I'M BACK IN GAIA 🤯

Hi!

We had transfers! and guess where I am! Back in Vila Nova de Gaia!!! Same area, same ward, same house, tudo. I literally still can't believe that I'm here. No one in literally the whole mission saw that coming because I don't think President has ever done this before. I did one transfer here in Gaia, left and did 3 transfers in Faro, and now will probably finish off my mission here with 2 more. AND!! I'm with Sister Nielson!! Sister Nielson and I lived in the Aveiro house together for 2 transfers. My face when I opened the transfer board the faces of the members in our ward when I walked into ward council

People keep asking me about how I reeallly feel about being here. But I am not lying in the slightest when I say I am SO EXCITED AND HAPPY to be back!! Gaia during the Christmas season I'm excited. The Lord really works in mysterious ways because when I lived in Aveiro, me and Sister Nielson had talked about how it would be so amazing to be comps. And then when I left Gaia, I truly had a feeling that there was more work for me to do there. and now here I am!! I was (and honestly still am) very confused about the whole situation. Why does the Lord need me to go back? Why does the Lord need me to be comps with one of mission besties already? What does the Lord need me to do? What does the Lord want me to develop and who does He want me to become? As I've been here these past two days, I'm starting to see more of why the Lord needs me here and I'm so excited to get to work. and based off of these last 2 days since transfers on Friday, I think this next transfer might be the happiest transfer of my mission. ❤️‍🔥 We just want to work!! There isn't much time left!! I literally can't describe the joy this work brings me and I just want to take advantage of every minute. These scriptures took on a whole different meaning to me this week and they have blown my mind.

Mosiah 4

9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.

11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

Sister Cordner and I had a good long chat at transfers because dá para ver we are not comps But we realized that we actually will be comps one day. Right after our missions we are going to go room at BYU together. and those first 6 weeks once we get home will be the hardest transfer of them all and so we already are making lots of metas e planos for Winter semester

I saw Yvens at church and that man is so precious. He is my recent convert that Sister Larson and I helped get baptized here about 5 months ago and he hasn't missed church once ever since!! He saw me at church he came up behind me and out of nowhere said "I just have to Sister" and gave me the BIGGEST hug. Not gonna lie it was really tender and I wasn't that upset about it

We have been teaching this guy Jocemir in Faro for a couple weeks now that has been wanting to learn more about the church. He's meeting with us just out of pure curiosity and I have learned a lot from him about doing things "with a sincere heart, with real intent." He has been studying the scriptures, praying, doing the little things, but not for the right reasons. In Preach my Gospel it teaches that asking the Lord a question with "real intent" means that you are willing to act on the answer you are going to receive. We told Jocemir this and we invited him to pray with "real intent," and he pretty much straight up said back to us, that he is willing to pray but not willing to do anything else. I sat there in that lesson just shocked honestly. So I told him, he is not going to receive the answer he is looking for.

We had this amazing phone call with the less active member Rebeca in Faro. Less active member work is not super fun sometimes, and can also be really sad when they have no interest in the church and are rude to us because of it. But we have some less actives, including Rebeca, who really want to come back, get on the path, and go to the temple, and they are such examples to me of humility and courage. With Rebeca, we shared Helaman 5:12 on the phone. And she said "Sisters, how did you guys know to share this scripture with me? This scripture is what helped me realize that I need to change." The Spirit was so strong.

With transfers I've been thinking about the hymn "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go" this week and I loooove how the 3rd verse applies so perfectly to my mission, this transfer, but also to any church calling.

There’s surely somewhere a lowly place

In earth’s harvest fields so wide

Where I may labor through life’s short day

For Jesus, the Crucified.

So trusting my all to thy tender care,

And knowing thou lovest me,

I’ll do thy will with a heart sincere:

I’ll be what you want me to be.

I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,

Over mountain or plain or sea;

I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord;

I’ll be what you want me to be.