2017.07.31 Week 60 - Water your own grass

This week I got pretty worried about the world. It's a pretty crazy place to live and its just getting worse. I started the Book of Mormon again and was reading a verse that just kills me every time. Laman and Lemuel are talking and they say "We could have been happy." WE COULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY. Horrible. I think there are a lot of the people in the world who are living the same way. They are too busy searching for happy to be happy. As a society, we get stuck in the trap of basing our happiness on things. Especially when it comes to social media. We see other people that seem to be really happy from their photos and start to think, "Huh, I'm not sure if I am as happy as they seem to be...but I bet I would be if I was them, and had all the things that they have." This grass is greener on the other side attitude is just really a party killer. 

I can only think of two solutions to greener grass on the other side. One, stop looking at everyone else's grass. Maybe spend a little less time on social media, and a little less time checking out everybody else´s stuff. Actually, it's even a commandment, "Thou shalt not covet." Imagine that, God really knows stuff. The other solution, WATER YOUR OWN GRASS. Kids are really good at this, it's probably why Christ invited us to be more like them when he was here. Kids don't base their opinions and their happiness on other people. They like things because they like them, no mas (nothing else). It's not until we get older that we let everyone else get to us. So, in reality, all we need to do to "Find Happiness" is to keep the commandments, base our opinions, likes, and dislikes on God and ourselves, that is the only way we are going to be happy.

WANT TO BE HAPPY, JUST DO IT.

I found all that stuff in the scriptures in case you are wondering:
1 Nephi 17:21 Mosiah 13:24 Isaiah 56:11 Mosiah 3:19
Mosiah 2:41 Alma 41:10 Luke 8:14 John 12:43
1 John 3:13, 4:4-6 1 Nephi 11:22-23

In other news...

It was a good week, especially when we tried to visit a woman named Aurelia. She is an OLD lady. We could see her in her house so we clapped. Her nieto (grandchild) left to talk to us and told us that she wasn't home. My companion then watched her CRAWL UNDER HER TABLE. Literally. Give me a break. Apparently, she doesn´t want to learn the restored gospel.

Also really awesome when we were in lunch and for postre (dessert) we had apples. In a really ninja maneuver where I was breathing, eating, talking, and laughing at the same time, I snorted a chunk of apple into my nose. Nobody noticed, but it made it a little complicated for me to try and pick it out without anyone noticing. But, still a ninja, I casually picked a large chunk of apple out of my nose without anyone noticing. No need to applaud.

Another great thing that happened. Here in Senillosa, I always play the piano in sacrament meeting. I was playing the last hymn, "God Be With You Till´ We Meet Again." And then after three verses I just stopped. I thought there were only three. The whole congregation just kept singing and I looked up and just burst out laughing. I then started playing again and finished strong. In case you are wondering, there are four verses in that hymn.

2017.07.24 Week 59 - Learning how to use makeup

We had transfers today and I am staying in the same area with the same companion. It should be great. We have more investigators now, the problem is just that we need to help them PROGRESS. But I am sure with time everything will go well. This week was good. We almost died, but we are fine.

The story of why we almost died:

We called a woman on Wednesday night to confirm our lunch with her on Thursday. During the call, she invited us to do a "little" service for her and we got really excited because it's pretty hard to find service opportunities. We show up, eat lunch and are all ready to do the service. We had planned two hours to do it. It turns out that she wanted us to paint her store. She has a baby supplies store and we got the opportunity to paint it.

The only problem is that NOTHING was ready. She had one brush and one broken roller thing. Nowhere to put the paint (we found a dog food bucket). There were drawings all over the walls, and chunks of cement on the walls. And she had bought one tiny thing of paint. OK WOMAN. So we started by sanding all the drawings off the walls and scraping all the cement off. Then we had to clean all the walls. Recién empezamos a pintar (We had barely started to paint) and then we ran out of paint. The roller broke more. We were just getting really annoyed and trying to act like happy go lucky sister missionaries. In the end, we survived, I thought that my wrist was broken, but it all went well. Just that the two hours turned into the ENTIRE DAY. 

Wow, that just sounded like a lot of complaining, I'm not complaining, I'm just whining because my arms are weak and for the rest of the week I thought I was going to die from the pain. In the end, the room looked very very very good and the hermana was super grateful. She was happy that I am so tall because even balanced on top of a very tall ladder I almost couldn't reach the top of the wall.

I had to laugh when she asked if we had any experience painting and I thought of the 8 billion hours I spent painting my fence (at home)....not really the same, but in the end it all adds up to experience right? Also, I don't think it matters if you have experience when you are painting out of a dog food bucket and sanding the drawings off the walls with an old cd.

I know it's going to be a rough transfer because my companion doesn't appreciate my lack of makeup use. In her own words, "I can't believe that you have so much knowledge but don't know how to put on makeup. What's the use of your knowledge? There is a reason that God put us together, I have something to teach you. MAKEUP" Gotta love a crazy Brazilian. Glad to know that God is looking out for me, he isn´t gonna let me get through the mission without learning how to use makeup. If I look like a clown in this transfers pictures, YOU WERE ALL WARNED.


Have a great week, read the Book of Mormon.

2017.07.17 Week 58 - Lots of doors slammed

This week was really great. We found a lot more exito (success) and more people to teach. It was my turn to get bit by a dog, but I'm fine. I got bit in the arm. Both the Elders also got bit by dogs this week. My companion's half of a wisdom-tooth started hurting her so we went to the hospital. SHE GOT A SHOT IN THE BOOTYYYYY. I just laughed and laughed and laughed.

I gave a talk in our ward. I invited everyong to stop living up to the potential of hormigas (ants). The only way we can do this is by one, realizing that we are God's children, and two, doing stuff that children of God should and can do. So basically, the only way to not be an hormiga, is to study and apply the scriptures to your life. It is in the scriptures that we learn that we are God's children and also where we learn what we need to be doing to llegar a ser como El (become like Him).

This week was funny because we got a lot of doors slammed and a lot of excuses....

"NO NONONONONONONONONO"

"Sorry, I can't, I'm cooking noodles right now."

"UGGGGGGH, NOOOO."

"I don't have time, my kid is using the bathroooom."

"Sorry, there is food in the oven. It's really complicated for me."

"We are eating, so no."

"My wife is showering, so I don't have time."

"I'm busy." x300

"I'm hurried." x70098

Overall a great week. Love you all. Read your scriptures. Don't be ants.

Overall a great week. Love you all. Read your scriptures. DOn{t be ants.

2017.07.10 Week 57 - mud filled streets of Senillosa

It was a horrible week. Literally horrible. If anyone thinks that going on a mission is all rainbows and butterflies you are completely mistaken. I started out by having the flu for the first half. My blessed Hermanas Lideres still made us come for intercambios (exchanges) so then I got to take a bus to their area, STANDING for 2 hours, because this country isn't really what you would call gentlemanly, with the flu. We got there and shockingly I didn't just heal, so we couldn't even leave the pension in intercambios. Headed back to our area. Still had the flu. Still had the flu. Still had the flu.

Still sort of have the flu....

Anyway, we are now working again, but not really finding anyone. It got to the point on Sunday that I knelt down and prayed and just cried. I did not leave my home and family to come and share the gospel with the mud filled streets of Senillosa. I came to share it with people. I prayed that I would be able to see the hand of God in my life and be more grateful.

... minutes pass...

My companion locks us out of our pension.

I am serious. We got locked out. And then here comes the miracle. The window is broken. I reach in and am trying to get the keys, but they are way to far away. The curtains happen to also be broken so we use the palo (rod) from the curtains to knock the keys out of the door. Move them closer to the window, but we still can't get them. A MIRACLE happens and my companion finds a tiny piece of contact paper in her scriptures, we put it on the palo but the keys were too heavy for it. We obviously already prayed by this point. I take off my name tag, connect it with the contact paper, and we fish the keys out of our pension with the magnet. GOD IS REAL!

It was a pretty crazy experience, but it was enough for me to see that God really is looking out for the two missionaries who only walk around in mud, for what seems like forever. I am very grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who is never going to forget us, even in the dumb things.

In other news, I am now not only a certified nurse but also a certified dentist. My companion's wisdom tooth hole was bothering her so I went to take a look at it. She got her wisdom tooth out a few months ago in the mission. Between a flashlight and a small mirror shoved halfway down her throat, we are at the conclusion that this genius surgeon left half of her wisdom tooth in her mouth. Thanks dude, we love you.

Hope you all have a fantastic week. Remember that God is looking out for you even in the little little little things. He loves you even if you are passing through a rough moment.

2017.07.03 Week 56 - Good news. Weird news. Bad news.

Good week. Kinda weird. Kinda bad.

Good news, green card elder got emergency transferred out of our area.

Good news, today we are finally going to buy a mirror for our pensión (apartment). I have no idea what I have looked like for the past 3 weeks.

Good news, we had interviews with President this week and he gave me a lot of great counsel.

Weird news, we just found out the other elder here is going home tomorrow. His companion that has been here for about three days, is also leaving the area.

Weird news, in the blessing President gave me in my interview, he talked about how I need to start prepping now to get married. Ummmm, what? Give me a break for two seconds ehhh.

Bad news, my companion got bit by a dog....in the back of her knee.

Good news, I am basically a certified nurse and thanks to the great first aid kit from Aunt Stephanie the problem was dealt with relatively quickly, and with limited blood.

Bad news, according to my calculations we have contacted about 400 people in these last few weeks...of these 400, nobody cares about God.

Good news, we are just gonna keep working anyway with faith that God is preparing people to listen to our mensaje (message).

Have a great week. Read the Book of Mormon everyday. Pray every day. Go to church every week. These little things are going to make all of the difference in your lives.


CIAO

Hermana Farr