July 7, 2014
Hello family!! I am SOOO happy right
now. I got all of your loving emails, all of the support and everything I
needed to hear today and it made me so happy to know that I am not alone...
well I already knew that but the reassurance is just amazing!!
So y'all know how my week was since
I talked to you guys on Thursday. It was SO great to hear you guys and to get
that motivation to keep going, well lemme tell you about what I learned while
spending my time "working" in the mission office this weekend:
I'm not made for the office. It's a
dull, beige place where your dreams are shattered. Not that I am complaining, I
helped Sister Davis a LOT! We got at least 3 weeks of work done in two days and
she ended up being caught up with everything! It made me happy to see her
relieved. She said "God sent you to the office to help me, I am so
thankful for your help!" And it made me feel GREAT to know that I was able
to lift her burdens... but my mission wasn't made for office work. It was like
the Garden of Eden if you will... a place where I felt no joy nor sorrows, I
felt like I was in LIMBOOO. It was fun being with Elder and Sister Davis
though, also the Executive Secretary AND Financial dude. It was like a
mini-vacation with my mission grandparents and brothers. But I didn't have the
same joys that the mission field brings. I longed to find people to teach, to
contact... and I leaped at every contact opportunity I could when we went
out.
Also, the Davises were AMAZING! I
helped Sister Davis cook dinner at home. Friday night I taught her how to make
mom's rice (with some shredded carrots in there) and it turned out to be the
best rice dish I made to date. SO GOOD! We also made some chicken wings with
curry. YUM! Also, a branch leader came in the office on Friday and asked the
Davises to give a talk on Sunday night for their fireside... problem is that
Sister Davis doesn't speak a lick of Portuguese. So I offered right away to be
her translator. It made her burden much lighter and she seemed really happy to
have me translate her talk. She isn't a person who is good with words (so she says) but her
talk was great.
Saturday afternoon the President
called saying that I was to go to my new area ASAP 'cos it was hard for Sister
Vilhena to get around on foot. So I packed up once more and found myself in
Morada da Serra. I just spent the evening unpacking and chatting with Sister
Vilhena. Then I found out that I couldn’t translate for Sister Davis anymore
because it was too far... it made me sad, but then we found a way to get me
over there. So in the end, I went to the fireside and it was the best spiritual
experience I had this week. So I've never done any sort of translating for
anyone (like a talk) before but it was neat. President and Sister Reber ended
up showing up last minute (surprise guests) and it was such a neat experience,
being up there translating for Sister Davis. The Spirit was so strong in that
meeting. I felt so happy to be up there. I felt like one of the Olympic people
who translate for the audiences! :p Seeing the audience at the fireside was
great. Every once in a while President Reber nodded at me which made me feel
good about my translation. Afterwards, they came up to us and told us
"good job" also, he told me that I translated everything perfectly.
Go team Mission Office!! WOOOOO!! :) It was fun!
I am grateful to be back in the
field. It's not easy though. The girls I live with now are much different from
the Campo Grande girls. But I've been putting the EXTRA effort to get to know
them and it’s been helping. I still don't know my
companion Sister Silva that well, but she has treated me well. Sister Martinez
is from Argentina... but it's been nice :)
The Lord put me in the office for a
reason, other than helping Sister Davis. He taught me that I am not an office
person, and he also taught me that if I do give up, I will feel the melancholy
I felt while I was typing away at some documents. He wants me to receive the
fullest joys that the mission brings, and He has an important work for me to
do. That work cannot be found in the office or the grocery store, but out in
the neighborhoods of Cuiabá. Under the blazing sun, toiling to find the elect. That’s
where the fruits of the mission are. I don't want to be the best missionary; I
only want to be a disciple of Christ and do the Lord's will.
I love you very much and I cannot
express my gratitude for helping me and fasting for me. I wish I could hug you
all but I can thank you all individually through emails and letters! I gotta
get going now, but until next week! SO MUCH LOVE!!!
-Sister Mariana
Espiritu