Well a new president got called in our branch this week. That's a relief. The other one asked to be released for personal reasons. I think he just didn't have time to fulfill the calling. He has only been a member 2 years and he works and is going to school and has a family and chose not continue in that calling. I don't really know, I feel sad for him, but I am sure it will be a good learning experience. The new president is the only returned missionary in the branch so at least he has a lot of knowledge about how the church should function. Things are going to continue to improve here.
Crazy that the mission is dividing I know. Speaking of sending things, yesterday we got letters!!! It was a huge surprise. Elder Petrie (one of the senior missionaries) went to João Pessoa this week and visited our branch yesterday and brought the letters with him. It was so sweet. So sweet. I loved that talk by Elder Uchtdorf, it was sweet to read in English. My other favorite that has been helping me a ton is President Monson's about remembering our blessings. Funny that mom said she thinks I am doing really well all the time and hardly having any problems because I feel like I write home about all the problems every week. Everyday is like a huge struggle, but I just try to focus on the blessings and the good moments and have a vision of how things can get better and it makes the mission more enjoyable. For example, yesterday was a huge roller coaster of emotions. Went to church, had investigators (hallelujah) then some of our investigators left early (so sad), then we got a new branch president (answer to our prayers), then our investigators scheduled to be baptized didn't come to church so their baptism has to be postponed (disappointing), then we got letters (sweet surprise), then I read some of the letters and started missing home (still worth it to read the letters though), then we scheduled 3 baptisms in the afternoon all of which were AWESOME lessons with people who seriously want to be part of the church and learn more and follow Christ (best feeling ever), then we visited one of our recent converts who missed church today for the first time since I got here to Pombal and he was drunk (possibly the saddest moment of my mission so far), then a stranger invited us into her house to eat dinner and meet her family (probably the most charitable woman I have ever met), and that was more or less our day. Super good and super difficult all at the same time. The mission is a blessing, I know.
We seriously are being super blessed right now though, I feel like Ether 12:6 is coming true in my life right now. After my faith has been tried the past two months we are finding people who can be baptized and want to go to church. It's good because I really am closer to the Lord than I was at the beginning of my mission and I can't even begin to list all of the things I am learning everyday. I feel super blessed to be able to be a missionary even though it is difficult. The difficult part is actually probably the biggest blessings because it's more humbling which makes me more sensitive to the Spirit and more open to making changes in myself.
After 7 months in the mission I finally got a letter from Kristi & Loryn and it was way sweet. So many pictures and updates on the lives of my other friends who haven't found time to write me. All the members who we ate lunch with after church were loving looking at the pictures of American life. Hahaha. Seriously, it is way great getting letters. I am way grateful for all the people who write me consistently. It is nice to know I haven't been forgotten at home.
The pictures I sent are one of me approaching a pigsty that I found in Sousa when I was there waiting for my new companion last week. Apparently there are pigs all over there, I thought it was hilarious. A literal pigsty.
This next picture is our English class, Sister Alves is in it next to me.
Then the last picture is Capoeira that we saw this week. BEST THING I HAVE EVER WATCHED!!! I loved it. The picture was hard to take because of the lighting, but it was great. You should look it up on youtube.
TCHAU!!
Sister Udy
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