Island fever - the long version

So after finishing this I realized it is very long, so I am going to send it, but I am going to send a different one to be my actual group email. 😊❤️

Has anyone seen Barbie the Island Princess? Wierd reference I know. But there is a song and she sings something along the lines of "here on my island the sun always glows!" honestly it's been a while, but I can't get that song out of my head these days! 

I safely arrived in São Miguel after a day of travel and I truly feel at home on this tiny island in the middle of no where! It is MY island! And though the sun isn't always shining, actually it is usually rainy, I feel sunshine in my soul! We got here Tuesday night. Our flight was fairly uneventful. The office elders forgot our passports so we had to wait for them to get those and my carry-on was too heavy apparently even though I weighed it before and it was fine, but they checked it for free so all is well. We had a little bit of time before our flight so we ate some overpriced airplane food and this lady started talking to us in English so I thought she didn't speak Portuguese, but she said she was from Portugal and when asked what she spoke she said "a little French and a little English" and I was like "do you speak a lot of anything?" but turns out she spoke Portuguese, she just didn't think we did! Lol. 

On the flight I just read some scriptures, and then we landed in Horta on Terceira Island. We got off the plane and stepped onto the runway and on one side was the sun setting over the ocean and on the other there was rolling hills speckled with cows and a literal rainbow in the sky. It was like a literal fairytale. I fell in love right away and just felt so happy! We had a layover there and Sister Noble and I get talking and we have an awesome conversation that lasted the whole hour layover and 50 minute flight and made it all feel like 10 minutes total! I am so grateful we get along so well! She is really cool and into taking care of the environment (though she is much better than me at actually implementing those things in her life lol.) she is inspiring me to go vegetarian and get bamboo utensils and a metal straw. Anyway. We arrive in São Miguel when it is dark and I am a little nervous because my little friend Daniel in Porto was getting baptized any minute and I had promised him that because I couldn't be there I would vídeo in. So I am talking to sister Darnell and trying to figure it out but then the senior couple shows up and we leave. I am thinking we are going to meet right up with the Elders and I'll get the chip so I can call and at least say hi. But they take us to our house first and go to pick up the Elders and take them to the ice-cream parlor and then came back to get us. I missed the baptism, but Sister Darnell told me it went really well and he was super happy! That night we ate some ice cream and the Elders told us a couple things about the area and then we went home! (our house is huge btw! It hasn't been used in 6 months so it is a little gross and dusty, but we are fixing it up! We have couches too! And a piano keyboard! Score!) 

OK. Now the real fun starts! The next morning we get up and we are both PUMPED! So we decide to go on a run and try to find the chapel. We had a vague idea and so we set out. We take a way roundabout way, but we find it and by the time we get back home I am DYING! I am really out of shape.... We go up to our door and try to open it... But the key won't turn. We try for maybe 20 minutes and it won't budge, we see a man who works in the building and ask for his help (the accent here is CRAZY! I speak Portuguese but for a few minutes there I could not understand him at all!) but he can't get it either. Finally, we call the Carters (they are awesome! I'll say more about them later) and they come and try, but they can't get it either! The locksmith is still closed, so they drive us to their house and feed us breakfast, tell us about all their kids and about the ward members. Then we go to the locksmith and he comes and can't get it open either and says he is going to have to change the lock completely! So he takes it out and he says it is really old and just broke. That made us feel better. We thought we did something wrong! The Carters wait while we get ready for the day and then they take us to the mall to get food and a phone charger (I left mine in Porto lol) then when we got home we started making cookies because we wanted to meet our neighbors. But suddenly. The power goes out. Ok. This has happened to me many times. I know what to do by now. So I go flip all the breakers down and up. Nothing. I press the big scary button. Nothing. I press all the buttons! Nothing. Also, while this is happening Sister Noble is freaking out because (she had the chip) all of the apps are disappearing off her phone in front of her eyes! Even area book! We didn't want to have to call the Carters again, we felt bad, so we decided to wait a little bit. The Elders call and they are having the same problem with the app. Finally, we call the Carters who call the landlord who calls the electrical company who gets lost trying to find our house and then finally shows up and fixes the problem (which was outside of the apartment so it was free). Then a few minutes later. We are still making the cookies. The power goes out again. This time I touch nothing and just call the electrician guy (he was nice we're buds) and he walked me through how to get it on. Then the Carters came over again and took us on a tour of the city! By the time we got back it was time for bed. 

The next day was more of a normal missionary work day. As normal as it can get in a whitewash on an island. We had district counsel and ate at the mall together. Then on the way home we bought some muffins and little snack bags and I made more muffins when we got home and we packed them all cute with little notes and head out to meet our neighbors! We met upwards of 30 people that one night! It was awesome! They were so happy to see the muffins and some invited us in! Once we ran out of muffins though, it was pretty funny, no one wanted to talk to us anymore kkkk. We learned that creativity is key! 

On Saturday we had correlation with the branch mission leader. He is a recent convert who has an amazing fire for the work! His story is so cool too. After speaking to the missionaries for the first time he found the gospel library app and read preach my gospel and basically taught the sisters, not the other way around! He is cool. After we decided to go do some work close to the ocean. On the way we had a really great conversation for a woman and she is really eager to read the book of Mormon, though she didn't want to give us her number or set up a solid return appointment. But she felt the spirit! We know that! The rest of the way to the area we were going to was STUNNING and we got down to the cute little area near the wharf and it was the most darling little European place ever with cute little stores and cafes and you turn the corner to a giant gorgeous catholic church. Fogo! I feel so blessed to be serving in such a beautiful charming place! We walked a ton that night. The bus system here is no good. (I came from 3 transfers of riding busses and hardly walking more than 15 minutes at a time, my feet were aching! But it was a good feeling) we are feeling really confident that we will quickly learn our way around. 

Then it was finally Sunday! I was wrong mom, there are way more than 10! There were at least 25 people at church. And they are so cute. There are two Brazilians, one American, and a woman from Uganda, and the rest are Portuguese! I love them so much already! The Carters have been telling us about them all week and it sounds like there is a lot of work to do, and a lot of less actives to visit! 

Ok, a little bit about the Carters. The most inspiring missionary couple ever. They are both 75 years old. They both served missions when they were young and this is their fourth mission together (despite several cancer diagnoses and other health challenges). They have been here in the Açores for a combined 26 months and they know these people and love these people and serve these people with their whole soul. They are so cute and sweet and old and they drive us around everywhere! We get one night a week where they will take us anywhere we want and teach with us, and every other pday they will take us on island tours! I love those people! After church we went home for lunch and studies and then we went right back to the church for a baptism! The branch president of the other branch on the islands son was getting baptised and President Rezendes invited so many family and friends that aren't members! Poor Ruben (his son) was sick with a fever and deathly afraid of the water. He was obviously not super happy. But once he got into the water he was fine! Afterwards he even sang a musical number with his family! It was cute. Then we ended up staying there for a while chatting with people because in just a little bit there was going to be a branch movie night! Apparently every Sunday night they have an activity. Either scripture study or "church movie" movie night. So cute and fun! I had already seen the film they showed, it's not my favorite, but it has an ending that is very touching about forgiveness and repentance and many of the branch members were in tears. It was a good night. 

Now we have a good pday ahead of us! Should be fun! 

Whoof. Ok. That's the journal entry. 😂

Love you, parents! Talk to you soon! 

Sis Hardy 

-my attempt at eating healthy and vegan! Not pretty, but it was yummy!