Imagine packing, unpacking, packing, unpacking- all of your belongings in three days! Exactly. I think I maybe got a taste of how my mother must have felt growing up. Starting all over multiple times, not sure how long you'll stay.
We had an emergency transfer. One of the sisters in my mission got sick and had to go home that day. We got the call in the morning- I had three hours to pack all my things after we finished all that was on our schedule for the day. And headed out. I think within these past three days I've felt more than I have my whole mission! Which is really hard to believe, considering all the things I've learned on my mission. I knew I was getting put into another trio... And considering the history and the knowledge I had of how trios functioned, I was nervous. And stressed about packing. And sad about leaving the area that I'd fallen in love with, the people I was leaving without saying goodbye.
But the Lord really does know us and what we need.
I now understand this scripture a lot better. Peace be unto thy soul... The soul is our spirit and body together. It doesn't say, peace be unto the wind- and cease the tremoring earth. Yes, the Lord is all powerful. But when Christ commands the winds to and ocean to be calm, the story when he's on the boat with his disciples, of course, what he does is literal, not figurative. But relating it to me and to the scripture in D&C, We are what he calms and heals. The world is in a fallen state and we live in it to learn and grow. And during this moment of moving to a new area, I kept myself moving and calm, as calm as I could, and I don't think I ever wasn't praying.
And then the Lord let me see why, he let me recognize the tender mercy of the move. Ah! I wish I could describe more quickly the beautiful things in this area. It was still very city like, but there were places with little forest like spots- jungle, and it sounded like the jungle, and with crickets even. And the sunset that night, I do believe it was foreordained as a gift to me. The oranges and red- clashing with purple clouds.
This sunset stayed with me my whole stay in the area in Sao Bernardo 4. And I was getting used to it, loving it- when we got the call from the President. My first area was really really sad that they were losing missionaries, even if it were only for two weeks. They found a corte-brazilian, a short time missionary, my companion went back, and then I went to where she was temporarily. Rudge Ramos! My new area for two weeks, for sure for two weeks- who knows what'll happen for transfer calls.
When I was packing that night, the only sign I recognized of stress was the amount of food I was eating. =P Otherwise, as I look back on it, the sunset was still with me. The peace was strange, especially because....drum roll please....
YES! My companion doesn't speak a lick of english. Hahaha, okay, she knows some words that aren't helpful when I want to communicate something, but it's been really good for my Portuguese. (= Not only that, I know I'm supposed to be here with her, she's a perfect example of an obedient missionary...And since I don't know how to be obedient in Brazil, I'm loving it! And we have a baptism this sunday! And I was in the lesson when we invited this investigator to Baptism! I've only been in two lessons with him, but from one lesson to another, I've seen the change in him.
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| This is me and my new companion with a family she taught |
It's been really good, and really hard, all of it. Life is so worth everything, anything, and there are moments when the Lord lets me catch a glimpse of the fulness of His love for us. It really is just beautiful, more beautiful than we can even begin to understand.
I love you all, thank you for your prayers and letters. (=
Sister Duncan
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