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| My FIRST haircut since leaving home. |
August 1, 2014
Wow, a ton
has happened these past few days! Sister
Burris and I are trying to rejoin the living, but it is wiping us out. We finally moved to Anil and are living with
the Anil and Fregesia sisters. IT IS
GREAT! I feel like our quality of life
has improved about 200% (oh wait, it has!)
No cockroaches, a real bed, room to unpack our suitcases, a HOT
shower!!!!! Plus we are close to our
chapel, a supermarket, and most of the members of our ward. We are really grateful to be here.
We had
lunch in the favela “Rio das Pedras” (river of rocks) today with the cutest
little Irma. She is maybe 4’6” and is
just hilarious and so very nice. She
made an amazingly delicious lunch and entertained us with her good humor and
good company. I just love these good
Irma’s that show us so much love and care.
Especially those who have so little but are willing to give us so very
much. My heart is sometimes just so full of joy that I feel like I will explode
with gratitude for our Irmas. When so
many things are going wrong, and are hard problems, knowing that there is a
cute Brazilian lady making you a hearty meal, sure helps make things
better. For that hour or two we feel
loved and accepted in the home of one of those great ladies.
We stopped
by Xavier’s (that sweet ex-patriarch) again today. We just love him. We always thank him for his hard work and
willingness to help us. He always expresses
how he wishes and feels as though he could do more. If everyone had his faith and vision the
world would be a much better place.
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| Sister Burris is freezing. |
August 2, 2014
We had a
great day of work today and I am tired, but it feels great to be working again.
We visited our golden family and found out that their marriage papers
have been approved! The Elders have been
teaching them since April, and the man is ready for baptism. The woman was baptized when she was 14, but
went inactive almost immediately. In
April she entered Mormon.org and asked for a missionary visit, and that is how
it all started! They are both really
sharp and nice people. They are our
shining ray of sunshine on a dark day.
We ate in
the favela again today. To get to the house we had to weave trough a bunch of
tunneled allies and past poorly constructed brick and concrete towers. People are stuck on top of people. It was quite eye opening. Lunch was prepared with a lot of love, but I
blessed the food 2 or 3 times so that we won’t get sick.
August 3, 2014
Today was a
great day at Church! Our sacrament
attendance has jumped from 50 to around 80, which gives us hope that the Lord is
hearing our prayers. Everyone seemed
more united and happier this week and we have won the confidence of many of our
members. They asked us to help out with
the youth and primary, which was really fun.
It really helps to break up our Sunday routine when we get to do stuff
like that. Our lunch was with Mora and
his family. They are incredibly warm,
happy and enthusiastic about all things religious. It is great!
We also found a new family to teach! Things are looking up!
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| Some views from members apartments in the Barra. |
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