Sister Sarah Elizabeth Crofts: September 2018

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Week 2 in the CTM!

Sarah only has 30-40 minutes to email each week so again I am piecing together emails she sent to me. She would love to hear from you but may not have time to reply until gets into the mission field!

Hi Mom!

My district is now down to 8 elders. (She is the only sister in her district--no companion.)One of the elders left the CTM, coming back in 2 months. He has to fix some problems back home. It is literally UTTER CRAZINESS all the time! Sometimes I get really annoyed, because they mess around a lot, but I love them all, they make me laugh and keep things light. It is definitely a new experience for me, but a good one! I am convinced that I am having this experience because I am going to have all boys when I am older and have to get used to it... It is great though! Some days are hard, others are good!

The language is soo darn hard! I can definitely see myself improving little by little though. Each day I am more and more able to speak with the Brazilians better and better, though not going to lie, the pressure is real. My brain feels so tired and full by the end of the day, it makes it hard, and I feel like I still have soo much to learn! I have realized that I understand Portuguese wayy better than I speak it. We are always talking about Dom de linguas or the gift of lounges!

I love the CTM, I love the crazy food, how friendly everyone is, I love singing himnos in Portuguese, and singing hymns in the halls when a sister is leaving. I love my district, I love pday and going outside!! It is so much fun, (THANKS SOO MUCH FOR THE YUMMY CINNAMON ROLLS!). I love the spirit here, that makes me want to change and be better, I love our instructors, I love that I am on the only floor with a bathroom in my room (YAY!). I love the plants and the flowers, and the sunsets! I LOVE THE BRAZILIAN PEOPLE!

My least favorite thing is the stress of the language and how we can only leave on pday and how we are sitting like all day, very tiring, I am tired so much lately! Besides that, there's really nothing else I don't like. I love this experience!

Spiritual experience: I was in the temple doing a session, and was the only american with a bunch of Brazilian older ladies, and I helped them throughout the session a little bit. I just had a huge wave of love wash over me for these people. MOM i just love them so much already, and i know it is a Christlike love! I also taught a lesson this week and got to use the first vision that I memorized in Portuguese and I felt the spirit so strong. I love being a missionary and getting to feel the spirit so much and being filled with charity!!

I have been pretty healthy. All the elders in my district got sick, and I just got it for one day! So that is good! I feel tired, but good overall! Crazy thing, we got a new CTM presidente on Sunday!! I'm doing really good! Don't worry about me! The Lord is taking care of me, and I hope you guys are doing good!

Love, Sister Crofts

Sarah and her roommates picking up their treats from the cookie shop across the street.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Week 1 in the CTM!

Sarah only has 40 minutes to email every Tuesday while in the CTM, so I told her I would piece together her emails to me.

Sent to me the day Sarah arrived in Brazil: I made it to the CTM safe and sound! It was a long flight, and I am running on one hour of sleep, but I am excited!!! I’m the only new sister, so I don´t have a companion, but that could change! Sao Paulo is crazy, one minute it is metropolitan big city, the next shacks and slums! Everyone is soo nice! I made some Brazilian friends on the plane and tried to share about missionaries and the Book of Mormon. He was so kind and taught me some words too! These people are awesome!

Sent to me yesterday: I saw the most beautiful sunrise when we were almost to Brazil (on the plane), and it was such an amazing moment!

I won’t have a companion while I’m at the CTM--there are no other sisters coming, but it’s okay! I have 9 awesome elders that have been so fun to be with (my district). I think it is funny that I left my sisters and pretty much got 9 brothers. It was definitely a shock at first, but so fun! I laugh every day! I do my studies with two elders, but for memorization I do them alone. It is hard to get the elders to focus, so sometimes I feel like the only responsible one lol--weird getting used to all boys! I feel like not having a companion has been a growing experience for me. It has its downsides, but also blessings!

Typical day... wake up at 6:30 get ready, study from 715 to 815, then breakfast, which is meat and cheese sandwiches and sometimes fruit. Then we have language classes all day, sometimes seminar type ones, sometimes in our classroom. We have two awesome teachers Irmao Louza, and Irma Brito. They are so awesome. then we usually plan and teach a lesson to our "investigator" which is our teacher pretending to be one. Then we have lunch-- rice and beans--and dinner sometimes something different, but usually typical Brazilian food. The food is growing on me, I feel like it really is so bad for you haha! I’m trying to eat healthy and less of the sugary stuff since we just sit all day and learn (WHICH IS REALLY BORINGG SOMETIMES, but fun others!!) The other day there was this weird dessert--green mush that looked like relish, but it was sweet smelling. The elders dared me to eat a big spoon full of it....soo nasty I almost threw up! But you know me so stubborn!!

At night I write in my journal, study, and talk with my roommates which are both in their third week—Sisters Sanders and Jade. One funny thing, my roommate talks in her sleep and she also throws things in her sleep...muito interesante...

Portuguese is HARD. Every day I feel like I wake up so discouraged and feel like I can´t do it, but each day it gets better. My elders are good at making me relax and laugh and see the good! I am learning to rely on Christ and the gift of tongues-- which has been hard, but so rewarding. There is joy every day!! yes!! Every day is a spiritual experience! I also must share my thoughts and give prayers many times in meetings because I am the only sister so an easy target haha!!

Tomorrow we are going to the Campinas temple, and I will bring my camera and try to send pics! Then I am exploring around the different shops around the CTM!! So excited for that, I love it here! The Brazilians are so kind! I feel like since I am alone (companionless), so many people go out of their way to talk to me. I feel like I know everyone, even though I can’t communicate well yet!

I am loving the CTM. This is the hardest thing I have ever done by far, but the best! I feel like I am learning and growing so much! And I just LOVE the Brazilian people already. Seriously, I have this automatic love for them! They are so amazing and kind and caring! I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!! It is hard, but I know that it is important to learn this language, so I can further connect with the Brasileiros who are so kind and loving!

As they say in Portuguese, TUDO BEM (ALL IS WELL). We say it all the time. I love how even when we are stressed, sad, down, we still take time to realize that all is still well!!! Such a blessing! God’s hand is in our life every day!

Love, Sister Crofts