June 27, 2016

HEY FAM!,

So this week, Sister Rodriguez and I got a call from President Campos asking if we had an extra bed in our house...well that was strange. He only asked the simple question and hung up the phone.

An hour later we got new news that a missionary would be arriving that day, and that I would be her trainer.....ahh WHAT! I a a new bee missionary who is far from speaking all of Portuguese!

Anyway, I had a slight nervous freak out session, but took a deep breath, and accepted the news. I know that it is impossible to have both fear and faith at the same time. So in this moment it was my decision to choose one or the other.

So....I chose to put complete trust in the Lord. Out of all the missionaries in our mission, I got chosen and I know that it wasn't for nothing. I needed this new mission just as much as she needed me. I know that the Lord trusted in me to help her adjust into mission life and to be her leader, and so I will put all my confidence in him.

So my new missionary arrived and turns out she is AMERICAN! She spent 9 weeks in the provo mtc, but while she was there she injured her foot, so she returned home to her house for one month. She was only told that she would be flying to brazil 8 hours before her flight, geez! So she came straight to brazil from her own house. Her name is Sister Snyder from Omaha, Nebraska and oh is she a HUGE blessing for me.

Yes it's true, we are two of the whitest people you have ever seen, especially in the mist of dark-skinned brazilians, but I am so excited to be her companion! She speaks portuguese SO well, and has such a strong testimony.

So because of the short notice, sister rodriguez got a new companion, Carla Piraja. She lives here in Gramado with her family, but she served a "short mission" (6 weeks) in porto alegre, so she knows all about missionary life. She agreed to be Sister Rodriguez's companion for these last 4 weeks of this transfer! So we have 4 missionaries here in Gramado as of now! So many new changes with who will take what area, who will have what bed, taking turns to shower, clean, etc. 2 more people really makes a huge difference!

Anyway, my first few days with Sister Snyder out in the field was defiantly an experience....I really had to step up to the plate this week and guide all of the lessons. Sister Snyder is a little shy, but her short and sweet testimonies at the end of the lessons truly made all of the difference. She has such a strong ability to invite the spirit. We are going to learn together during these next 12 weeks, which will be such a growing and strengthening experience. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I know that these two ghost-skninned americans will make a difference here in Gramado!

Anyway, because this week Sister Snyder and I got moved to a different part of Gramado, we spent our days meeting all new people! Families, and all! Really excited to start fresh and new!

Love you all!,

Sister Hannah