natal who wander are lost: week 5 . C(ya)TM

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Oi!!

LAST PDAY IN THE CTM!

What?? I can't believe how fast time has passed here. I swear I just barely got here. I am going to miss the CTM and my district. I love my district with all my heart and soul and I'm going to miss them so much. I feel like even though I've only known these people for six weeks, they've already become lifelong friends. That's been especially true because for our last week here in the CTM we decided that by the end of the week everyone would have shared their testimony for the district. So every night a couple people share their testimony. And oh wow. These missionaries have amazing, beautiful, inspiring testimonies. These elders and sisters have seen really hard times and really beautiful times and turned to our Savior through all of it. I am so grateful for the examples they are to me. I know Heavenly Father put me in district 32A for a really really really good reason. I needed these people!

Last Sunday was fast sunday, so we did a district fast and we had a mission conference and then a testimony meeting and then we watched 17 Miracles (again. still sobbed) and then a devotional. So basically the BEST DAY EVER. Seriously the spirit is so strong here in the CTM. And during our fast and testimony meeting I got to bear my testimony in Portuguese! It was scary beyond belief but also a very very cool experience. I loved being able to talk about what I love about this gospel in this new beautiful language! #blessed (but for real)

The Tuesday night Devotional was phenomenal. It was all about how there are people on the other side of the veil, in the spirit world, waiting for their ancestors to discover the gospel so they can be baptized. And that those people will be guiding angels for us, to help us find investigators. And it got me so pumped up about temple and family history work! But no more of that for me for the next year and a half, so fam. . . get on it! Go do baptisms at the temple! Go do sessions! Find names on FamilySearch! I'm bringing people to the gospel here in Brazil, but family history is missionary work too! Those people need this gospel just as much as the people here!

Today was my last time to go to the temple for a year and a half. [mom note: There is not a temple within Megan's mission boundaries so she won't be able to go while she is in Natal] And when we were leaving I could not stop crying. The temple is like home. It's a place of so much love and peace where Heavenly Father's presence is so strong. But as I was thinking about how sad it was that I wouldn't go back to the temple for so long, I had the thought come to my mind: What's more important? That you can go to the temple and feel this way? Or that hundreds of people down the road can go to the temple and feel this way because of your work here? I know that was God giving me a little talking to for having a bit of a selfish moment haha. And I know that that is why I'm here! To help people feel the love of our Heavenly Father that I feel daily and especially in the temple.

Speaking of hashtags. . . #minhavida ::

Well. . . this week we were playing volleyball. Which if you know me is #minhavida by itself, but I managed to make it even more embarrassing than normal. The ball was coming over to my zone on the court so I go to hit it. And I'll have you all know that I definitely would've hit it (probably) if Elder Phillips hadn't jumped in front of me. So instead of hitting the ball, I hit him. In the butt. Hahahahaha. So not missionary approved. So now my whole district has just been making fun of me for the whole week, and poor Elder Phillips was traumatized.

weekly scripture ::

2 Nephi 32!!! Love it so much! I've been focusing a lot on trying to feel and recognize promptings of the spirit more, because those are so vital as a missionary, but just in life as well. I want to do God's will always!!

Alright, I'm going to finish this up and go eat some unlimited meat with my district to celebrate our last Pday. I love you guys so much! I am so so so grateful for the family and friends and life I have back home, and I'm even more grateful that I have the opportunity to be a missionary here in Brazil! President Faust once said, "The field is white and ready to harvest. But it's a little whiter in Brazil." hahaha. But genuinely, I feel so lucky and so blessed! It's going to be scary to go out into the field. Like I'm panicking a little bit. But I also keep remembering that I'm here to share this gospel! Not to sit in classrooms. So I'm nervous but so excited too. And I know it will be hard, but the CTM was hard too and it has ended up being one of the most amazing experiences of my life, so I'm just keeping that in mind.

Kay. LOVE YOU!

Peace out girl scouts.

Sister Baker

PS // KATE MIDDLETON IS PREGNANT WITH ANOTHER ROYAL BABY??? THIS IS REAL? I GENUINELY HAD TO SIT DOWN WHEN I READ THAT LETTER I GOT SO EXCITED I'M PEEING MY PANTS RIGHT NOW JK NO I'M NOT.

(also I forgot to tell you guys I was a Sister Training Leader here in the CTM! That's why I was in a leadership meeting. Guess my stake president didn't write down that I'm more of a follower type hahaha)

added 2.28.15 [mom note: we received some CTM pictures from Megan's CTM companion's mom this weekend. I also had a couple from another sister in her district. I'm adding the photos to this post as it was her last letter from the CTM