath redeemed my soul... ; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love." I love my Savior.  I have seen The Atonement of Jesus Christ CHANGE- literally change lives.  I know this power exists and I know this church and this gospel is true because it is of Jesus Christ. 

I would like to challenge you all to do something super special- take a piece of paper.  Write down the names of all the people you know that live near you and pray about which one of them is prepared to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  I testify as a literal representative of Jesus Christ, that God is preparing at least one person that you know to hear the message of the gospel.  Give that referral to the missionaries! They´ll love you forever! I love and miss you all! :)

Continue firme gente,

Sister Garrick

The Week of The Photos

I didn’t send any photos last week so I´m going to try to send them all right now but I never have time!! Okay this week was super good. I bought pants... ew. We marked a few baptisms for the 30th I hope we can help them all go through! 

Last Sunday the family that made us lunch made like a full on Texas BBQ and I was in love.  This week I watched one of our investigators use the faith she had to ask for a Priesthood blessing in her depression and it was miraculous to see how much it helped her. 

The power of God is real and it is restored. We truly never need to ask where are the keys, because they will never again be taken from the earth.I am thankful for the Priesthood and for this restored gospel. I am thankful for you all and sorry that I don´t manage my time very well to have more time to email you all... I promise I´ll get better! 

Love,

 Sister Garrick

Temple photos

Burger King (tradition when you go to the temple)

our new house

our view 

my area

Luany’s baptism

Sister M. Costa and I at training for new leaders :) <3

Recife

Modern-day missionaries

Luany’s mom reminds me so much of Holly 

in looks and in personality.  I love her!