Missionary News - Kelly

Conference was good.  We had a few investigators attend some of the sessions.  And the only food we had was the cake I made for the birthday of our nine-year-old investigator who turned 10 yesterday.  He was pretty excited... about the cake that is. lol

Lots of Love

Sister Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

Bad news:  We are once again waiting to hear what will happen for transfers tomorrow

Good news:  This is the last time I will have to wonder what will happen for transfers. :)

Only 5 more weeks... I hope everybody already asked for the day off cause I hope to see all of you there at the airport.

If I give you my password can you put an ad on my facebook for me?  I want you to put my flight plans (just the times) of when I´ll arrive in the airports

São Paulo 19:00-21:55   (Cause I have Brasilian companions I could see there)

Atlanta      06:45-11:05   (Not really expecting to know anyone there...but it could happen)

Phoenix    12:21            (Everyone I know)

If you manage to Google translate it into Portuguese for my brasilian friends... that would be super

Lots of Love

Kelly Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

yeah right... that would be a fiasco... I think you must be Brasilian at heart.  Here they don´t send there kids off to get their own apartment and live their own lives. they just build a house for them in the backyard or the front yard or on top of the house or on the side of the house. So basically it´s wall-to-wall houses and everyone on the same street is related.  

The Gordon Family is Grandma Nettie right?

I don´t know why I haven´t learned yet... but I need to start carrying that photo album you sent me cause EVERY area people ask... do you have pictures of your family?  Wait you have a twin... I don´t believe you. where are the photos?  but in the mission bag everything get crushed or wet or dirty so I don´t carry it around with me everywhere. And everytime someone asks.... I don´t have it lol

Lots of Love

Sister Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

Well we had the mission conference and it was really really good.  But Elder Costa didn´t come...:(  He´s coming next month after general conference to do a mission tour. :)  At the end of every conference they give time for the missionaries leaving to bear their testimonies and Sister Scisci called me up there even though I´m not leaving before the next conference.  I think she´s trying to kick me out early...but President Scisci asked if I was "being transfered home this transfer" and I said no and he told me I could go back and sit down.  lol  But then I remembered that I would have to bear my testimony in front of Elder Costa the next conference and I stopped laughing.

Lots of Love

Sister Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

This week we have mission conference where I heard that Elder Costa would come and speak to us...but then I heard that it was Elder Fernandes and I got super sad ...cuz he already did a mission conference and I wanted someone new...but he is a good speaker so it will be good either way.

We have an investigator who is afraid to stop drinking coffee because her doctor said that it helps prevent cancer.  I am not a doctor but I do not think that that is a true statement.  Just saying.

Lots of Love

Sister Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

Well that just stinks...that means when they dedicate the Phoenix Temple President Monson probably won´t come...bummer.

I don´t remember if I told you about the transfer...I´m in Capanema a small town really far from Belém.  My companion has been here for 2 transfers already so my last transfer I´ll most likely get a new companion.  That will make unlucky number 13 that will kill me off lol.

Lots of Love

Sister Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

Every transfer has a surprise. This time they are sending us both to different areas and we are to prepare it to recieve 2 other sisters. I´ve already opened 2 areas for sisters but I´ve never closed an area just to have more sisters arrive. There´s going to be a lot of questions. Usually this only happens when there is a problem really serious. But we don´t have a problem. A lady in our ward saw us carrying a box at the bus stop a few weeks ago and she thought I was being transferred. When she saw 2 other sisters the same day she told them she thought that I was transferred. And now the whole mission will think that my companion and I got in a fight and we were both sent to different areas. lol

Lots of Love

Sister Mendenhall

 

I also had asked Kelly what she wants for her first meal when she gets home.  This is her answer...

 

Real pizza, real milk, and of course the ranch dressing.

 

Makes me wonder what kind of milk she's drinking now? :)

Missionary News Kelly

This week starts my re-training.  The first 12 weeks of the mission are training for the field and the last 12 weeks are training for the real world lol.  Actually this training doesn´t exist but I need to practice my English with someone cause I´ll be super embarrassed when I get home and only manage to speak Portuguese. lol

Missionary News - Kelly

the first one is my first child

the second one has my second child in the middle and my current companion has a blue shirt

the third one is me joining the Brasilian Navy :)

I was super focused on getting the position right that I forgot to smile lol

She tried 3 times to put the crown on my head. This was the best one. haha

Missionary News - Kelly

I don´t know if I told you what happened for transfers. My companion went to my old area Icoaraci, and traded places with my current companion who was serving there. I only have 2 transfers left. well 3, but the last one I already know where I´m going and what I´ll be doing haha. I think I´ll probably be transfered this coming transfer cuz if not I´ll be in one area for almost 6 months and only have one month left....so probably I´ll leave this area after only 4 months and have a little more than 2 months in another area

Lots of Love
Sister Mendenhall

 

KELLY COMES HOME MAY 7TH!!!!!

Missionary News - Kelly

I know that couple missionaries have varied mission lengths....but weren´t they still waiting for their leaving date when I left? Did they only get to stay a year then? Is the Gilbert Temple the one we will attend? or Phoenix? are they building a temple in Phoenix? I think I just confused myself.

Just to let you know I am so proud you are doing missionary work. Never let an opportunity pass to invite them to experience/learn more. You could even search for the ward they live in and go there one sunday...when you find someone to cover your class...and show them around. Don´t even be afraid cause you may not know the people there but you know what happens and where they´re supposed to go and you just ask the person sitting next to you Where does Sunday School meet?...Where does Relief Society meet? And guess what...they´re for sure gonna know. :)

Lots of Love
Sister Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

The only information I have is that he arrived in the Brasil Belém mission in 2000 so if he served at 19 he was born in 1981 or a little earlier if he was older like 1975. Other than that I got nothin.

That Liahona was supposed to have a picture of me in it....but I think another story was more interesting or something...like they don´t know who I am...yet.

This week was transfers and I´m in the same area but with a different companion. She is super great. We met a man that sells food on the street. Here they put up a little shack and sell sandwiches and burgers and french fries. He sells what they call coxinha which is like a fried shredded chicken ball of deliciousness. We stopped and talked with him and some man came up to buy some food and the vendor was like "NO can´t you see that I´m hearing the word of God...These aren´t for selling!" And the other guy was like "You´re not selling these?" and he said "NO" hahaha we are still cracking up everytime we replay that street contact.

Lots of Love
Sister Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

My companion is being trandfered to one of my old areas. My new companion hasn´t arrived yet...probably tomorrow we will make the switch. lol Sounds like everyone is Super busy.

Have I ever been to Yellowstone before? sounds like lots of fun. and I know I´ve never been to Montana

We had a special baptism this week... It was a boy who had already been baptised but the ward hadn´t filled out the paper work. So here we are three years later and no one remembers who baptized him, what day....practically nothing. So we couldn´t even re-create his member record....so he was baptized again yesterday and WE did the paperwork so this time he really exists.

Lots of Love
Sister Mendenhall

PS. Thanks for trying Dad. Mom did you find anything out about that Elder Mendenhall?

Missionary News - Kelly

ano novo‏

I didn´t even know that Heather liked chiken and dumplings.

This week was good it was a blast seeing and talking to you all. How many times did I speak in Portuguese? like a million. IT´s just an example of what it´s going to be like when I´m there and I can´t even think in English.....lol

I found a Liahona in our house from 2000. It had a page that gave the names of the missionaries that left the CTM that year. For the Brasil Belém Mission there was one Joshua Paul Mendenhall. I was wondering if we know this Elder that served where I´m serving.

Lots of Love

Sister Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

Ok I did the whole look on google plus...no idea if it worked out....nobody responded my e-mails or on facebook so I guess it will be a big surprise for everyone wyhen we will talk...

Missionary News - Kelly

Feliz Natal‏

Dia 4 de Novembro, Eu escrevi....e Coloquei a citação...

Jared wants to know what the plan is for Christmas calls. I don´t even know what the time difference is there. You guys can work it all out and give us the details.

Então basicamente tudo mundo está dizendo que ninguém arrumou o horário.

Muito obrigada por lembrar de mim e que eu tenho tanto tempo para procurar na internet por quais horas vão bater bem por nós encontrar juntos.

Que coisa!

Missionary News - Kelly

It says that I tried too many times with the wrong password...so if you could try and fix that I will love you forever...and ever

Missionary News - Kelly

freaking... must just be the computer I used today

Missionary News - Kelly

I´m doing great. Getting lots of rest and little sun. The Mission President´s Wife made a cake and we got to eat some of it today. Another area is working in trio and they loaned me a sister to go do some visits, but it was Stake conference so we just went and heard President Claudio R. M. Costa speak. Afterward we gave all the members their invitation to the mission Christmas fireside, and the Elders were all competitive about how many they had given out. But nobody gave the Stake President, the Mission President, or the Area President one. So I did...If they want the leadership to come they have to invite them.
Lots of Love
Sister Mendenhall

Missionary News - Kelly

Christmas miracles‏
These past 2 weeks we have been seeing miracles. I can´t even say living them because my companion is sick and we stay in a lot. But the members are working miracles here. They are inviting their friends to go to church and teaching them the lessons and then bring them to us to review the baptisimal questions and we fill out the paperwork. We can´t even perform the baptisms cause there´s that little lack of Priesthood Power in our companionship. So the most we do in the actual baptism is lead the music or say the prayer. We don´t even fill the font because the Ward Mission Leader does eveything.

Thanks so much for the recipes and the poem. It was exactly the one I was thinking of.

Can´t wait to talk to you all for Christmas. :)

Lots of Love

Sister Mendenhall