Saying Goodbye Again

Well, I leave the MTC on Monday and this week has been absolutely insane!

Guess it's time for my weekly update...3 days early.

Tuesday:

#lasttempletuesday

Talk about a bittersweet day! Last time doing a temple session for who knows how long! Also my last time going to the temple with my lovely zone. I have seriously gotten to close to these people over the past 5 weeks or so and saying goodbye has been devastating! I know that we're all doing what the Lord needs us to do though!

We also had devotional with Elder Zwick (Member of the Quorum of Seventy)! He talked all about the Atonement and the Spirit was so strong! I couldn't look away...except to write notes haha!

The Atonement has been on my mind a lot lately and I'm so grateful that often times devotionals are about exactly what I need to hear. Talk about the Holy Ghost being the true teacher!

Wednesday:

IT SNOWED AGAIN! What the what?!?! Dumb, bi-polar weather! We even hosted in the snow again. Talk about a rough 2 hours.

Even though it was freezing, it was really fun! We really enjoyed it and were so grateful for the opportunity to help get those new missionaries where they needed to be.

So, I got temporarily reassigned! Until my visa comes, I will be serving in the New Hampshire Manchester Mission! Can you believe it?! My mission includes New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts! Crazy! I'm actually really excited.

I'm so bummed though because my companion/other half is going to the other side of the country! I'm going to miss her so much, but I know that she will do great things in the California Riverside Mission! Good luck Sister Aston! We'll definitely be reunited in Santos before we know it!

Oh, and Sister Aston and I have officially decided that Alma 17: 13, 17, 18 (The Book of Mormon) are our scriptures.

Thursday:

We had In-Field Orientation and it was not as bad as I thought it would be! My district definitely knows how to make the best of a bad situation. Let me tell you, sitting in a room for 9 hours learning what my teachers have been teaching me for 6 weeks is not a fun situation haha! Ainda, tuda bem!

I also met Brother Christiansen! He was one of the missionaries from The District 2 and apparently he did splits in the Bostonia Ward (the ward Kayla attends in California) a few times! What the what?! So crazy!

Last thing: We practiced street contacting with the new district! We are officially old timers in terms of the MTC now. We are the senior group! Ahh!

Friday:

Last Sesta-Festa! So crazy! 

We had an amazing last TRC Skype lesson!

Tambem, we talked about miracles in class! Read Alma 13:23 and Mormon 7. God is a god of miracles! Miracles have not ceased and I am so grateful for that knowledge! 

Saturday:

We sang our farewell song for both of our teachers. Dia triste! 

Irmao Staples and our district also had a very spiritual morning. We talked a little bit about everything, but he said something that really stuck out to me. "We are all beggars. We need His mercy; we need His love." It's so true! There is no way that without His mercy and love, that we could ever return to live with our Father in Heaven. God sent His son because He loves us. He sent His son because He knew that would be the only way for us to return to His presence. God is our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is His son.

I had to say goodbye to our teachers today. I seriously bawled. For the last 6 weeks, we have shared our lives with these people and I love them so much. I say it a lot, but I forget how easy it is to get close to someone in such a short amount of time! I'll definitely keep in touch with them though!

Anyway, I head out on Monday, so I'm not sure when I'll write again, but ate logo! 

Love you all!!

Amo Sempre, 

Sister McEldowney

From the keeper of this blog -

RE: Wednesday

These verses are about a group of missionaries who wanted to teach a group of people known as the Lamanites. The Lamanites did not believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and at the time hated the missionaries' people -

13 And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.

17 Therefore they separated themselves one from another, and went forth among them, every man alone, according to the word and power of God which was given unto him.

18 Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having blessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure; and thus they took their several journeys throughout the land.

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RE: Thursday - The District 2

The District is a reality tv show on BYU-TV and is comprised of "video segments [that] show real missionaries, members, and investigators in non-scripted, unrehearsed, actual missionary situations." (https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary/the-district?lang=eng) The District 1 was filmed in the California San Diego Mission.

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RE: Friday - Read Alma 13:23 and Mormon 7

Here's the link - The Book of Mormon

I'm 1 Month Old!

Hello again people!

 

Can you believe it's already been another week? The weeks pass so quickly when you're on a mission! I'm already a month old! In mission terms, it means I've been out for a month. Eu estou uma campista feliz!

 

Anywho, on to my weekly update!

 

Tuesday:

Man, oh man, do I have a story for all of you! So, for those of you who don't know, there is a very strict missionary rule about interactions with the opposite sex, mainly it means no hugging (and kissing but that's kind of implied if you can't even hug). So, being the person I am, that's been a really difficult rule. It's even worse when you're around elders all the time and you get close and can only give them handshakes! Entao, tanto faz. Well, we were at dinner on this lovely Tuesday and my friend, who is an elder, was telling us a story about how his brother came home from his mission and his girlfriend was at the airport and he couldn't hug her because he hadn't been released as a missionary. Well, my friend was taunting his brother and giving his brother's girlfriend hugs and stuff, but he accidentally used me as an example and hugged me!!!!!! It was so weird! We laughed so hard though because we both freaked out. Missionary awkwardness has kicked in already! Guess I'm officially a missionary now!

 

Wednesday:

It snowed! What the what?! It was snowing pretty much all day too!

 

Guess what else though! OUR DISTRICT GOT TO HOST! Basically hosting just means we greet the new missionaries, take them away from their families and get them started on their life as a missionary. It's so fun and we get to do it again this week! Dia feliz!

 

Oh yeah, and I'm getting better at volleyball, so that's fun.

 

Thursday:

Lesson flop Thursday. Is that a thing yet? Well, it is for Sister Aston and me at least! Tuda bem! We've recovered (:

 

We, as a district, also received some awesome scriptures about overcoming weakness.

Moses 6:31-34

Moses 7:13

1Nefi 3:7

1Nefi 17:50-51

Filipenses 4:13

Mat 19:26

Mark 5:36
 

Sorry, I know I'm mixing Portuguese and English, but my brain is in that transition period!

 

Friday:

WE TAUGHT A LESSON TO SOMEONE IN BRAZIL! We got to do a lesson over Skype with someone who lives in the state of Porte Alegre and we understood him and he understood us and it was awesome! Oh my goodness! It still makes me happy just thinking about it!

 

Alright, Portuguese is officially the celestial language! PORTUGUESE DOESN'T END WITH PREPOSITIONS!! Dia feliz; tuda bem!

 

Saturday:

Never. Ending. Day. 

 

Seriously, it went on forever! My bed had never been so enticing.

 

Sunday:

We watched Joseph Smith (the movie about his life) in Portuguese and I understood about 3/4 of it! I got the gist of the entire movie and was stoked! Yay for Portuguese! 

 

In case it wasn't obvious, I'm loving Portuguese! I thank Heavenly Father every day for the opportunity I have to not only serve a mission, but learn a language that is so beautiful. I'm so blessed!

 

Monday:

Surprise! Another boring Monday hahaha!

 

I do have an invitation for all of you though. Read Mark 9: 22-23. In our zone, we have a motto: "hoje consegue." Techincally it's "hoje pode," but that's the wrong form of the verb haha. Anyway, it means "today, you can."

 

I know that there are some really rough days, sometimes even rough weeks, but you can get through them. We have all been given trials, but Heavenly Father will never give us anything that we can't handle. Everything you go through is only to help you grow and get on the path back to Him.

 

I know that we are all children of God. Heavenly Father knows each of His children, us, individually and is aware of us. 

 

Estou muito grato por a opportunidade para servir Ele for 18 mezes. I am grateful that I get to spend a portion of my life being a full-time representative of Jesus Cristo. 

 

I love you all so much and am so grateful to have people in my life who care enough about me to read about my uneventful life haha.

 

I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful week and can see the hand of God in your life!

 

Amo sempre,

Sister McEldowney

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From the keeper of this blog -

RE: Thursday

The apostle Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 13:1, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." He was referring to the fact that this was his third visit to the saints in Corinth. Today The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints adheres closely to this doctrine. That is why, for example, missionaries go in companionships and not alone. It also applies to our scriptures. In addition to the Bible, we also utilize the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, the Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price to support one another in testifying of Christ and His role in our lives by clearly establishing His doctrine. That being said, in Thursday's entry Kayla includes some references that you may not be familiar with. I've included them below along with the book that they are found in.

Moses 6:31-34 (The Pearl of Great Price)

31 And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

 32 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.

 33 Say unto this people: Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you.

 34 Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.

Moses 7:13 (The Pearl of Great Price)

 13 And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.

1 Nefi (Nephi) 3:7 (The Book of Mormon)

 7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

1 Nefi (Nephi) 17:50-51 (The Book of Mormon)

 50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.

 51 And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?

Filipenses (Philippians) 4:13 (The New Testament)

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
 

Mat (Matthew) 19:26 (The New Testament)

26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Mark 5:36 (The New Testament)

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

  

FOUR weeks in the MTC, THREE, TWO days of General Conference, and ONE happy Sister Missionary

Hello outside world!

 

Well, outside of the MTC at least! Let me tell you, 6 weeks in this bubble is testing my patience. I do love it here though and get so sad thinking about leaving. You never could have told me I'd love the MTC this much!

 

Ok, and before I forget, did anyone see the eerie similarity that picture I sent last week had to Andy Samberg?! It was crazy! Sister Aston and I had to do a double take! 

 

Oh, and thank you to everyone who writes me! I have so little time to email that I can't get back to everyone, but I do read them and I appreciate the thoughts (:

 

Anyway, we'll get on to the "exciting" part of this e-mail:

 

Tuesday:

#TempleTuesday

Never a disappointment! I participated in family sealings this past week and was proxy for a daughter being sealed to her family for eternity. Such a beautiful ceremony and one I am so grateful I was able to be a part of. I love the temple so much!

 

We also had a really neat devotional, but due to time restraints I have basically no time to write about it. I'll let you all in on a little secret too. I don' t have my notebook with me so I don't think I could tell you what it was about even if I wanted to hahaha

 

Wednesday:

WE GOT A NEW DISTRICT! They're seriously so great and I love them to death! I loved being able to welcome them and ease them into their MTC stay. I just love them and don't even know what else to say about them!

 

They're also the most exciting thing about Wednesday, so, sorry about that let down!

 

Thursday:

It snowed. What the what?! It's April and it snowed. It didn't stick, but goodness gracious, it was FREEZING that day! Brrr!!!

 

Nothing too eventful happened on Thursday either, sorry people!

 

Friday:

Alright, so maybe Thursday did have on relatively eventful thing. Sister Aston and I have a really difficult investigator we're teaching and on Thursday we just lost everything, or so it seemed. We were so stoked; we taught the Plan of Salvation and were so prepared. Then out of nowhere, we weren't. Neither of us felt great about the lesson, but we didn't know where to go with it, so we pushed through. Anyway, we cried it our after we got back to the residence halls, but it was still weighing on my mind all night and into the next morning. I got to class the next morning and we have additional study time from 7-7:45 and I prayed so hard that Heavenly Father would help comfort me. All of a sudden Alma 37:16 popped into my head. The only time I had ever read that scripture was when I was reading through the Book of Mormon just to read it. It was amazing how much I needed it. Talk about Heavenly Father answering prayers!

 

"But if ye keep the commandments of God, and do with these things which are sacred according to that which the Lord doth command you, (for you must appeal unto the Lord for all things whatsoever ye must do with them) behold, no power of earth or hell can take them from you, for God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words." Alma 37:16

 

I can testify that no matter how long or short the prayer is, no matter how big or small the issue may seem, Heavenly Father hears our prayers and answers them. I am so grateful for that!

 

Saturday and Sunday:

Conference! So great! 

 

If I haven't already asked you, what was your favorite talk from General Conference?

 

Monday:

Not much happened yesterday either. 

 

Oh wait, Sister Aston and I taught an awesome lesson (that got paused and will resume on Thursday) about the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

 

I also figured out that I can't think in Spanish anymore and my brain only goes to Portuguese. Remind me to tell that story when I'm home. Or next week...whichever I guess haha!

 

Anyway, I'm out of time! I love you all so much!

 

Have a great week!

 

Amo sempre,

Sister McEldowney

 

PS. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I'll do my best to send some next week!

 

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From the keeper of this blog:

RE: #TempleTuesday

Temples sometimes prove to be a bit of a mystery for some who are not members of the church. The Mormon.org information below may help you understand what Kayla’s referring to when she says, “I participated in family sealings this past week and was proxy for a daughter being sealed to her family for eternity.” In short, civil marriage ceremonies typically bind a couple “until death do you part.” Temple marriages seal the couple for time and all eternity. For those who die without being able to be sealed together, marriage terminates at death. The Lord has provided a way for us, the living, to stand in their place (proxy) so that they may be sealed for time and all eternity too.

Mormon.org says -

“Temples are houses of the Lord, the most sacred structures on the earth….

In temples, Church members participate in ordinances designed to unite their families together forever and help them return to God.

In the temple, members:

©       Learn eternal truths.

©       Receive sacred ordinances, including [the sealing ordinance] that bind[s] husband and wife together for eternity, as well as [sealing] children and parents [for eternity] (Malachi 4:5-6).

©       Provide ordinances such as baptism for those who have died without the opportunity to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:29; 1 Peter 4:6)”

mormon.org - The Use of Temples

RE: Saturday and Sunday – Conference! So great!

Every April and October, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds General Conference. We don’t attend our regular church meetings and instead participate in a broadcast from church headquarters in which the Prophet, Twelve Apostles, and other church leadership address church members. It is comprised of 6 sessions and is filled with great council and direction. Kayla obviously loves it! If you’d like to learn more about the one we just had the link is below.

General Conference - April 2015

 

Caixou Week 3!

From the keeper of this blog:

 

A little insight into church hierarchy may help you understand who Elder Hamula (see Tuesday below) is:

 

The President and 2 counselors make up the First Presidency. They preside over the entire church. From them down it goes -

 

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (see New Testament, Luke 9:1-2)

Quorums of the Seventy (see New Testament, Luke 10:1)

Stake Presidents

Bishops

 

For more information -

Organizational Structure of the Church

 

Also, O Plano de Salvação is The Plan of Salvation. It is the underlying doctrine that directs all we do as members of the church.

 

For more information -

The Plan of Salvation

 

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Hello lovely friends and family! Sister McEldowney again! Before I start, 'caixou' is 'coffin' in Portuguese and that's the official nickname of our classroom...where we spend most of our 16 waking hours. Great, right? hahaha!

Hey, people! Did any of you read the scriptures from last week? If you did, weren't they great! If you didn't, what are you waiting for?! 

Here goes another MTC Week breakdown!

Tuesday:

Temple Day! I love the temple so much! It has to be one of my favorite places in the world. It ranks right above my couch when I'm watching Netflix ;)

We also had an amazing devotional on Tuesday evening. Elder Hamula, of the Quorum of the Seventy, spoke and it was incredible. His wife spoke right before him and said something that hit me really hard. There are some people who would do anything to be in our seats. It just hit me that I complain about missing the outside world and how I miss homemade food, but I am so blessed that I met the requirements--physically, mentally, and spiritually--to be a servant of the Lord. I should never complain when I have such a huge blessing like that in my life.

Wednesday:

I felt like I was on my death bed all day because of allergies. Shocking, right? Basically the entire day is a blur, especially since I took two Benadryl right before my last 3 hour block in class haha!

Thursday:

So, funny story, Thursday was a roller-coaster! Basically it all happened at the end of the day, so I'll start there. We have this thing called "Progressing Investigator" or "Progressivo Pesquisador." Our teachers act as investigators and we teach them lessons in Portuguese. Well, Sister Aston and I had this great lesson plan and as soon as we started teaching, it fell apart. I think I can pretty easily say we were teaching more by logic than by the Spirit; that's not good for a missionary! Anyway, I was harder on myself than probably necessary, but it was a train wreck and I was devastated. Sister Aston knows just what to do though, so we went on our usual walk and we talked things over so I didn't cry. Anyway, when we got back to class it was about time for our teacher to, well, teach us. We were talking about the O Plano de Salvação and he had me stand up at the board really close and ask what part of the plan I saw. It was just earth and death. He asked me what the purpose of life is with what I could see, so I said to die. Then he had me take three steps back and ask what the point of life is seeing the entire plan. 

Everyone, I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father has a plan for us. We lived with Him before and we can live with Him again. I am so very grateful that Irmão Staples was in tune with the Spirit that night because remembering that I am a daughter of God is exactly what I needed. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of every single one of us and our needs. I can't even begin to tell you the love He has poured upon me. 

Friday:

We taught people, for the first time, that are not our teachers! It's called TRC. I almost hyperventilated before, but Sister Aston had my back (again) and got me through my meltdown. I have to say, I have the best companion ever!!

Saturday:

Longest day ever! Enough said.

Sunday:

Meetings, meetings, and more meetings! Everyone should look up the BYU-Idaho devotional "The Twenty-Mark Note." You will not regret reading it! 

Monday:

SISTER MCELDOWNEY CAN SPEAK PORTUGUESE!! Sister Aston and I taught an entire lesson on the importance of the Book of Mormon and I only had to look up one word. ONE! It was accountability. Proud moment!

Well, I'm out of time, but I love you all! thank you so much for all you do to support me, even if it's just reading my emails and giving me pity laughs (:

Amo Sempre, 

Sister McEldowney

Address Correction

From the keeper of this blog:

There was an error in the address listed in Week One. I've posted the correct address below:

Sister Kayla Raven McEldowney

APR27 BRA-SNTS

2009 N 900 E Unit 101

Provo, UT 84602

Dois semanas!

From the keeper of this blog:

1. Street contacting is where missionary companionships approach people on the street and offer to share a specific message gospel with them.

2. Zone Sister Training Leaders are sister missionaries asked to work with other sisters to help them develop as missionaries. It is a privilege and a sign of a good missionary to be asked to fulfill this responsibility.

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Oi tudos! I have finished dois semanas! :D

I'll try to make this rundown slightly shorter than last week, but no promises!

Tuesday:

Temple day! I love the temple and was so excited to go as a zone to do an endowment session. Temples are the greatest and I love that no matter what temple you're in, you know you're doing the same work. Just like church! No matter where you go, the LDS church is always the same (:

I also sang in the MTC Choir which was FANTASTIC! This little singer was one VERY happy camper!

Wednesday:

We had a service project at 6:15AM. Sister McEldowney over here is still not a morning person. I'm pretty sure the girl running the service thought I hated her because my resting annoyed face was totally on that morning. I felt bad, but she also talked a lot and no wants to hear about your morning routine at 6:15 hahaha! 

Other than that, it was a lot of sitting in class. Our zone leaders did share the zone motto though: "Hoje Pode!" It's supposed to mean "Today you can," but they used the wrong form of 'can' so that was pretty hilarious.

Starting week two, things that aren't that funny become hilarious. I wouldn't blame y'all if you thought I was crazy after some of these emails :p

Thursday:

FIRST BAPTISM COMMITMENT! We had been teaching this "investigator" named Samuel. He started with absolutely no faith in Jesus Christ and didn't believe in God. The Spirit was obviously the true teacher because our Portuguese still isn't all that great, but by the end of the 5th lesson, we committed him to baptism! YAY! One more soul brought unto Christ!

Friday:

SURPRISE! Samuel is now our second teacher! His name isn't actually Samuel (well maybe it is, I haven't quite figured that out yet), his name is Irmao Staples. He's the greatest! He was giving us constructive criticism about our lessons and even though I can barely speak Portuguese, he made me feel like I had just won an Olympic medal. Way to go Irmao Staples!

Speaking of that though, he talked to us a lot about our purpose as a missionary and how inspired the system is, so for those of you who feel so inclined, whip out your scriptures and read Doctrine and Covenants section 31. SO GREAT! For those of you who don't have the scriptures I'm talking about and are curious as to what I'm rambling on about, lds.org has you covered (:

Saturday:

Just to keep it short. We did mock street contacting and I realized that I could actually carry on a conversation in Portuguese! Oh! We also talked about these amazing scriptures! It's been a very spiritual week (:

Scriptures:

Doctrine and Covenants 88:63

Jacob 4:7

Ether 12:27

Seriously people, great scriptures. If you're at all intrigued, either open up your scriptures or look them up on lds.org (:

Sunday:

Sister Aston and I have been called to serve as the zone Sister Training Leaders :D Super excited to serve in this calling! We also had an amazing sacrament and Sunday School! Thoughts from that will come next week.

Monday:

Got letters from some great people! Thank you Mom, Carson City McEldowneys, Tiffany, and Holly! Other who wrote me, I got it earlier this week and will reply ASAP (:

KEEP WRITING!! :D

I love you all and can't wait to keep hearing from you!

Love Sempre,

Sister McEldowney

 

One Week Down!

From the keeper of this blog, Sister McEldowney asked me to clarify anything that might need clarifying for those of you who haven't served a mission.

1. The MTC stands for Missionary Training Center.

2. Missions are divided into geographical zones that are then divided geographically into districts comprised of companionships.

3. MTC training to serve in your actual mission is accomplished through A LOT of role playing. The "investigators" below are likely other missionaries or MTC teachers.

Sorry for the delay with this post. We missed getting this first email due to an email address input error. Two weeks in one is happy thing, though, right?

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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Hi all!

So, missionary life is basically the greatest thing ever! I have the greatest companion ever, the greatest district ever, and I think I might even have to say I'm learning the greatest language ever! I seriously love it here so much! The MTC is just such a wonderful place!

So, relatively quick recap of my last week. 

Wednesday

Wednesday was crazy! I got whisked away as soon as I got to the MTC and followed my host sisters (basically my personal welcoming committee) blindly. I got my name-tag, which made everything so real and so amazing, got my language stuff, put my stuff in my room and was off to class! 

I walked into the class and the first thing I see and hear was this short, crazy stranger speaking to me in some strange language! Honestly, the only thing I could think was "What the what?!" It was so intimidating!

We were in class for a few hours, then we had dinner and went to this workshop where all the Elders and Sisters who got to the MTC that day taught three different investigators as a group. The coolest thing happened though! Our second investigator had a grandmother who was having health issues and was kind of curious about the church and stuff, and all of a sudden a thought popped into my head to ask her if we could all kneel down and say a special prayer for her grandmother. There is no way it was my idea. The Holy Ghost was totally behind that and the Spirit in that room was so strong after that! Being a missionary and having those experiences is my favorite thing ever!

Thursday

Thursday we met our branch presidency and got to know our district really well! Super quick breakdown of my district:

Elder Heiner- Glorified lumberjack and self-proclaimed hipster

Elder Efros- newest member of the Jimmy Fallon Best Friend Club

Elder Kime- Piano master who believes Provo is "the promised land"

The three elders have decided they're tri-pinheros (Portuguese spelling...sorry!)

Sister Aston- GREATEST COMPANION EVER! I love her! She's so "ew!"

Sister Anderson-Funniest quiet person you'll ever meet!

Sister Perkins- My Southern California buddy! So funny and so wonderful!

Sister Gines- The spiritual giant from the least spiritual place in the world...Vegas! Haha!

Sister Bingham- Sweetest spirit and cutest little thing ever!

I seriously love my district so much!

Friday

We had gym time for the first time! I never thought I'd enjoy working out so much in my life! I look forward to it every day now! I also made a new friend that day who is now a part of the best friend club with Sister Aston and me :D

Oh my goodness, my teacher also told us the funniest story about a disappearing house! I guess he went to teach a family and they had an appointment to come back the next day and when they got there, the entire house was gone! How does that even happen?! What the what?!

We also taught out first lesson...in Portuguese! The Gift of Tongues is real people! There is no way after two days I should have been able to teach an entire lesson, but we did it! It was such a spiritual, and humbling, experience.

Saturday

We were in class for forever and a day. We also taught our second lesson. In Portuguese again. I'll learn the celestial language eventually haha!

Sunday

Meeting after meeting, after meeting! I was so tired that the entire day was just kind of a blur, so all I remember were the mass amounts of meetings and watching Meet the Mormons that night. Longest day ever!

Oh, we also took a walk up to the temple. That was cool. Really hot though haha.

Monday

We taught our third lesson to our investigator! We taught o Plano de Salvacao (Plan of Salvation) and I got to use my little cut-outs! the language started flowing and we touched our investigator's heart! The Spirit was seriously so strong and it was incredible! Sister Aston and I were even able to speak in complete, Portuguese sentences! It was such a blessing. 

Tuesday

so far I've done my laundry and emailed, but I GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE TODAY! Holy cow! I'm so stoked!

Well, I love you all!

Please feel free to write me! dearelder.com is the greatest and mail is seriously a delicacy here!

Sister Kayla Raven McEldowney

APR27 BRA-SNTS

2009 N 900 E Unit 101

Provo, UT 84602

Alright, I love you all!

-Sister McEldowney