No longer a greenie!

… 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

Water

Zone Conference

Olá!

This week has been an adventure.

Sister Garcia left on Tuesday to get her tooth figured out... it sounds more like a nasty cavity inside one of her teeth than an actual root canal. They are finishing it today, and hopefully she will be able to fly home tomorrow. So basically, I was companions with Sister Spolador until she was able to get a flight to São Nicolau Saturday morning. Now I am basically in a trio with Sister Sharp and Sister De Pina. Oh, but wait, thereºs more! haha.

Tuesday we came back from a Zone Meeting and our apartment didnºt have water. It still didnºt have water Wednesday morning, so Sister Spolador and Sister De Pina went to ask the building owner what was going on.

Sis. Spolador

Well... one of the toilets in our apartment is broken, so it is constantly running (when I say running, itºs like when-the-toilet-is-filling-up-with-water-again amounts of water). When I got here, I was told that we need to turn it off every time we go out, and also at night. But it would run when we were home in the mornings, and people kept forgetting to turn it off.

The sisters have only been in this apartment for 2.5 months, but somehow we had managed to use 201 TONS of water because of that toilet. The water company came and shut off the water to the entire apartment building because there was a huge bill that wasnºt being paid. So the building owner paid the bill so his other residents could have water, than he wanted us to pay him our portion of the bill, which was...

...wait for it....

..108000 Escudos! About $1350. In 2.5 months.Oh man, but he was so angry and telling us that we should have been turning off the water every time we used the bathroom. Apparently he didnºt tell the sisters that when they first moved in.

But on the flip side, he finally found the time to have someone fix that toilet! haha. Anyway, we needed to get a receipt from him so the office could pay the bill. But he kept telling us that he had already paid the bill and that we could just pay him our portion. Haha... in Cabo Verde.... just hand over 108 mil to someone? That wasnºt going to fly with us, and especially not with the mission office. Finally, it got to a point where he told us we either needed to pay the bill or we would have to move out, and we were telling him that we would love to pay the bill, we just need a receipt, and if he wouldnºt give us a receipt than we wouldnºt be able to pay the bill, so weºd have to move out. Finally, we were able to get pictures of the receipt he had for the water bill, and it got all straightened out so Pres. Mathews could approve it. The secretaries paid it on Saturday, but apparently it hasnºt shown up in the bank yet. So yeah, we still donºt have water. Hopefully weºll have some by today or tomorrow. 

Sis De Pina can actually carry the water on her
head in bottles or buckets!

Every night we have been going to the Elders´ apartment with tons of bottles and tubs and containers so we can have drinking water, water to flush the toilet (manually, like Sister Bacon does, I think), water to clean dishes, water to cook, and even some water so we can take bucket showers. Haha, I have never hated cooking, drinking water, and going to the bathroom as much as I have this week. And today we deep-cleaned our apartment and had a cleaning check by Elder and Sister Smart, the senior couple here, without any running water.  But itºs all good... itºs an adventure. :)

Honestly, I have never been so tired so many days in a row, but I have also never been happier. You are constantly tired, but you are also almost constantly feeling some level of peace/happiness/excitement. Itºs wonderful. So this week I have really been seeing the Lord answer my prayers. I think sometimes He just waits for us to ask Him for help, in a prayer, so that He can give us the things we need. We just have to ask first.  For example, Thursday I started praying to find the people the Lord has prepared for us to teach. Wow, it has been amazing how many contacts and new investigators we found! We had a teaching appointment fall through, so we decided to try to visit some of our members who have been struggling a bit... Ana and Manuel. When we went there, Manuel was at work, but his two sisters were there. Neither of them are members. So we started talking to them, and we taught the Restoration. They were really excited about it, and the mom of one of our less-active members came and joined us for the lesson, too. It was SO cool. They all let us re-mark for a different day. Then later that day, we went to talk to Carlos and Sónia, and one of their friends was there and sat in for our lesson with them. She seemed really interested in the Church, too. And another night, we were walking home a bit early because we knew that we would need to get water from the Elders, and we passed by this little boy who got really excited, called out to us and stopped us. Turns out, he was the cousin of some people in a ward/branch in Santo Antao, and he lived there for a bit and went to church every Sunday while he was there, and Sister Spolador had served in that ward/branch at the same time. He took us to meet his mom, and she told us to come back any time to teach them. Wow, it is amazing what blessings you will receive if you just ask for help! And theyºre usually not so immediate or obvious for me, which really made me appreciate it. I also really have been praying for help finding members to help us with the work. One day I really made it the focus of my prayers. The day before, I had run into a member in our ward, and that day we ran into her again. So we talked to her, and it turns out she really wants to go on a mission and is just waiting for her passport! And, she is one of only three members in her family, so we might be able to talk to her mom about the Gospel. Her name is Beti, and she wants to go out with us. It was just such a tender mercy!

Sister Sharp found this wedding dress
in our apartment.

But like I said, it doesnºt always turn out that way. Sunday was an example of that. There were so few people at church, and about 10 of our investigators who had seemed so excited to go, didnºt show up. Sunday was tricky, though, too, because Sister Garcia has our phone with everyoneºs phone number on it, and Beti went with me to pick up people for church, but she showed up late so we didnºt have much time to go by all their houses. Thatºs another example of all Iºm learning: you do your part, you do your best to help these people, but at the end of the day they have their agency and they choose how to use it. It still breaks my heart, though, because I KNOW how much it could bless their lives and the lives of everyone they love!

Anyway, so thatºs been my week. Man, I just love it here in Sal. Transfers are next week, and everyone and their dog is speculating that Sister De Pina and Sister Garcia will be transferred, and that Sister Sharp will train. We will have to see. :)

Yeah, about dogs... did I ever mention how many dogs there are out here?! Theyºre everywhere! And most of them... donºt look very good. Itºs rare to see one where the ribs arenºt showing. Even the pregnant ones have ribs showing. But they almost never bark at missionaries, which is awesome.

P-Day

  Anyway, I love you guys! Have an awesome week!

Everything Exciting Happens on Wednesday

Ola amigos!

Well, every week about a billion things happen, haha. Itºs always interesting to try to decide what is most important to tell you guys. Well, true to the pattern in the MTC, everything exciting starts happening on Wednesday :) Tuesday night Sister Garcia couldnºt sleep because she had a tooth bothering her. So, on Wednesday we went to the dentist and they told her she needs a root canal. She is flying to Mindelo tomorrow to get that taken care of, but it has been interesting. She is still throwing up, but she thinks itºs because she was sick for that week and so her stomach shrunk and now she just has to eat less than sheºs used to... but I guess we will see. So sheºs basically been miserable this week, but she is tough and doesnºt show it or let it stop the work. I hope we can get it all figured out! :)

 

Well, life is good. So, so good. I am really learning more and more every day about what I told you guys last week: having patience, especially with myself, and making sure I donºt take my mission too seriously but have fun while Iºm doing it, too. Man, I just love it here.

 

This Saturday we had two extra sisters with us: Sister Yerman (just for a few hours) and Sister Spolador (she is still with us). Sister Yerman flies home tomorrow, and Sister Spolador is on her way to São Nicolau, but there arenºt any flights or boats going there that have space... she might be with us for a week. We will have to see. She and another Sister got transferred there a bit early because the sisters going home this transfer leave this week, not at the end of the transfer.

While Sister Yerman was here, Sister Garcia and I did divisions with them. I was with Sister Yerman. It was so fun, and it helped me remember that I can take the lead and it gave me more experience with another companion. Then, yesterday we did splits again: me with Sister Spolador, who is from Brazil, and Sister Garcia with a member. I had a lot of fun that time, too. She is really funny, and it has been really good to have her with us and for me to do splits with her and kind of practice my Portuguese a bit more.

Okay, on to the exciting stuff: investigators! haha :) Dirce is just awesome. Technically, sheºs not an investigator anymore, but we are supposed to reteach all the lessons after people are baptized, instead of the wards or branches being in charge of that. One of the counselors of the district presidency is in our branch, and he has been asking to go out with us every time we teach Dirce... and he isnºt married. So basically he seems to have a big crush on her, and heºs super impressed with her testimony and all that she understands about the church, and she just seems completely oblivious.

We teach English class to Andreaºs mom and step dad, Bia and Francisco, a few days a week. And wow, Bia is just a miracle. She decided that she wanted to go to church, so when we invited her on Saturday she was totally up for it. Then she went to church, and when we talked to her last night as we were teaching English, she told us that she felt this peace and tranquility there that she doesnºt feel at home. And she told us she could feel the Holy Ghost (we had talked to her about that and prayer before) and that she knows that when the Holy Ghost touches her heart it is testifying of truth (which we hadnºt specifically said before... it was so cool!), and she wanted to get up and bear her testimony when everyone else was, but she got too nervous. But basically, she knows this church is true. We gave her a pamphlet about the restoration and the next time we teach them we are going to follow up on it, but they seemed excited to read it. Man, itºs so crazy. She was so cold toward us, and now she seems so interested and excited to learn more about the church. And she was so sweet and kept telling us how amazing we are for sharing the word of God and stuff. It was so sweet. Man, itºs just so amazing here. You never know who might be prepared to hear the gospel... or at least, to have more seeds of faith planted.

 

Oh yeah, and Iºve been teaching a member piano lessons every Monday since my second week here. Yeah, forgot to mention that, haha. I am the ward pianist for basically every meeting, and one of the members asked me to teach him piano. Itºs pretty much a guessing game, figuring out how to translate music jargon or explain things like beat or time signatures in Portuguese, but I have a ton of fun doing it, and he is so excited to learn. So Iºm expanding my Portuguese and Creole in lots of ways other than typical lessons, and figuring out how to teach things like piano and English. :)

Also, wow. There are so many menos ativos here! And I have yet to meet one who doesnºt want to go back to church. This week we were finally able to talk to Arlindo, who was one of the first members in Sal... or maybe THE first member here. He was super active in the church, married, had kids, and then his family basically fell apart and it broke his heart. And he kept telling us that he has faith that some day he will return... just not this Sunday. That is Satanºs most effective tool with these people, I think: delays. It is so sad to see someone who could have so many blessings, so much healing and peace, turn away from that because they have convinced themselves that they need to heal a bit or recover some more before they go back. Really, the way to find that healing is through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and they can feel the power of the Atonement when they go to church and when they partake of the sacrament. It is so sad.

 

And then, on the opposite end, Andrea, Bia and Francisco came to church... yay! Andrea was so happy to be back, and Bia and Francisco loved it too. Iºm kind of repeating myself. But I guess Iºm going back to that example because being in this work, you see miracles and just plain amazing things right at the same time as you see people refuse to allow the Lord to bless them, so you feel this incredible joy and excitement at the same time your heart is breaking for someone, and you just want  to take them aside and shake them until they see what blessings they could have if they would just simply go to church, or pray, or read their scriptures.But wow, I just love this work so much.

Yesterday, we were also able to be the Lordºs instruments at precisely the time one of our members needed us. Every time that happens, it just doesnºt cease to amaze me! We just decided to talk to her, see how she was doing, and she told us that she was feeling stressed and that she felt like God had forgotten her. So we shared some scriptures with her, and told her that when she reads scriptures, it is an opportunity for God to talk to her. I think we were able to give her the support, love and strength that she needed, and the reminder that God hasnºt forgotten her, that He wonºt ever forget her... just like she would never forget her daughter. The Spirit was there, in just a really sweet and tender way. I am always amazed when He directs us when we donºt even expect it. He truly loves each of His children and is aware of each of us, always.

Olympic size track - they love to run

Today Sister Sharp, Sister Garcia and I are in Santa Maria (Sister De Pina and Sister Spolador didnºt want to come, so they stayed home together). We got permission from Pres. Mathews to ride bikes around, and it has been so fun! I am really learning how to be more easygoing while also being an exactly obedient missionary... I guess I am learning to let go of the things that I canºt control, and to stop worrying about my imperfections that I still have after I do my best. It is so much more fun and so much easier to be the Lordºs instrument that way!

Well, family, I love you so much. I am really figuring out how to love every moment and how to just be in the moment, because I am pretty sure that my mission is going to pass like a dream, just like Nephi, or maybe Jacob, said. I just love it here. I just love these people, and it has been nice to do splits with other sisters, because it has taught me a lot of how I can teach with Sister Garcia to make us even more effective and united. I love you all, and I love hearing from you every week! Sorry I donºt respond more... itºs always a time crunch, but I promise I read them and I WILL eventually respond. :) Love you all!

Love,

Sister Zimbelman

Apparently I will be coming back to Cape Verde to find a husband

Ola!

study area

Wow, I can't believe it is P-day again! It feels like I had one just last week...and I have been on a mission for two months today. Crazy!!!I am doing so well. A ton has happened this week, but I am starting to think that is the nature of a mission. :)

Well, we did splits this week. Yeah, did I ever mention that there are four of us sisters in Espargos? It is me, Sister Garcia, Sister Sharp (mom probably read her blog before I came here) and Sister De Pina (she is Caboverdian). We all live together. Sister Sharp is the Sister Training Leader. She and I went to her area, and Sister Garcia and Sister de Pina went to my normal area. It was such a good experience, and I really learned a lot about Sister Garcia's strengths and weaknesses, and what I was doing that was making it harder for myself. We worked just fine together during the day, but I didn't really like walking between appointments or being home, which would have made more sense if it had been the opposite way. But I found out this week that I was imagining a lot of tension between us that just wasn't there, but I thought it was there because I needed to understand Sister Garcia better. I have discovered that in trying to resist my natural introvert tendencies even when we were walking between appointments, I was also trying to make Sister Garcia talk when she doesn't like to talk as we walk. I didn't even know that.

Let me explain a bit better. The day after we did splits, I had a really great experience with Sister Sharp and we talked a lot as we walked, and it was a lot of fun. She told me that Sister Garcia just doesn't like to talk as she walks, and I asked Sister Garcia about it later and she confirmed that. So the next day, I just decided to act like everything was fine, and to just kind of go with the flow and stop trying to force myself to be different than I am, especially while I'm also trying to adjust to the culture, the language, and just the feel of missionary life in Cabo Verde. I think I had been trying so hard to do better than my best, without even realizing it. But I have been studying patience, because I have realized that I really need to idevelop more patience with myself, and I have been praying for help in developing that gift. And that study helped me realize that I was trying to push myself to do better than my best and not giving myself any of the understanding/"cutting myself any slack" that I give others. And I decided, through prayer, just to be myself, although still acting on every prompting I receive, being willing to change into who the Lord wants me to be. I think I was taking missionary service way too seriously! I was forgetting to also have fun and to be okay with not being perfect. That is probably the hardest thing about a mission: as you come closer to the Lord and work with Him more and feel Him with you more than you ever have before, you are also blessed to understand your weaknesses better than you ever have before and to see them more clearly than you ever have before. I think I was trying to fix it all at once, so I was driving myself crazy and making everything harder than it has to be.

Haha, it has been amazing what blessings and help and grace I have received in my life as I have decided to be okay with taking baby steps. I understand that better and better every day, and I understand better and better every day how HARD it is to be okay with only taking baby steps when you can see even a portion of how much is ahead of you. But I have really learned that patience comes as we rely on the Lord, trust that He really called us EXACTLY as we are to do what He wants us to do, and as we stop worrying about how much we need to change or do and just take it a little bit at a time. And when we are patient, we are exercising faith and the Lord promises us His grace.

Haha, so about the subject line: one of our appointments fell through Saturday night, so we decided to contact some less actives in the area: the first branch president in Sal and his family. We wanted to talk to his wife, but she was busy, so we ended up talking to two guys outside her hair salon, and it turns out, they are her sons! We got to know them a bit, and one of the sons (his name is Sydney) invited us inside to talk to him more. He told us why they had stopped going to church, and he said he was preparing for a mission and he went to church every week, alone, for a year until his mom threatened to kick him out of the house if he continued to go. He was only a teenager, so he promised his mom that he would never go to any other church and he stopped going. It was a really sad story, and he still has such a strong testimony that the church is true and he told us to come over any time. Anyway, sometime during our conversation, he asked Sis. Garcia if she had a boyfriend and then he asked me. I told him no, that that will all happen after the mission. He was talking in really fast Portuguese/Creole, and it had been a long day so I was even struggling to follow Sister Garcia's really fast Portuguese. But apparently, Sister Garcia then told him that I was going to come back here and find a Caboverdian to marry. He then asked me if it was my plan to come back here and find a Caboverdian to marry, and I nodded yes! Then about 2 seconds later I realized what he had asked me, but it was too late... they had already moved onto a different subject. Haha :) so now he thinks I will be coming back after my mission to marry a Caboverdian.

we sleep in the main room

I have been trying hard to be exactly obedient this week, to really test the promise that "exact obedience brings miracles". And wow, we have seen miracles! One of them was finding Sydney. We also got a reference from a member, to teach a couple who had been taught by missionaries a year a go, but for some reason stopped going to church, and now they wanted to get married and then get baptized! That NEVER happens out here: NO ONE wants to get married! We committed them to get baptized on August 16 (so they would get married on the 15th), and they told us that was the exact same date that the missionaries committed them to get baptized last year. HUGE tender mercy! The Lord really is in the small details of our lives!

Another HUGE miracle: we have been talking to a less active girl named Andrea. She wants to go to church, but she has asthma, so she is sick a lot because of that, and her mom forbids her from going to church. Her mom was pretty scary: one time we were talking to Andrea and to her step-dad, and the mom poked her head in. The Spirit left so fast, and we could tell Andrea was in trouble. Anyway, when we talked to Andrea on Friday, her mom poked her head in, then she ended up greeting us and was nice to us, which was cRAZY: such a diffferent vibe than we had ever gotten from her before. Then she ended up coming in and sitting down, and we had a great talk with her and got to know her a bit. And now we will be teaching English to them, because the mom wants to learn English and wants us to teach her!

We taught them the alphabet yesterday, and she was so eager to learn and I think she really saw how friendly we are. We ended with a prayer and asked if we could start and end with a prayer every time we teach them, and she said absolutely. Then she told us that we could share the word of God each time too, if we want to. We agreed, thanked them, and left. As we were walking away we were both just in shock, both interactions with her. It has been such a night and day difference from all of our other interactions with her!!! Wow, it was just amazing. The Lord truly does bless us, even when we are simply trying our best to be exactly obedient.

Dirse's baptism went so well. She has such a strong testimony already! After I decided to just let go a bit, to stop stressing about whether I was doing all I should be and to just trust that the Lord just asks me for my best and to really be okay with that idea, life was so much easier. I have really been able to be myself again, to just go with the flow, laugh things off, try my best and be who the Lord needs me to be. I'm telling you all this right now because I think Dirse's baptism is the perfect example of that.

She got there plenty early, but a little girl named Mary was getting baptized as well (we taught her the basics of the lesson, but her parents have been members for at least a few years) and she arrived typical Caboverdian style: 15 minutes late. We had called to make sure our branch president would be there so we could open the padlocked font, and he said he would be but also told us where we could get keys/who had keys. But, when we went to open the font, the key didn't work, and our branch president wasn't there. After lots of jiggling and keys and multiple people trying keys, someone somehow got the right key, or the branch president arrived, or something and we got it open, and... there was 2 feet of water in the font! Literally, it only came up to the knees of the adults! So, Mary was baptized okay, but Dirse got baptized on her knees, and it was a close call. Haha, it was so crazy and hectic and missionaries were getting frustrated, but I was able to just laugh about it. We had some good talks with those who are in charge of making sure the font has water and that we can open it afterward, but I just had a sense of peace even with all the craziness. I was so glad.

I love you all! This really sums up what I have learned this week:

Mosiah 24:10-15
10 And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.  11 And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.
 12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.
 13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
 14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
 15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
Love,
Sister Zimbelman

Semana 2! (Week 2 I think) in Cabo Verde

*Note from Karen - While I usually go through and format and fix spelling, the shift key was working intermittently as she wrote this and I am not going to fix all the capitalization.

Ola amigos!

Wow, this week was crazy, haha. Sister Garcia has been sick since Tuesday, but we have still gone out and taught basically every day. She´s someone who will probably work herself to death if the rest of us will let her. She has been able to keep down bananas and water, and yesterday she also kept down some crackers, peanuts and some other things, but it's pretty crazy. Hopefully she won't throw up the breakfast that we just ate, but it had ham and cheese, so that would be a big step.

I have really, truly, genuinely fallen in love with these people! i really learned, too, how to begin to lose myself... at least, i learned to recognize the mindset i need to adopt to lose myself in this work. as I have looked into the eyes of those we teach, seeking to know what the Lord wants me to say, to know what they need to hear, slowly but surely i have received direction and inspiration so I know what i need to testify of or emphasize or what questions i should ask to help these people. it has been amazing.

I was pretty frugal before the mission, and i am already wondering if i will be super stingy when i get back. its so humbling. This week Carlos and Sonia asked us for help paying for their oldest daughter to start school (they have four kids, ages 2 to 5... no twins) probably because we told them that if they ever needed anything, they shouldn't hesitate to call us. we get 19 mil (19000) escudos every month, which is the same salary as a teacher or professor... something like that. it is about 200 USD, i think. 80 escudos = 1 usD.. dad can do the math, haha. It costs 1500 escudos to send a child to school, which is about 20 USD, and they weren't sure where they would get  the money. its crazy. rent here is around 3000 to 5000 escudos a month, I think. the people who have a bit more money tend to have more than one room in their house, or they don't have a shared kitchen area, things like that.

It is so amazing to watch the light of the gospel touch peoples hearts and to see it start to light up their eyes. its not something I could really notice before. It's so incredible to see the people here begin to develop faith, to trust in the lord and to be so willing to become humble followers of Christ. I have found it really easy to love the people, to love each person we teach, and that makes it so much harder when they don't do those things that would bless their lives and bring them so much comfort, peace, and strength. but those who do... its amazing. We have been trying hard to contact more people if we aren't sure where to go... which mostly translates to ME contacting people if we aren't sure where to go, since i need the practice. at least half of the people i have contacted have been drunk, i have found out later. also, lately i have been getting reminders of how much i truly am back in the real world. i heard the f word used in context for the first time yesterday, as an... interesting... lady who moved here a few years ago from Holland warned us about places to avoid walking at night. haha, we just thanked her, left as quickly as we could without being rude, and just laughed it off. (also, mom, don't worry, we don't walk in the sketchy parts of Espargos at night). she also kissed sister Garcia on the lips when they were doing the cheek kiss thing that everyone does here. oh, the perks of being raised in Utah.

Yesterday we talked to a man who had gone up to sister Garcia last transfer and told her that he wanted to change, but he drinks and smokes a ton. when we met him, i just looked in his eyes and tried so hard to see him as the lord sees him.. that's always the first thing i try to do when i meet someone new. and in his eyes, I just thought of the phrase, sin-sick soul, because i could see that. and after we talked to him, both sister Garcia and i talked about how we were able to see him as god sees him... we could picture him with the light of the Gospel in his eyes, shining where the atonement had cleansed him completely of that burden of darkness and guilt. she kept remarking how she could see him as a bishop. it was a cool experience. hopefully we can help him find a place to move, because he basically lives above a bar and right next to somewhere where he can buy cigarettes, and he lives in this tiny room and pays like 5 mil for it, not including electricity or water. man, the lord has really helped me love these people so much! we made some goals with him about not drinking or smoking as much, and we are going to try our best to help him. that look in his eyes, that weight that i could see there... we are going to do whatever we can to help him turn to the lord and receive his healing, cleansing grace.

We have an investigator, Dirse, who is the daughter of a recent convert. she has gone to church three times and is getting baptized this Saturday! we were a bit worried that she would feel like it was too fast, and that we would need to bump it back a week, but she is completely on board with getting baptized this week. she has been praying to know if this church is true, if god really exists, and she has been reading the book of Mormon every day, and she finally got her answer Thursday night! she told us that she prayed and asked god for a sign that he really is there and really loves her. then she started reading the book of Mormon. she heard someone call her name twice, and she asked her son if he had called her, and she asked a lady who was on the street outside her house, but no one that she asked said they had called her name. it kind of freaked her out, but she also knew that god had answered her prayer. she is so humble and has such a desire to have faith and to follow Christ. i think thatºs why she got the answer she did. she was so excited about her answer, but she really cherished it too. it is so wonderful. she has really been someone that i have been able to see the light of the gospel develop and begin to shine in her eyes. wow, it has been amazing.

We have been doing a lot of work with recent converts and less actives, too. there are a lot of people who were converted to the missionaries and not really to the gospel, and now they are less active because those missionaries aren't here anymore. we have really been trying to help them gain that testimony that they should have had before getting baptized, but its so sad.

One thing that i really love about sister Garcia is that i can see the love that she has for each person that we teach. she has so much charity and she works so hard because she has such a strong desire to help these people. it is so wonderful to be her companion!

Well, I love this work so much. I have never felt so stretched or had so much opposition from satan-almost all of it internal-as i have experienced every day of this mission, especially in the field. i think if i had really understood how hard it would be, i wouldn't have gone on a mission. so then, the question is, why am i still on my mission? because i didn't really understand how close i would be to the lord every day as i do his work. because I have never experienced so much joy and happiness or worked so closely with God and felt the grace of the atonement so fully in my life as i have this past week. i wouldn't have gone on a mission if i had really understood how hard it would be, unless i had also truly understood how incredibly worth it a mission is.vI am starting to lose track of time and days out here. i think it is a sign that i am starting to lose myself in this work. i love it so much.

I love you all! i can really feel your prayers... i know i have said that before but it is just amazing to me how much i can feel your support and your prayers. thank you so much. I am praying for you guys, too. love you!

love,

Sister Zimbelman

Week 7 - First full week in Cabo Verde

Well, I survived my first week in Cabo Verde! haha :)

Life is good.  I am doing well. I have helped teach a lot now, and I have really enjoyed it! It is really hard, though.  I am doing a pretty good job of focusing on one teaching appointment, one moment throughout the day, at a time.

I am in Sal, in a town called Espargos, and my trainer is Sister Garcia.  I already love her a ton, and I think we are going to be really good companions. I understand a lot of what people say here, and I am starting to wonder how much of what I don't understand is because it is Creole, not Portuguese.  It seems like EVERYONE speaks at least a little bit of Creole with their Portuguese.  I still have a lot to learn, but I can communicate pretty well.  I understand a lot more than I can speak.

I have just been trying to try to kind of soak up the culture. I tried not to come in with any expectations, and it helped a lot, I think. The people here... it's pretty crazy.  They don't have debt here, so people build their houses one step at a time: you will see one level/room that has colored cement over the cement bricks, then half a level of cement bricks above that.  But, inside the house they will have tile, a bed, some chairs... pretty nicely furnished inside.  Everyone has a cell phone and a TV.

Sal is the tourist island. It is where everyone in Europe goes/stays when they go to Cabo Verde.  Santa Maria is the tourist city, but I think Espargos is still fairly nice for Cabo Verde.  It doesn't smell bad here like it did in Praia, which is good :)

Friday we had a wedding, and Saturday they got baptized! It was pretty exciting.  But apparently the work isn't typically like that in Sal. And a lot of Cabo Verdians will commit to do something, like going to church, but then by the time Sunday comes they won't answer the door when we come around.  There are 150 people on the records of the church for the branch we work with, but only about 1/2  of them show up to church consistently. But, on Sunday there were 102, and six of our investigators were there! There are two branches in Sal, but a big concern here is less actives. It is hard to get people to be truly converted to the Gospel.

I already love the people here. Even when I can't understand their Creole very well, I have really been blessed to be able to see them as the children of God that they are. It's so fun to teach the Gospel and to feel the Spirit.  And I love it: when I smile at people, genuinely smile at them, they will often give me a beautiful smile back.  These people already have my heart, but it sure makes it hurt when they decide to reject the truths and light we have to share with them. I haven't had much experience with that yet, because everyone is so sweet. It's the long-term commitment that is the biggest challenge here, I think. Well, I am doing well. I love it here. I can't think about how long I will be here, or really anything long-term, because then I start to feel overwhelmed. So I am taking it one day, one moment at a time, trying to do my best, and moving forward with baby steps.

Pres. and Sister Mathews are just awesome. I really feel like they are my parents! They are going to take such good care of the missionaries here, don't worry.

One of the rules here is DON'T EAT the food, unless you have bought it. This is a really hard rule, because all the members want to be hospitable whenever missionaries come over, but they really can't afford it. It's hard, though, because all the missionaries I have talked to eat the food.  They told me that if I eat it I will get sick, possibly get a parasite, but after that I can eat whatever I want here. This puts me in a really difficult situation, because I don't want to offend anyone by not eating their food (and people take offense pretty easily here... that's why a lot of people are less active), but Pres. and Sis. Mathews told us not to, and even if the other missionaries do it and call it a "strong suggestion", I feel like it is just as much a rule as the other rules. I really want to be exactly obedient, because I can't stand it when I lose the Spirit, even for a moment... especially because the Spirit is the true teacher when you're on a mission. So I think I am going to need to learn how to say "no" nicely. That has been the hardest thing this week, I think: learning the rules and culture of the mission and the people and trying to be exactly obedient, not just almost-exactly obedient.

I am really learning how to have patience, too! Mostly patience with myself. We share a residence with another dupla (pair of missionaries), and one of them is Cabo Verdiana and the other one has been out for almost exactly a year longer than I have. Sister Garcia has been out for almost nine months, so everyone is really good at speaking/understanding Portuguese, and it is really easy to try to compare myself with them or I often find myself wishing my portuguese was a good as theirs. But, I know the gift of tongues is a real thing, and I have been receiving it. I can always follow what Sister Garcia is teaching, and often how the pesquisador responds, so when she turns to me I can always contribute at least a little bit. It is really hard, but I love it, and when I am with people and talking to them, I can forget about myself, my portuguese, and try to figure out what the Spirit wants me to share.

Oh, and we have running water, but there is a filter on the kitchen tap. We have two showers: one with a bucket and one with the type of spout that is connected to a hose and you have to hold over your head/hook on the wall. there are no shower curtains, and in order to use the toilet we have to turn the water on to the toilet, let it run for a few minutes, then it will work. So, it's not as rural as I expected. :)

It is more humid here than Utah, but less than Boston was. Also, rainy season starts this month! :) We aren't by the beach, so it feels like we are in Nevada or Mexico... somewhere rural very brown... plus a little humidity.

Oh, and to date, I have five mosquito bites on one foot! that's been pretty exciting to see, and I have started spraying myself with bug spray like crazy. The mosquito bites do this weird thing where the skin around the mosquito bite gets a darkish pink color, but Sister Garcia says that's totally normal and nothing will happen unless you scratch it. :) So yeah, it's been pretty different. Honestly, I'm not sure how I'm not super shell-shocked, how I can just take all thins in stride and already love the people and teach/testify a bit. The Lord is definitely helping me, and focusing on one day, one moment at a time has helped a TON.

It is so amazing to share this Gospel with real people, not just our teachers pretending to be someone they taught. They love so much, and it is amazing to see the light of the Gospel in their eyes. People always say "sister" when we pass, and everyone greets each other simply when they pass each other on the street. The branch is so awesome. I love it here.

Oh, and I feel overdressed here. There were so many people wearing jeans at church, because they don't own any other pants. I think if I even had one more thing, like my glasses, I would feel SUPER overdressed. In a place where many people don't read, I have gotten the sense that it is a sign that you are well-off if you own glasses. These people are so humble, but so loving and warm! I love it.

Sister Garcia is awesome! She is from North Carolina, and she is super friendly, funny and she puts her heart into this work. I feel like we are good friends already, and I can see how she gives her all to serve and love these people.  It is so great. Also, she is really good at getting to know people, which is exactly what I need to work on... I wasn't super good at it in English, either, so I am excited to learn that from her. :)

So, all in all, I am doing well! I love you all, and I will tell you about some of our investigators/recent converts later, when there isn't so much NEW stuff. :) Love you all!

Love,

Sister Zimbelman

Week 6 Going, going... HERE!

Monday July 7, 2014

Sorry, this is completely unexpected, I know.  But they told us that today is basically P-day, and I specifically asked about email and got the OK... so I will email one last time na CTM! :)

Haha, I think I jinxed us when I told you all that the exciting things happen Wednesday - Saturday... because Sister Nasau got another migraine suddenly on Wednesday morning, right after class started.  SO, two MRIs (with an IV each time), one more blood sample, and at least one more shot ( I can't remember anymore, haha), one trip to a neurologist, one change in prescription (no more flexeril but now she has amitryptiline.. which I can't really spell), and one Physical Therapy appointment later, she is NOT coming with us to Cabo Verde tomorrow.  They found she has a 5 mm microadenoma in her pituitary gland, but they aren't sure if it's causing her headaches because it's so small.  The second blood test is to see if her hormones are all normal, because if not it means her pituitary gland isn't functioning properly.  Also, she got her glasses on Saturday, and it has made SUCH a difference for her headaches!  She still has had other symptoms like nausea, lightheadedness, and weakness, though, so there may be something else going on.

It seems like now the doctor is sending her to an endocrinologist who can figure out what needs to be done about the microadenoma, or how he can shrink it if he needs to. The Physical Therapy is to help her neck and upper back, because when she was 12 she fell backward down a few stairs and landed on the back of her head, right above her neck... and that's when she started to get migraines.  Hopefully they can get it figured out quickly!  We don't know how much longer she will be in the MTC, but another sister is staying back as well because of some health concerns, so they will be companions.  And she gets to stay with my teachers! (lucky... :) )

I am doing really well.  I am working on managing my time better, but I have learned and grown so much through all this.  I think I am learning to see everything through an eye of faith and to stop fear from entering my heart.  None of this is really phasing me anymore.  I am still concerned, but I can feel the Lord lightening my burdens and I can feel "[His] angels round about [me], to bear [me] up" more and more each day.  I have seen miracles here.  Most of them seem small, but they are all miracles.  And especially in this last week, I have seen the power the Atonement has to change people.  It has truly happened to one sister who was especially struggling to rely on Him.  Then she started to turn to Him more, and it has been an incredible miracle.  He truly can change our very natures and make us into more than we could ever be on our own.  I have often seen that in my own life, especially in the MTC, but this weekend I saw the effects of the Atonement in the life of another person more clearly than I had ever seen it before. I am even more excited to go now!

I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have been to class in the past two weeks, which has been really hard. I really loved class, even though it was HARD! I have never been so grateful or felt like I have to put so much faith and trust on the Lord and rely on Him for so much.  I have hardly spoken Portuguese with people in the last two weeks, because I have hardly been around people.  But I know the gift of tongues is real, and I know that it is the Lord's will that I didn't get much language training these past two weeks.  I studied it on my own (or tried to... studying in the residence hall for hours on end foi muito DIFÍCIL!), but it's not the same.  But, I am just focusing on how grateful I am for this opportunity to rely on the Lord more and to see His hand in my life as I learn a ton of Portuguese in the Field.

I love this Gospel so much.  I know I am incredibly inadequate, and more inadequate than I expected to be in Portuguese by this point, but I just don't really care.  I can bear a testimony, and I have learned SO MUCH about the language of the Spirit, about "faith, hope, charity and love with an eye single to the glory of God"! Woah... I didn't even really mean to quote that scripture... haha :) But it's true.  My faith has grown so much; I have learned to look for the tender mercies of the Lord even when it seems like nothing is going my way; I have developed so much charity and compassion for those around me and those whom I interact with; I feel so much love in my heart for those I have been blessed to interact with; and wow, I have really learned to watch my thoughts and focus on the Lord and on His work, to really take it one day at a time and take baby steps, just like Irmão Duerden told me a few weeks ago.  But wow, the Lord loves us SO MUCH.  Each of us.  That is why I don't even care that I am so inadequate.  Because I am also companions with Him.  This is His work, and He will help me and bless me and make me into who He needs me to be.  I can feel a tiny portion of God's love for His children, but it just overflows my heart.  That's why I am so excited to go into the mission field.  The MTC has come to feel like a temple and like home, but I will leave it in a heartbeat so that I can share God's love for His children, especially with the people of Cabo Verde.

I will miss my teachers, my zone, my branch presidency, and my district (and I will miss running into the many friends I made here/knew before the MTC), but I am so excited to go and do the Lord's work and to serve the people of Cabo Verde.  I can't wait to share this light, joy, and LOVE with those people, and to invite them to come to Christ.  Wow, this is almost bordering on gushing, or it almost seems over-enthusiastic... but that is all I can think about right now! :)

I love you all, SO much! I don't know if we could work out the call so that I could talk to all of you, but I have a calling card and I will probably call right around 1 pm UT time. Wow, this feels so surreal! Love you all!!!

Love,

Sister Zimbelman... who will soon be in CABO VERDE! (or on the way there, at least) :)

Wed July 9, 2012
Well, I am alive and well! These past two days feel like one day, but I am doing well. This morning I spent some time with a pair of sister missionaries, neither of whom really speak English. It was a bit overwhelming, but I think that is also just because everything is so new.  The people here are so great, and I have had a lot of fun already! We taught a less active sister, and I could follow what they were saying, for the most part, and contribute to the lesson about prayer and the importance of reading the Book of Mormon.  It is beautiful here, in its own way, and I will shortly be hearing where I will get to start out.  Love you all! It was so fun to talk to you all yesterday!

Love,

Sister Zimbelman