The Reason She Stayed

(From April 25, 2016)

I have quite the story to tell you guys. Its this thing called Late Nights. Early mornings.

So to start of. Yes mom I am still a Sister Training Leader. And I live in Sulacap. My comp is Sister Bonfim (the newbie from São Paulo that Im training). and we live juntos com a Sister Veiga (corto prazo de Araruama- Cabo Frio) e a Sister Barrientos (from Chile. She is one of my best friends in the mission. She arrived in Engenho de Dentro when I was with Sister Mamani-Argentina. and we became super great friends. I think I was called as STL mostly just to love her.)

So what happened is this. In december when we lived in Engenho, Sister Barrientos told me about a dream she had where her mom/grandma died. And last sunday Presidente Cabral called me and explained that Sister Barrientos´ mom/grandma is super sick and would have surgery. Then asked me to pass the phone to her. 

Pday they went to the office and talked about a Sister going home for 2 or 3 days and then coming back on the mission. 

Tuesday we had our District meeting and in the middle of it Sister B. started feeling super sick and sad. Then out of nothing the assistentes do Presidente showed up. they did a mini training. afterwards everybody was leaving and i talked to Sister B. she told me she wanted to go home for good.. She felt too broken to stay. We said a prayer together and then talked to the Assistents. They called president but he was on the phone with Salt Lake. They told us to go on exchanges and so I stuck with Sister B. all day. we talked a lot and just worked our butts off. 

Then at 9:30 at night Pres called. he told us to come to the office RIGHT NOW!! which is 1 1/2 hours away. So I called bishop and we found somebody with a car to drive us there. we got there 11:30 at night. We had an interview. Turns out when Sister B started feeling awful was the exact hour that her mom/grandma died. The Lord was definately comforting us in that moment. 

So we talked and cried and Sister B decided to go home just for the funeral (nobody else in the family is members of the church, so she dressed her mom/grandma in the temple clothes) and come back. 

So we called Elder Costa and then the Quorum of the 12 to get permission for her to go home and at 1:00 am we went to sleep in the sisters house next to the office. The next day we got up at 5 am and she went to Chile. 

I stayed in trio with my twins... Sister Bonfim and Sister Veiga. Two greenies at the same time and two areas!! It was fun and awful and ive never been so tired in my life. 

Then saturday morning we picked up Sister Barrientos de novo. She is doing well and we talk a lot about the temple blessings and the plan of Salvation. Ive never felt so close to the Savior as I did that night. I know He lives.

I love being a missionary.

(Editor's Note: Malorie later told us that she believes that this is the reason she stayed in that area one extra transfer after her Mission President previously told her she was being transferred).