Do you want to know what it is like to live in Brazil during the World Cup? We wouldn't really know because we are not allowed to talk about it with members or investigators, we can't watch any matches on TV, and when Brazil is playing, we are not allowed to leave our houses. I promise that you know more about it than we do. I can tell you that not many people are interested in talking about anything else other that soccer so it is a difficult time for missionaries.
Yeah, it´s pretty nuts down here. Luckiy Rio das Ostras is far enough away from the main city (ie, 4 hours in a bus) that it is pretty chill. Though we DO have at least one person EVERY DAY that tells us, "oh, this area appears calm, but be careful because there has been a lot of assault and rape and crime and such." uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh--thanks??? We are following all the rules, and are always with members at night, so we feel pretty safe, but it IS a little disconcerting to hear, "oh yeah, this area has these bad things happening."
Yeah, it´s pretty nuts down here. Luckiy Rio das Ostras is far enough away from the main city (ie, 4 hours in a bus) that it is pretty chill. Though we DO have at least one person EVERY DAY that tells us, "oh, this area appears calm, but be careful because there has been a lot of assault and rape and crime and such." uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh--thanks??? We are following all the rules, and are always with members at night, so we feel pretty safe, but it IS a little disconcerting to hear, "oh yeah, this area has these bad things happening."
June 9, 2014
Tomorrow
I will hit the 11th month mark in the mission, almost 2/3rds done! It is so strange to think that in just
a few months I will leave Brazil, the people, the heat, the culture, the dog
poop…. I can feel some of the culture becoming a part of me – especially the
Brazilian directness.
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| Sister B. getting to work. |
We
had a fun Family Home Evening with M. and her family. She is an incredible lady. Her husband has been inactive for 10 years, but she took it
upon herself to insure that her 4 kids all grew up within the gospel. She is so strong and determined. (She
reminds me a lot of my own mom.)
M. kids are so cute and just hilarious!
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| Sister Trussel - just arrived in country. She was | part of Garrison's MTC district |
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| Sister Zarate! |
June 10, 2014
We
had a zone training meeting today and Sister B and I did the teaching. It went well which is always a boost to
our spirits. Afterwards we taught
L. in the chapel – and gavehim a quick church tour. We ended in front of the picture of Christ knocking on the
door and discussed about how Christ always asks permission to enter our
lives. It is our choice to let him
in or not. But Satan never asks
permission, he just barges right in.
Leo opened up about a lot of his concerns and we were able to have a
very spiritual lesson with him.
June 13, 2014
We
had a bad day today. Lot of things falling through and lots of “ida e voltas” –
tips back and forth and back and forth.
Our area is massive and I feel like we’re just wasting a ton of time
riding in vans. It was a long,
cold, and rainy day. The bishop asked
us to give talks on Sunday, one day to prepare. To top it off, our shower is
back to a FREEZING condition. I
think that I will try to sleep off my bad mood.
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| Mosquito bites - BITE |
June 14, 2014
Well today was mostly frustrating with a happy ending. Our lunch fell through, then a teaching
appointment, then another teaching appointment, then we struggled to find
someone’s house (never did find it), then…the most pathetic attempt at a
baptismal service I’ve ever seen.
I don’t even want to go into details, but both Sister B and I were
completely unimpressed by the lack of care and concern that the members
showed. Thanks to us, the font was
filled, the room was set up, and we pulled of a last minute service that was
just “okay’, but the whole event leading up to the actual service was a total
mess. That being said, our dear sweet Marta was baptized and she was just
beaming. She went out and bought
all new clothes that were within the standard of the church to start using. Even though we entered in on the tail
end of the teaching process, we feel a great love for her!
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| The GREAT Bishop Alvino and Marta |
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