9 months and still going strong!

 three future roommates at the waterfall.

My nine months

awesome sign. Which means where are the elect today?

One with all of us at Richelle

It's all down hill from here...

This week has been fun and crazy. Last Pday we spent it with Pat who is this really cool member in our ward and we ate and laughed and had a grand time and she sang us African lullabies. She is amazing. I just love her. And she did our nails. I hit my nine months. So of course we had a huge party! We ate cake and french fries and had a picnic in the park. And took the crazy nine months pictures. It was way fun! I had a small panic attack. Like I only have nine more months to learn Portuguese and save people, but then I ate cake and I was fine. For a few days I had this wierd stomach pain I don`t know what happen. And Sis Mon was trying to make me some tea. Up north where she is from they drink different kinds of tea when they are sick and she was like hey drink this I was like no I want drugs. She was like oh you crazy American all you guys want is drugs. I was like yes you better beleive it. We met Telma who is this awesome lady. We taught her a really powerful first lesson. But she didn`t come to church that was sad. We will stop by tonight to see what happen. I made Taco`s for Ludy birthday on Friday and the Elders lunch fell so they ate with us too. It was way fun I used the stuff my mom sent me and the Brasilians were going crazy. It was so funny. They were like sweating they were like what is in this so funny? I was like this isn`t even the real good stuff. We met this other really cool lady named Laney. She is in her 70`S and a bit of a hussy. She kills me, but she is down to change. Yesterday was way funny. I gave a talk in church. I started talking in English and everyone was like umm and then I was like just kidding I will talk in Portuguese and everyone laughed. I talked about using our talents. I told them that my talent is to sing but I am embarressed to sing in front of a bunch of people. So after everyone was like I need you to sing at this or that. So funny I was like my stupid mouth. I thought maybe they wouldn`t understand me hahaha. And where we had lunch was way way fun. It was with two really cool families and we laughed and ate. It was awesome. And today we got to come to Votorantim and go to the waterfall and eat with Richelle. It was so much fun. I missed her so much!!! I loved every moment of it. P DAY goes by way to fast. Onto another week of giggles in the street and helping people follow Christ. I love BRASIL.

Tchau, 

Sister White

Picture Time

Sister Mon and I

view from our apartment

Well one thing is for sure the week goes by way faster when you laugh a lot. And one thing me and Sis Mon are good at is laughing. She has problems with sugar. So whenever we have dessert with the members she is crazy after when we go and hit doors. So hitting doors is way more fun. She cracks me up. This one lady who was a total bruxa was acting all kinds of crazy with us. Sis Mon was talking with her and I started laughing and ran away. And then Sis Mon started laughing and the lady was yelling at us and we were laughing so hard in the middle of the street. It was so funny. We met this really cool guy named Marcio. And he asked us a really intense question about Jesus Christ and his Apostles. And I was able to answer in Port it was awesome I was so happy. By the way that moment was totally from the Lord not from me. I found a sign in the street it`s a sign that has a arrow. We put it in the house and wrote on it with a big fat sharpie "WHERE ARE THE ELECT TODAY?" So funny and everyday we use it. There is still mass confusion with Bianca and her family. No one seems to understand the rules of the mission. Even our leaders in the ward. We cannot baptize because she is not in our area and two she cannot stay in our ward. But no one seems to want to understand me. Me and the Elders of the other ward are so annoyed with it it is crazyness. But the good thing is she wants to be baptized so it`s all good. We met another man Jaco and taught him last night. He is a member of the Congreacao. So he wanted to say the first prayer, sure whatever. Ok didn`t know he was going to give the prayer of a lifetime. My companion almost died. Oh people I just love entractions with them. Fast and Testimony meeting was yesterday. And I shared my testimony. And made everyone laugh, because I was like when I got here I was all we are really going to eat rice and beans everyday? So funny. And even funnier everyone attacked me afterwards and was like wait what do you guys eat then? So funny. And Sis Mon shared her testimony. I had to help her practice and all beacasue she has never shared her testimony. She has only been a member of the church for like three years. So when she got off the stand she got a invite to give a talk next Sunday she almost died. She has never given a talk before either. She was like no I am not doing it. I was like I will help you calm down. Oh I lost our cellphone. Opps. But we got a new one a few days later. The only problem is we have to pay for it.... The other day we were walking in the street at night and laughing. And then we got in between this dog gang fight. We spilt and ran like you know what to safety it was the funniest thing ever. Like I said Brasilian dogs are crazy. Well gente this week flew by and it was awesome. This work is so amazing. I have the best job in the world. To help people follow our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Tchau

So last Pday was super boring. We had nothing to do. Pday is the worst when you have nothing to do so from now on we will always have something planned with members or I don`t know something. Because you feel super homesick and bored out of your mind. But today we are having a zone activity and then Sis Mon and I are going to the center to go shopping. So we are remember Maria and her whole family? Well it turns out she is not in our area. There was a fat error on our map and she is not in our area. The Elders are over the moon because they have no one to teach right now but we were super sad. As was Maria but the show must go on. We will visit them on Pday`s and what not and go to there baptism so it`s all good. The other day we were hitting doors. Which depending on my mood can be fun or awful. Why fun? Because of all the crazy people you meet and conversations you get to have. So we are talking with this old lady. And she was all "Wait, what church?" We said the name again. And we were like more commonly known as "The Mormons" and she rolled her eyes and shook her head and made this huff sound. It was the funniest thing ever. I couldn`t stand it I started laughing. And then Sis Mon started laughing. And she was going on about how her daughter is a member but dosesn`t go anymore and all this jazz. And there I was still laughing it was so funny. We just love her. Picture a Brazilian Betty White... Now does the story make sense? So we started working out with the Bishop wife Shirley three days a week in the mornings. It is way fun. She is a hoot I just love her. And I am going to start a program for the sisters of the ward to do an exercise program with us the Sisters it will be awesome... Stay tuned for that outcome. We started working with Marcia who is a less active and super funny but not really ready to go back to church still not sure why? When we ask she changes the subject. The first time we met her she was all wow you speak really good Portuguese for only having eight months on the mission. Then I would say something else and she was all what did she say? It was so funny. I speak really well but she couldn`t understand me. I was dying. This week we lost a lot of people just not ready to step up to the plate. Vanessa. So sad. Sunday on our way to church this man was like Tia Tia. Which means aunt. Ya why they call us aunt is beyond me but anyways. He was all do you remember me? And we were like ya. He is homeless well somewhat he lives on the couch of a less active member. And is a drunk. Anyway he was all I want to go to church today but I need to change my shirt. I was like ok. We will swing back around and come and get you. We come back and he was still with his group of drunk friends and we were like so you coming and he was like well my kids are coming. Blah blah blah and he had a cop in his hand with some kind of alcool I was like oh boy. So sad. But this week had it`s ups and downs. That is the mission baby. A roller coster of everything and I don`t want to get off. Boa semana gente. Te amo.

Tchau Sister White

Well well well time is just flying by down here in the South. And I`m loving every minute of it. Where to begin. So we had this reference from the net and we went to her house it turns out it was her nine year old son Guliherme that wanted to talk to the Elders. So we went by and taught her and him and her other daughter Myla who is eleven. He reminds me a lot of Cody so he is special to me!. Marta couldn`t make it because she was sick but the kids are amazing so ready to be baptized. And they loved church. We had to leave behind three investigators because they weren`t progressing. Amanda literally ran from us... Pamela just straight up said she wants to see Joseph Smith name in the Bible then she will "believe".. and Elisabete well her husband beats her and drinks and said she can`t talk to us anymore... So it is said to leave people behind but the Lord always places new faces in your path the same day. Maria. She is awesome. We got to teach her and her four kids and husband and have a BBQ so good. We took my what I like to call Ouro Fino best friend with us and her little family, her name is Ludi anyways it was awesome. They have two teenage daughters. Bianca and Andreas. But only Bianca went to church on Sunday with us. And she loved it, it was awesome. She is great I hope we can help her. We are also teaching Sergio who is married to a member Ana Lama but he is known as "mission impossible" he has been through five sets of Elders and isn`t baptized. When he is ready he said he will. But I think that is a load of crap and that he isn`t letting himself be ready if that makes any sense. You have to have an open heart and be willing to expect the message if not... it`s really hard to move on. So we are going to work with him he is really cool I like him a lot.

 

Another investigator from the net Deigo well he lives above a Church so when we went that night the Church was in full swing with lots of Haulljuahs and Glories going around I was like oh no he is like a Pastor or something and wants to burn us. Well he isn`t he just lives above the church but he was sleeping so I hope we can talk to him this week. We had interviews with the President. And it was awesome. I love that black man. He is this huge black man that looks and sounds like James Earl Jones but in Portuguese and he speaks English I love him to death. I talked to him for 45 minutes about "life" it was awesome. Then we got to have lunch in the area of the Elders in Trujilo it was rad she knows how to cook, but there was no sobremesa, sad day.

 

We got to go to a wedding in Cerrado with the Sisters there who I love to DEATH, because the couple are old investigators to Sis Mon so we got to go and spend the day with them, loved loved loved it. Aula de Ingles was way better this week we had investigators come so that was way good. These are my nicknames here now, teacher, branca, whiteeee. And I love it. We had lunch with my best friend of Ouro Fino and it was good she well she don`t cook, but her husband Roger threw it down and it was bomb.com. It was a sandwich but it was a Brasil sandwich. Hamburger, egg, mashed potatoes, ham, cheese, calabressa, tomato, and love of course and it was huge it was so so good!! And they aren`t sealed in the Temple so they are working on that for next year and she was all sad because here there aren`t a lot of choices as far as temple clothes so I showed her the church website and she was going crazy she was like when you come back to stay with me I`m going to need you to bring all of this with you I was like oh ok...

 

Saturday we cleaned the outside of the church with Ludi and then got locked out and where late for lunch and it was crazy her mom yelled at us and we laughed it was awesome. Her mom loves us it`s just mom`s are different here it`s way funny. The Stake had a youth program where every ward had a country and danced to it. We went it was awesome loved it. Of course the one about Brasil was the best I was like I love my country it was so funny!!!!! Everyone believed me, now I just say I am from Bahia and everyone believes me I love it. Sunday was the best 4 investigators at church that is when Sundays are the best and you don`t want them to end.

 

So remember I said we got a new stove and washing machine. Well I guess the stove was for Elders and the other Elders called me and where like do you want to make meals for the Elders in Negra Floresta I was like umm no why? They were like you won`t suppose to take that stove. Opps my bad!!! Whatever. It`s all good. I`m not in trouble I played the "dumb American" card and it was all good. No but really our old stove is a mess so it was for the best.

 

So today we had an activty with the Zone and we got to watch Rio and it was the best day of my life. That movie and all that you see in is Brasil is my mission. Beauty, Favelas, music, crime and love all in one place. We were all going crazy for the movie I loved it. It was so cute and the music is super good!!! Plus we got a new cell phone so we are really cool now!!! Well gente this work is amazing and I wouldn`t change it for the world. Te amo e boa semana...

Well gente this week has been really busy. We have been really working hard with Gustavo and found more elect people to help. Gustavo`s mom is being crazy and won`t let him get baptized now but maybe his dad will let him get baptized I don`t know. She is really hard to work with. Very hot and cold. Last night we taught a lesson with my new best friend here Ludi she is amazing. One of my favorite qualities of myself is that I can make best friends almost anywhere I go. So anyway we taught Maria by the way everyone`s name here is Maria... She is really cool she already had lessons with the Elders along time ago but she seems to be ready to accept the gospel and follow Christ. So anyways they were having a BBQ and her husband and there neighbor were a little on the tispy side. Well the husband was tispy and the neighbor was drunk. So that was funny and sad at the same time. Ludi is in her 30`s and married and served a mission so she was on it. But the family is really cool. They said they were coming to church but some things came up so they will come to church on this sunday. Remember Simone and Willame. Well there brother came with us to church on Sunday and loved it and said he wanted to be baptized. I was amazed. It was amazing. He is 20 and fell from the heavens as we say. So I am excited to work with him. And we found a really cool lady named Michelle but she works on Sundays so we should see what happens with that. Then we had to leave a lot of investigators behind because they weren`t progressing and not ready to follow the Lord. That part is hard but that is our job to find the new. It was Sis Mon birthday on Saturday. We have eaten five cakes since then... And the best gift of all we got a brand spanking new washing machine and stove LOVE IT!!!!  And we killed our old closet and the house looks so much better I love it. It`s the best. Let`s see oh Ludi she is super fun and amazing and I just love her we laugh so much together it`s so cool to have best friends in Portuguese. And another irma in the ward she loves to bake and her sister in law lives in the states and she was showing me all her baking stuff that she had sent her. I was like have it have it have it. She was like OMG. So we are going to have a PDAY and bake I am so excited ugh I miss baking. Today we went to Itu with the sisters of Eden and Cerrado. I love these sisters they are the best. It was so much fun. And tonight we have our family night with all of our recent converts. The week was super good. Lot`s of giggles today I just love Sis Wohlford the one from Sacramento and Sister Peck just love hanging out with them. I wish we could all live together it really is the best.  My camera is still being super weird so I will buy a new memory card this week and get going on sending some long over done pictures. Boa Semana Gente the Lord is truly amazing and he lives and died for us so we could have happiness every single day of our lives, it is only our decision alone if we want to follow him and receive these blessing yo.