week 9 . General TOM(Monson)ference

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So I'm just DYING of happiness because General Conference was PERFECT.

Seriously, I've never been so grateful for a General Conference weekend in my life. I really realize now how very very blessed we are to know that there is a living prophet of God on the earth. And I couldn't help but think how worldwide this church truly is. The members of the seventy speaking in their native languages (portuguese holla!) and the fact that I was sitting in a little room in a church building in Brazil hearing the same things as members of the church around the world really hit me. This gospel is spreading like wildfire and I'm so grateful that I get to be a part of that growth here in Brazil. And wow did everyone talk about prophets??? All the missionaries were saying that it sounded like President Monson was going to pass away soon because of what all the speakers were saying (here's how we get a new prophet, thanks to Pres. Monson for his service, etc) And I was thinking the whole time of this dream that I had last week... I was in the celestial room of the temple and I saw President Monson and he gave me a hug and it was perfect. But then he said that he was sick and didn't have much time left on this earth. What. So during conference that was just going through my mind the entire time. 

But really I just want to watch conference again and again and again. I could talk for ages about each and every speaker, but I'm assuming you all watched it so you don't need a play by play from me. If you didn't watch it, GO WATCH IT. [mom note: not all talks are available yet, it takes about a week to get them all posted. The GO WATCH IT link will direct you where to watch or read the talks as they become available. Be sure to check back during the week for updates if your're interested] There is no better way to feel the love of our Heavenly Father than by listening to His words through the mouths of his servants. 

This week we also had a big Zone Conference in Caico. So we woke up at 2:30 am to get on a bus and go there for the day. Well my body wasn't liking that too much. We got into a member's car (Tammy!) [mom note: Tammy is the sweet member who often posts pictures of Megan on Facebook. We love her for that.] so she could take us to the church to meet the Elders and get on the bus, and right before she started driving, I open the door and. . . throw up all over the ground. #minhavida So gross haha. But after that I ate some food and got some sleep on the bus and everything was totally fine. (so don't worry momma I'm not sick!) But the conference was all about the Book of Mormon and I loved it!!!! This book is vital in our work, because people can choose not to believe every word that I say, but if they read the Book of Mormon, sincerely desiring to know if it's true the spirit will testify to them. 

Mom, if you could send me a couple basic recipes: cookies, and maybe a couple meal type recipes too that would be great. Sister Garcia and Sister Cieslak (the sister with the short hair in the pic I sent) both cook all the time, and Sister Olla (the other sister in that picture) and I never know what to do because they have different things at the grocery stores here so it's harder to improvise. One example of different food. . . at a member's house the other day they pour some pink stuff into my cup. At first I thought it was like strawberry milk, because people love that here. And I thought of Dad's love for strawberry/banana milk haha. But then I took a sip and realized it was actually exactly like drinking gogurt. Exactly. haha. 

Nate, I'm so PROUD of you for all the family history work you're doing! I was thinking of you during that entire general conference talk about family history work. I have a little homework assignment for you (and the rest of the fam). If you guys could track down the conversion stories of our ancestors and send them to me, that would be amazing! I want to be able to explain to people here how my family found this gospel that has changed all of our lives! How one person can change the lives of generations to come. 

Tanielieson wasn't baptized on Sunday. . . BUT it's okay because he's going to be baptized on quarta feira (which I think is Wednesday haha, I've lost track of how the days of the week translate). He went to the last session of General Conference which was great! (THANK YOU Elder Bednar!!!!) [mom note: she is thanking Elder Bednar for his talk that was given specifically to those who aren't members of our church] This kid is seriously awesome, and I truly believe that he is going to be an amazing, firm member of the church. So excited for him!! 

I am truly loving the work here! What I don't love is when people don't progress, when they listen to their neighbors or their friends rather than the truth from God. But when people really get what we're saying, when I watch them change through the power of this message and the spirit. . . there's nothing better!

My biggest hardship right now is still the language. I hate that I can't communicate with people, because I have a testimony of this gospel and I just want to share it! And it's not just the language, the culture here is really different, and I don't understand it quite yet. Sister Garcia can talk to people about things that are common to Brazil or the Nordeste, but I just say things like "We're missionaries. Do you want to go to church?" hahaha. It's kind of like when you go to a friends house to eat dinner and you want to help clean up but you have no idea where the plates, forks, cups go in the kitchen. Or even where the sponge is to wash them. And then you can't ask your friend where everything goes because they speak portuguese hahaha. 

But despite the little frustrations, being here is the biggest blessing of my life. I have learned more about the scriptures, the Gospel, and my Savior Jesus Christ in my short time here than ever before. I LOVE the Book of Mormon with my whole heart. I just finished Alma this week, and I am constantly inspired by the examples of the heroes of the Book of Mormon. Alma 48. Captain Moroni. I die. I want to be a person with perfect understanding whose heart swells with thanksgiving to God! A person firm in the faith of Christ! So grateful for the examples we have in the Book of Mormon. Also when I was reading the story of the 2000 stripling warriors this week I was crying crying crying, they are perfect examples of faith despite serious adversity. 

I KNOW that this church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth. It is not led by men, it is led by Christ through men. We have the fullness of the gospel of Christ, and I am immensely grateful for that. Thomas S. Monson is a PROPHET of God. He was called of God. And he called me to serve a mission here in Brazil. This gospel is perfect. I thank my Heavenly Father daily that I have a testimony of this gospel and that I was raised by "goodly parents" who taught me the importance of the things that I am teaching the people here. Mom, Dad, you are the best examples of disciples of Christ that I know. I am so grateful for you, for the things you did everyday to not only tell me but to show me how to live a life dedicated to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Like the stripling warriors, like Enos, like Nephi, I learned about this church first and foremost from my parents. I want to teach people here about the joy of this gospel so they can share it with their families. I love this gospel and I love my family. I love that through this gospel I can be with my family for ETERNITY. (so you guys better get ready for lots of puns).

Tchau!

Sister Baker

Sister Olla, Megan, Sister Garcia and Sister Cieslak 

laughter, tears and lots of spilled water

Today Megan said goodbye to the 4 sister missionaries that she has grown to love over the last 6 weeks. The sisters are all off to the Recife Mission while Megan and the elders are headed to Natal. We have enjoyed reading the family letters from a few of these sisters and love hearing little snippets about Meg, some of which are below. I know she will miss these girls and all the fun they had.

::We had to take the bus to where we were going in Sao Paulo, which was to say the least crazy. I'm pretty sure we almost hit like 30 people. But you would not believe it, Sister Baker gave away two books within the first 10 minutes of being on the bus! It was impressive. She just wasn’t afraid at all to go and talk to them.

::Our schedule this past week goes like this...

6.30 wake up (which hasn't been too hard surprisingly)
7.00 personal study in the classroom
8.00 breakfast
8.50 language study
8.55 cry because of portuguese
9.30 exercise
10.20 study time
12.00 lunch
1.15 class time with Irma Mendes
3.00 cry some more about portuguese
4.00 prepare to teach investigator
5.40 dinner
6.30 prepare to teach investigator again
7.45 teach investigator
8.15 cry because we had to teach investigator
9.00 laugh time (as a district we just talk about random things and just die of laughter together, nice way to relieve stress)
9.30 snack time
10.30 bed time

Yeah.. we do a lot of crying... and seriously it's for no reason. Of course we miss our families (like a lot) and are stressed out. But seriously we will just look at each other and then burst into tears. I found that snickers you stuck in my bag the other day and I shared it with Sister Baker. No joke, we took one bite, looked at each other and then started to cry. It was so funny. Everyone walked in right when we started to cry and thought we were going insane.

::Sister Baker - I seriously love her. She is amazing. She is always dancing. The other night she performed the entire Les Mis musical, every song (except for the not so good ones) and acted it out. Took her 45 minutes. She definitely understands portuguese which is awesome because I have no idea what in the world I am doing.

::I was laughing way hard one night. Aaaand I may or may not have peed my pants. Ooops. I have never laughed so hard in my entire life. Sis Baker and Sis Johnson are hilarious.

::Sister Baker is seriously a clone of you. [mom note: the missionary is referring to her sister] It kind of scares me. She loves cats, can draw amazingly well, she dresses like you, is dorky and awkward but adorable. She loves puns and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is one of her favorite movies, she quotes it all the time. Its scary how alike you two are. She is the second funniest person that I know, her life is seriously like a funny tv show.

::Something else that was good was that Sunday night we decided to have a sleepover with Sister Baker and Sister Clinger! We knew we were probably getting new Brazilian roommates the next day so we figured this would be the only time!! They came and slept in our room and we had a blast! An elder in another district had his brother send him a bunch of song lyrics to music that he likes and we were borrowing it to copy. Sister Baker used the music to compose a musical of a sister missionary that was on her mission for four days and decided she wanted to move back home to marry her boyfriend who didn’t even know who she was. Haha. Like a creepy BYU stalker sister missionary. It was a one man show and she played all the characters. Again, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life!! (I didn’t pee my pants this time though)

::Sister Baker has managed to spill water on just about everyone in the CTM. This week it was my turn! She spilled water all over me! So funny. I’m going to miss her when she leaves for Natal Tuesday.

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

Campinas Temple 

Sister Clinger and Megan 

Sister Clinger, Sister Hatton, Megan, Sister Hartvigsen, Sister Johnson

Sister Johnson, Sister Hartvigsen and Megan

Sao Paulo

Sister Hatton, Sister Clinger, Sister Hartvigsen, Megan and Sister Johnson

District Elders...Elder Fallon, Elder Elder Phillips, Elder Collier and Elder Giles

CTM dorm room

the view of Sao Paulo from the CTM

Sao Paulo Temple 

CTM district with a few random missionaries