October 1, 2012

Well! Another week! Everyday I end the day exhausted and grumpy, but every morning when I wake up I am happy and excited to start another day. It is a strange cycle. I am adjusting to the heat... I guess. I drink so much water my comp. teases me but I am always thirsty so whatever. It is supposedly spring going into summer so October and November are the hottest months I have heard and then it "cools down" but I am pretty sure it is just way way hot all the time. There is a breeze usually so that is why I don't just pass out and die. Actually we get an ice cream cone and usually a din-din(popsicle type thing) every single day and that is really what keeps me happy in the heat. My shoes are doing great. I wear my chacos every day and I already have tan lines on my feet, but nothing like Sis. Ferreira's tan lines. She is literally black & white. Like because she is of African descent, but wasn't super dark naturally. It's really funny, she always jokes with people that I will look like her at the end of my mission.

Hard to believe you've got two missionaries out now!! Wahoo!! I love telling people that I have a brother serving a mission right now as well. It's great. I get to watch conference next week at the stake center on Sat. and Sun. It's from 1 to 3 and 5 to 7 here. I am really excited, but I think I will watch in Portuguese... so we'll see how much I understand. My Portuguese keeps improving, but it is discouraging when I say things during lessons and the person just looks to Sis. Ferreira to interpret. She is really good about letting me keep trying and correcting and helping me rather than just saying everything for me. I like learning Portuguese and I just tell myself that eventually I will learn so I just need to be patient. We are teaching two brothers who are 8 and 12, and the 8 year old loves to correct every single mistake I make while I am speaking. Which is a lot, especially when I feel the pressure of trying to speak correctly in front of him. He is funny though.

I got some food and I have been making eggs for breakfast this week. And toast. All we have to cook with is a frying pan though so it is a bit more difficult. It is food though so whatever. I am going to attempt smoothies this week because we have a blender. Members always serve us way good suco natural (fruit juice). I love it. Sometimes it is a bit strong like drinking the juice left in a can of canned fruit, but it is always cool and refreshing.

Send all letters to the mission home and I get them who knows when, but that is the way they told us to do it. I am hoping to get some letters this week because our Zone Leader went to João Pessoa for a conference. I don't know though. Sometimes I get frustrated about not getting any mail, but I think it is good because all I have to think about is what is going on here. Plus I have some really good letters that I got in the CTM that I re-read. You know, the kind of letters that tell me I am a great person and what my strengths are. I read them when I need a boost and it works everytime.

There is a lot of disappointment here in the mission field. Like when I bear my soul to someone about my beliefs and they reply by rolling their eyes. Or when I am really excited about a new person we are teaching and she seems really receptive and then we go one day and she isn't home for our appointment, but that isn't the kicker because that happens all the time. She isn't home because she is at her girlfriend's house. I guess she was just too shy to tell us about her life... Oh well. We have one investigator that I love with all my heart and she is basically why I still want to be a missionary! Her name is Priscilia and she is getting baptized this Sunday between conference sessions. She has had some way sad things happen to her in her life. Like really rough times, but she is so amazing. She opened her heart to the gospel and has so much faith that the Lord can make her life better. She always invites the Spirit into our lessons so strongly and is always willing to make changes to align her life with God's will. I feel like she is teaching me not like I am teaching her. OH she is so so special! She has two sons too who we are teaching and they are great. Always ask super good questions like what happened to the gold plates after Joseph translated them. It is great because they have such a yearning to learn more.

Some interesting things about Brazil this week. I realized there is no carpet anywhere here. Zero. Which makes the church really loud, but the members were more reverent this week so that was a blessing. The bishop is way helpful when we tell him how he could help he always comes through. Another interesting thing is all the animals here. Yeah, there are people riding horses in the street sometimes and it is super strange. Also, some turtles in this lake/pond we walk past everyday that is so dirty it has dead fish on the top, but somehow the turtles survive.

 People here are so friendly, we just stopped on the side of the road to look at a pen of goats one day and the guy whose goats they were picked up the baby one and handed it to me. I was super excited about it.  The next picture is me in the rede(hammock) and then me eating a din-din. Oh and one of the mob in the street for the campaigns. You wouldn't believe the amount of people in the street last night campaigning. BLASTING music and dancing and shouting and waving flags. It was way fun to watch from our balcony again. I am really annoyed at all the election noise when we try to teach lessons and it is way disruptive, but other times it is fun to watch.

Well that is all this week. Love you all.

Tchau!

Sis. Udy (oo-jee)