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