One word… ITAPARICA!
Yay I’m in Itaparica-Vila Velha! I’m here with Sister Johnson and Sister Nicásio and it is a festa. :) This transfer shall be fantastico! It is way different than my dear Aracruz, but it’s lovely being closer to everything now.
We had transfers Tuesday and twas marvelous! I saw my favorite familia from Jardim da Penha and my dear Alderina was at the rodoviaria too! I looove transfers and tis so good partying with all the missionaries at the bus station for the afternoon.
And Jardim da Penha opened for sisters again! I was so hoping I would go back, but I’m excited to be in Itaparica now!
The peeps here are grrrreat. The chapel is fantastic too! And it looks like I might become the ward pianist this transfer. :)
We’re teaching the cutest little old man named Wolmar. I love these blessed souls! And there’s yummy açaí all over the place! Yay!
General Conference is this weekend! Can’t wait! The Relief Society broadcast was soooo wonderful and can’t wait to hear more lovely inspired words to orient my life.
All of the talks and classes and firesides and Liahona and everything seem to be about famílias eternas these days! Yay my favorite thing! Families can be together forever! Iupi!!!
PS When I got the the house in Itaparica (which doesn’t have hot water… poo I don’t like cold showers), there were cookies in the fridge and freezer. That’s a good sign. And we got new mattresses too! All sorts of little blessings every single little moment.
Tchau!
Sunshine, you are my sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear how much I love you, but please don’t take my sunshine away.
There’s lots of sunshine here in Aracruz. Everyday is getting hotter and hotter. Misericórdia. Buuuut, I’ll be leaving this wonderful place and people tomorrow morning. On to new places with new people for new adventures. It shall be lovely of course, but my goodness I will miss all of this here. 5 1/2 months of my life dedicated to the beloved people and land of Aracruz. Tis good.
Our dear Presidente and Sister Araújo came here yesterday for church. They brought some goodies to our house like cups and bowls and the first microwave of Missão Brasil Vitória! Including microwave popcorn. Yay. But I haven’t changed too too much, still not a microwave fan. :)
We asked them if they had any info about transfers to tell us, but they said we’d have to wait till sunday night. Transfers happen tuesday afternoon and we find out sunday night if we’ll stay or go. Then we have monday to pack or bags. Not a huuuge fan of this because I like very much to say goodbye and thank you to the people I love so much, but presidente knows what he’s doing.
And at church sunday school and relief society were all about eternal families! Yay for casamento eterno! :D And Presidente Araújo gave a talk in sacrament meeting, and he told the members of Aracruz how much we love them. And then he said and when the sisters´s love for the people is so great, they get moved to other places to be able to love other people too. Then I started crying a bit because I love these people so so much and I figured I’d be transfered and it’s so sad to leave. :( And after sacrament meeting he told us that I was leaving and the other three sisters would stay here. Then I started to cry a bit more and giving hugs and obrigadas to the wonderful people here in Aracruz.
And we’re teaching so many good people right now who will be getting baptized so soon and I’ll miss out on it. And who knows when I’ll be able to see these blessed souls again, maybe not until the big party in the celestial kingdom. Gave me a nice eternal perspective yesterday. But oh my goodness I am just so eternally grateful to have been here with such wonderful wonderful peeps.
For other news of the week, just look at the pictures.
I found my dear Nilda cleaning the streets.
I did some translating for a dutch man at the police station. And then he bought us sugar cane juice.
We had a fantastico district meeting/festa.
I had a nice art project in my scriptures.
I carried 20 little breads on my head.
I said goodbye to some beautiful souls.
And obrigada tambem.
Monday: was a lovely P-day! I ate a cute little fish and had a wonderful FHE with wonderful wonderful people. We talked about eternal life. Yay!
Tuesday: Dad’s birthday, my 11 month mark too. Had a very lovely morning study time and then we headed to lunch. I left the house kind of sad. Then as my companion was sharing a message with the family where we ate lunch, I started to cry. Couldn’t really stop. The lovely sisters gave me hugs, but I just wanted to hug my family. So we went home, I laid on my bed, read letters from my family, and cried, feeling more homesick than ever before. Took a little nap and woke up two hours later feeling better. The sisters brought açaí to our house and we had a little açaí feast and then a bit later we taught a lovely family.
Wednesday: Our dear Presidente e Sister Araújo came here to Aracruz and I talked with Presidente and he gave me a blessing and he asked if I wanted to call home. Crying I replied yes. Yay yay! Then we went to lunch with the Araújos and came home and Presidente handed me his phone and I called my dearest família and felt much much much better and now I’m doing great and am normal and happy again.
Thursday: Went to Ibiraçu and did lots of visits with dear Luana.
Friday: Had a lovely visit with the wonderful family we’re teaching. We had juice and cake and talked about the Plan of Salvation. :) They’re getting married, but first he has to get divorced. They should be getting baptized in a month. :)
Saturday: Lovely times with lovely members. And lots and lots of lessons. And a very wonderful activity where Shrek 4 was on and lots of yummy food. Yay! I love these peeps of Aracruz. A lot.
Sunday: Wonderful church. Had 11 investigators there! Yay! But 4 of them left early. :( We are teaching some fantastic souls, they just have to choose to follow what they’re learning.
Twas a grand week. My love and gratidude for everything that happens grows everyday. And it just amazes how minutely Heavenly Father works in every aspect of our lives. As a wise soul once told me, “Not even a falling leaf goes unnoticed by God.” :) He knows us all and what is best for us!
I do believe this is my last week here in Aracruz. More than 5 months I’ve been here. It is most likely time for change.
Boa semana para vocês!
Boa tarde!
A lovely quote that my dear sister sent me…
“what if you woke up today, with only the things, that you thanked God for yesterday?”
Amém. :)
Another week goes by. Weird how time is. I’ve got 11 months on the mission tomorrow. Estranho.
Well no time to say much, but just look at the pictures and see what I’m up to. Oh hallelujah for fotos.
Had some very lovely festas this week with some very lovely people. Transfers are in 2 weeks and seeing as how I already have 5 months here in Aracruz, it might be my last two weeks with these blessed souls.
Had some marvelous FHEs this week. I made brownies and cookies and it was pretty heavenly.
My toe is doing great. :) The nail will soon be growing back I hope.
I ate some little fishies this week! They were delicious! It had been so long without fishies! Yum.
It’s getting hotter here. Eca. I’m not a very big fan of heat. I miss snow. But I make a sufficient amount of paper snowflakes so it’s all good.
Have a lovely week full of inspirations!
-Sister Owens
Boa tarde!
A lovely quote that my dear sister sent me…
“what if you woke up today, with only the things, that you thanked God for yesterday?”
Amém. :)
Another week goes by. Weird how time is. I’ve got 11 months on the mission tomorrow. Estranho.
Well no time to say much, but just look at the pictures and see what I’m up to. Oh hallelujah for fotos.
Had some very lovely festas this week with some very lovely people. Transfers are in 2 weeks and seeing as how I already have 5 months here in Aracruz, it might be my last two weeks with these blessed souls.
Had some marvelous FHEs this week. I made brownies and cookies and it was pretty heavenly.
My toe is doing great. :) The nail will soon be growing back I hope.
I ate some little fishies this week! They were delicious! It had been so long without fishies! Yum.
It’s getting hotter here. Eca. I’m not a very big fan of heat. I miss snow. But I make a sufficient amount of paper snowflakes so it’s all good.
Have a lovely week full of inspirations!
-Sister Owens
I got to give a lovely talk in church yesterday about overcoming out challenges and difficulties. I learned a lot. Basically life is full of ups and downs. It has to be. If we don’t have downs, we can’t have ups. This week for me was most definintely full of ups and downs, some hardddd (and wicked hot) days, but then saturday and sunday came and things turned wonderful again.
But 2 Nephi 2:11 opposition is necessary to our Heavnely Father’s plan of happniess. And as we develop Christ like attributes, we learn so much from our trials and afflictions and realize that they our for our benefit. Tudo vai dar certo, tá bom? Tá ótimo. :)
I’m meeting so most wonderful peeps here, such lovely souls. But it’s so interesting how when sunday comes around, they disappear off the face of the earth and don’t show up at church. Hmm…. But sometimes when I meet people or talk with them on the street, I look at them and it’s like hmmm… I know them from somewhere. Yep.
We had zone conference and it was celestial! Elder Claudio R. M. Costa and his wife were here! Chique demais. I learned soooo much and I’m soooo grateful we have prophets and apostles to lead us through these hard times. And it was so lovely to be with the dear missionaries of our dear mission.
And I got a nice little pile of mail (and a Liahona) and muitos mahalos for my favorites Cottams, Tingy, Mum, and Christine Tietjen. I love mail! And I got a nice box from me mum with chocolate and peanut butter and all sorts of goodies. Unfotunately, the chocolate went out rather quickly. :) I seem to have a problem with that.
Well enjoy the pictures from this week, they’re perhaps kind of random, like always, but have some signifacance for me. :)
