1/18/2016: Week 18 - New Area and Companion

Hello!

It's official! I have been transferred and I have a new companion, named Sister S, and she is amazing. She is American, is studying music, and I love her. We make climbing the thousands of hills here a little more fun by singing random songs practically the whole day.

Usually, when you transfer, there is one companion who has been in the area a bit longer who shows you how to get around and where all the investigators and members live. However, this transfer was a bit different because Sister S and I are opening the area. "Opening the area" is fancy talk for being constantly lost and not having anyone to teach. The Elder's here before us split up the people they were teaching between Sister S and I, and the other companionship of Sisters, but we have practically have nothing to work with. We are walking with faith and a slightly out-dated map. But we are happy and singing while doing it!

The day before we got here, we spoke to the Elders who had been working here, and they said that the house was a little dirty. I don't know what you think of when someone says "a little dirty," but I imagined that there would be some dirty dishes or some materials out of place. No, when Elders say "a little dirty" they mean: pants on the table, dead cockroaches on the floor, a box of sketchy unwashed dishes on another table, and trash literally everywhere. So, you know, that was a fun first day. But now its all clean and the apartment is actually livable, thanks to the Sisters and yours truly. (To my missionary friends: If you ever leave your apartment like that, I will personally come and hit you with a flip-flop. That is all.)

A few other things:

1. The members here are amazing. They want to help with everything and give us bread and cake pretty much every day.

2. I am running in the mornings now. *applause*

3. My hair dryer doesn't work here.

4. We had a really neat experience the other day with a member who has a lot of heart problems. She called us over in the morning to pray with her, and when we arrived she was crying because of the pain. We each took a turn praying for her, and at the end she had stopped crying,and was smiling and talking with us without difficulty. She and her husband bore their testimony about the power of prayer that next Sunday, and she said that she hasn't felt pain since. That was pretty neat.

5. I have seen a lot of miracles happening here the past week. It is amazing to see the hand of the Lord here in Brazil. When you work hard and with faith, miracles will always happen. 

I love and miss you all! Beijos!

Sister Christensen