MONDAY - October 22, 2012

short stories with sister sackley

Oh hey this is the part of the story where sister sackley comes out and tells short stories. because i dont feel like writing an actual letter. so to begin, a scary story:

1. So lately i have been having dreams about bugs crawling all over me. its a horrible nightmare and i dream of crushing them in my sleep. Like I dream that there are bugs crawling on my back so i can feel myself actually roll over and try squishing them. Anyways, the other day I got up in the middle of the night and went to the bathroom. (you are welcome for that) and as i was walking back i felt something on my back. so i reach my arm into my shirt and pull out....A HUGE ROACH. Dreams or real life? either way i now pray that the bugs will go away before going to bed. 

2. This story starts with a HUGE sidenote. here we go-

I feel so much safer in the favela when i can get a smile out of the favela men. It might be flirting, but i honestly feel like it is a saftey factor. The men here have this weird almost hunger games type of hair do where they carve certain things into their buzzed hair styles. they also shave parts of their eyebrows....yes i know weird. But the more they have going on on the head, the more they are associated with the bad guys...you get what i am saying? Anyways, I feel much safer walking through the favela after i have personally greeted everyone we pass with a sweet ``boa tarde``. If i can get them to say it back to me or just smile, i feel safe walking past. And for the most part, the men are more than obliged to say it back....which comes in handy because sometimes they will tell you to not go a certain way because someting is going on. You get the point, i dont purposefully flirt with men as a missionary, its a safey factor. 

And another side point-sister arnell warned me before leaving of a few things to avoid. for example, there is a house in our area that if you knock on the door, the man will run after you with a gun trying to shoot you. One of her cautions was to avoid a certain part of the favela where the people hate the sister missionaries. That in and of itself is an entirely different side story i wont go into. Sister arnell just warned not to go past a certain point and CERTAINLY not past 4 in the afternoon. 

So of course this past week we had appointments close to that area with a member of the ward. It is safe where she lives, yada yada yada and before i knew it, it was about 5 o clock. Which is fine, all we needed to do was walk down the hill and out of the favela. My only problem was i had told a less active we would go and visit her. The less active lives pretty much right where sister arnell told me not to go. But thinking i knew my way, i decided it would only take a few moments to get to the road we needed and sister arnell had taken me through the becco once before, i thought i knew how to get there...it should be just fine. 

Trying to make sure sister pereira had no idea that we were in bad territory, i began walking through and then into the becco. The beccos here are just little side street sort of things. except they arent big enough for a car...about the size of if you were to stretch out both arms you would hit both sides of the walls. At the beginning of the becco i knew where we were and there were women out with children (good sign you are safe). But the farther we went in, the more it became unfamiliar. And the sun was going down and we were far above where sister arnell said to not be. No one was out and I did not feel safe. not one bit. Sister Pereira was in front, mindless to the fact we were completely lost. I began to pray that i would know where i was, or that we would at least find a way out of the becco. Nothing. Nothing that looked familiar, no one in the becco...nothing. 

All of a sudden i felt i needed to turn around. Walking just 10 feet behind me was a man probably in his 30s with no shirt on, lots of tattoos and a gun tucked into the front of his jeans. He had all the carvings in his hair and all the steps in his eyebrows. At that moment i hit the side wall and waited for him to pass. Sister pereira did the same and as strange as it sounds, i dont think he even saw us. I said a little weak ``boa tarde`` and not only did his expression not change, he didnt even look my way. As he past however i felt a weird impression to follow him. 

Not wanting to ignore the spirit twice, i walked quickly behind him for a soild 10 minutes. He led us up and down through twists i wouldnt have taken and the entire time he said nothing, never turned around. I finally found where we were, we made the stop at the less actives house and got out. It was definitely a moment of realizing that i need to follow the spirit no matter what, and a testimony to me that surely, God protects his missionaries. 

3. While in the MTC, Sister bartholomew told me that there would come a day on my mission where i would get home at night and look in the mirror and be shocked to see a white person looking back at me. Although this moment has yet to arrive, i am often shocked by how white i am in pictures. While talking to the people i dont realize how much i stick out. I think of them all as being the same as me and yet i totally stick out like a sore thumb. It might be the name tag and back pack and long dress though that adds along to that...and if that is what it is, i am fine with that. 

4. This past week we were sharing the first vision with an investigator. The home was FULL of people and i bet had everyone laid down on the floor, we would not have enough room to sleep. There was little walking space and we gave the lesson on the investigators bed while her mother cleaned some of the little kids´ clothing. I gave the first vision and after I showed her the picture of God and Jesus and Joseph Smith her eyes widened, the spirit filled the room and she screamed out ``mom!! mom are you hearing this? These girls are telling me that God and Jesus appeared to a man in 1820. Mom come and listen!`` It made me realize how much we take for granted the knowledge we have about the restoration of the gospel. That it really, really did happen. 

Pictures!

That is all for the week. 
love you all with my whole heart, 

sister mad

MONDAY - October 15, 2012

an old maid, faking it and an awkward sister missionary

   Dearest friends,

Another week has flown by here in Brasil and I am finding more and more that before i know it, i will have no time left. Thank goodness we have a while until that happens.

 

So I am sure I left a few of you with a cliff hanger this past week-that being the fact that i now have a new companion, and she is not just an ordinary new companion, she is a thirty seven year old woman. Or Old Maid...is it bad if i call her that?

 

Her name is sister Pereria. We had transfers on October 4th-a completely unexpected twist in sister sackleys mission. It occurred just after being attacked by a dog in the favela. Sister Arnell and i got out of the favela, went to a close drug store and I threw up. We were both feeling sick that day and were about to call sister Fortunato when the assistants called and told us sister arnell would be transferred the next morning and that i would be getting sister pereria as a new companion.

 

At first we thought something was wrong-transfers werent for another two weeks...but it turns out president just likes to keep us on our toes, and all the sisters got new companions. It was definitely a shock and I was very sad to say goodbye to sister arnell. We have a lot in common-shes from oregon, she goes to BYU-Idaho, we both share the same ideas on cleanliness and what is not appropriate to do in public....you get my drift.

 

And now of course, I have sister pereira for a companion. She is, like i said an old maid. She is from the favela of São Paulo and has lived there for the past 8 years. Before she lived somewhere like Mato Grosso do Sol (dont quote me on that one). Sister Pereira found the gospel at the age of 20....in 1995. (when i was just five years old). She was converted, went on a mission in her 20s and has been a nurse for the past few years in São Paulo. She felt like she needed to serve a mission again and so here she is in Belo Horizonte.

 

I met her my first day here and LOVED her. And wished she was my companion. She looks very loving and like a mother figure...you know, because she could be....so when they called to tell us it was sister pereira, i was very okay with it. The only thing i could say to complain about her is the fact that she is old...and so her knees are bad and walking the ten miles up and down hills hurts her legs and we have to stop and rest a lot.

 

But she is BOLD. the girl knows what she is talking about too, and when people use the excuse that they are catholic she has the experience to say ``oh so was i before i found this church``. Doors that would close on me open for her and I am learning a ton about being bold with peolpe...which is weird since i figured i was bold enough before...

 

With that being said, this area Gutierrez is known for being the hard area for sisters. Every sister i know in this mission will openly admit to the fact they pray to not have to be in this area. And so did she. Except when i picked her up at the office i decided to play things differently and just fake it. She asked about the area, i told her we have a lot of peolpe interested and a lot of people to visit (we didnt). I also told her i knew where everything was. (i DEFINITELY dont.)

 

So we would go to these ex investigators houses this past week and knock the doors and i would tell her all about them...except the fact they had rejected us before...and miraculously enough, when one of the companions has faith, the people believe! We have seen miracles this past week and she even admitted on Friday she doesnt know why sisters complain about this area, its perfect.

 

Also we have gotten lost many times in the past week because i am the ``experienced`` person here....hello, i am sister madison sackley and i get lost in beaverton oregon without a map. So yeah. we got lost plenty of times this past week...and in the favela of all places. I have realized though that you just have to fake it till you make it. Sister Pereria is clueless to the fact i have gotten us lost at least once every day this past week. heh heh..

 

Oh yes and then there is the awkward sister missionary thing. Welp i didnt think i was that awkward...i feel like the whole brasil thing makes the mission less awkward? nope. We had a boy in the ward come with us to hit doors in the favela this past week and i was subconsciously trying to run away from him the entire time. He even commented something like are you afraid of me or something?

 

Oh bother. Look out world, sister sackley is bound to be a awkward sister missionary FOR LIFE.

 

Have a great week!

love sister mad

MONDAY - October 8, 2012

all the single ladies...  

Dear Girls 19 and up (and everyone else reading my blog)

 

I could write this week about how I got attacked by a dog (learned my lesson, don't go in a gate with no one there) or I could tell you about my first on the lips kiss here on the mission.. don't worry, he was at least a cute man....or i could tell you about amelia, our rat, or i could tell you about the fact I have a new Brasillian companion AND SHES 37 YEARS OLD.

But that can all wait for another week, because this week I want everyone to know how from the bottom of my heart, I love revelation from our Prophet. And incredibly enough, sister arnell and I were talking about the age change for sister missionaries this past week.

 

Maybe it is because I have now been on a mission for 6 months and can see things a little more clearly and in hindsight, but for real girls. GO ON A MISSION. And I want you to realize right now that if I was the one reading this about a year ago, I would have been very angry and not wanting to actually admit I should go. (The Lord works in mysterious ways I tell you) But as you read this, if you feel even the slightest tug at your heart realize it is the Spirit telling you this is for you.

 

When I first decided to go on a mission I had a lot of fear. You know, that Sister missionaries are crazy. And they dress horribly. And they all turn up strange after their missions and never get married. I think to be honest, i had this fear until my first day in the MTC where I met a ton of girls, just like me, that had normal lives and normal friends and normal clothes. There are normal, just like you sisters out there. I promise.

 

Also, I cant even begin to describe the amount of happiness you experience on a mission. The MTC is like EFY on steroids minus the flirting. It is the fastest place your testimony will ever grow. It is the only place in the world I bet you can meet so many people from all around the world who are just like you-about to go on a mission and serve the same God they believe in. It changed my life. And as awesome as the MTC is, nothing compares to ``the mission field``

 

There is nothing on earth that will make you happier than serving a mission. You will grow closer to the Lord, you will grow in your testimony and you will learn more about yourself than anywhere else. I have been pushed to the edge of my comfort zone over and over again here on the mission and it is the thrill of a lifetime.

 

Nothing compares to the feeling you will get when you share the first vision and a light switches on in your investigators eyes. Nothing compares to the feelings you will get when they are then baptized. Or when children in the street call out ``oi seester!`` or when people run after you with knives (story for after the mission). Or when you eat the intestines of a cow without knowing it, or when you throw up all over the street in the favela, or when a woman comes up and tells you you are just glowing and look like an angel. It is in reality, the best adventure your life will ever have up to this point.

 

I wish someone had told me that everything would be okay before I started my mission. I wouldn't have believed it, but i wish someone would have. Because literally, everything is okay. Life is more than good, its incredible. You will be far more happy living on a cot in Brasil or in a hammic in Africa being eaten alive by bugs then you ever could possibly be in the warmth of your own home. Nothing brings more happiness than sharing the gospel.

 

SO. If you are reading this and thinking well maybe i should..........START YOUR PAPERS TODAY! They take forever anyways. Start your papers, get them done, kiss mom and dad goodbye and go on a mission. You'll grow up. You'll be happier than you could ever imagine and you will be blessed. I promise.

 

Hope everyone is doing FABULOUS, life couldn't be better here in Gutierrez.

 Love Sister Mad

P.S. PICTURES!

 

MONDAY - October 1, 2012

eat pray love (part one) 

Dear Friends, 

The title of the blog today I think I have decided without a shadow of a doubt is the title of my mission. It was for a while going to be 500 days of summer, and maybe that could still be the subtitle, but it for sure is eat pray love. Because that is exactly what my mission is and has been and will be for the next year. 

Eat- Holy cow I cant even begin to start on the eating factor of the whole title. We eat everything under the moon and it is delicious. And I am starting to love my fruits. Yesterday I ate an entire peach without one face. And although I wasnt exactly LOVING the peach, it was fairly good.... kind of. The food here is incredible and everyone wants to feed you and you cant help but want their food! I am surprised so far (fingers crossed) i have yet to gain weight because i eat a mans portion. And I love it. 

Pray- I don't think ever in my entire life i have ever prayed as much as i pray here in Brasil. I mean, i prayed a lot in Arizona and the mtc but for real Brasil prayers have gone up like no ones business. I feel like i am constantly praying. Praying for no rain, praying for us to find someone to talk to, praying for the sun to stop being so bright, praying for those we talk to to feel the spirit...the list goes on and on. And I love it. I have realized over the past few months the difference between conversion and testimony (and now i will stand on a milk box and tell you)....

I have realized that the world is a very cold place. Even here in Brasil, it is very cold and there are a lot of horrible things happening to everyone. whoever you are, you have tribulations. Testimonies are just little pieces of thread and a needle. Our experiences and life happenings and the things that change us and the times we share these testimonies are patches of fabric. You don't get converted to the Lord over night. Its a little at a time, small pieces of fabric stitched together. And sometimes its a large piece and sometimes its a small one. It just depends. But after a long time you have got yourself a quilt. And soon enough you can share that quilt with others while they're still working on theirs. So if you need to, feel free to come and sit with me under my quilt. Because I have room to share. And i think a very large piece of my quilt would probably have a brasillian flag on it. and another part would probably be Arizona  The mission is FANTASTIC. 

And now i am getting off my soap box....

love-Goodness gracious i don't know how else to explain it other than how sister noorda explained to me in her last letter-I feel like the Grinch and my heart has grown three times over night. I love everyone here more than i probably should. It feels like everyone is family and I can see them the way that Heavenly Father sees them. I think the thing that has changed the most on my mission was how i see others. How i just love others without even knowing them. The people are just beautiful here and i cant help but want to stay with them for forever. Its a very strange thing to just feel so much love for others that you don't even know. And you cant help but smile all the time over it. Mission life couldn't possibly be better. It makes me laugh at how completely freaked out i was over giving a year of my life. Because if anything, this is a year and a half of me just receiving more and more blessings. 

here i found who you should vote for if you cant decide for u.s president. she looks like she will do a good job in verador. 

also my favorite area we are teaching in. 

love mad.