another transfer

From: McKenzie Powell [mailto:mckenzie.powell@myldsmail.net] Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 9:23 AM To: Kevin Powell; Mom; Sydney; Alex Subject: another transfer This was a week full of events. First, and most importantly, Julia was baptized! It was the best baptism I have been to so far. Carol (was baptized last week) bore her testimony and said the exact thing that Julia had said when she left the water..."I just felt light and at peace." It was so cool to see how confident Carol was in the gospel and how much her testimony helped all of our investigators that came. And then Julia`s mom, Isabella, spoke (she was baptized about a month ago and is one of the coolest people I have ever met) about how much the gospel had blessed her life and her family. I love that family so much. Jeter, the dad, will be baptized in the next coming week. Isabella is so excited to frequent the temple, and I am so excited to go with her and see her family be sealed for all eternity (don`t worry daddy, I will find some way to pay...we shall see). goodness, I love being a missionary....there is nothing better. But then there are the bad things that happen too. There is nothing better than seeing one of your converts stay firm, but there is nothing worse than hearing that they are not doing those things that are right. But moments like this Saturday make you want to stay forever. I think one of the things I love the most about the mission is learning how the Spirit works with me. I have made a lot of mistakes, but I really am coming to see how the Spirit will lead you to do and say those things that will help others and yourself. Using the spirit, is a skill that will take a lifetime to perfect, but I really am begining to recognize how the Spirit works with me. It is nice to know that I don`t have to do this work alone, to know that there is always someone that knows better, and all that I have to do is do my best and listen. It brings scriptures to your mind. It helps the words and principles of grammar to finally make sense. It leads you to the road you need to knock. It tells you the concerns of an investigator. It tells you where you should go and when you should be there. Everyweek can be full of spiritual experiences as a missionary-it completely weighs on you. This week I had a funny experience. I was sitting on the bus next to a girl that was having a serious problem with her boyfriend on our way home from an appointment. While I was enjoying listening to the drama of the teenager girl beside me, a thought came to my head to put my ring on my left hand ring finger. It was really really strange, but I decided to go ahead and do it. And goodness was I thankful that I did. It was then that I noticed that a man was slowly moving more and more close to me. Everytime someone got up to leave, he got closer. Usually this doesn`t bother me too much. I have cumulated more encounters with the men here in Brazil than I ever did with the girl-deprived 19 year olds in the MTC or with the very high men in Alabama combined (all which I have caused quite a few laughs and Sister Johnson to say various times that she no longer wants to be my companion). The men in Brazil are just funny (they say when they like what they see and they throw out marriage proposals like candy at a parade), but this one was beyond level of creeper. I started to get really uneasy and started to pray that the girl, who was now telling her boyfriend how much she loved him, would not get up and leave, but unfortunately she did. Creeper with the hairy chest and while pants then went in to make his move but luckily Sister Nicascio saw that it was going no where good and jumped in the seat before him. We both did not look at him and I told her that if he didn`t get off the bus that we would just stay on the bus until he left...she agreed. But here is the miracle of the whole thing-he decided to finally look away from my face and down at my hand, and goodness was he bummed when he saw the ring on my hand. He asked if I was married. Sister Nicascio quickly told him yes...haha. And that is all it took for him to leave. The ring is there to stay. Lastly, I am being transferred! I am really excited. Sister Johnson and Sister Nicascio will stay here, which will make the transition a little easier for Sister Nicascio. She is really sad, and I know I will miss her, but I am just really excited to be able to have a new learning experience. I am excited to see where I will be emailing ya`ll from next. LOVE YALL. THANKS FOR ALL THAT YALL DO! LOVE, Sister Powell