Monday, November 25, 2013

Transferred :(

Dearest family and friends,
So believe it or not, I was transferred. I had high hopes that I would stay in Taguatinga Norte for one more transfer. It honestly made sense because Sister Blair and I were doing the training, Presidente Gaertner doesn´t normally like to split up companionships that are in training, and he usually leaves senior companions in the same area for 3 transfers. Until this point in my mission the only area I stayed for 3 was in Guará II, which you probably all remember how that area was for me. If there was one area that I wasn´t in love with it would have to be there. Not to say I didn´t learn a lot, because I definitely did, but it was a rough area.
Leaving Taguatinga Norte has been hard for me, even harder than when I left Guará I. I think I wanted to stay in Guará I for selfish reasons. It was a kind of small area so we didn´t have to plan as efficiently to get all the appointments in that we wanted, the ward was great, and I loved Sister P. Gonçalves (she is still there...poor thing). I was looking forward to helping the investigators like Tainá, Raimunda, Maria Eloisa, and everybody else, but I just feel like leaving there was a different feeling than leaving Taguatinga. This area was hard when I first got there but we worked so hard to get to know the members and truly help the investigators. I hate to pick a "favorite area" in the mission because in every area I have learned what I needed to learn, but Taguatinga Norte was a special area. The ward is great, the members are helpful, the recent converts are firm, and the work was going pretty well. There was definitely room for improvement, but we were getting there. I wanted to stay because I knew Sister Blair and I would be able to get a lot done and accelerate the work even more.
Last night we had Daniela´s baptism which went well. She has been wanting to get baptized for a while. She was practically begging us to baptize here which isn´t a situation I imagine I will find myself in often haha. We finally marked a date for November 24th and it all worked out :) The members came out to support, like always, and it was just a good night.

I honestly thought I would stay in Taguatinga....all logic pointed to a solid "yes" that I would. When we got the phone call that I would be leaving, I was sad but there´s nothing that can be done. Barbara, the bishop´s wife, called to tell me that the bishop sent a text message to President Gaertner last night to try and convince him to let me stay. That was super sweet :) I wish it would have worked! haha. The worst part is, I talked to one of the assistants today and jokingly asked him why he didn´t change the transfers and move my name so that I could have stayed in Taguatinga. He told me that originally I was supposed to stay but then at the last minute another sister had to be moved and it was my name that was chosen to switch with her. Just my luck.
So enough talk about Taguatinga. I guess I should tell you where my new area is: Ceilândia. The part of the city that I am in is known as Guariroba. I still don´t know who my companion is because she comes in tomorrow. There are three sisters arriving tomorrow - two Brazilians and one American who has been waiting for her visa. She has been serving in the states since April! Can you believe that? That is a long time to have been in a different mission. We will actually be opening this area in the sense that there was one companionship here and we will be a second. This is my third time in a row arriving in a new area with a new companion and kind of having to figure things out as we go along. Honestly, I like opening areas though so that´s ok with me.
My last week in Taguatinga was less than ideal. Our pipes were clogged because of the "caixa de gordura" that sits under the building and collects the fat, oil, grease and everything else from all of the apartments. Well it got too full and decided to start spilling out in our apartment, only ours. It was so gross. The smell was horrible and the landlord totally dragged his feet to do anything about it. We had already lost a lot of time during the week because of the zone trainings we had so this was just another thing we had to deal with that took us away from the work. We weren´t able to visit everybody like we wanted. Overall, it wasn´t a terrible week just very trying and tiring. But thankfully Sister Blair is an awesome companion and we were still able to make the best of it.
I don´t have my memory card reader otherwise I would send pictures. I am currently in Ceilândia with Sister Barbosa, Sister Bojorquez, Sister Azevedo and Sister Munger. Sister Azevedo, Sister Munger and I are in a trio tonight while we wait for our companions to get here tomorrow and then they will go to their areas. I will be living in a house with four sisters for the first time in the mission!! It only took a year to happen haha.
Well, sorry for this novel. I even left out a bunch of stuff because I didn´t want you to get too tired of reading. HAPPY THANKSGIVING this week!! I hope everybody enjoys the time with family :)
Love you all very much!
Love,
Sister Kerr

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