Week 51-59💌

 E aí, gente. So... you can see it's been a minute since I last wrote. IN MY DEFENSE, I went out of town somewhere cool and got distracted. Also, writing emails is super boring. 

Little update for 51-58:

- I went on vacation somewhere cool, can't tell you though. I bought 2 nativities and some stuff for my future house

- Did a day trip to San Diego, flew in in the AM and left in the PM. Got to see the temple open house and go to Sea World

- I had a Zone Conference, and it was a great experience. They talked a lot about seeking, recognizing, and acting upon spiritual revelation. For the sake of length, I won't include my notes. If you'd like to see them, just let me know

- I tried to donate plasma with Steven. They stuck me in both arms, but couldn't get a good enough blood flow due to my low blood pressure. At least I still got paid

Segunda: Today was a long day. I took Steven's car to get an oil change, which took an hour. Apparently, todo mundo wanted an oil change today. After that, I went on a short walk. I went to my site, but there was nothing to do. A ton of missionaries volunteer there, and it's slow in the summer. So I ended up going home after like 45 minutes. I went and cleaned Steven's room as a service instead. It was also self-serving because I was looking for a credit card I'd dropped. It took me 4 hours, and still no card. At least it was a satisfying clean! After that, my mom treated me to Chick-fil-A for dinner as a reward for being a good daughter, and I went to district council. 

Terça: Today was my temple shift. I love getting to serve in the temple with my mom. Especially because she has to take me out for a treat afterwards. We went to Leatherby's and got their loaded fries (cheese, avocado, bacon, and jalapeño) with their peanut butter-hot fudge sundae. God's gift to mankind. And yes, I hope all of you foreign-serving missionaries are jealous by now! ;) After the temple, I decided to tackle my own bedroom. I have a terrible habit of making things much harder than they need to be. My method of cleaning involves dumping everything I own on the floor so I can sort. And my sorting is like a reverse Marie Kondo. Is it currently stressing me out? Great! Into the trash it goes. Which means I chucked a ton of stuff because everything was stressing me out. I was up until 1 because I decided to wash my bedding, which included 10 pillow cases, sheets, a quilt, and 3 throw blankets. But hey, my room looks great!

Quarta: I went on my walk with my mom. Then I kind of got trapped in a "If you give a mouse a cookie day". I wanted to workout but I couldn't until I put my trundle away, which I decided couldn't be done until I vacuumed. The vacuuming couldn't be done until I finished dusting, and so on, so forth. I eventually finished the random side tasks and worked out at like 1 pm. I then gave my neighbor a lift to pick up her car from the dealer. Missionaries make great chauffeurs. 

Quinta: I GOT THE MEDICAL ALL CLEAR! This morning, I had my 6-week check-up with my migraine doctor. Because I have been responding so well to the new medications, she decided that I can go back out proselytizing. I'll have to check in with her once I get back. It has taken a lot of work and a lot of trial and error to get to this point, and I am so grateful to my doctors, my family, and friends for supporting me during this time. I submitted her note to my stake president, and he submitted it to the mission department. Now I just have to wait and see when and where I am going. The chances of me going back to Brasil are slim due to the medication that I'm on, but not none. I'm hoping to hear back in the next week or two. After my appointment, I had my temple shift.

Sexta: Today was another temple shift. In the evening, we went geocaching, which is Audrey's new favorite thing. We found one hidden, not too far from our house. We even saw a cat!

Sabado: Today, my mom and I started our day by doing the Herriman stairs. Oh. My. Gosh. I don't consider myself to be TOO out of shape. I walk 3 miles up hills every morning and have a great resting heart rate. Those stairs killed me. Physically, they weren't bad. But because they didn't feel hard, I didn't bother controlling my breathing, which set off my asthma. When we got to the top, I started coughing. My throat was killing me. We walked about .6 mile up the trail and turned around because I just could not stop coughing. My mom was having the same issue I was. We went home, and I got a soda for my efforts. Next time we do this, I'll know to actually watch my breathing. My mom and I went to the SL Valley parade of homes. I got a boba. 2 drinks in one day! We hit a record 8 houses, all of which were INSANE. Half had indoor golf simulators and/or indoor putting greens. Some of them were pretty, others were not to my taste. I personally don't want a giant, glowing marble kitchen island, but to each their own! It was a great day.

Domingo: Fast Sunday and 8:30 am church don't mix well for me. I had the hardest time getting out of bed. But I persevered and did it anyway. It was a great Sunday School lesson followed by a great fast and testimony meeting. After church, I went home and called my STL for an acompanhamento. I then worked out, showered, and took the most glorious nap. I then woke up and made some Brasilian pizza. I made a calabresa pizza with catupiry and a borda de chocolate. Even my picky brother liked it, so I'm counting it as a win. After dinner, my mom, Audrey, and I went up to Lagoon. My aunt Ashley and my grandparents are camping at Lagoon all week, so we went to say hi and pick up my cousin Leyla. Then I got my nightly walk. Life is GOOD.

Spiritual Thought: Proverbs 16:9- A man's heart deviseth his way; But the Lord directeth his steps. God is in the details. My mission has not gone as I thought it would. I never thought that I would have to go home for any reason. I never pictured myself serving a service mission. My heart had planned out what the perfect mission would be. The Lord's plan is always better. My dad got deployed a few weeks before I came home. And right as my dad is preparing to come home, I start to feel better. I'm not saying God struck me down with a curse, but I have been able to help my mom in my dad's absence. I've been able to spend time with my siblings and be there for them. I have gotten to have experiences, spiritual and temporal, that wouldn't have happened had I stayed in Brasil. The perfect mission isn't what we think. It's not always going to 1 place for 18 months and doing this and that. The perfect mission is the one that God picked out for you, bumps included. I am so grateful for my time in Brasil, and my time as a service missionary. I am grateful that I have been cleared to go back and proselyte. I am grateful for a loving Father who has been directing my path this whole time.

Pictures:  I actually have some now!

1. Congrats on Graduating!

2. Chick fil a with the other service missionaries at New Hope

3. Stopped in NYC on our way to our cooler destination

4. Went to the San Diego temple for the 4th of July

5. Visited Sea World

6. Got absolutely FRIED

7. Got a free slushie with my friend Audrey on 7/11

8. My cousin Isabel did my nails, aren't they cute??

9. I love UT sunsets