Ok, so I have so much to say to all of you, 30 minutes is not enough! I took a picture of all of your emails so I could read them later, I loved all the pics, thanks!! Today is the Day of the Dead in Brazil, so all of the stores and the post office :( is closed today for the holiday, so no mail til next week. But that´s ok, we got to go to the temple today, it was really wonderful!
So, I love Brazil!!! It is so beautiful here, just like I pictured. It´s actually not hot here at all. First few days we got here it was the perfect temperature, but now it is actually pretty cool. I wish I wouldn't have sent home my hoodie! Oh well, hopefully it will warm up again soon. Just like in Texas, all of the elders like to freeze us out with the AC. Ai. So yeah it is crazy different here! There is way way more study time, but they are not strict here at all and the rules are really slack so it is hard to be obedient. Sis. Barlow and I are trying our best to remember to be exactly obedient like we were taught in Provo. They focus on the language here more than the spiritual things, and they don't focus on teaching investigators as much here. Overall, I just need to be diligent on my own and not slack off. I'm learning so much here because of the change! I´m grateful for this opportunity to learn things that I wouldn´t have been able to in provo.
Sis. Barlow and I are again companions with Sis. Pedersen! Yay :) But we are not with our other district or friends anymore :( We miss them, but we know that we are where we need to be and we are making new friends! Brazillians are SUPER nice, I love them! All the sisters going to SPS are so sweet and excited to be companions. They are so warm and welcoming, I wish American culture was more open. Some of the brazillian elders told me that they thought I was brazillian because compared to my companions I look brazillian. Huge compliment :)
So the food...it tastes really good. The only thing is that it just doesn't sit very well. Seriously, they eat SOO much meat. At least two servings PER meal!? Hopefully my body will adjust soon enough, I can't figure out if I´m hungry or just don´t feel good or if I ate too much! Weight gain...here it comes ha ha. But I know that I am going to be just great and I´m already adjusting wonderfully. 3 Ne. 13 :25-34
So on sunday we got to watch the Joseph Smith movie in portuguese--no english subtitles! It was so neat! I loved it! I was able to understand almost everything! (I´m not sure if that is due to how much portuguese I´ve learned or that I´ve seen the movie so many times that I practically have it memorized...I´m going with the former :) But really, I´m so greatful to be hear and be able to speak and hear portuguese more! My goal for this week is to accept Portuguese as MY language. Because it is now for the next 17 months. So I´m trying to not speak anymore than 15 phrases in english per day! Oh man, it´s tough, but so helpful! I´m at about 25 times per day right now, but I´m learning so much more.
At the devotional yesterday our district sang prelude, and my district had me and Elder Lanham sing a solo/duet. It is really neat to be able to share my testimony and the spirit through song! We then watched a DVD by Elder Neil Anderson from a provo devotional. It was so good!! It was all about the Atonement and dealing with the things unseen. One quote I really liked he said: "Grace is the power to become something you are not." We all could access this power a little more in our everyday lives.
I´m almos finished with the Book of Mormon! I´ve loved every page, and my testimony has grown so much! Mormon 5--we need to more recognize the presence of God in our lives!
If there is anything I´ve have found this week, it is that ATTITUDE makes all the difference. You´re life is how you make it, SO MAKE IT GOOD! We all have the freedom to choose whether to ACT on our situation and change our experiences for the better, or to be acted upon and not enjoy what we otherwise could have. So I encourage ALL of you to choose to have a good attitude about what is going on in your life and always ACT not be acted upon.
I love you all.
Te amo
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