This is What's UP!

Sleepovers! All day Every Day!

This week has been full of ups and downs, but I prefer just to think about the ups. I have seen huge changes in the sisters! They are teaching with more passion and love for those whom they are teaching.

The good side.
Sometimes it´s hard to wake up early
to go to a different area ever day,
but I know Heavenly Father´s
happy with my work, because
He shows His love for me like this.

What I have learned most observing and teaching the sisters is the importance of diligence. Everything President Cabral asked us to teach has already been taught, most of it many times. So why do we have to teach it to everyone? When we learn these things in our zone meetings and mission conferences, we are always excited and know that we have a lot of repenting to do. We go home and ask for the Lord to help us to be better teachers and then we immediately start to change our ways. 

At first it seems easy. We´re so excited! We see immediately the fruits of our labors and we are so greatful for being taught what is best. Then we start to get tired, because the best things require a lot of work and energy and sometimes energy is in short supply. We start to go back to our old habbits until there isn't any evidence that we ever made any kind of change. This is sad, but if we don´t constantly evaluate our goals, we will end up giving up without even realizing it. We are trying to help the sisters to remember everything they've been taught and help them to make these things real habits. We've had so many amazing experiences and I hope they will be able to keep up the good work. 

Bus stop studying

      Sister Byrne and I will be starting round two of  the exchanges next week, so we´ll be seeing who (one month later) is still practicing good teaching of the gospel. Sorry if my English is weird. I don´t use it much. Can´t even imagine my German! Okay. I just sent an email to my family in Germany and I will have to pray that they can read it. But I´ll worry about that when I get back. It´s still mission time! 

Love,

Your Little Missionary

I need to talk to you NOW!

Bertioga to Miracatú!

Day one of the great adventure with Sister Byrne

President Cabral has now told us that we need to train all the sisters to be perfect gospel teachers. Sister Cabral said we don´t have to worry that we are inadequate. Obviously we´re not perfect. We just have to say "Watch me!" and pray that the Lord will fill our minds and our hearts so we can then say "Now it's your turn."

(Heather here, Karynne was allowed to chat back and forth this week (I miss that so much!) so we could figure out some of the details of visiting and when she would RETURN HOME!)

Mom: Where do you want to go while I'm there? What do you want that week to be about? Is it seeing things you couldn't see or saying goodbye? or...?

Karynne: So, I wanted to see the people I taught and also see the things I didn´t get to see. 

Santos, 

Parque de Bandeiras, 

Bertioga visiting, 

Bertioga sight seeing/hiking 

and then maybe we could spend another day in Bertioga. It´s soooo BEAUTIFUL! You will love it! I love it. There is a woman in Bertioga who offered her house for us to stay a little. She is so fun ! 

Itanhaem 

and any other cool thing that we might want to see. Also, I know that one of the world's biggest water falls is in Brazil. I think Maura would help you see what´s best to see. I don´t actually know.

When I get to talk to Maura, I will ask her to email you. She was my best student! She is going to love you so much and you are going to love her. She is one of my special people. Don´t know why, but that´s how it always works. She´s such a special woman

Also, I think I want to go to church in Parque das Bandeiras. When I go there, I feel like I am coming home...well my Brazilian home...

Mom:This is all about YOU my dear.

Show me anything you want.

I love to be guided.

Karynne: Don't plan to come to Santos. It would be better for me to come to São Paulo to get you, because you kinda don't speak Portuguese. OH WAIT! There are so many sisters leaving that same day. I´ll just go to the airport with them to meet up with my favorite companion!

Mom: Should I rent a car? Or is public transportation the way to go?

Karynne: Waaahahah! Rent a car IF YOU WANT to DIE!

Mom: So i'm not clear...get a car or don't get a car? Bad roads or crazy drivers?

Karynne: CRAZY DRIVERS! ...Actually you drive in Boston, so you´re probably good.

After I leave the email today, I will continue area hopping, possibly until the end of my mission... so it´s hard for me to communicate. I will do my best! But for technical info...it´s best to ask Elder Maughan. I give him so much work. Poor kid.

Talk to Elder Maughan about my flight too so you can get a ticket on the same one. 

Sister Vergara completed on e year on her mission.
I made her cookies that say 1 ANO.
They are a sad excuse for cookies.
They never come out the same, but she loved them.

P.S. I was dying there in the office the other day while he was talking to you about the packages...well not dying, but I had to resist really hard not to scream "I LOVE YOU BABE!"

I can't believe Sarah is not coming! We will have to Skype her on her BIRTHDAY!!!

Give my Love to EVERYONE!

~Your Little Missionary

I could have been more hospitable

The divisions are going well. An ex STL told me that there are so many sisters that hate the STLs and there are so many trouble makers, but so far so good. We are loving getting to know the sisters and helping them to better the work in their area... I don´t know who is learning more: them or me. I have gotten some great new ideas from the sisters with whom I am teaching! It´s very cool to travel with Sister Byrne, but we are excited to be able to find teach and baptize together after all of the divisions. I think she is starting to get tired... at least we have been very well received by the sisters! I wish I had realized what a big sacrifice it is for the STLs when they visited me. I wasn't horrible, but I could have been more hospitable... But I am loving the experience. 

Elder Clark, the choir director, is ticked off that we´re not in the musical presentation...what are we supposed to do? He thinks we should go to Santos for the practices. I just thought he was ridiculous to ask us to travel even more than we have to, but now I kind of feel bad. I don´t know. 

Right now I`m going to try to register for classes or at least write down the classes I want to take so you can register for them. Housing with Dakotah and Emily Sounds great! I hope that works out!!! 

I´M DYING! I´m looking at what classes to take... Life is so hard! Haha. I will get through, but I have to ask if I can stay on the internet more time to be able to pick out all my classes....

I don´t really know what to do about all this from here... I just want to think about the mission and the people here, because I have less than 3 months left. But I really am doing my best to help. I´m sorry this must be a major pain.

I LOVE YOU!

(Karynne didn't send pics this week and there's nothing new on the "Missao Brasil Santos" FB page either...)

President Cabral

Who would have thought Karynne would ever Pray for SHOES!

January 26th

So, we got the early slot in the LANhouse today, because I have to bring Sister Dominguinhos to Santos and get my new companion SISTER BYRNE!!! You have no idea how excited I am! I am sad that Sister Dominguinhos is leaving, but ever since the MTC it has been my dream to have Sister Byrne as a companion. There´s just one thing...We´re sister training leaders together...and now there are only two in the mission...us! Woah. That´s a lot of responsibility. We are going to have to start our work right here in our apartment, because the other sisters are having a hard time, but I know that Heavenly Father will help us to help them.

     We had a great experience last night when we went to visit one of our ward missionaries. I felt that I should tell her about the Meetings of Zion that we are planning. We don´t have anything planned yet for the one about temples and her eyes got all wide and she was so excited and talked about all the people she wants to bring to the temple and the wonderful miracles that she has seen because she goes to the temple. She goes three times a month which is almost unheard of here. She is a great example and we´re very excited to work with her. She is so excited!

Side-note: Elke said "If you come between June and July, we will be in Maorca, Spaine, but we´ll take you with us. Just let us know so I can book your flight." These things just don´t happen with normal people. My life is ridiculous. :D

Sorry its´so short again. I have to bring Sister D. to Santos and pick up Sister B. I´ve got to fly like the wind!

 I LOVE YOU!!!!

Love,

 Your LIttle Missionary

-------- One Week Later -------------

February 2, 2015

So, I don´t have much time to email, because I`m touring the mission. It´s not what STLs generally do, but President Cabral asked us to spend one day with each of the 20 companionships in the mission. So, I`m in Registro. It´s the most southern area of the mission and we´ll be working our way up to the north through the month of February. Yes, they all have to be visited in February. We left home this morning and will return on February 28th if everything goes well. "Got my whole life in a suitcase. Never really stayed in one place." Sissie will know this song. Haha. But I´m excited. It´s a new adventure. Pray for us to have strength. We´re gonna need it! I love you so much!

No new news on the package :( Haven´t gotten it yet, but Elder Maughn in the office is working on it. I love the office elders. They´ll do anything for you. But I`m praying it´s one with shoes! haha. I think I will have to buy a real cheap pair to last until I get the package. Got packages from the Alves, the Capeners and Grammy Arthur. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF THEM!!!! And you too. I am so grateful for all of your running about and package sending on my behalf. You are the best mom in the world. "Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."

I have got to figure out if I will have some time & how to register for BYU. Stinks to have to work this out on the mission. Don´t have a clue what I am going to do.... Totally taking some deep doctrine classes! And German...obviously!

Wow. I don´t even know what to tell you in the time that´s left! LIES!

We went to a lesson with a ward missionary, Francisca! She called saying that she couldn't because it was raining. Then Sister Byrne and I felt that if we just showed up, she´d come. We arrived in her doorway and she said "Alright let´s go!" Apparently she was afraid of the lightning, which had stopped and she felt bad after having called. So we went and there was a torrential downpour, but we laughed so much! It was so great!  She loved teaching with us and encouraged our investigator to pray to find her answer. On the way back we battled a  river which at one point in time (2 hours earlier) had been a street. Francisca´s flip flop started floating away and she had to chase after it. We got to her house sopping wet and elated! It was such a great experience. She couldn't go teaching the next day, because she had a wretched sore throat, but she didn´t regret it one bit! President Cabral taught about how we can work better with the members of the ward just this Thursday and it was great to see how quickly we could put this into action with the help of our wonderful members.

     Now the other Bertioga Sisters have to teach everyone in Bertioga this month and put on our activity all by themselves, but they have a whole branch of missionaries to help them out! I hope we can all find opportunities to be member missionaries! I LOVE YOU! The more I think about how I was as a member missionary before the mission, the more I realize that I had the best example! YOU!

Love,

Your Little Missionary