Hello! Hope all is well with everybody up North! ;)
This
week has been a little rough at parts but also incredibly rewarding! I
was hoping to feel better but unfortunately I have felt worse. :P I have
a head cold and a nasty cough that makes me pretty worn out but if
there is work to be done then I have work to do. So I am pushing on.
Sister P (the mission President's wife) is over worried about me though. She called yesterday
and said if I am not better in three days then I need to go to the
hospital.....so naturally I am feeling better already because there is
NO way I am going to the hospital for a cold. Absolutely no way.
Yesterday I took some cough medicine (Vicks) but didn't read the
ingredients....and payed for it by throwing up everything I had eaten
this entire week....it had 10% alcohol. Never again. I don't want any
more meds! Especially from Brazil. hahaha. I am actually fine though.
Tired and annoyed and a little gross but I don't feel horrible or like I'm
on my death bed.
Yesterday was crazy though. Sister B and Sister A
went on a split and Sister G stayed home with me so I could
sleep....but I can't breath so I can't sleep either. So I took the bad
cough medicine and was sitting on the couch when suddenly Sister G got a
call from the Mission secretary saying that he, his comp, and the
mission president would be at our house in 10 min but didn't say why.
Holy cow....Sister G freaked out and we frantically started cleaning
(ìt wasn't even that messy) and she started ripping all the photos off
the walls and told me to take mine down too because she wasn't sure it
was allowed. I was pretty sure that it was okay but I couldn't really
understand her so I just obeyed and started running around cleaning and
ripping pics off the wall....then I ran into the bathroom and threw up
everything....while sister G yelled DO YOU NEED WATER over and over
while running around cleaning....then I finished barfing...ran back out
and kept cleaning. Then finally I collapsed on the couch....and they
came. They brought us a new, nice automatic stove. And then the mission
president gave me a blessing at Sister B's insistence even though I didn't
really feel that was necessary. -_- But it was nice none the less. They
are amazing people the P's (Mission President and wife). I love them. Anyways turns out pics
are fine. -_- hahahaha.
ITS FREEZING HERE. I am kicking myself for not
believing the Brazilians. I had to buy a long skirt and tights. It's in the
low 40s here this past week. And in a skirt walking around with cold
rain and wind....yah its pretty freezing. And at night its in the low
30s. Really cold. But I am grateful because the first days it was super
hot and it's not fun....so I am enjoying it while I can.
We have had 2 cockroaches (Barata) I will send you a
funny pic of my companions reaction to this. She is deathly afraid.
hahaha.
We almost got attacked
by a dog. It was a stray and was really angry we were walking past it.
But we were with Elder P and Elder D for the Baptism
interviews...and Elder P kicked the dog and it ran away. I felt
kind of bad. But it was pretty scary.....angry dogs are pretty scary.
Crazy story. For literally no reason....we had 3
members of the other sisters ward buy us food. We didn't tell anyone we
had been hungry or anything....they just showed up with bags and bags of
food. We have sooo much food we don't even know what to do with all of
it. We have 4 huge cases of milk. Its crazy. What a blessing. We were so
grateful. And then to top it off 2 other members made us dinner and
brought us dinner. It was amazing. So you don't need to worry about us.
We are well fed and well cared for here.
I ate a chicken heart. It wasn't horrible. But I
couldn't get past the chicken heart part of eating it. :P hahaha. But I
did it anyway. They were all super proud of me. lol.
So
the big news of this week is yesterday Sister B and I had THREE
baptisms!!!! :D C...the son of a member. And our investigator
R´s two kids B (12) and M (8). Sooo some background.
We taught C for the first time on Thursday.
It was crazy. I have never seen someone more desirous of baptism. He
let us in...we got about 4 sentences into the first lesson and he
promptly pretty much recited the first vision and the rest of the lesson
to US. He told us that he wants to be happy like his mom and that he is
ready to start over. He has a baby out of wedlock, he did drugs, he
drank.....but he gave up all of it (including moving out of his and his
girlfriend's apt and living with his parents with his baby) for the past
few months and started looking for religion. We called Elder P
(District Leader) in the room about an interview. Elder P talked with him and
we arranged the baptism interview for the next day. The next day in the
interview he passed with flying colors. And he just kept
asking....even though I will be baptized I want to learn more and
more....you will still teach me right? Someone will still come and teach
me more right?? He read half of the gospel principles book for sunday
school already and most of the book of mormon and even the bible and
every pamphlet. He is trying desperately to get his girlfriend to take
the lessons so their whole family can be sealed. Its amazing. I hope to
see all of them go through the temple. I expect he will be able to get
the priesthood very soon. After his baptism C told me he feels like
a new man and that he has a new head now. His mom came and thanked us
and was just in tears. I have never seen someone look so grateful. It
was a beautiful moment for their family.
B and M are the kids of our
investigator R. R has 6 kids but one is in jail for drugs, one is
married, and one is a teen who doesn't really want to listen. She was all
ready for baptism and then she told us she actually isn't married. She
really wants to baptized though. But first she has to talk to
her....husband/boyfriend about getting married. He doesn't even know that
they were baptized or that we have been visiting cause he works all the
time. I think she is really nervous to talk to him. But she has the
desire. We taught B for the first time on Thursday and he had his interview Friday.
He was a little more hesitant about all of it and I was really worried
we were rushing him. I talked with Elder P and he said that he
thought all would be well and that it's okay. He was right. B went to
a youth activity Saturday and LOVED it and then went to church for the first time Sunday....and
was baptized right after church. He was so happy. It was perfect. M has been going to church with R for a few weeks now and she
was totally ready. We hope that after seeing her kids be baptized R
will have the courage to talk to her husband and will do what she needs
to do to be baptized this Sunday. :)
We expect to have 5 baptisms this weekend if all
goes well. R, L, L, J, and J. Hopefully all will
go well to make this possible. We have to get M to let J
and J be baptized first....that's the hard part. She doesn't believe
they are worthy for baptism and she wont let us teach her about how its
okay we aren't clean when we are baptized. She totally doesn't understand
the point of baptism. Its really frustrating. But I have faith she will
let us teach her this week. Fingers crossed.....lots of prayers. We
shall see.
This week Sister B and I have to go visit other
sisters in a different city and do splits with them because Sister B is
the sister training leader and President P said he wanted me to go with
her and learn how to do it.....which makes me suspect I will be taking
her job eventually. Which I'm flattered and excited but also really
overwhelmed because I still don't feel I speak or understand super
well.....so its really scary. Elder P told me I need to get ready
because President P will prob want me to be a senior comp and a trainer
in the next 6 weeks or so. Which is literally right when I end training.
Training is 12 weeks....3 transfers. Its crazy how fast I will be a
leader here. I am so nervous and soooo not ready language wise. Nossa.
Oh well....I will study and do my best and pray harder. haha.
Anyways that's about it here I think. <3 I love you all so much. Cant
wait to get pics of the house and the fam! :) And letters! It takes a
long time here. Hopefully when I see Elder P he will give me
letters today. But if not I have something more to look forward to next
week. :) <3 I love you and miss you loads! Have fun week! <3
Thank you for the emails!
Love
Em
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