Monday, September 26, 2011

Exploding grandma; Going to miss Sister Dangerfield; Teaching Gabrele at the pensão

Hello my dear family! How are all of you doing?

Life is great for me! What a great wonderful fabulous week we had in Santa Cruz do Sul!! I have decided I REALLY love being a missionary in a trio! It is so great! This week I think I laughed more than I have laughed in my whole life...on the streets, in our apartment, during planning... Sister Dangerfield and Sister Ferreira and I had a lot of fun. Haha, just one example: so on Friday night as we were planning, Sister Dangerfield started to tell a story about an airplane exploding...but instead of using the word for airplane "avião" she used the word for grandma "avó". hahaha...I kind of assumed what she had meant, but when I saw the shocked/concerned look on Sister Ferreira´s face as she imagined a grandma exploding in flames, I couldn´t help myself and burst out laughing :) It was funny. We also had some amazing teaching experiences together...some of the best lessons I´ve had on the mission. I loved it all!!! And, like all wonderful things, it went way too fast... :(
Yup, tomorrow is transfers. And Sister Dangerfield is going to leave us :( :(
I know that by now I should be used to transfers and companions leaving and everything....but I´m super sad! One transfer was way too short! I really am going to miss Sister Dangerfield...she is so quick to love and to serve and she makes life so much fun...and her testimony brings the spirit immediately to the lesson. It´s not going to be the same in Santa Cruz.... :(

BUT! I´m super excited for a new transfer in Santa Cruz do Sul!!! This city is so wonderful....and did I tell you that the members are AMAZING??!! We had so much help from the members this week. Daniel and Priscila came with us on Monday to help us with the young couples that we are teaching and then on Saturday night Daniel and Tatiana (another couple from the ward) invited us for dinner at their apartment with Cristiane and Guilherme. I was nervous that Guilherme wouldn´t come...he is so timid sometimes!! But with a lot of persuading we got him to come. The dinner was perfect! Guilherme really liked Daniel and they talked and talked and talked... We had planned a lesson to teach, but we didn´t even need to worry because Daniel had it all taken care of. We watched a "mormon message" with President Monson talking about the things that matter most and then talked about the gospel and how it helps us have stronger more loving families. It was perfect!! And the best part....after dessert (no that was not the "best part" that I was talking about) as we were leaving the other Daniel called us and asked if he could help by picking up Cristiane and Guilherme for church the next day. :) I love this branch!!

Do you remember Gabriele, the 19 year old girl that we met at the bus stop? Wow...she is amazing! Gabriele studies and works 2 jobs so it is hard to find her at home during the week...but this Saturday we were finally able to teach her. She lives in a pensão (a house with 10 other girls) so we were teaching her in the main living room area. It was such an amazing lesson...I don´t know why but the Spirit was so strong! I´ve never felt it so strong during a lesson on my mission. We gave her the Book of Mormon at the beginning of the lesson (different than usual...normally we give it to them as we are finishing the 1st lesson) and the minute she had it in her hands she opened it and started reading. Really reading! Like she was super interested and excited to find out what was inside. We taught the message of the restoration of the gospel, and like I said...the spirit was so strong. The words just seemed to flow naturally and easily...and I was feeling so happy! And then, as we were just finishing testifying about the Prophet Joseph Smith and inviting her to pray to know for herself if these things were true....out of nowhere the landlady burst into the room! She ran in yelling and screaming with her hands waving in the air "Right now! Get out! This is not a Church this is a pensão!" !!! It was crazy!! She was shouting and talking a million words a minute. We calmly told her that we were sorry and that we would leave and quickly ended the message and left. It was funny though....as we left I realized that, in a normally stressful and awkward situation, I was feeling amazingly happy and calm. I couldn´t stop smiling! And as we walked, Sister Dangerfield and Sister Ferreira and I talked about what had happened, and we realized just how much the Lord had guided that particular lesson. The Spirit had been so strong and we had just enough time to teach the restoration. We had even been able to give her the Book of Mormon and explain about it before the lesson....it was all perfect!! I really really liked Gabriele too...she really seems to be looking for something in her life. I know that we´re going to be able to teach her again....we´ll just have to find a new place next time. Or convert the landlady first :)

So! It was a great week :) Santa Cruz is becoming beautiful....the flowers are starting to bloom and the streets are getting freshly cleaned and painted for...OKTOBERFEST!!! :D
And our district is getting ready for the dedication of our new chapel. It´s so beautiful!
Good things are coming ahead!
Life is great! I love you all!!
Love, Sister Jamie Gee

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