So the title of my email is what my transfer theme was (I like to have transfer themes now, thanks to Sis. Blosil... it makes things more fun). Lets just say I have learned a LOT about being meek... oh boy have I! Going from one mission to another is rough because things are SO different. Obviously, I loved NY and I loved President Calderwood so adjusting and loving another place and president has taken some work.
Also, I have constantly been told I need to tell more in my emails... well its truth time. I have tried really hard to only be positive and optimistic in my emails. Well the first 5 weeks here... there wasnt a lot of good so I didnt have a whole ton to write about haha. And Ays, the reason I havent sent a lot of pics is because it takes forever and a day to up´load and then I can usually only send 2 with each email. its such a pain!
I spent the majority of the first 5 weeks sitting on my bed. My comp wouldnt do anything. I tried EVERYTHING! seriously, any type of motivation I tried... including guilt and bribery. Nothing worked. I talked to people about it but then when leaders would ask her she would tell them it was me who always wanted to stay inside... yeah thats real fun. Who are they going to believe the girl who just got here who doesnt speak the language or the one who does? Yeah thats been lovely.
Anyway, last week after she refused to get out of bed I finally just said look, I am trying to learn a new language I need blessings, you need blessings with your family, and the ONLY way to get those blessings is to be obedient! What do you need to make this happen? Well for some reason, this time it worked!
Seriously, she apologized and we made a Vision Goals and Plans (a NYS Mission thing) and things got like a million times better... AH YEAH!
So a normal day here... we eat lunch with members EVERYDAY. Always, rice beans, chicken or beef and potatoes convered in mayo.
Seriously, because I have no control of what I eat with members (and they get offended if you dont eat a ton) I have gone into health freak mode times twenty. Sister T. in NY would be so proud of me :)
However, I baked SO much this week! Chocolate chip cookies are a gold mine here. People LOVE them so we are able to get lessons with people because we make cookies together first, or I just bring some. Its pretty epic.
Carnival was this week... well its actually still going on tonight. I HATE CARNIVAL! So we live right in the middle of the city so I have not gotten ANY sleep the past three nights because my apartment is shaking with music. Its ridiculous. At 6:30 when we normally (I say normally because I am already up the past few days) wake up, people are still out partying!
And we ALL know how much I LOVE SLEEP! Its a problem.
Mail: Mom I have gotten everything you have sent. It takes about 2 and a half weeks for mail here. I still dig the postcards. Haha you are the most faithful writer ever, I love it! Ays I got yours too... Brewer is so dang cute I cant wait to meet him! You said youre the worst writer but you have written me the most besides mom. Yeah that tells you how many letters I get. Haha jk I am grateful for the emails.
Also mom, have you saved all the pics I sent home? Most from NY were from my ipad and so I dont have them saved. PS I havent even SEEN an ipad here! #brasil
Mom could you send me small pictures of the porto alegre temple and maybe one or two other brasil temples. And a nice picture of the prophet? It would be really nice to have when teaching... I had it all on my ipad before.
Okay so a little more about the work here now. So the members need some serious strengthening, so I thought okay what strengthens people more than anything else. Reading the BOM! So I decided to do exactly what we were doing in BUSHWICK! Everything is being centered on the BOM now. Its so legit. Obviously not everything is the same. For example, we dont have a facebook page telling people what to read each day. Instead we now have Noite do Livro de Mormon. Basically a seminary for adults one night a week because most people here wont read on their own, or dont know how.
I think its so cool how I am able to take things from NY and impliment them here! We are already seeing progress.
For transfers everyone in my district is staying here except my DL and my new DL is american so we will have 4 americans and 2 brasilians. Elder Soares (the one Elder Brasilian who is staying) is all stressed about being the only brasilian in the casa hahaha. My comp and him are going to learn some english now :)
Normally there are 4 sisters in one pad but our area doesnt have four sisters so i finally dont have to share a bathroom with a million people, I LOVE IT!
I honestly do love my companion so much now. Seriously, night and day difference.
I HAD A BAPTISM! Bianca, shes 14 and they had been teaching her for awhile but she wasnt progressing, I asked my comp well does she even want to be baptized and she said she didnt know. WHAT? they hadnt even talked about baptism with her?! My second week here we taught her and I asked her straight up. I feel like I get to be much more bold now that I have a language barrier because I cant beat around the bush with extra words. She said yes, and after that lesson she progressed like crazy.
She was baptized saturday with a man we found, Arnold and passed on to the elders. On Sunday when she was confirmed they had a lesson in Mocas (young women) about the atonement and Bianca bore her testimony of it and goodness the spirit was SO strong. Ah she is great. Missionaries are shocked here when they find out I have only had 2 baptisms but I dont care. Julia and Bianca have been worth every second of my mission.
The baptism itself was a bit hilarious because Elder Vernon, the american that came with me baptized her and he dunked her and I guess he thought she didnt go all the way under so he kept pushing her down and we were all yelling LEVANTAR! (Raise) because I seriously thought she was going to drown, it was borderline torture. Elder Vernon is so great though dont get me wrong... #18yearolds it was hilarious and i will never forget it.
MIRACLE THIS WEEK: Okay so there is one family that I just adore! Irma Vanulda. She has 5 girls and she is the gospel principle teacher. In the picture i sent home of everyone on the bus she is in the lower left corner. They are so good to the missionaries and she would do anything for anyone. Well her husband... I just adore him too. He reminds me SO much of dad! Like seriously he just sits there quietly, normally asleep. And is so patient and calm (lets be honest though, dad isnt patient when hes in a city... especially in his truck). He doesnt say much but when he does, he is usually making fun of you. Well the main difference between him and dad is he has been COMPLETELY inactive for a LONG time. His wife has gone through the temple but he hasnt and their family isnt sealed... breaks my heart. So the MIRACLE is on Sunday he came to church! When I walked in and saw him sitting in the corner I almost started crying seeing him there. Oh that family needs a priesthood holder so bad and hes so great he just needs to get things in gear. Now i am certain he will though, he felt the spirit there for sure!
Mom send me your pizza dough recipe will ya?
Umm I dont really have much else to tell except maybe this week was super awesome because it rained like CRAZY which cooled things down a ton and I was actually able to feel like a normal person. I did my hair for the first time being here, it felt great!
Also, we are emailing at a new place and I cant send pics... glorious so i will go somewhere else next week or maybe even later today and send crap load home :)
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