November 4, 2009

Mom and Dad's package arrived just in time for Halloween. OBRIGADA!!!!!! Sis. Edwards got one too, and it was my mission birthday so we celebrated and bought PIZZA! Last Friday we had interviews, my first one with the President and last one in English. Monday was a holiday. There are so many random, good for nothing holidays here. The handbook says holidays are ideal for proselyting, but not in Brazil. No one lets you in or they're all at the beach! So we had Zone Conference. This Sunday I have to give my first discurso - talk. I'm super nervous. My topic is "Perserverar Ate o Fim" - endure to the end. Please pray for me!

October 28, 2009

I don't think I've told you that we greet everyone with a kiss. Oh man, that was something hard for me to get used to. Our Friday lunch appointment is always the same with Daltro and family. He is the shiz. He is so involved and one of the wealthier members with a lot of clot in the neighborhood. He has organized a huge activity about gardening that he's invited the whole neighborhood/city to for missionary work. Anyway, we were at his house last week and his 3 year old grand daughter speaks so correctly. How does a 3 year old conjugate perfectly and I can't??????? OH MAN!!!! I look like neapolitan ice cream. I wore a narrow necked shirt and got way tan, then I wore a wide neck shirt and got burned. Now my neck goes in order: chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. Funny huh? Today we went to the Curitiba Temple. It is also gorgeous. Happy Halloween everybody and Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! LOVE YOU!

October 21, 2009

Sunday was my first baptism! Leocadia! YAY!!!Wow. What a hectic rollercoaster week. Days feel like weeks and weeks feel like days. We had new missionary training last week and I ran into my CTM buddies. It was good to see them. Enjoying all the letters everyone is sending me. I'm spoiled! We've been working with a part member family. We gave our lunch message about the importance of baptism. Here's a funny story. Last Monday, we had churrasco. I ate WAY too much and probably something bad. The combo was not good. Anyway, we got to a bridge and I lost it. I looked like a fountain. Gross! Today we had "mission olympics" and we went to chapel closer to downtown. It's always good to be with other missionaries. Random Factoid: Prostitution is legal here. Bingo is not. Go figure!

October 14, 2009

We have a goal for 15 contacts each day, or a total of 210 a week, between my comp and I. A few days ago I was able to do some without her helping me at all! My companion, Sis. Edwards, is great and she is so patient with me. She's awesome. She is Lavell Edwards granddaughter so she loves BYU football. We have had many miracles so far. We had a goal of marking 10 dates for baptisms with people and we got all 10. So many things just fell into place. We have four seasons in one day here. It's crazy. It's been warm yesterday and today, but Monday it was pouring half the day . . . then got way hot. The sun is really intense, so it'll be like 70 degrees but feel so much hotter. My hair is turning red!

October 7, 2009

We got to watch conference in English this weekend, thank goodness. It was SOOOOOO Great!!! I saw the sun for the first time on my fourth day. My p-day is always Wednesday. There is no heat in our house, our shower has hot water but that's it. A lot of the stores don't have heat. None of the chapels have heat. Oh, the chapel here is GIGANTIC!!! Between conference sessions we made street contacts and on Sunday the Zone Leaders had a baptism. It was neat to see a baptism already. The mission office is 45 minutes away by bus. I like my district. We're all American except one Elder.

I want to tell you about Isabel and her husband Jorgon. Jorgon is German and came to Brazil when he was 9 to escape WWII. He speaks English very well. Isabel is very receptive but has the strangest ideas, like Jesus and Mary Magdalane are the same people as Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah and lots of other prophets and their wives, just reincarnated. She has lots of really crazy beliefs but hopefully she'll realize the truth of our message.

September 30, 2009

My new area is Taruma, it's in a neighborhood called Baixo Alto on the outskirts of Curitiba. My trainer is Sister Kelly Edwards of Las Vegas. She has been here 13 months. Our President seems awesome, his wife is adorable and so sweet. My apartment is decent sized, of course it's small, but bigger than I thought it'd be. It's really cold but should be warming up soon. I did cry when I said goodbye to Sister Erickson, neither of us thought we would. President saw us and asked if we would want to be comp's again someday and said "start praying to the Lord now for it!" I am! Tonight I will get to help teach the first lesson for the first time. PRAY FOR ME!!!!!!

September 29, 2009 Arrival in CURITIBA

Sister and President Araujo

Wow! I'm in Curitiba!!! Can you believe it?? Today I took a 50 minute flight here. I'm going to have a fun time figuring out why Curitiba out of all the missions in Brazil. President Araujo and Sister Araujo are very kind. I said goodbye to my instructors last night. It was very hard. I will miss them and the CTM very much. I enjoyed my time there. Curitiba is a lot cleaner and greener that Sao Paulo. In a few minutes I'll meet my new companion.

New Arrivals