TRANSFERRED!!!

I was transferred from Santa Cruz do Sul!!!! I don't even know what to think! The thought didn't even cross my mind that there was a chance that I would be transferred......I only have 5 weeks of mission left!.....and I haven't finished training Sister Carneiro! But yes....I really was transferred. At times I love being transferred because after a long time in one area, I lose steam. But after only 6 weeks in this area with my amazing companion Sister Carneiro, I will be leaving. I wasn't prepared for this and am actually a little bit bummed. But, I know that President Wright and the Lord have something in store for me and that I did my part here in this area.

 

I think my part was finding Nicoli. Last Sunday, we were on our way to an investigator's house and we passed a street. You know that little feeling that says go back and knock the doors of that street? Yeah, I felt that feeling. I suggested that we turn back and knock the doors there. We knocked on the first door and the people hid from us and didn't come to the door. We knocked the second door and out came a 14 year old girl who opened the gate and invited us into her house without even giving us enough time to introduce ourselves. Her name is Nicoli and she has had a super tough life. When she was a newborn, her dad beat her mom. He beat her so much that her mom suffered trauma and became mentally ill. Now her mom has the mentality of a baby. Her older sister, who was old enough to see and experience all of this abuse, became depressed and schizophrenic. Nicoli's dad left them of course, so Nicoli doesn't even remember him. She has been raised by her aunt who also takes care of Nicoli's mom who can't care for herself anymore. One day, Nicoli's sister had an episode. She locked her mom and her aunt out of the apartment, grabbed a knife and started destroying everything in the house. After destroying everything, she cut her wrists. A neighbor called the police and they showed up soon after and tried to get her to leave the house. She threatened to kill herself if they tried to enter. I guess she was in tanto histerics that the police were forced to shoot her with a rubber bullet. She was knocked on her back from the impact and fell onto some sort of metal thing that punctured her back. She was taken to the hospital and from a mixture of her mental illness and this wound, died a couple weeks later. This happened about 6 months ago, so it is still pretty fresh in Nicoli's mind. She will be baptized in a week. Looks like I won't be here to see it, but maybe my transfer here in Santa Cruz was to find and teach Nicoli.

 

Sister Carneiro.......I am super sad to leave her. I don't know if I will ever see her again and she is sooo amazing. However, I am at the Lord's service.

 

Lisa, stay strong girl! I know you are doing great work! Just remember that our success or efficiency as missionaries isn't measured by our number of investigators or baptisms but by our desire to do the Lord's will! I love you!

 

I love you all as well! Pray that my last area will be the best of them all!

 

Sister Barnes Sr.