January 2011

Feliz Ano Novo gente! :)

Being a missionary is fantastico! But tis quite difficult too. Especially when we’re just walking in the hot hot heat, you keep smelling the sewer, and you’re going from appointment to appointment and no one is home! It definitely takes a lot of mental, physical, and spiritual determination. But it is quite excellent. And I want to be no where else right now than here in Jardim da Penha. This is a perfeito area to start in! I’m a lucky ducky.
      So it was New Years this week! I think I had the most uneventful New Years of my life. :) We just did our usual working all day, but there were some fireworks so yippee skippee! And NEw YEars Eve my companions and I got AÇAÍ bowls on our way home! Yay! Yumm yumm deliciousness! Oh there is so much wonderful divine fruit here. And it’s not very expensive either. I ate a fantastico mango this morning. Oh yum yumm.
      And speaking of food, the rice and beans here, thank goodness we eat it every day at lunch pretty much, beacuse I love it. One of my companions and I are always wanting “arroz e feijão”. And at every house they have these yummy Garoto chocolates that they always give after lunch. Good chocolate appreciating people. 
      The people here are pretty wonderful of course. Everyone is welcoming and friendly. And when we knock doors/bater portas people will lets us in and let us share a little message and offer us water and things. Not all doors/gates let us in, but they’re mostly all nice. And for street contacts we make appointments to go back and taech people but so often they’re never home and we just go from dropped appointment to dropped appointment, which is not fantastic. 
      But we did find some excellent hopefully promising people this week. Interested and enthusiactic, so hopefully they’re genuine and we can baptize them! Batismos! We need two baptisms this month. But Transfers are on the 18th I think, and no idea or not if we’ll still be here. Transfers happen on Tuesdays every six weeks. We find out Sunday night if we’re being transferred to a new area so we have no idea. And then you don’t find out till transfer meeting where you’re going and who your companion is. Craziness. 
       I really like this Jardim da Penha area and our apartment is like a 10 minute walk from the beach. Fantastic! Not that we can go swimming, but I did walk in the sand the other day and my little toes were so happy! :) I am sooooo happy I’m serving on the coast.
        And good news! It rained lots and lots and lots this week! Oh it was so fantastic and the best ever because it was not so so hot and I wasn’t spontaneously combusting this week like I was last week. Thank you for the rain! But I’m still getting plenty of sunshine and working on my sweet missionary tan. 
        Portguese is improving. I still just smile and nod and say “sim” and stuff, but I did much more teaching and contacting this week than I did last week and got through it pretty fine while still inviting the spirit. :) missions are the greatest, but yes, definitely on the difficult side.
         And by the way there are so many old VW bugs here. It’s the best. I want one. And there’s tons of sweet VW vans too. Love it. I’m so happy I’m here, being led by the Spirit all the time, testifying of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Tis simple marvelous.