Dear Mom, Dad, Family, and Friends,
So this week was absolutely CRAZY!! I´ll explain why...
So
I arrived here on Wednesday and it was P-day so after we wrote our
emails, Sister Moore bought groceries and I organized my clothes. Sister
Moore was pretty sick and was coughing a lot! We just worked for 3
hours because it was p-day, 6 pm to 9 pm.
Then the next day was our district meeting because
it was transfer week. So our entire zone was there and then we divided
up into districts. It´s so weird to be in a zone with so many elders. I
know this sounds weird but my zone in Liberdade has 16 sisters and just
10 elders, so I was really used to having a ton of sisters.
The Rangel zone just has us 4 sisters and the rest
are elders. I think there´s about 16 elders. I know this is how it
always used to be before the age change but it´s definitely different.
So one of my zone leaders, Elder Herrera was already my LZ (lider de
zona) when I was serving in Queimadas and he´s just been in this zone
for one more transfer than me. He´s really great and it´s cool to be in
the same zone again and the other LZ is Elder Georgianna. I don´t know
him really well but he seems good too. He´s from Oregon.
So anyway, after District Meeting, Sister Moore was
still feeling pretty sick and we talked to our LZs and they told her to
just stay at home (she´d already been sick for a week) So Thursday, I
ended up staying in our house all day (except for one hour when I went
on exchanges with another sister that lives with us, Sister Cavalcanti).
Let´s just say it´s not the funnest thing to stay in the house all day
studying :) But I think probably every missionary has already done this.
So. Friday morning she was still sick and we ended up going to the hospital and they said that she just had the flu. But, Friday, I stayed with her in our apartment the whole day too...haha and I just went on exchanges for half an hour.
Well, it´s Friday night about 10:20
and the AP calls and another sister wanted to talk to me. She said,
"Hey Sister Hicks, so you know about the emergency transfer right?" I
said, "Huh?! What emergency transfer?"
So aparently President Nogueira talked to one
companionship and said that he was going to do an emergency transfer but
he forgot to call us. So I had to wake Sister Moore up to tell her that
she was going to be transfered the next morning. I don´t know exactly
why but I think it was so that Sister Moore will be closer to a doctor
and the hospital. So Saturday
morning I received a new companion, Sister Cameron (super cool, she´s
from AUSTRALIA! She´s the first every Australian to serve in Brasil!)
But anyways, this means that Sister Cameron and I are opening this area.
So we don´t know ANYTHING about this area! haha, completely white
washed! But, I´m excited for this new experience: new area, new
companion, new EVERYTHING! I´ve been asking for advice from everyone!
And so I´ll ask advice from you guys too. Did any of you guys ever open
an area and what did you do that helped or was effective? But, we´re
just talking to EVERYONE in the street and we´re getting to know the
members really well.
I really like my area, it´s definitely different
than my other area but I´m trying not to compare. This week was hard
because I miss Queimadas A LOT, but this is the mission field and you
just have to love every area and more importantly the people.
So, any advice is welcome and every prayer would be great too :)
So yes, that´s my crazy story of the week.
Mom:
So
yes, we´re definitely way closer to the mission home but it´s still not
in our zone but we just have to grab a bus to get to the mission home
and the mission office. I think we´ll be going to the mission office on Friday to have interviews with the mission pres.
I don´t know if I´ll get packages faster because we
only get them when our leaders go to the mission office but I think I
should get that package with the shorts soon! Thanks so much Mom! You´re
the best!
I can´t think of any Mary Kay stuff that I need,
really to be honest, I´m not even using make-up anymore becuase it just
sweats off. For a little while I was just using mascara but now I don´t
even use any make up at all haha...oh Brasil.
The only things I can think of would be gold fish,
pretzels, Peanut Butter :), oreos, any type of sweet thing! You´re the
best Mom!
That´s so cool that you got to see the Fitzgerald´s! I´m glad to hear they´re doing well. Tell them hi from me :)
Aah, I forgot that Katie was pregnant, that´s so sweet that you made a quilt for her.
I loved what you said Mom about how we´re here to grow as missionaries, because that is soooo true.
Umm, so about having a special needs brother, I
don´t know. I think having a special needs brother just changes your
perspective and your view of others. For me, I feel like it has helped
me to be more opening and accepting. And it helps you to remember that
truly all of us are sons and daughters of God. I don´t know if I have
any suggestion, probably just to laugh at all the crazy things that
happen. I feel like our family is so much funnier with Greg :)
Dad:
I definitely remember the tubing
trip that we went on when we were in Aruba. I don´t think I´ve ever
laughed so hard and I remember how much my arms hurt afterwards. Haha,
it was so fun with Kimball and I think even funnier watching Taylor and
Bryan. "Taylor, you have to keep loose, well not THAT loose!" haha, oh
Taylor, that was so funny :)
haha, yes Dad! You rock that wheelie briefcase just
like your daughter did! No brincadeira! (joke!) haha, but it does help
aleviate back problems ;)
Dad, I really liked
what you said about D and C 121 and 122. I loved what you said about
writing our own D and C 122. I want to do this too. It´s so true,
sometimes we focus on all the hard things in life but we forget that our
Savior already did everything for us. He truly knows what it feels like
to be all alone and suffering. I think this is perfect Dad to talk with
missionaries about.
I´ve already D+C 121 and 122 a lot of times during
my mission during the hard moments and the good moments. It´s very
conforting especially during a mission.
Bryan:
Haha, that´s so funny about Norah, "you´re ruining her life!" haha,
she´s gonna be fun when she grows up :) hahah oh Norah...
Lindsey: That sounds like that was a fun adventure
going to the Asian grocery store. Oh and I just remembered, that´s crazy
about the water! haha, yep, I definitley know what it´s like to not
have water!
So one thing that´s different here about the
climate, it is sooo much hotter! I can´t believe I´m saying this but I
don´t know why I thought Queimadas was hot. It is SUPER hot here! haha,
The sun is just that much stronger. The other sisters´area actualy has
the beach and it has the farthest eastern point in all of the Americas. I
want to visit the place one day, I think you guys can probably look it
up on line.
So the apartment isn´t too bad. This morning, we
cleaned a lot and I chucked a bunch of just old and dirty stuff in the
trash so it´s looking a lot better. The toilet isn´t working so we fill
up a bucket and dump the water down to flush it...haha yep, that´s right
your germ freak niece is dumping water down the toilet every day to get
it to flush but I´m going to call Sister Nogueira to get it fixed. The
other sisters have already called and a guy "fixed" it but it still
leaks.
But the important
thing is that I´m happy and healthy! I´m very excited to serve here and
it´s great to serve in an area that has a chapel! It´s super pretty!
Well, I hope all of you are doing well and have fun Mom and Dad!
I love you all the MOSTIEST! Love you and you guys are always in my prayers!
Love you!
Sister Hicks
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