MTC Complete! Off to the field!

Olá!!

This week was bittersweet and a roller coaster of emotions.  

First thing was family goodbyes.  Last weekend was a time full of fun just being able to spend time with each other.  I'm grateful for my brothers who took the time to come home to spend the weekend with me.  I love them both sooo much and will miss them greatly!  The goodbyes were sooooo hard.  I feel like I just did this with their missions. 

Second thing, it was my last week in the MTC :(  I can't believe 6 weeks have passed already.  I have loved every minute of it and I feel I learned so much!  While it was hard staring at my screen for 6+ hours a day, my district and my instructors made it worth it!  I love all of them so much!  

We had such fun times in class whether learning how to teach a certain principle, playing connect 4, or learning slang terms to use in Brazil lol, we always made the best of the situation.  I'm so grateful for my district and instructors for giving me the BEST MTC experience!  I couldn't have asked for anything different! 

We ended our last class on Friday with a testimony meeting.  I'm a cryer to begin with but holy cow I cried so much!  Everyone in my district gave such amazing testimonies!  I know I was supposed to meet them and that we were supposed to be in the same district together.  I didn't want to click that last "leave meeting" button on zoom.

With that, thank you Elder Jenson, Elder Brewer, Elder Park, and Elder Allan, and thank you to the BEST companions ever Sister Matsen and Sister Bancroft!  You have helped me in more ways than I can count and I appreciate all that you've done -- for all the support and love and jokes and laughter and for always hyping each other up lol.  You guys have pushed me to become better with not only my Portuguese but being a better missionary!  I know you will all do amazing things in your missions!  As my brother said to me earlier this week..."Go give 'em heaven!" haha!

Sister Matsen and Sister Bancroft -- you guys are seriously the BEST!  I love you both so much and will miss being your companion.  I've loved our facetime calls and looked forward to them every morning and night.  Thank you for your support and for encouraging me everyday!  I'm gonna miss the Swagger Mc Jagger team and all our slap happy moments!  Amo vocêssssss!  Abraços!  ❤

Throughout these 6 weeks, I have learned so much but if I had to pick a few things it would be love and the Spirit.  We learned so much about loving people around us -- the members, our leaders, companions, but most importantly those we are teaching.  When we love others everything else comes so naturally.  When we show our love, we are able to feel and teach more by the Spirit.  Which leads me to my next point which is the Spirit.  The Spirit is the ultimate teacher -- in any situation -- but for us as missionaries, it's so important to follow the Spirit when we teach investigators.

Loving those around us and having the Spirit with us are important for our lives as well.  It helps us become more like Christ and helps us to share His gospel to everyone around us.

So this next week I'm officially headed out to the field.  As you all know by now, I'll be in Arizona...oh wait actually RIBEIRÃO PRETO, BRAZIL!  I got a call on Tuesday that my visa got approved and they want to send me straight to Brazil!  Crazy that literally last week I had my flight plans to Arizona and that all changed this last Tuesday.  I've got my travel plans and am leaving for Ribeirão Preto this coming Friday!  Excited and nervous all at once!

Anyway, sorry for the long email, but there was a lot from this week.

Amo vocês!!  Love you all!

Sister Findlay

Pictures this week!
-me and my comps

-last zoom pics with our instructors 









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