OLA MINHA QUERIDAS
Eu realmente... Eu sol queiro falar Português. é Muito mais fácil agora e muito... um como posso falar. Eu gosto tentar falar com um ... accent brasileira e farto miserably.
Have I told you all of the ônibus story? The one where Sister Staples, Sister Moura and I were smothered inside a armpit mess of men and babies, waiting for our busstop to come around? *cough cough* ever day*
OKAY
It was a sunny and stinky, a hot and humid, a claustrophobic and crazy kind of a day. Our bus was packed like sardines in a can when we signaled for the big bessie to pull over. And thus, we entered the maze of human limbs, squeezing into the small spaces where we could breath, (realizing this whole time how much we wished we hadnt eaten lunch two seconds earlier) And hung out there for a little while, enjoying the squishy humans, and basically loosing all sense of the word "personal bubble" after 10/ 15 minutes of practicing yoga breath I motioned at my companions. "Ours s the next stop."
yeah.
How are we going to get off?
Good question.
The two of them began pushing through the mass, after a few delicate moves, and a lot of "desculpa, desculpa, oh... desculpa"
When the stop came the two fell (or were pushed) off the bus into the fresh Brazilian air.
heh heh I looked out the window ... made eyecontact with sister moura. Wide eyed.
the doors closed, and the bus took off again.
With me on it, and the two staring with mouths open.
Two large men had conveniently been placed exactly in front of me when the doors had opened, and I had absolutely no way of escaping the human mob.
I signaled for the busdriver to stop at the next point. and managed to escape alive. My two comps were walking quickly in the direction of the runaway bus, and I U-turned to find them again.
I guess a normal person in this moment would be pretty preoccupied.
I probably should have been. But, I just burst out laughing, and jogged up the street to find them again. We met in the middle and had a wonderful precious hug-out sesh
Life is pretty crazy here.
We saw a parade of stanta clauses on bycicles, found the hornets nest in our house, discovered the beauty of home made oatmealliquidyogurtbananaconcoction, tried 20 flavors of Ice cream, were hit in the face with flying cardboard, and had a lot of individual personal growth.
I have been learning a lot about the value of souls, and about the value of a person who genuinely cares.
I think love ... is something natural for people, but also something that can be developed and molded dramatically with God. Something that can be aumented, shaped, and defined. It is something that changes the giver and the reciever, something that can not be replaced... but something that we all need.
Basically something really hard to explain, but really important.
I have been and will coninue to focus on this baby.
(noticing and developing) Love and charity.
I'LL UPDATE YAALS next week.
Merrrrrrrry almost Christmas
and a frying new year
p.s. No pictures this week *sadness* Really old computers...gotta lovem
=Double pictures next week!!!
ALL MY HAPPINESS AND FAITH
Seester Meetchew.
That is how they all say it.
p.p.s. Every one thinks that missionaries have the same first name... (SIster) because it isn´t a word in portuguese. In their minds, all the missionaries have the same first name and really strange and impossible other names. Meetchew (mitchell) Stahhhpleys (staples) Moura (Moura) -__- merp.
December 9 O Vontage Do Senhor
Hello my lovelies and wonderful freezing friends and family.
I have come to appreciate this week, Air conditioning. We went caroling and violining with the Bishop and a few ward members and stumbled upon a house with AIR CONDITIONING. yup, my whole heart basically froze with pure bliss.
Enjoy the non-frying while you´ve got it.
This week, I learned and grew a lot. Sister Moura is our trainadoura, and basically, has a unique way of doing things. The last 3 days she basically turned into a whole different missionary. She was rude, and negative, constantly pointing out the things we were doing wrong- and I didn´t understand. She was so... amazing, perffect teacher, perfect helper, basically my role-model in everything, and then BOOM.
I had no Idea what happened to her. Three days trying to keep our spirits up, trying to help her open up to us, trying to serve or do anything possible. But inreality she was drowning in a bucket os sadness and the more we tried to save her, the higher she built invisible walls around her.
Not only this, But... For the first time in my mission I really put my will before the Lord´s and the results were epically devestating. You see, Saturday was the Cantata Do Natal. All the missionaries were invited if they were there to help someone learn about Christ, or return to Christ. As such, I REALLY wanted to go. I adore the temple, and the grounds, and music, and... why would we not go? That was my thought anyway.
We scrambled around the morning of- it was a last minute decision to hop in the bandwagon and head off. But... We really and truly, were not there to help anyone but ourselves feel the spirit of Christmas. When we were walking hurridly down the street, I had the sinking feeling. I knew it was´t right. I knew we had to stick to our previous plan for the day. I knew it. But I kept walking. We all 3 kept walking. And thus, the day was spent preparing and teaching the lovely Arin about Christ and Baptism, the Mission, and a lot of other things. But, after the day We returned home and I realized that we had missed teaching Marylu- and Danila. Two of the sweetest people that had awaited our visit the whole week. Not only those two but Rosemary. I was stricken with this huge weight on my shoulders.
It was my sin, my burdon, and maybe... these precious souls would be lost because of my natural selfishness. And thus humility beats a man better then a bat.
This is the Lord's work. Yes, my weaknesses were absolutely evident this week. Yes, I made a horrible mistake. But, God knew and prepared a way for his work to go forth nobly and unpenetrated. He placed Rosemary in our path, a Preisthood holder, who served in Baltimore!!! (woot woot) A way to call and confirm, and most of all a way to recieve forgiveness. Through His Son.
All in all, Sister Moura explained how the past weeks she had been observing us, teaching by example, and lifting. But the last 3 days she became another missionary to prepare us for the inevitable companions we would face, and learn how to work with them. She let me make the wrong decision because she knew it would teach me a life-long lesson. And she knew never- again would I let it hppen. She was difficult and stubborn, herdheaded and negative, to teach us how to love uncondiionally, and lift without judgement. To guide and try to help without exploding.
and thus... I learned a lot this week.
Caroling, giving a talk in Portugese bay, Loving life, learning to cook, Learning how to teach more and more in Portuguese and oh so very happy
We are working with our whole hearts and souls here,
and thus remember folks. The will of the Lord before your own ALWAYS. and things will work out for the best and your benefit.
PHOTOS
Going to the Temple +there with Arin
Our ward barbecue deliciousness and happy faces
and a day of rain, and work, celebrating with brazilian hotdogs. wooooot
LOVE YOU ALL
happy heat and hairy creatures that like to infest all corners of everywwhere in Brazil
