Week 12: It's the Little Things

Well as always, it was a good week full of challenges and good things and crazy happenings! So it goes in the mission I've heard.

ÉRICA!

Érica is being baptized on Saturday!!!!!! We went and visited her on Tuesday and while we were talking about family history, which was AWESOME, she randomly just said, "Oh by the way, I'll be baptized on the 30th, you can officially mark it." I think Sister Fialho and I almost burst into tears we were just so happy!!! If I've ever seen a miracle, Érica is IT. I have seen her whole countenance change and she's so excited to speak with us, she even fed us CACHUPA (which by the way is SOOOO GOOD), and Cachupa takes a while to make, like 3 or 4 hours, so it really meant so much to us. And to me. And also she's my personal nurse. More on that later. Anyway, the gospel, and really just coming unto Christ truly does change lives. I done seen it with my very own eyes!!! (Hope that sounded super American.)

DIVISIONS:

We had divisions on Thursday, which is just where the Sister Training Leader comes and spends the day with me in my area and my companion goes with her companion in her area. So Sister Woolwine of Houston, Texas came and WOW we had a blast! It was hard because suddenly I had to know where everyone lived, which is rough because addresses don't exist here WOOT WOOT! I had to introduce her to everyone, and we had to try to teach together with no practice or no idea how the other taught, but the Lord is so good and truly guided us through the whole thing. It was AWESOME!

THE CUT:

Yep, your gal Sister Melo is stupid and somehow turned either a mosquito bite or an ingrown hair into an ever-growing and infected black hole of death (emphasis added for kicks.) It's not black, but it ain't pretty. So all week, it got worse and worse, no matter how hard I tried to take care of it, no matter how many self-surgeries I did. But finally, and bless her soul, Érica came to the rescue. She works at a hospital, and she took one look at it and immediately got to work. She gave me some Iodine, some cream, gauze, and some painful instructions on what to do with it, and wished me luck. Let's just say the self surgery hurt like steppin' on a lego, but it's never looked better. All is well!

SPIRITUAL:

Now to the title, "It's the little things." This week, I realized it was the little things that kept me going. It was a hard week. I was very homesick, tired, aching everywhere, sick as a dog some days, worrying about my stupid cut, and such. But amidst all of that, God laced my week gracefully with simple, yet divine, tender mercies. Things like one of my best little friends Livia Laura, trying so hard to speak her best Portuguese so I could talk with her. Things like little, but powerful feelings of comfort after pouring my heart out in prayer. Things like feeling so excited to read my scriptures everyday because I know I will feel the Spirit. Snickers bars. Progress with our investigators. Food. Hugs from my companion. Times I can laugh. And so many more. When life is obviously hard, look for the maybe not-so-obvious little blessings. And how awesome that it's THANKSGIVING this week!! So remember to give thanks for the little things, the big things, and the things in between. Oh I love you ALL!!

Sister Melo

Self-surgery