TRANSFERÊNCIAS!;

TRANSFERÊNCIAS.  AAAAHHH.  Transfers are always kinda stressful, but it's SO MUCH CRAZIER being here in Aeroporto.  It's here in Londrina, the center of the mission, so there are allllways a billion people coming and going through here as they travel to their new areas.  The sisters that have to travel almost always stay in the house here in Aeroporto, so we always have a lot to do around transfer-time - sisters to pick up from the bus station, finding rides from the members for all the missionaries, suitcases and spare mattresses and and and....etc. Anyways, so I was expecting this week to be a little crazy.  Our phone has been ringing nonstop since yesterday.  :P  Last night we got a phone call from the secretaries telling us that a sister would be arriving Monday afternoon to stay in our house, and that we would have to pick her up from the bus station.  Tudo bem.  Tranquilo.  ...and then a few minutes later, the zone leaders called and asked "Are you on your way to the bus station to pick up Sister Ramos?"  Us: "...Now??!"  Haha, so it was a surprise and we had to scramble to find a member last second that could pick up Sister Ramos with her suitcases, but fortunately our ward mission leader is AMAZING and always willing to drop everything to help us out.   Remember Sister Ramos?  She lived with me in Maringá.  :)  Now she's finishing her mission and will be headed for home early Thursday morning!  Crazy!  But it has been sooo much fun to have her in our house last night and this morning.  :)  We'll be headed to the bus station shortly after finishing with the internet here to pick up Sister Ramirez, and I think several other sisters will be arriving today and tomorrow.

And now, the big news.  Yep, I've been transferred.  I was definitely not expecting that.  I arrived here in Aeroporto 5 WEEKS ago and just when I started to settle in, I'm leaving again!  I'm going to be so sad to leave all the members and investigators and recent converts here.... they've been so much fun.  :)  But I am SO so grateful for all that I've learned and all the experiences I had here, in just 5 short weeks.  It's been so amazing!  And I'm going to miss Sister Cardoso!  She was called as Lider Treinadora Sister (I think I explained about that in a past email...), and is super stressed about the new calling, but I know she's going to be amazing!  She's a wonderful missionary and it's been so much fun to be her companion.  :)

My new area will be........ CIA NORTE!!!  It's a ward in Maringá, so I'll be going back to the city where it all started. :D  I'm so HAPPY and nervous and excited and I am so grateful that I at least am a little familiar with the city.  I'll even be living in the same apartment...it's going to be so weird going back.  :)  But good.

My new companion is Sister Saldanha....and I literally know nothing about her.  haha :)  She's one of the newer sisters in the mission so I haven't had the chance to meet her yet.  BUT I'm sure it's going to be an adventure.  AAH.  So much happening.  My brain is still adjusting to it all.  :)

Anyways, that's the most exciting part of my week.  The rest of the week was just walking and contacting references and knocking on doors in the rain.  :)  It's super rainy here, and has been verrryy chilly.  Hello, Winter.  But whenever the sun comes out, it heats right back up again!  We met some very interesting people, but nobody that really seemed very interested.  :/  Just gotta keep going until the Lord helps us to find the people He's prepared for us.  

Oh, and we had a ward activity on Saturday, SUPER fun - Noite Italiana!  I made Mom's famous lasagna and everybody loved it!  (The lasagna here in Brasil is very different, so they were excited to try "American" lasagna)  :)  It didn't turn out nearly as good as Mom makes it, but it was sooo good to eat it and feel a little bit at home. :)  The Relief Society decorated the church in red and green and white, played opera music, and we all ate pasta até o pó!  (translation=A LOT)  :)

Well, this has become a long email, so I'll end here.  I hope you guys are having an awesome Memorial Day!  I have really felt a deeper appreciation for our ancestors here on the mission and I love learning about their lives and experiences... Family history is definitely going to be a new hobby of mine once I get back from the mission and have more time for it again.  :)  

Love you all so much!  Keep sending emails and letters and let me know how you are all doing!  I'm sure you guys are keeping plenty busy, sounds like a lot is happening back home. :)  

Until next week...

Love,

Sister Gee