Of Mice and Missionaries

brasil is freaking amazing. Yesterday there was a huge rain storm. My companion and I had to get to an appointment, so we just jumped right into it. So we get to our investigators house, and they had JUST so happened to buy each of us skirt. They were cute too! Then they drove us to the church where we had a meeting that night. It was so sweet. I love this family! Their names are Ana and Daisy. Ana´s husband just died 3 weeks ago, so things are pretty rough in their house. Simple things like saying "So, how are you guys!" is a mood killer. But they are super receptive, and very interested and excited about the church. They, like all investigators, have their "obstacles" that would keep them from getting baptized, but its all part of the process. Were it easy to do the right thing, it wouldnt mean anything.So things are going well. There are some big changes going on in the mission. For example, we as missionaries arent allowed to use the pass along cards. Also, in july (have I already mentioned this) My mission president is going home (he´s finishing his mission) and I will get a new brasilian one. But the BIG change is that the boundries of the mission will change, so we´re going to get a part of another mission in july. (does anyone know if andrew meek is still serving his mission, because if so, I´ll be seeing him in july.. he´s probably not though). So that will be cool to see.I´m in love with this work though. This transfer has seriously been one of the best. For instance, my fearless district leader- ELDER WINTER- , to help us out with our mice infestation, came over and killed some for us. Not just killed them, but chopped them in half. Were this a COOL lan house, that would actually let me use the usb port- I would show you. But dont worry- one day, you will see the carnage.(yeah, he definatly asked me to put that in there. But it´s true, the elders did chop mice up in our back yard. It was sick. At first I was sad to see so many little buggers die- but then when I found more in our house, I was disappointed they didn´t get them all..)Anyway, now that we have that behind us, I just have to say:I love and miss you. I´m grateful for all the love and support. I´m so grateful for the opportunity to assist in this great work. i lOVE YOU!

OUSADIA

HEY!!! So yeah, pretty much my new companion is the BEST! She´s SO freaking funny, and a fireball- but more than that she´s a really hard and dedicated worker. I´m so stoked for this transfer. I´m just bummed its only 5 weeks!!! The work is going so well. I dont know what is different, but just lately I´ve really felt an overwhelming gratidude for being able to serve a mission. I´m so excited to work in this area, its TINY, its only four neighborhoods (in comparison to the whole CITY as it was in Pará de minas) and there are a TON of members. FOR EXAMPLE: Last night we were waiting for the elders so we could all take the bus to the zone leaders area, anyway, so we were doing contacts to kill the time, and EVERYONE we met was a member!! It was SO embarrassing!! and hilarious. My comp was like " are we in utah? " cause yah. But its so RAD that there are so many members! And they have already given us some really REALLY good references! I´m really excited. My zone and district leaders are fantastic as well. probably some of the best that Ive ever had. But I´ve loved all my zone and distric leaders, so theres not really any way to say one is better than another.. but theyre very creative, and very excited. Its fun. ALSO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are THREE (yes, let me repeat THREE!) duplas of sisters here in the zone so yesterday and the day before we had a big SLUMBER PARTY!! It was so rad!! because we had zone conference and then pday de zona (today) Anyway, it was a LOOOOOOOOOOT a lot of fun. I love the sisters in our zone.Anyway, but seeing that it is Pday de zona, everyone is doing fun things, and I want to go play XD so I´m going to leave it at that for now.I do want to say that I am learning A TON of things about myself and the depths of the gospel truths right now, and it is mind blowingly wonderful. I miss you all like crazy, but there isnt anywhere in the world Id rather be right now!!!
But I do miss and love you all!LOVE LOVE LOVE!! -sb

OH MY! Time flies! Being that transfers were today I dont have time to write all the things I want to!! Eee!!But here are the more interesting happenings:1. I was transferred!!! I´m now in a city called "Nova Cidade" (no, thats not a joke, its seriously the name of the city..)and the fun part is: My companion and I are opening this area!! To sisters that is, it was elders before. But that means that neither of us knows where anything is.. fun huh?2. I turned senior! woo! That means I have more time on the mission, and Im in charge of the cell phone.. muahaha..No, just kidding, its more than that, but seeing as I have only a few hours in this new position, Im not sure what the difference.3. My new companion! Sis. Smith! She´s from west Jordan. Fun huh?I´m excited, she´s a fun girl. She has 5 months on the mish.4. I received the birthday package from becky and meg!!! LOOOOOOVE!!! Thankssssssssssssss Im so happy!!!5. My "mom" (my trainer here in the mission) "Died" today! (went home) Wow I feel so old! Its madness!!
Aside from that, theres not a whole lot to say. But with those 5 things, there would potentially be a WHOLE lot to say, but Im out of time.I absolutally loved the area I was in, and my companion Sis. Gaspar as well. But I´m excited to learn new things here in Nova Cidade.Last transfer was really a spiritual one for me, and it has me pumped up to work harder. I love this work. I can´t even put into words how much I love this work. I love being a missionary!!! I can´t believe how much I have learned about my Saviors love for me, how much I have learned about God and our relationship with Him, how much I have learned about eternity!! Not to mention getting being here in Brasil! Its fantastically wonderful. I do miss you all at home though. I got a letter back today that I wrote to the dutchers because somehow the letter got all hashed, so it got sent back. I´ll try sending it again... we´ll see how the second time goes.Anyway, I wish I had more time- but today was transfers, I really am without time. I love and miss you all.Com amor- Sb

Catastrophy keeps us together

Oh my! Well, the weeks are flying! I can´t believe this transfer is almost over (sometimes when I say that phrase i feel like a broken, and very cliché record.. everyone says it. But its true. I can´t believe it.)
Sis. Gaspar is so much fun! She talks pretty much NON-STOP. Its awesome. I love it.anyway, about my week..So one day we were looking for an address, and it was REALLY hot. We were wandering around, and then Sis. Gaspar decided to take a little rest at a bus stop. So we sat in the shade, trying to get the courage to brave the sun again. But it was interesting, we sat down, and although we knew we needed to get going, I (and I believe Sis. G as well) felt like we needed to wait. So we were sitting there, for seemingly nothing. A lady came to the bus stop to catch a bus, and we started talking to her. We sang her a hymn, and marked to visit her at her house. She was very nice and friendly. Her bus came, and she left, and we started on our way again. Well, we had trouble finding her house, and it wasnt near our other investigators, so we werent able to go on the day we marked. In the end we found her house a couple weeks later, and she was SO excited! She was like "I thought you had both left! It feels like its been years since that day at the bus stop! I felt so good when you two sang me that hymn. And that peace I felt was so wonderful! I´m so glad you came to visit! Its funny, I thought you were waiting for a bus, but then when I got onto the bus I saw that you left- that you were waiting there for nothing, and I thought, 'they must have been waiting there for me!' It wasn´t a coincedence that we met that day!" Its incredible to see how the Lord leads us. Something SO simple as just WAITING. So we´ve been teaching her and her daughter (Maria Fatima and Luciene). Maria fatima LOVED church last week, and she´s been working really hard to learn how to pray instead of ... rezar *yeah I dont know if that word even exists in english..* Its rad.We´re also teaching a really cool family, but to explain them and why they´re rad would take forever, so suffice it to say that they LOVE us. The other night we were walking home and we passed by their house, and they live on a fairly busy street. Anyway, so we were on the OTHER side of the street, and the way their house is, you cant see the road very well from inside the house. Anyway, so we´re walking past and Patricia RUNS out and with the Book of Mormon in her hand was like "sisters!! Sisters!!" We got worried that she was trying to give the book back or something (because that happens like that sometimes) and she was like "Hey remember that part you marked in this book? And you asked a question, and said the answer was in this chapter? Well, I want to answer first, so let me tell you right now k?? Then tomorrow when you visit you can tell everyone that I discovered it first!! Everyone else has already read, but I figured it out first!!" Haha! She then explained the rest of the chapter to us. It was so funny. She´s a riot. Someday remind me, and I´ll tell you more about her.
Anyway, Sis. Gaspar said something SO profound on monday:She said that she heard a quote that goes something like this:
Critisism is a very dishonest way of praising yourself.
Soak that one in.When was the last time you critisized someone? And why?Now I´m a lot more conscious of what I´m saying, and recognizing in myself pride that I want to overcome. I think pride is the hardest thing to recognize in oneself - but its a VERY dangerous trait to have.
Can you guys believe its march already? Madness.
2 corinthians 7:4 is a freaking awesome scripture. Ive been thinking a lot about happiness lately.And as everyone knows, but seldom believes:Happiness is NOT the absense of problems.I´m grateful to be learning this amazing lesson!
cool quote from Elder Bednar:"Prayer is a privilege and the souls sincere desire. We can move beyond routine and "Checklist" prayers and engage in meaningful praryer as we appropriately ask in faith AND ACT. As we patiently persevere through the trial of our faith, as we humbly acknowledge and accept 'not my will but Thine be done. .... asking in faith REQUIRES: honesty, effort, commitment and persistence"
Anyway, I´m sorry I dont know how to better capture the misson experience to share with you. But I hope that you all know that I KNOWthis gospel is true. Everyday the Lord is opening my understanding to the truths of these things. I know God loves His children. That means you and me. I´m so grateful to be here!!! Sometimes it takes over all my senses. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I´m grateful to shout it out to everyone I meet- that He is our Savior. That He lives. That His teachings and gospel are the instructions that lead to eternal and true happiness.
Send me pictures.
kloveyoubye-sbMeg: happy bday last week! Sorry I didnt say it last week. I love you! XDAlex: Im sending you a billion hugs because I miss you like crazy.Gwen- I dreamed we hung out for hours! It was so much fun! I´m sure it will be much more fun when its real... haha I miss and love you! Give everyone in your fam a hug for me, cause Im missing them too. Including your parents! XDMarie: I got an enya CD, and I have a billion flash backs of memories of you everytime I listen to it. I miss you.Becky: I love you! muito!!