eu SOU evengelico

Oi.
Well here it is again, pday! Woot! Unfortunately this keyboard SUCKS, so I don’t think I´m going to be able to write a very in depth letter..but anyway, this week has been rad! Sis. Shepherd and I have been EXCEPTIONALLY blessed in that we´re meeting and teaching very very cool people. So Alessandra and Andrê we baptized on Saturday, and their parents were there! Which was a miracle because they said they had to work and all this stuff came up, but they made it! And they were so happy! So now we´re trying to teach their parents so they can have an ETERNAL FAMILY! Alessandra and Andrê are such good kids. They received the Holy Ghost on Sunday, and Ana, Paulo Henrique and Marcos vinicious were SUPPOSED to, but the baby got sick and was throwing up and whatnot, so they didn’t make it. So we´re working hard to make sure they make it this Sunday. They´re such a good family.

Well now we´re working on finding new people, but the members lately have been AWESOME at giving references, so there is this one lady in particular (Helena) who is really cool. She´s really excited about everything. We´ve only just started teaching her though, so hopefully she´ll keep up this excitement through out the rest of her life.

BUT amongst all this good of course is opposition.
There are various things each person struggles with, but the hardest thing for me this week has been:
we went to visit Rafaela *Who was baptized about a month ago, remember?* and she informed us she´s not going to go to church anymore  We talked to her for about an hour trying to show her that enduring to the end is an essential part of the covenants she made, and the only way to overcome obstacles with God on her side, but she´s not interested anymore. I´m SOOOOOOOOO sad about this! I don’t even know what to think or how to handle it! And I cant help but ask myself over and over, what more could I have done? But we did everything we could for her, it all comes down to free agency. 

So I just have to pray that if there is more I can do the Lord will show me, and otherwise, respect her right to use her free agency.

So after Alessandra and Andrê´s baptism was a Festa de junino! Everyone dressed up as hillbillies and square danced. It was a riot! I loved it! I only wish I could’ve danced with them! Sadly, my camera died JUST before everything started.. But sis. Shepherd said I could get some pictures from her.


oh hey, if anyone feels like sending me a package, feel free to send with it:
-FACEWASH. They apparently don´t believe in it here.
-Sunblock *the super strong kind..* They don’t believe in that either (I found one bottle in a supernosso for $50 –that IS Reis, but STILL!!! WHO IS GOING TO PAY THAT MUCH??
-Hand sanitizer…
- post-it notes. IF there was ever a time to use post it notes, oh my. Its now. Ive never used post it notes so much in my life!

So yeah. I´m not going to DIE without these, so don´t stress, I just wanted to throw it out there incase anyone was wondering what I need. But its HEINIOUSLY expensive to send packages I know, so no worries, i´m not expecting anything.


Could someone tell me what Zwahlens mailing address is? I Want to send them a post card. I miss owenna like crazy!
And Ive been dreaming of hanging out with Becca and Angela lately, Someone should tell them I MISSSSSSSSSSSS them!!! I´ve been planning to write them snailmail EVERY pday, but I never seem to have enough time :/ but send them love, k???

Current favorite song to hear in the street: Cindy lauper! Girls just wanna have fun… yeah.. that’s right..
Of course that can´t top the brasilian verson of “blowers daughter” but then, who can top anything Damien rice? *answer: no one*
Awesome scripture:
D&C 42:78 life is just better when you obey all the commandments!

MATTHEW: K, so do you remember growing up I´d have those nightmares that you had died, so I´d climb into bed with you and sleep in your bed just so I knew you hadn´t died? Yeah, well your bed is a liiiiiiiiiittle bit too far away to do that, and Ive been having those dreams again, so WRITE ME!!! Send me pictures of you for goodness sake!!! I miss you like my left arm (were it to ever leave me..)! And hey, this week GO on a missionary split, seriously. Do it. Just knock on their door and tell them “ I AM going to come to one of your lessons. You know you need more ‘with a member’ numbers. “ do it. My companion always talks about her little brother who is your same age, and I get so jealous that she gets to see him in 2 months…. Ok LOVEYOUBYE!

Love your guts

Oh my. Where do I begin..
I´m in a strange place. Because my companion is “dying”. She is getting ready to go home. She has as much time LEFT as I have ON the mission. I´m learning SO much, and I´m SO flattered and grateful to be here! But I´m having a hard time not thinking about going HOME (not early, just in general) Because its always on her mind, and she talks about it.
The past couple days have been REALLY interesting, because opposition has been so crystal clear. Right now sis. Shepherd and I are teaching a bunch of people, but specifically we´re teaching these two families who are AMAZING! Tonight Ana, Paulo Henrique and Marcos venicious are getting baptized! Woo! But it´s been a lot of work to keep them safe from the inimigo!!! We went to the zoo with their whole family today= it was so awesome! I took lots of pictures..
Ive yet to learn how to email pictures though, so for all of you who have requested pictures, I´m sorry.
Anyway, the only thing Im bummed about is that Ana´s husband, Henrique, ha s to work!!! But we planned their baptism AROUND him so that he COULD be there.. grr… he´s a cool guy though, he served a mission here in BH! But then ten years ago, mais ou menos, he left the church (not really for anything though, I think he just started working on Sundays.) So its really cool seeing him react to his family getting baptized. They are a special family for SURe.
The other family we are teaching is rad too. The kids had their interviews yesterday and are all pumped to get baptized this Saturday, so we´re trying to prepare their parents to be baptized shortly after them. Their parent´s like us, and love our messages, and are good good people, its just hard to teach them because they have a class they´re taking at night, so its hard for them to have time to be taught. But the WHOLE family came to church last Sunday!! Wooo!!

So anyway, things are going well!! But opposition has really been apparent to me this week. I can see how the inimigo works on each one of us individually- and its WAY easy to see it happening to other people. But its been a bit of work recognizing it in my life. HOWEVER- once I recognize it- its very VERY obvious.

Mom, you asked questions about my neighborhood and whatnot:
- I live in a house. Its kinda like a duplex, there is a member who lives on the other side of our house. She´s pretty cool. The stake pres. Lives behind us, and he owns our house. So it’s a rad place to be. My neighborhoods are pretty good neighborhoods too, lots of families!

I DO have to take cold showers, but its because the heating system of the water takes so long that by the time Im done with my shower its only starting to get room temperature…
But oh well. I just imagine I´m a kid playing in the sprinklers again, and for some reason that makes the cold ok.

Funny story about today:
Sis. Shepherd turned on the water for the washer machine, then hopped in the shower thinking I would turn it off (she didn´t ask though..) . I went into another room though and forgot about it, and it flooded our whole kitchen.. whoops.. But we mopped the floors of our whole apartment with it, so it didn´t go to waste!

Oh sis. Shepherd is super rad, before the mission she was a nurse, so she´s all sorts of smart with health things. But in general she´s just really fun! It´s so easy to get a long with someone I can communicate with, and I´m starting to get scared of transfers already.. I´d like to “kill” her though, but its unlikely I´ll stay her companion until she leaves (for home, sabe)

Oh hey, I found out it IS allowed for parent´s to pick missionaries up- as long as it´s cleared with the mission pres. First, and planned out, you know? So tell papi to come get me at the end of my mission! I´d love it! You too mom!

Robbie, to kill time during our investigators baptismal interviews yesterday we played “MASH”. Apparently you´re going to marry my companion. Just so you know. She´s going home in sept so be ready.. haha
Also, do you remember that “ they might be giants” song “rock to tie a string around” ? Yeah, that´s real here. The kids we´re teaching play with strings with rocks tied to them. Yeah. It was cool to see.

WENDEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY COW!!!! Your lip is AMAZING!! Geez, start sleeping in a net or something!!! Yikes!! That’s crazy! You´re ok though eh? I miss you! Is your hair doing anything cool these days? How´re my boys???? Im teaching a family with lots of little boys, so this week I´ve had some VERY SEVERE dutch er withdrawels! Tell them I love them and not to forget me while I´m gone!!
ALEX! Write me dangit! I miss your guts!

Just Filled with Happy!

Oh my goodness! I am just filled with happy right now! This week has been phenomonal (don´t judge my spelling, I don´t speak this language..)! We are teaching some AWESOME families!!!
*Ana e Henrique; and their kids: Paulo Henrique, Marcos Venicious, Elias e Ana. They are SOOOOO awesome! Henrique is a returned missionary who hasn´t been to church in 10 YEARS, but now he´s trying to find a new job (that doesn´t have him working on sunday) and we are teaching his wife and kids (WHOM I LOVE!) They are such a rad family!! Things are going really well with them. Today we´re going to go fly kites with them:)
* Nilson e Solonge; e filhos deles: Douglas, Victor, Jeferson e Fabio. They are SO cool! Douglas and Victor came to church with us last sunday and oh my goodness. They are just awesome. Solonge told us yesterday "that first day you came and taught us, the whole house just felt different afterwards! Just better!" We explained that it was the Holy Ghost, and they were all smiley! The first day we met them we taught the lesson of the restauração, and at the end they said "we´ve been wondering which church is the true church of Christ for a lot of years now." They didn´t SAY they knew our church was true,but they are at least opening their hearts- its WONDERFUL!! But the parents aren´t married (but want to be! Its hard here in brasil) so we´re going to have to work hard with them, but Im so grateful to be a part of this work! Their family reminds me of my boys!! So Ive been having Dutcher withdrawels all week.
*Nixon e Lucimar; filhos deles: Alessandra e Andre. Theyre a timid bunch, but seem to really be soaking in the message! Alessandra is
cute, she´s 15. She came to church with us last sunday too.

Its such a cool experience to be teaching FAMILIES. I love it!
And Sis. Shepherd is such a rad companion. She´s taught me so much already! and we have a system down that makes it possible for me to contribute as much as I can in the lessons, but the investigators still understand the message! She´s so funny to, we are having a blast being companions. She is going home pretty soon here though, so she´s thinking alot about what she´s going to do when she gets back and all that jazz, and thats hard for me, because I have that tendancy anyway (Im a daydreamer.. trying to kill the habit. or make it more productive) so that´s been a little hard. But its good too, because I see how much I WANTto focus on the work. And she still works WAY hard- I don´t want you to think she´s just trunky-business all day long,she´s not, she´s just in a different place than I am. But yeah, so far Ive been VERY blessed as far as companions go. Ive really enjoyed each one.

So one thing Ive discoverd this week is: I love seeking out beauty.
Not like beautiful PEOPLE or worldly things, more like the combinations of colors in one flower, the graffiti (the ART ones) and just all that artsy goodness. I love art. I love DRAWING. We make reading calanders and reminders and things for investigators, and I LOVE drawing! I never realized it because I was always comparing myself to everyone else, but Im getting tired of that, so Ive been working hard to appreciate evey moment of every day, and liking me for me, and you for you.

I love animals. But oh my goodness, the other day I saw the ugliest dog that has ever existed- I only wish I had my camera! It looked like a large rat mated with stray dog and the result was catostrophic..

Anyway, So we made pancakes for FHE and talked about how the "recipe" for life is in the scriptures, and the prophet is our "cooking teacher" It went well. But one of the s there ally burned our chocolate sauce that we made, and then half the people there didn´t even like the páncakes.. haha, oh well more for me. oooooooooh I ate so many brigadeiros.. it was amazing. (brigadeiros are a chocolate dessert here. so good. Im addicted. I had one for breakfast this morning..)
Michael-my bishop and his little family remind me of yours. How is your family doing by the way? How is summer treating you? How is the colony? Did a lot of people leave? Did a lot of new people come? Is marin having babies yet? I miss you.

Hey mom, have you been getting any of my letters? sometimes I send some snailmail and Im always paranoid that they aren´t making it there, so just let me know if youve gotten any. I send one for alex the other day and I want to make sure he got it. Just in general.
And by the way, you´re still awesome. I miss your pancakes. I miss you MORE, but I DO miss your breakfasts.

Frustration!!!!

I am so filled with frustration right now I literally feel like Im going to vomit. I just wrote the fattest letter- to like EVERYONE individually- and
spilled my GUTS about my innermost thoughts that have been swirling around my head this past week-

And it got deleted when I clicked send.

And now I don´t have the time to write it all again.
Seriously I was writing that letter for like 40 minutes or more. I am SOOOOOOO MAD!!!!!!!! Ah! It was like the best letter Ive ever written!!! And half of it I haven´t had time to even write in my journal!! STUPID COMPUTERS!!!
Well now you get the condensed version.
Family and friends:
I love an miss you all- individually. I think about you all, and pray for you everyday.
I am fantastic. Learning SOOOOOO Much, and LOVING having a companion who speaks my language and utilizes every minute of every day. Sis. Shepherd is from layton, and she is awesome.

I love everyone and everything, and its hard, and so wonderfully awesome.

- Show quoted text -

Oi

. Today was a bit chaotic, but as everyone told me, all transfers are. I wasnt transfered, but my companion was. SO I have a new companion! Sis. Heather Shepard. She´s american, thank goodness. She also knows portuguese, so we´re in good shape!!! She does NOT however, know the area. So I think this transfer the work will be a little more balanced. She´ll follow me to know where to go, and I´ll follew her to know what to say. Already I feel a million times better because when I dont know something in portuguese, not only does she understand me, but she knows how to tell me how to say it. WOOT! Im all pumped and excited to work. A bit sad that Sis. Ferriera isnt here, but Im excited for her to continue learning. She´s hilarious, I always meant to write about how funny and spunky she is, but always for got. OH btw, I wrote an enormous letter yesterday (because we were allowed to email yesterday due to the transfer) and then it got deleted JUST before I clicked send. It was awesome.
So a couple things I need to spit out:
- Danny- All your letters are being returned to me, any ideas what is missing? Let me know and I´ll resend them. Also, do you know cheo´s address?
Matthew: Grab the skin on moms elbow for me. Thanks.
Randy: Im so serious, I NEED to learn to ride a motorcycle when I get back, so be READY to teach me! Hey. you should buy a house with a big garage. Yeah. Do it. Itd be cool.
Michael, Marin, Robbie- Charish Zwahlens. Ive decided its official. Zwahlens is THE best in the world. I finally figured out that Ive been comparing EVERYTHING to zwahlens quality, and its just not possible to find that anywhere else! Charish it. Love it. Tell them I miss and love them. THen eat a waffle, turtle, and ice cream cone for me.
Papi- Mailing address?
Everyone: Daniel 3:16-17 I forgot why I wanted to share this with you, but apparently there was some inspirational spiritual message to go along with it.
Becky-WHAT IN THE, are you kidding me!?!!? OH! Your mom is SO grounded! Tell her to stop being so bad and breaking bones and whatnot! Sheesh! I miss you. HOW can I contact Marie?!? I think Im going to explode if I don´t hear how shes doing!!!
Meg- Hey love! Whats all this, not writing me this week business?!? Thanks ok, but I miss you. Hows the job hunt going? Oh hey, I went to the zoo last week and saw a million AMAZING birds and realized your love of birds has infected me. Now I love them too. Im finding little things like that daily actually. Things you love, I do too cause they remind me of you. OH and I DEFINITLY had a "oh look!! Look! Its a little lizard!!!!" Moment a couple days ago (theyre every where around here, and every time I have a similar reaction.. my companion laughed at me a lot.. shes like "yup... it sure is.." haha
Also, I received a letter from matt today that he wrote in APRIL. WOW. But tell him thanks, woo hoo.
Also, can you get me the mailing addresses of Ashley and mark? I miss them like mad.

oh hey. one second.

AH!K pday is over, but everyone: write me! ANd please send me lots of pictures of every and anything (missionary approved everything that is)!! K thanksloveyooubye :)

P.S
oh mom, I want to share a story for alexs talk but dont have the time. Suffice it to say that I cannot speak a single word of portuguese unless I have the spirit. Seriously, one single action or thought that drives the spirit away even just a little - not even bad, things that are just not in the spirit of missionary work, like worldly music or something- make it impossible to understand or speak this language. Truly this is the Lords work, and I am but an instrument. I love it!!! I LOOOOOVE IT!!!! THere is no feeling in the world like it. I can feel the love of our Heavenly Father for each of His children through the amazing power of the spirit. KLOVEYOUBYE!