Friday

A Day in My {Missionary} Life: January 18th


Sister J: Outside the rented building for the Valadares branch

Saturday January 18th, 2003 {living in Rechousa/Valadares branch}

"Well, it's raining...again! A week e tal without rain--just cold--and now, it's back. Good old Portuguese weather--cold, wind, & rain! I was so happy to be walking around with my NEW umbrella (bought it about two weeks ago and then it stopped raining!) And then on the way to Maria & Amilcar's, all it took was a quick and furious wind...and--totally & utterly crinkled-twisted-broken!

Ahhhhh! One day? I was so shocked & disturbed--I laughed so hard I was crying, it was hilarious! And SO incredibly disappointing. 

Under Sister P's umbrealla, with her, we walked up the gravel path...mud & sand...wet, my broken umbrella, and her's actually is broken also (drawn diagram of broken sides)...

At Maria & Amilcar's--candlelight & shadows dance around us as we listen to the storm outside. Candle light & the Book of Mormon, we read some and answered questions & I taught the 5° palestra (my first time to teach it!). It went well.

We got completely soaked 2x yesterday. Well, basically all day long, but came home to dry, change, & warm up (lunch & dinner). I made 2 Brazilian carrot cakes (one for Rafael's birthday that we missed and one for us...that we ate half of and took the rest for Maria & Amilcar & family). SO good."

★★★


I had forgotten about my umbrella breaking the first day I used it (I  do remember now that I carried it around with me, excited to use it but no rain for awhile--which made me think just now: how nice it would have been to have a weather app on our phone back then!), but I absolutely love that in such a frustrating moment, 
we chose to laugh.

I need to do that more now...in moments where the rain is falling, I'm getting wet, my shoes are trudging in the mud (I do have a vivid visual of that walk in that mud up that hill to that little casa), I am far from my comfort zone, and no way of getting warm or dry anytime soon...that laughter can help lighten the challenging situation.


Be prepared for the rainy days, 
bake extra cakes, 
and remember to laugh.





A Day in My {Missionary} Life Series: Revisiting memories from my missionary adventures in Portugal--one day at a time. I'll be sharing photos from my cheap camera, paragraphs from my tattered missionary journals, and bringing to life some of the memories that, while bright in my heart, are becoming dim in my mind. 






1 comment:

Linda said...

this is going to be so fun! I am glad you are doing it...I can't believe it has been that long, can you?