Oi familia!
How is everyone doing?! Is there a baby yet?!? I got some letters from Sunday that said not yet... I'm so anxious!!! He needs to come before I leave the MTC so I can get pictures the next day!!! Otherwise I'll have to wait a whole week or more! Tell him to get on it, will ya Kels? :)
How is work? School? Winter and snow? Everything else you've got happening there? I love to hear it all!
Okay I've got a lot to tell you, so I'm just going to jump right in!
First off... LAST P-DAY! Holy cow. Time has flown! I am SO excited and anxious to be leaving. A week from today I'll be sitting in the mission home in Santa Maria... Nossa. We're doing all the greatest things today before we go! We went to a churrascaria (spelling?) today.. it's like Rodizio's but real life. Real Brazilians. Real Gauchos. And much cheaper :) It was delicious! So. much. meat. And that's going to be everyday in the mission where I'm at... nossa.
Next, we got a new companion!!! She was the only one to get a Visa from ALL the people waiting in Provo. She had been there for 6 weeks already. So she was in the same week as us and now we are in a trio! It's been so great. She is awesome. So happy, so positive, so funny. It's been such a blessing to have her with us! Sister Christensen's the name. She's a keeper.
We had an awesome experience last Saturday. Every Saturday night we have a workshop with all the North Americans and it's usually in English. Which is refreshing to say the least :) It's a different workshop every week and we never know what we're going to be doing. So this week we were divided into groups and it happens that they always put the sisters together in their own group. Being that there's, well, three of us here, it was just my companions and I in a group. We had 4 different "investigators" that we were to teach. In English. It was a strange transition at first and we kept accidently saying things in Portuguese. Funny. But once we got into it it was SO neat to just be able to really express ourselves the way want to, to be able to say everything we want to, to not be stumbling over every other sentence, and to just TALK. I LOVE Portuguese, and love learning it, and love teaching in it.. don't get me wrong. But I just cannot yet express myself how I want to in Portuguese, so this was a refreshing night. We got to our last investigator and started talking to him. We went into every lesson blind and had to figure out what each person needed. So we started talking and found out that his wife had died not too long ago and he was struggling so much, searching for answers, for hope, anything, and was completely lost. As he talked to us and we started teaching about the hope of Jesus Christ and the gospel, and that he would be able to see his wife again, there were literally tears in everyone's eyes. We were able to express everything we wanted to, and understand every thing that he was saying which... doesn't always happen in Portuguese. Yet. But the Spirit was so strong and powerful. It was the neatest experience. I sat there thinking "WOW. This is why I'm here. This is why I am doing what I'm doing. To bring people hope! To give them something more in life! To tell them that they really do have a Father in Heaven who loves them and understands everything they're going through. To tell them they have a Savior who can make every wrong right. THIS is why I'm here." My companions and I walked out just in awe and so grateful for that experience. It gave me hope. I look forward to the day I can have that same kind of power in words in Portuguese :) One day... one day. It may have all been role playing, but it made me realize that there are people in Santa Maria who will have real pains like this, and that the message of the gospel will give them real hope like this. I'm SO happy to be here! And it's going to be REAL in just a week!!! :)
Also... it actually already became real yesterday! We went proselyting! We were not expecting to, because it normally happens on week 8 and 9. We're on week 7, but we are leaving on week 8. So we thought we were just going to get jipped and only have one day of proselyting. But they came up to our classroom after lunch and said we were going out in half an hour! We were given 4 copies of the Book of Mormon to give out, and were sent on our merry little way, out into the big scary world of Sao Paulo. It took my companion (only Sister Christensen and I went, because Sister Anderson isn't leaving a week early) and I a few minutes to really grasp that this was real. I felt a little like I was thrown in the hunger games arena where it's like real life but actually it's not and all the people were actually just members who we were going to practice with... okay hunger games is a really bad analogy. Scratch that. It didn't feel real. Better? :) But once we got up our courage and started talking to people it was awesome. Okay.. after the first creeper old man who tried to kiss us and said after we asked if he believed in Jesus Christ, "Oh yes, if two beautiful girls like you believe in Jesus Christ, then I definitely believe in Jesus Christ!" Good grief. So... after him, then it was great :) Also, about half way through the afternoon, the skies opened up and the rain came down! It went from nothing, to pouring in about two seconds. We literally ran back to the CTM and were SOAKED in just a few minutes. So, we changed, grabbed our umbrellas and headed back to slosh around in soaking shoes all afternoon. It was the best! Really, I loved every minute of being out yesterday and being a "real missionary" as we kept saying to ourselves. Also, I have the worst wardrobe and shoes in the world for Brazil. :)
Also... it actually already became real yesterday! We went proselyting! We were not expecting to, because it normally happens on week 8 and 9. We're on week 7, but we are leaving on week 8. So we thought we were just going to get jipped and only have one day of proselyting. But they came up to our classroom after lunch and said we were going out in half an hour! We were given 4 copies of the Book of Mormon to give out, and were sent on our merry little way, out into the big scary world of Sao Paulo. It took my companion (only Sister Christensen and I went, because Sister Anderson isn't leaving a week early) and I a few minutes to really grasp that this was real. I felt a little like I was thrown in the hunger games arena where it's like real life but actually it's not and all the people were actually just members who we were going to practice with... okay hunger games is a really bad analogy. Scratch that. It didn't feel real. Better? :) But once we got up our courage and started talking to people it was awesome. Okay.. after the first creeper old man who tried to kiss us and said after we asked if he believed in Jesus Christ, "Oh yes, if two beautiful girls like you believe in Jesus Christ, then I definitely believe in Jesus Christ!" Good grief. So... after him, then it was great :) Also, about half way through the afternoon, the skies opened up and the rain came down! It went from nothing, to pouring in about two seconds. We literally ran back to the CTM and were SOAKED in just a few minutes. So, we changed, grabbed our umbrellas and headed back to slosh around in soaking shoes all afternoon. It was the best! Really, I loved every minute of being out yesterday and being a "real missionary" as we kept saying to ourselves. Also, I have the worst wardrobe and shoes in the world for Brazil. :)
Okay, I am out of time... I'm not sure if I'll be able to call when I am at the airport.. I'll try! Mom, will you send me a letter through mission ties giving me a few phone numbers in case you don't answer? I actually don't remember any of them... :)
I love you so very much!!! Thank you for all your support and love!! I miss you and pray for you everyday. Be happy, keep working hard :)
Ahh, next time we talk I'll be in Santa Maria!!! LOVE YOU!!! Tchau tchau :)
Sister Kane
Sister Kane
I love feeling your spirit. Good luck!
ReplyDeletePat (Alta Internal Medicine)