Six Months!

Our dearest friends and family,

Six months ago today on June 15th, we flew away from our beloved home in Arizona. So today feels like a good day to finally sit down and knock out a letter home in honor of six months away. There never will be adequate ways to share all of the amazing (and the super hard) things that happen on a mission. But I will attempt to do so.

Without exception, leading a mission is the most challenging thing we have ever faced. It is hard on us each personally, it is a challenge for our marriage, and it is a challenge for us physically. Never have we had something challenge us in all three of those categories simultaneously.

One of the most difficult things we face, is the need to constantly be “on”.  There is never a time to have a bad day, or be in bad mood. We have learned to smile, act encouraging, and allow our missionaries to see President and Sister Jones having only good days. What no one sees is the turmoil that brews beneath the surface when we are faced with anxiety, frustration, or downright exhaustion. We just keep the wheels spinning all the time, and there is never down time. 

Transfer weeks may be six weeks apart, but Brandon has to interview all 180 missionaries between each transfer, so it seems he is always in a cycle of driving to every area of the mission and holding interviews. It just never seems to stop. We plan Zone Conferences every six weeks as well, though sometimes we have them closer together depending on the calendar. These are physically draining on every level but are thankfully spiritually invigorating. We always need to come up with our theme and new training material, make fancy slides, get microphones ready, get technology all set-up, plan a menu for 90 people and plan four hours of training down to the minute so everyone makes their bus rides back to their area.

One of our favorite times of the entire cycle is the evening of the dinner for the outgoing missionaries in our home, and the lunch with the incoming missionaries two days later. The difference between these two groups of missionaries is unparalleled. We have the most rousing conversation full of personality and rich life experiences with the outgoing kids. They are fun, vivacious and confident. Then two days later we are eating lunch with a group of 15 to 20 kids who can hardly keep a conversation and who definitely look like deer in the headlights. And we just smile at them and encourage them and we always tell them, “We know and see what you will become, and it is going to be amazing to watch!”

And it truly is amazing to watch. We see shy and quiet kids crawl out of their shells. We see these teens who come in with great fear in themselves and with a foreign experience, rise to the occasion when called upon to be leaders, and they do it with amazing obedience and courage. We see young people who can’t speak a second of Portuguese, who within a few months are testifying and story telling like its their native language. We see some who come with fledgling testimonies of Jesus Christ, and leave with vibrant and fiery knowledge of a Savior who they watched change others’ lives.  It is an incredible thing to witness and we feel so blessed to be on the front lines watching it happen.

There are always miracles to share, but I will share just a few here:

a few weeks ago when I was feeling pretty discouraged and beat by the language, I saw God’s fingerprint in my life. I set up a volleyball date with Sister Hennefer and Camryn at the church building near us on P-day.  We wanted Sister Hennefer to teach Cam how to overhand serve. She and Cam had so much fun and it was good for Cam to spend time with someone who felt more like an older sister. This sister’s companion is native and she chose not to play. When the time to end came, I sent Cam home with Brandon from the church and I drove the sisters home to their area which was about a 35 minute drive.  I went into their house and saw their darling apartment. While I was there, Emery called for P-day and I got to talk to her. I turned the camera around to the sisters and let them say hello. It wasn’t until that moment, that I remembered that this “native” sister wasn’t a Brazilian but rather was from Ecuador not far from where Emery is serving. The two had a lovely conversation and Sister Sedamanos was all smiles getting to connect with one daughter while Sister Hennefer connected with Cam. I then took the sisters to dinner because they didn’t have a dinner appointment. At dinner, I was reminded that Sister Hennefer is from Idaho Falls! (where Makenna served). I found out later that that visit with Cam was healing for Sister Hennefer because she was missing her little sister and wonderful for Sister Sedamanos because she was missing her mom and having dinner with me really helped her.  Do you see how many people were blessed here? Cam, the two sisters, and I!!  Heavenly Father is really good at allowing us to serve each other, but in return he blesses the entire party. It truly amazes me each time I see this.

A few weeks ago we had a situation with two Elders who were still in training. They were still young and innocent and unfortunately were both being trained by two trainers in the same apartment who were checked out, not being obedient, and had no intentions of teaching these young men what to do each day and how to plan. No studying was happening, no daily planning, and absolutely no language practice. They were left to fend for themselves. Resolved to be obedient, these two Elders both wrote separate letters to President Jones detailing what was happening and that they were trying their hardest to keep mission rules. In an emergency move, President decided to pull these two young Elders from their apartment and place them into training with two very capable and strong Elders who were serving together in an active area. When President Jones called to ask them if they could take on these two young Elders and finish training them, their response made me and President cry. “President! We cleaned our apartment really well yesterday and prayed that we could have two more missionaries to help us cover our area because there is so much work to do.” Without even discussing it with him, these two Elders acted in faith and prayed for more missionaries to help them do the work.  Heavenly Father fulfilled their desire, and by taking on these two younger missionaries, they blessed the lives of these two younger missionaries in return.  Some may say that miracles have ceased. Some say we don’t see a parting of the red sea, but in this case I can’t help but see how ways were parted and miracles were brought about so that everyone in this situation could be blessed.

This work is miraculous in every way!!

We continue forward each day with a great faith in Jesus Christ and we are allowed to witness the hard with the good, the ugly with the beautiful, and the overwhelming way in which God shows His hand when accomplishing the work of His son.

This week we have two Christmas Zone Conferences and in between them, Makenna and Talmage are flying in for Christmas. We look forward to being with our missionaries, training them on some very special things, and having a celebratory lunch with them.

Makenna graduates in Psychology from Arizona State University on Tuesday and we are super sad to not be there in person, but so very grateful for family who will be there to support her and cheer very loudly for us. Talmage finished up the semester strong and may be the most faithful BYU sports fanatic ever! Emery was just made STL, a trainer of a brand new missionary, and is starting in an area that two Elders just left so she starts from scratch. She is overwhelmed and very trusted by her Mission President. She is so happy and serving with all her heart. Camryn has some amazing friends in our ward (our church congregation), and they speak great English. Camryn also has some wonderful friends at school that have made life a lot better and happier.

We still have many struggles and only six months into the mission, we have much to learn. But the things that we know to be absolutely true: God never leaves you alone in your darkest moments. This Church is absolutely true----true to the core and without any doubts.  And President and Sister Jones absolutely love their missionaries---like their own children.

Words in Portugues that baffle me:

Soda-Refrigerante (said: he-fridger-auntshee) but Refrigerator is Geladaira (said: zhela-day-rah) 

To give a “talk”in church is called discurso, but the verb “to talk” is falar. But to chat with someone is conversar. (picture my head exploding)

To call someone (as in ask them to serve in a calling) is Chamar (said: Shah-mar)

But to actually call someone on the phone is Ligar (said: Lee-gar)

Morrer means to die, but Morar means to live somewhere. ??????

To walk is Andar, but Andar also means the floor of a building. But to take a walk is Caminhar, which to me sounds like Camino and makes me think it should mean TO DRIVE!

Parsley is Salsa, which I’ve purchased accidentally more than once because don’t you put Cilantro in salsa, so why would you ever call Parsley salsa? (geesh)

I’m always grateful for words that make sense:

To plan—Planejar

To testify---Testificar

To confirm---Confirmar

To baptize—Batizar

To pass—Passar

To relax—Relaxar

Because stunning is “Delumbrante” (said: dee-lum-brahn-shee) which doesn’t sound stunning at all, but rather a dislocation of something in your back. But okay, I’ll roll with it.

We are feasting on delicious Brazilian Barbecue here and on occasion treat ourselves to amazing Acai. We aren’t starving here at all. But we were so grateful to be able to host 21 people here and treat them to a full Thanksgiving meal. Home cooking tasted so good to us.

We are looking forward to our first Brazilian Christmas and the joys that come this time of year. We especially are excited to spend time with our kids and make some wonderful memories with them here in Porto Alegre.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Feliz Natal!

Wendy (and Brandon)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bXX3J96dWQnzUi8z5