Missions are like rapadura. For you gringos, let me explain. Rapadura is a sweet here from Ceara that is basically 99% rock hard sugar and 1% flavoring. It´s one of the worst things that I´ve ever eaten here lol. But something that is super common is people compare missions to rapadura. Why? Because it HARD and its SWEET.

This week was... hard. I think its hilarious that every single missionary passes through hard days, hard weeks and no one hears about it because we´re trained to only say great things about our areas and mission. But I´m brutally honest and this week was hard.  We found very little new investigators, and our super firm baptism fell through. So I sit in my bed sometimes just thinking "alright, you´re tired and you dont know what to do anymore." I SHOULD be getting on my knees and asking for help but usually I just think and think and think until I fall asleep. This week I was thinking A LOT. And sometimes you want to give up but every night Heavenly Father put a thought in my head. If I give up, who is gonna find those souls that need the gospel?  What would have happened if the elders in Tampa, Florida and Detroit, Michigan gave up and didn´t find my parents? They didn´t know that those converts would go on to serve missions, get married in the temple, have a eternal family, and their daughter would too serve a mission. We just dont know the plan of God. And it kills me inside to know there are souls that I´m not finding. So when all else fails, I have to work harder. And that is what I´ll do.

Missions are like rapadura. They´re hard but they´re sweet too. I love love love my mission. Seriously, it´s the best experience. Not because I´m traveling around Brazil and meeting awesome people. But because I´m sharing the Gospel that changed my life, that is still changing.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE TERERE

 mission conference! Sister Chamberlain and I´s training? CRUSHED IT.

 the view of my area from our apartment

First Week in Paracuru

Weeks pass by faster and faster and that makes my heart hurt so much. This week was good! I had the opportunity to visit PARACURU. Definitely my hardest area one the mission, as missionaries we would say that I passed my "Gethsemane" there, but it has a special place in my heart. It was so nice to see some members from the branch and my sweet recent convert, Antonio, who was SO SO SO excited to see that I brought him a tie all the way from the United States.

As for our area, it is super different. It´s almost.... normal. Normal as in the culture is almost close to the American culture. Everyone has goods here, which is strange for me to see. I still freak out walking into the super Walmart here. It´s a huge learning expereince for me and I´m grateful for the challenge. We´ve had some awesome investigators in church these weeks so we´re praying and fasting for their decision to be baptized.

I came across a talk in the Liahona from Jefferey (the man) Holland, that had the following quote "...such people know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon." I almost fell out of my chair because of the power this quote has. It´s powerful.... BECAUSE ITS SO TRUE. Sometimes, as human beings, we like to pick and choose the commandments we follow with strict obediance. I, Sister Myers, have been guilty of this my whole life!! And so I started to think... in what areas do I like to keep my summer cottage in Babylon? And wow theres alot. But thats a reflection I needed to do, and that I´ll continue doing. So I can be a true representative of my Savior now, and forever. I DONT NEED A SUMMER COTTAGE IN BABYLON. I DONT EVEN WANT ONE. But they why do we keep building these cottages in our lifes? Strict obediance brings strict blessings always. So when life gets hard, and it always will, lets move back to our primary residence with our Heavenly Father.

I hope everyone will have a great week! I´m so grateful for your support and prayers. If I could ask for one thing, it would be your prayers especially on Wednesyday because I will give a training to the whole. entire. mission. Thank you!!

tchau guanabara, oi monte castelo

Happy Monday!! First week of the transfer has passed with alot of "new this" and "new that". New area, new companion(kinda), and new experiences. I´m officially in Monte Castelo. It´s super strange for me because all of my areas I´ve passed have been more simples and humble. I´ve been overwelmed with tiny things like people having cars and normal cell phones... its crazy how a mission chages you. But on the bright side, my area has a huge Walmart. I´ve never been so happy to see a Walmart in my life. I walked in and held back tears. I have a special place in my heart for Jardim Guanabara... a family from that area visited me here already in my new area. Its amazing the impact people have on our lives.

My new area is super metropolitan. A lot of apartment buildings and old school houses. And its the size of Africa. Seriously. That will be a great difficulty as I´ve never worked in a "city city" before. But whats a mission without a little bit of difficulties, am i right or am I right? Nothing huge happening here, just getting settled in really. As LTS, I´ll be taking care of the sisters in Paracuru, that is my old area so I´ll be traveling there this transfer. WOOT WOOT!

This Sunday I was asked to give a talk about missionary work in my new ward. Even as a missionary, I feel like I´ve heard those talks about "every member a missionary" over and over. But something that has always touched my heart. In Mark 2, tells the parable of the paralytic. In Jesus the Christ, explains something that I love. Jesus Christ heals him because of "their faith" not "HIS faith". Or in other words, becase those loving four friends used their faith and love for that paralytic, he was saved. And so maybe we know someone who cant reach the house where Christ is, they need our help, our strength and our faith. Theres so many more details but raelly study out the parable. Its changed so much about my perspective as a member missionary.

Thank you for your love and support. I´m still astonished that everyone remembers I exist, even if it means my hair is 10x longer, I´m 5x chubbier, and my skin is 100x darker.

365 Days serving the Lord.

This week was AWESOME. My companion and I have been focused on studying dilligence. Missionaries have the tendency (not I) to get trunky during the last week of transfers. They think they will be transfered or that its okay to slack off. And that is exactly not what I wanted to teach my daughter. So we worked harder than we ever have this week. And when we give EVERYTHING we have to the Lord.... we have "MILAS".

mila (noun): mila is an abreviation of the word "milagre" or "miracle" in English
-often used by missionaries in brazil

This Sunday we woke up with POURING rain and we had confirmed 10 people for church. I literally had to swim my way to church because when it rains here it pours. And to my surprise (and little faith) 8 of our investigators came and had a very special experience. AND... in this area we´ll have 6 baptisms this week.

BUT I will be transfered to a new area called Monte Castelo with my old companion Sister Andrade. Im SO exciited but so sad to leave my daughter and this area that has taught me so much. I love servnig the Lord, espcially this past year in the beautiful land called, Fortaleza.

My daughter finishing her training.

 Drinking Sao Geraldo, a soda that only exists in Ceara

 1 Year on the mission!!!

Unexpected Miracles

Hello fellow Americans and a few of my Brazilian homies (Hi Sister Souza). THIS WEEK WAS SO COOL. Okay so I had a huge wake up call. Sometiems you get to the point in the mission where everything is rountine. Its the same thing, every darn day. And its great, it really is! Until you don´t see the great miracles anymore. And I´ve felt like that lately. SERIOUS! On Monday we had a rocking training from our Zone Leaders and I was a ball of tears. You know when you know you could be giving more and you´re not doing it?! I felt like lixo(trash). So I sat down with my companion and we talked about being diligent in all things. Even when we dont teach a lesson until night or something is going wrong we will trust in the Lord and have a certainty that there is room for miracles. And thats what we did and MY OH MY I felt so happy. Okay, Im a happy missionary. I actually am bullied by elders because Im the happpiest missionary. Dont worry, I dont ACTUALLY let them bully me. So we worked so so so hard this week. My cheeks hurt from smiling. And no, we didnt baptize, and no we didn´t have anyone at church on Sunday. And we were kinda sad but we saw the miracle the Atonement of Jesus Christ did for you as we are changing our way to do His work.

We slipped into our pew on Sunday, a little sad after none one had showed, specifically a huge family we taught where the lesson was INCREDBILE and we were POSITIVE they would be there and they werent. But the miracle still happens. Our ZL promised us if we would fast Saturday until Sunday.... yes, New Years Eve until New Years Day, we would see a miracle. So we were sitting there just a wee bit down in the dumps, and the bishop gets up and asks all of the members of our ward to fast this next sunday... for the sisters in our ward. WOW DID I CRY. (Sisters are always crying). It was something so so simple. And it was the miracle we were waiting for, but it was exactly what we needed. I love this gospel. I love that my Savior loves and knows me too. I want to wish everyone a great New Year and a new beginning to get closer to our Savior.

Christmas

 Adventure Day in the City because Sister Chamberlain and Sister Bresich are celebrating their birthdays!