Mitchell, Week 16, Santarém

The one with 2 other people that was our only English class. Erica and Tiago. Tiago is our ward mission leader he is great!! He is a RM and his 1st companion in the field was actually my MTC instructor. hahah small world! :P But i think it was small because we didn't announce it enough. 

The one I am Darth Vader killing Elder Hoch. When a missionary dies, you have to take a picture of you killing him. So I chose the Star Wars way! :D Btw he left this morning to Belem. His parents are there right now

Mitchell, Week 15, Santarém

I had a thought come to mind for Christmas....to buy a fan for Irma Glaucia and Irmao Elismar. They live in a one room wooden house and have 4 kids and their fan broke about a month and a half ago. So I was wondering if I should buy them a fan and do a Secret Santa thing. "clap" and run and leave the fan at their front door. Btw, Irma Glaucia is doing great!!! She wants to get baptized SOOOOO bad. We are just waiting for their wedding paperwork stuff.

Also I was wondering if I should buy ties for a less active member; Eglacdio. We visit his house with his sisters and mom like once a week. We goes to church but does not have a tie he says. So I was wondering if I should but him a tie. Also a tie for Davi, (Recent Convert) HOLY COW!!! HE is doing great!! HE was baptized like 2 weeks ago and he is blessing the sacrament every week and aww 
man!! I think he is gonna do great in the years to come. His girlfriend is also a member and she is great and her brothers and sisters all got married in the temple. So I think Davi will do the same. Right now we are giving him the thought of a mission. But SANTA VACA!! HE IS AWESOME!! CHURCH IS TRUE!!!

Mitchell, Week 14, Santarém

I am doing great!! This week we didn't have a baptism but we are working a lot with contacts from the streets!! It is really easy to get people's contact info....the problem is fitting it into our days plus our area. Our area is pretty big. plus all walking. But guess what? This last part of the year
has 9 weeks!!! :D Crazy huhhh!!! President Scisci wants us to work hard these last weeks and use the Christmas season and what Elder Ballard said in General Conference to help members get us references. But we have to work hard but I know it's possible. The language is coming!! SLOWLY!!!! But I am excited I get to talk to y'all like in 5 weeks!!!! :D Plus starting in January is when we get tons of rain here in Santarem. I sure do love y'all so much!! I hope you are
doing great and being safe! I am great!! WE should have a baptism this week, I love yall so much!!! I got to go. We gotta walk a lot to get back home. I love y'all so much! My legs and knees are fine! Shoes are great!  Just need more sleep! :P These 8 hours aren't enough..... :P I love y'all so
much! 

Your son, 

Elder McCrea

Mariah, Week 19, Zaporozhye

Status update: I'm movin' to Zap!

Zaporozhye, Ukraine that is.

Yup. That's right folks. I've spend two wonderful months in the city of Nikolaev... and I'm getting transfered for my third transfer. I was seriously convinced that I would be born and die (as a missionary) in Nikolaev -- without being able to serve in any other area... but we got a phone call yesterday night from President van Bruggen. And I'm leaving for Zaporozhye today. (President likes to do transfers really quickly.)

I don't know anything about Zaporozhye other than it's a factory city or something... and my new companion will be Sister Nelson. I don't know very much about her either, other than she's really nice and was Sister Gottscheck's companion in the MTC. (Sister Gottcheck is a sister missionary who serves in Xherson, a city that's about an hour away from Nikolaev.)

It's kinda surreal. I've really gotten to love the city of Nikolaev: the people here, the wonderful branch members; Sister Dickison and I have finally gotten into a smooth flow with each other with teaching and contacting and stuff. I actually had a goal to get one of the more... (for lack of better terms) sour-puss members to warm up to me... But I guess that this is the life of a missionary. Just when you're starting to feel comfortable somewhere -- the Lord calls you someplace else where your help is needed more. I guess I did all that I was needed to do in Nikolaev, and I'm now needed in Zaporozhye. It's going to be sad to leave Sister Dickison. She's been such an awesome trainer and companion.

This last week has felt so long. It's felt like it's been forever since last P-Day... but that's probably because Sister Dickison have been everywhere this last week. Literally. We were in Xherson on Tuesday for a Zone Training meeting. Then we woke up early, early Thursday morning to take a seven-hour train ride down to Simferopol (a city that is down in the Crimea of Ukraine) for exchanges. The train ride was so awesome! And SO much better than taking a bus. But... like every 4+ hour travel trip... you start to get bored -- or at least I do. But bless Sister Dickison. She was just a great senior companion and told me "stories" and basically talked for five hours during the ride back to Nikolaev. But anyway. Exchanges in Simferopol! It was awesome! We stayed with the lovely Sister Esplin (sp) and Sister Patterson. Yup! I got to go on exchanges with Sister Patterson, one of my MTC companions! It was so great to be able to see her again! She's grown and changeed so much since I've last seen her, and her Russian is so great! I learned a lot from her, and I'm excited to see her again later in our missions, when we've improved even more on our Russian and missionary skills~

Still no investigators in Nikolaev... and I feel so bad for leaving Sister Dickison and her new companion with no investigators. But we've found a few potiental people during contacting this week... so hopefully they'll have some luck with those contacts. 

Ahh... time's running out. A hour and a half for internet time is too short! The time goes by so fast.

Until next week! Stay fresh, and stay warm. :)

mucho love,

Sister McCrea

Mitchell, Week 13, Santarém

This week was great!!! Had 2 baptisms. Davi- 23 years old. GOLDEN!!!! He received the priesthood after sacrament meeting.  He is great! 

Also had Gustavo - 8 years old - his parents are inactive. His mom is starting to come back but that family is great! Gonna have Family Home Evening this week at their house with other members coming over. I carved my Halloween pumpkin from a watermelon. It is sooo good here!!! The fruit issss sooooo goood here!!!!!!! Today we played basketball at a court right off the Amazon! IT WAS GREAT!!!! HAHAH our legs are all white. :P I am sure getting my  Texas tan again! :P That is pretty much about it this week....