… according to Sister Sharp.
Hi Everyone!
First set of transfers and none of the sisters here in Espargos got transferred, and only one of the elders did… but he is going home, so we knew he would leave. It was quite a shock to all of us, I think, except transfers were all a little surreal to me so I don’t know how much it really shocked me to have everything stay the same. A lot of missionaries were thinking every companionship would get switched up, and this will be the longest Sister Garcia has ever been in one area.
Well, I am doing well here! It has been HOT here, and more humid than it usually is… it even sprinkled one day! (Sal doesn’t get rain… ever…) We got water again on Tuesday, so I think we went without running water for almost exactly one week. But YAY! It’s back! Our toilet isn’t actually fixed though, so we have to make sure to shut off the water to it every time after we use it. Sister Garcia didn’t end up coming back until Saturday afternoon because her tooth needed more work, but she is back now. And she apparently had a little baby parasite, which they cleared up while she was in Mindelo, so now she can eat!
On Tuesday night, the sisters from Boa Vista flew in for Zone Conference on Wednesday. There are just two sisters on Boa Vista: Sister Turner and Sister Goss. They went with me to my area, which was nice because we could teach more than one or two lessons, which is all we have taught in my area every other day when I’ve been in a trio with the other sisters. Wow, they are awesome missionaries, and it was so fun to teach with them! They are super funny. Oh, and Sister Goss knows Katie from High School, but she didn’t know she was married, or even engaged, haha… she couldn’t stop looking at the picture I had of Christian and Katie. They were so fun to have as companions for two days.
Zone Conference was just awesome! Wow, I learned so much and I felt like I had a lot of questions answered about how to keep improving as a missionary. We had it in the church, but the church didn’t have the A/C it usually has, because someone needed to pay the electricity bill. Haha, Cabo Verde is a bit funny with paying their bills, it seems. But I just loved Zone Conference.
I have been really grateful to have all these opportunities to teach with different people, because I have really seen what some people do really well, what I want to incorporate in my teaching, how to teach more simply, etc. In Zone Conference, we talked a lot about teaching the Restoration more simply, with more emphasis on the First Vision and especially on the Book of Mormon. It was super good, and I’m excited to be focusing that lesson on the Book of Mormon. Sister Mathews taught us about revelation and how to receive revelation, and wow, I learned so much about it. She said when their kids were little, they gave them all a pencil and a journal to keep by their beds, and every time they prayed, they were supposed to wait a bit and write down any impressions they received. She said that it is amazing how well the Lord will respond to someone who has a pencil and paper waiting, ready to write down any answers they get. This really struck me, and I want to be better at writing down any impressions I receive, and giving myself more opportunities to record revelation as I pray, study the scriptures, etc. You guys should try it, too! :)
After Zone Conference, Sister Mathews pulled all the sisters aside and we had a little how-are-all-the-sisters-doing-meeting. She feels like a second mom to me. They both truly feel like a second set of parents. She shared her famous-quote-of-the-week with us, which is: you never know how strong you are until being strong is all you have. That really stuck with me. I’ve learned a lot about how strong I am, but really, I’ve learned how strong I am when I trust in the Lord. Because I am nothing without Him, but with Him… I can do amazing things.
Thursday or Friday, we taught a less active member in the other sisters’ area. Among other things, he said he is afraid to go back to church just in case he becomes less active again. I was thinking about that, along with this quote that Sister Mathews shared with us, after we came back from teaching that night. It is so easy to be afraid to do something good just in case it ends up leading to more hurt in the future. But with the Lord, we don’t need to be afraid. He will never give us something that we aren’t strong enough to handle with His help. If we just do the things that He has told us to do, we have the promise of His help, of His strength and guidance and support. Sometimes we may feel alone, or like we have to face some things without someone to help us, but the Lord is always there. And besides, there are so many angels on both sides of the veil, ready and willing to help. Because of the Gospel, because of the Atonement and because of eternal families, we are never alone. We may not realize it until looking back, but just like the Pioneers, we literally have angels walking with us, helping us and protecting us. How beautiful and amazing.
Well, I just love being companions with Sister Garcia. She is so bold, and I am learning more and more how to be an effective companion with her. She is just awesome. I feel SO blessed to be learning from someone who works so hard to serve these people.
Bia and Francisco are just amazing. We were able to mark a baptismal date with them, which was especially incredible because Bia really understands how serious baptism is. But we have marked it as a goal to work toward, and they’re willing to work for it. She wants to get an answer about this church, and she has told us that if she is baptized, she will follow this church for the rest of her life, which is why the baptism thing was so amazing. They are so prepared. It just amazes me every time we teach them… I feel like I witness a miracle every time we sit down with them! :)
Well, family, that’s about it for this week. Apparently Sister Bacon got bit by a dog, and while we probably have as many dogs around here, don’t worry… ours just lie in the shade with their ribs poking out and bite wounds on their ears, which causes Sister Garcia to ask, do you think that one’s dead? Haha.
Love you all! Until next week!
Love,
Sister Zimbelman
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