Today she is serving in Grand Junction, CO, wishing and hoping she can return to Brazil for her last 6 months. But if not, she's ready and willing to keep on keeping on in her home state of Colorado. It's been a crazy year for ALL missionaries, and I've been so impressed with Mar's resilience, humility, and trust in the Lord. She has spent the year waiting:
waiting for her visa
waiting for her mission to begin
waiting at an airport for 17 hours after her plane to Brazil was diverted
waiting to finish up the CTM and head to her mission
waiting to understand the language
waiting at a Stake Center to catch a plane home
waiting to be temporarily released
waiting to be reassigned to a US mission
waiting to be set apart... again
waiting for an apartment (she spent almost 2 months in a hotel)
waiting for a transfer
and now, waiting to hear if she'll be sent back to Brazil
So. Much. Waiting.
The first missionaries from her mission {Brazil Sao Paulo Interlagos} were notified last week that they would be returning. We don't know how it's being determined or why certain missionaries are being sent back to their original mission. Is there a cut-off date as far as amount of time left to serve? Does an expired visa have anything to do with who goes back and who doesn't? The not knowing is HARD.
The waiting is HARD.
Sister Syddall celebrated her year mark this way:
Hurrah for Israel!
Here is a quick pictorial of the many packages we've taken/mailed to Mar since she's been in CO (she only got a couple things while in Brazil through a service where parents could order online and the missionary could pick it up - near the CTM, and she was going to get an Easter package through a similar service that delivers to each mission in Brazil once she was in her mission... she never got that one, so we kissed the $$ goodbye ;-) Nothing "personalized" from home, though - I was still trying to figure out the process when she got sent home).
Sunday, July 26
**There have been one or two packages that we took to Mar that we didn't snap any pics of. I know that Bill took the first one up to Evergreen (the one with her passport, missionary debit card, and a few things that she didn't realize she needed to bring with her), plus dinner for her and her two comps.**
Just a little box to BRIGHTEN your day
Sunday, August 9
A late-night-hotel-delivery box ;-)
Sunday, August 30th
ORANGE you glad it's almost Fall? box
+ some dinner items :-)
Friday, October 2
Happy General Conference box
(I dropped off Chick-fil-a lunch with this one, I believe)
(These are Mar's pictures... she got a better close-up)
Wednesday, November 4
Hump Day box
+ some winter boots ;-)
Friday, December 11
Christmas box + 12 Days of Christmas + vanilla cream pie
(Here are a couple examples of what I put in the 12 Days of Christmas packages for Sisters Syddall and Danso. We knew Sister Danso would be going home before Christmas, but wanted to do something fun - and small - for her.)
Mauri spent Christmas with Sister Loder, an STL in her district whose comp had also gone home before Christmas. They both received similar pjs, so I loved the cute pictures they took in them.
AND they made this darling video:
I believe Sister Loder has returned to her originally assigned mission now. Hoping and praying for Mar to have that opportunity. But if not... well, you know ;-)
Saturday, January 2
Birthday box
{Mailed} Tuesday, February 2
Valentine's box (+ she got one from Britt, too) Lucky girl.
Britt had told me she would send Mar a Valentine box, so initially I wasn't going to put one together for her, but I was making boxes for all the grands, and just decided to put a quick one together for Mar, too.
I'm sure there will be more boxes to come... unless Mar goes back to Brazil. We are willing and prepared to accept God's will in the matter.
I had V over that day, so we planned to all meet up at the Parker Red Robin that evening to celebrate these two amazing people. I think NJ is thrilled to get out period ;-)
V and I had made our best version of a German Chocolate Cake. Since I neglected to bring cake pans and candles to our {tiny} apartment when we moved, we made a run to the store to grab them. The cake turned out yummy (I had a tiny slice... I've been trying out the Keto diet lately, so have avoided carbs as much as possible), and it was fun to celebrate Bill (55) and Nae (32).
I love these two people and hope they have a fantastic year!
Little Billy and I attended Evie's Birthday party. She wanted to go ice skating (which reminded me of the many MANY times we went ice skating for Mar's birthday). Since the ice skating rink is only a few blocks away from Tay and Nae's house, Bill and I walked with Nora Jane. By the time we arrived at the rink, V had made her way around the rink once, and was about ready to be done. It was a bit harder to to skate than she had anticipated ;-)
Nora was happy to {warmly} chill and watch with Gigi and Little Billy.
I'm not sure V made it another full round before she said she was done and ready to go back home.
So we headed back home, and this little cutie fell asleep on the way.
Once we were home, V and her friends, Lorelai and Willow, (with Tay and Bill) went outside to take some swings at her piñata.
After smashing it open and collecting all the sweets, the girls came inside to open presents and eat cake. V had told me all about the purple-sprinkle-cake-covered-with-purple-flowers-because-purple-is-my-favorite-color when she was over earlier in the week. Yep, her momma delivered.
NJ loved the extra toys and balloons.
It was such a fun party and we loved celebrating with the Birthday Girl and her family and friends.
She's growing up... already 4. So crazy.
Happy Birthday, Evie! We love you!
Bill and I spontaneously hit the movie theater on the way home. Our first time in a theater since March 2020. I think there were 6... maybe 8... people in the theater. Wonder Woman 1984.
It was fantastic to be back in a theater, although we probably won't be going often until they start releasing more {good} movies (WW84 was about a 7, which may be generous due to the fact that we were watching it IN A THEATER). I am anxious for things to "normalize"... soon.
Praying, enduring, taking one day at a time, and striving to press forward ♥
