December 17, 2012

Hey, 
Alright, so Christmas time. I´m pretty sure we can skype!!! yeahhhh. Make sure everything works haha. Bah its been rediculous trying to find someone with internet, and skype (but there is a member here, they are so much fun) and they have skype and we will be spending christmas with them so hopefully everything will work our alright. Its gonna be in the morning i believe. We were supposed to receive an e-mail from President Wright giving us all the instructions for Christmas...but we haven´t gotten it yet. 

But this week we had our Christmas conference. It was super fun. Each district gave a little presentation. Almost all the districts sang. They brought the spirit and then there was our district. We had prepared a little skit basically the spirit went running because it was rediculous. But it was fun. President and Sister Wright gave us all a little Preach My Gospel. There so cool!! Only mission presidents had them, and we were talking to sister wright and asked about them....and then for christmas the entire mission received mini preach my gospels. Bah we were so excited!!!

Oh btw i now use words like bah, and barbaridade

This week is transfers!!! Sister Teixeira will be transfered and I´ll be staying here!!!! (Although this week I kinda wish I was being transfered haha its been a rough week, Everything that could go wrong with investigators has been going wrong);. Usually we don´t know what will happen during transferes but this week we know, cuz we´re special! 

Yesterday we set up a christmas tree in the house of the member i´ll be spending christmas with. It made me laugh because she doesnt have lights. And in your last e-mail you said you needed more lights. Its a little tree about waist high but its a tree and it was fun to decorate a little. But wow made me miss home so much. And having a tree with memories and advent calanders and everything. 

Oh another thing...ward christmas party. We had the ward christmas dinner a few days ago. But it didn´t start until about 9 so we didn´t get to stay very long...and we still didn´t get home until after we were supposed to be at home. Everything starts really late. 

But all is good here. Supplies....bah i´m overflowing with stuff. I don´t think i´ll need anything for the rest of the mission. Just the makeup. I bought some sunblock and toothpaste...and then received the package with more haha 

well love you...and am getting to talk to you right now haha
Saudades!!!!! 
Carissa

December 10, 2012

I got your other package. We have a tree!!!! Yeahhhh. I haven´t put out stockings or anything 1st because the temptation is too great haha and second transfers are next week and S. Teixeira i think will be leaving. (its gonna be weird having another companion for christmas)

Your oil lamps are adorable ( I told Carissa about clay oil lamps we made to teach the parable of the ten virgins.) . And ironic because this week we had Stake Conference. The Stake had a goal of 1,000 people there. They made invitations and gave a bunch to us to visit inactive members and our investigators and invite them to stake conference. We prepared a message....the 10 virgins and shared it with most people. 

Oh i miss large christmas trees!!! I haven´t seen a lifesize tree yet here :( and just two or three houses with christmas lights on the outside. I think 1st of all its expensive and 2nd it probably attracts robbers and such. No idea though

Really don´t have many stories for this week. I´m going to buy the speakers i need so i can listen to the christmas music you sent yeahh...hope everything works but if not oh well i really don~t believe its christmas time haha  heat and christmas just don´t mix in my book

A few nights ago it was so hot in our room that we took the mattresses and put them in the living room and slept there...but by 1am we were eaten alive by mesquitos.

This week is our christmas party for the mission...well our zone and zones near us. Let you know how it goes!

Alls well here 
Love you tons
Carissa

December 3, 2012

I got the little boxes which i love (and are full of skittles) (she loves skittles, can you tell?) and a little bear (from her grandmother).  Obviously, she opened the Christmas gifts I sent!!!   I saw one house here with christmas lights, its not very common. And the christmas trees are just the little artificial table trees usually. I´m not gonna lie i´m really glad i only have one christmas and one thanksgiving outside of the states. Though still bummed about the two fourth of julys. 

Oh basketball how miss it!!! (though i´m sure you don´t haha) soccer soccer soccer soccer. yesterday was the big game between the two teams here in Rio Grande do Sul. Gremio and International. (we´re inter fyi) there were fights and everything. Its crazy. made me really miss baseball and basketball haha

Its strange all week long i think of random things i want to write (and sometimes i even write them down) and then the day comes i can write. And i have no idea what to say, i think its the pressure haha

Well I´ll start with last P-day. We went to downtown Porto Alegre!!! Because S. Teixeira needed to buy clothes...just we couldn~t find any. So i only bought granola, way cool i know! But i didn´t buy anything else because I was looking for nativity scenes...and i haven´t seen any that are any different from the normal ones you could buy at walmart. You may have to come and visit Brasil when i leave so we can find nativity scenes becaue i´m losing faith that i´ll find one before the end of the year. 

And i know the 1st thing i want to do when i get home. Because i will be very tired. So were all going to sit in the living room drink chimarrão and swap stories. Because when you drink chimarrão you are no longer tired. Last night we visited a family and drank chímarrao with them....we were up till about 1:00am talking because we were not tired. I bought my first bomba today (the straw type thing you drink chimarrão  and my first mate (the herb/powder) Eu Sou Gaucha agora!!!! haha

But anyways i haven´t bought many things yet, 1st because i´m cheap and 2nd i still have a pharmacy in my suitcase haha. But its good, S. Teixeria is having some problems with her teeth and i have everything. Sister Wright is now calling me doctor Bradley haha. She´s so funny. Its sad but i like it when my companions are sick because i get to talk to her. (I think we both like having someone to speak in English with for a little while). 

Anyways back to Downtown Porto Alegre. You´ll never guess where we ate.....MCDONALDS!!! The first time i´ve eaten at mickyDs in ages. And Dad will die when he learns how much it was! 18 reais (about 9 dollars) and today while we were at the doctors (who is outside our area too, so we got to leave our area last pday and this pday whoohooo) we ate at subway the 6inch is 10 reais. Yikes usually things because the exchange rate are cheaper for me....but american places are ridiculously expensive. and not the same thing. I´ve eaten at all these places once and i think i´ll stick with brasilian food in brasil and american food in america haha. Though we made cookies one time for a baptism and they were wonderful!

ahhh so yours is the 2nd package. I received the first one and a few days later our Zone Leaders said they saw a package for me in the mission office. I thought it was the 1st and wasn~t sure if i believed i had a 2nd haha. yippee!!! I haven´t gotten it yet because they didn´t take it (don´t know why)

Ok so first story....i´m so ready to come home from the mission and be a better person!!! So many things have happened this week that have shown me more the person i want to be. Our relief society lesson about visiting teaching, they way members work with the missionaries, how to be more open...and sincere with people (if i haven~t learned that by the end of the mission i didn~t serve in brasil everyone is very sincere here, they say what they think still not sure if its good or bad). 

You asked about members and investigators. Our recent convernt T------- (she was baptized a week ago) is already giving meals for the missionaries. She´s so wonderful. She´s really timid so we´re worried about her making friends in church so we´re trying to help with that. And this week we didn~t teach many lessons but my goodness gracious we talked with the entire world. 90 contacts!!! (though we fell short of our goal for 100). 

Skype: I´m hoping we can skype (for Christmas). Because its worlds cheaper and cooler because i can actually see you all!!!

Well I need to go...tell sara i´ll handwrite her because i didn´t have time to respond :(

Love you

Carissa

November 26, 2012

Alright this week was CRAZY! I’ll start at the beginning with last P-day while e-mailing you actually. We received a text from an investigator, T----, whose baptism was marked for Saturday. She told us that she wouldn´t be baptized and couldn´t talk now and would talk to us later. This investigator had been progressing and was ready for baptism. I don~t remember if I wrote about her or not, her daughter has problems with drugs and had been in a clinic but had left the week before and was living with her mom (T-----) again. We were so worried we didn~t know what happened. We called multiple times and she never answered. We stopped by on Tuesday and talked with her. Luckily she was just having doubts that she was ready or not to be baptized. We read some scriptures with her talked about feeling the spirit. And helped her recognize that she was receiving an answer the church is true. And…….she was baptized Saturday!!!!!! Whoohooo Party in the heavens!!! Her baptism was probably the craziest yet. Luckily we actually had members there (our last only had 3 priesthood holders and us) but no one filled the baptismal font. T------ was a referral from a member and he was going to baptize her but he had to go to work and its about and hr ½ to fill the font ahhhh. So the rusha began. There were two faucets in the bathrooms and we were filling up buckets and a GIANT cooking pot filling the font. You´ve never seen such a ridiculous sight. I told S. Teixeira baptisms are never easy we always have to work, T------ was an elect, she accepted everything…so we had to do the work in filling the baptismal font haha. Pay the toll haha.

Her daughter N-----  is super special. She already love us and us her! We´re starting to work with her to stop smoking (she´s already stopped drugs but has substituted it with cigarettes). She´s 16 and has had these problems for 2 years! I can hardly imagine, she´s a kid with adult problems.

We had a neat experience with her. Friday night we had an activity for missionary work (she and T----- came. It was supposed to start at 7 but didn~t end up starting till 8:30 so we only got to stay for ½ hr. The next day we visited T------ after her baptism and she told us N----- was out with some friends at another church´s activity. (we were slightly worried because this church is very popular with youth) but while we were there she came back. She told us she had left this activity early because they had tried to expel a demon out of her when she told them she was going to our church (she hadn´t even been to church yet haha). She told us she felt peace and friendship at the activity and liked it a lot. Whoohooo. Its going to be a difficult road because she doesn´t believe she can stop smoking. But we want to help her so much. So its going to be an interesting next couple of weeks helping someone overcome an addiction. Haven´t had this experience yet!

Temple, yes I get to go, but its only every 3 months or thereabouts. So far its just been one time.

I already told you about chimarrão, but yesterday we were visiting some members and drinking chimarrão oh its a tradition i Love.  

You know the funny part is i was thinking abou tour Age of Sail adventure a few days ago!  

Package: RECEIVED! It depends on a lot of things to receive pkgs. Right now since I´m in Porto Alegre, in the zone of the mission Office we get things a lot faster. Plus this week we had zone conference so we went to the mission Office and picked up our pkgs. Other times Zone Leaders bring them to district mtgs when they visit. (and sometimes they forget to bring them and we have to wait a few more weeks grrrr haha)

But thanks for the package!!!yeahhhh!! (The 5 gum is going to help me with my diet that i´m starting for about the 5th time, hopefully it lasts more than two days this week).

But nossa i´m overflowing with toothpaste and goldbond now haha. Though the toothpaste was a blessing because the toothpaste i brought expired in February of last year!!!  And sour gummy worms....its been so hard not to eat them all. And thanks for the footsies...i have not Idea what they´re called. and I showed S. Teixeira about chewing LifeSavors.   That was a fun little activity after prosilyting all Day.

Thanksgiving...as far as i know its not celebrated. No one talked about it...I remembered on Wednesday and then again on Friday haha. Everyone is in the Christmas spirit starting to decorate and all....its so strange to see Christmas trees...in 95 degree weather.  (although this week hás been cooler and raining a little tôo)

I Love getting your talks through missionties. Its something different to study. I loved the ones you sent. The funny part is two Sundays ago we studied the same talk in Relief Society. Laborers in the Vineyard, and it was a talk i studied a lot in the CTM. I Love it. And I adore the talk about Grace i think i remember it from somewhere but i don~t remember where. I haven´t been using missionties as much because well i´m past my 6th month Mark which means people start forgetting you at home and people start missing you here (which is really cool). So i don~´t know how missionties works on your end. For me when i receive na e-mail from someone not a member of the family i write them back and then send it to São Paulo to missionties and they send it. But i don´t think i´ll be using it as much anymore so if its cheaper for me to send it snailmail i can do that tôo because i have a ton of stamps.

Well Love you tons miss you. Happy late thanksgiving tôo!

Oh, questions....

hairloss....i´m lossing a ton everyday! thinning thining ...why?

November 19, 2012

Dearest Mother (and family who read), 

This week we had a conference with parts of two missions!!!! Zones in Porto Alegre North and Porto Alegre Sul close to Porto Alegre (who many times will I write POA) got to go! So I got to see some of my friends from the CTM serving in Missao Sul. It was a member of the 1st quorum of the 70. Elder Aidukaits. He reminded us of Jim Carrey but was a little more spiritual. He spoke about planning and obedience. He read us D&C 4 and told us it is a promise of the Lord that the field is white. It is a promise that the world is ready for our message. But then he read us another that when we do not what he says we have no promise... why aren´t we baptizing as much as we´d like?   obedience....     (So we´ve been trying harder than ever to be more obedient). 

I´d love handwritten things. A--- and I have been writing, thats been fun. But its a little more expensive and takes a lot more time to get it. Don´t stress about the makeup, i still have quite a bit. And i figured out how they buy makeup here...through the magazine. (avon etc). 

 Thats such an awesome experience! (I had shared a missionary story about two elders who were wearing their white shirts and ties on p-day and were able to make contact with someone who would not have recognized them in p-day clothing.)   We have the same rule -- we are always in skirts wherever we go! There are so many little miracles. This week we´ve been contacting less active members (there are a lot here) we´ve found two really special families. We´re really hoping that they will start coming back to church. OH Free agency it really is frustrating as a missionary. But we are learning to be a little or a lot more forceful and direct with people. I´ve been studying the new testament...Jesus taught with authority, Peter and John taught with boldness and authority. We have authority; we need to exercise it. That is something really hard for me sometimes...especially in another language. 

Well not very many new things this week. Our RC (recent convert)  is firm and faithful. We passed by and he told us we was studying tithing and needed an envelope so he could pay it. We pretty much just jumped for joy. I haven´t had this experience. from beginning to end and seeing the change they make. He told us we was talking with someone at work and they asked him when he was gonna be `mormon´ and he told them he already was. With all the other people we´ve baptized its been complicated or i was transfered the next day  :(

Ya they told us they received 7,000 applications after they announced the change.  (Carissa is referring to a new policy that allows young men 18 years old to go on missions, and for the young women the age was changed from 21 to 19.)  It will be a little longer until we have tons of sister from the states here but this or the next transfer we´re expecting sisters!!!! 

Anyways love you, have a wonderful Thanksgiving...does NOT feel like christmas or thanksgiving time here. Although everyone is starting to decorate. So Christmas is almost everywhere...it just doesn~t seem right to have christmas in the heat haha

But no i hadn~t heard about the media thing.  (I had written to Carissa about a church website dedicated just to Christmas.  http://mormon.org/christmas)    How cool. We don~t really use the media because its hard to find people with a DVD player. Let alone internet. 

November 13, 2012

oh Shaneyyyyyyy tell him I miss him. 

Here the heat is coming. Its already almost scortching at times. Its been threatening to rain here all weekend but as of yet, nothing. Just dismal humidity and clouds. 

What type of subjects is he looking at doing?? I´m sure they´re all over the board haha. (anything to do with brasil or rio grande do sul (its basically its own country everyone says haha)

I have been studying parables too!! Presidente Wright wants all of his missionaries to have read the standard works. Since I´ve already read the Book of Mormon He wants me to start with the New Testament and read it cover to cover. Its weird because I´ve hardly ever studied the scriptures cover to cover. Rather by topic but its going to be an interesting and difficult expereience because I have a goal to read the book of Mormon in Portugues. and I have to read about 10 pages a day to finish all the standard works before I go home. (Sister Teixeira and i today created a study plan) Yikes the mission does pass quickly. I´ve almost hit my 6 month mark. I can hardly believe it. 

Oh but the parable you shared i found a poem, `´the echo´´ in a conference talk its about this parable and its really neat. I liked it i think you´ll enjoy it.

More Pictures, Finally!

-PUPPY ITS SO FLUFFY I´M GONNA DIE!!!!!      

The WORST hill every. trust me the photo doesnt do it justice

( This was in her old area)

Me and sister Teixeira at the temple! 

me,  Elder Francas(missao Sul), Elder Tomaz (my district) (CTMMMMM)

My 1st Pizza in fBrazil!!!!!

November 13, 2012

Hey,

We´re off Schedule tôo this week. It s transfer week!!! But Everything got switched around. Transfers will be tomorrow (Although we already know who´s being transferred, and whose staying… S. Teixeira and I are still together).  So P-day got moved to today. But by the looks of things it was for the best.

This week we had our 1st baptism here in Elizabeth. It was really special, and very very small. We had the minimum number of people possible. Person being baptized. Person Baptizing, two witnesses and two missionaries. We were a little frustrated because we had done everything we could, announced in all the classes on Sunday, sacrament, called everyone but no one came. But that evening was a baptism of a member and the whole world was there. GRRRR. But it was good. He works nights and so to ensure that he came to church Sunday to be confirmed we offered to pick him up with a member who has a car. He wasn´t at the place we had planned on picking him up, so we went to his house. We clapped our hands. Called his name, Called his phone (which we heard inside the house) we even banged on the window! But he never answered!!! Gah we were so frustrated! He was sleeping!! We decided we´d come back before sacrament meeting (we have it last) and wake him up. We got to church about half hour late and when we went to Gospel Principles…HE WAS THERE!!! He had walked to church after work!  We could hardly believe it! What a miracle and what faith! He has more faith and desire than a lot of lifelong members!!

Thursday will be special too, we are having a conference with a member of the 70. And because I´m in Porto Alegre I get to go! (and lead the music). It was so scary when I found out. Because S. Teixeira wasn~t feeling well So I called and was talking to Sister Wright. And I heard President Wright ask to talk to me…my heart jumped and sank ahhhhhhh. But then he told me we´d be having a conference with a general authority and he wanted me to lead the music.  What a relief, haha. (And no one else knew about the conference until today hehe I like being in the know, doesn’t happen very often here in the mission). Just in the ward…sheesh sisters know EVERYTHING!

Oh Politics how I miss it…not. Lots of people ask me about elections, politics I think its funny that people here know when we have elections and what happened. They had elections here about a month ago and I´m pretty sure no one in the US knew.
Its so strange to think that Thanksgiving is almost here. It doesn~t feel like Christmas/thanksgiving time yet. It has been really hot. (We walk with an umbrella because the sun is ridiculous). Yesterday was nice it rained and was cool, but its getting warm…and i´m not very excited for it to get worse!

Oh did you get my photos I e-mailed the past few weeks? And did you get my letter from missionties about makeup etc? I´ve been using missionties every now and then but I don´t know if it gets through sometimes.


OH i´m kinda jealous you all got to play risk. I´ve known how to play it directly. (Though I think I lack the patience to play it).  Tell Lauren and Chris Hi for me. (What mission is his brother serving in? I have a better knowledge of the missions here now than before haha)
Elizabeth is a difficult area. Its not in the city but its pretty poor in some areas.  We struggle to have people progressing. We can find people to teach. But no one is willing to put forth the effort. Its interesting, the different understandings people have. I think it would be very interesting to serve for a little while in the states and here and see the difference. Here people always say There is just one God and religions are just the different ways we have of worshiping him and such. People are very passive (which is surprising because passive is  not a word I would use to describe brasilians haha)another thing i´m learning here in the mission haha.

Today we were walking to the internet café and talking about food (because we haven~t eaten yet today…we´ll eat my first Xis today!!!) But we were talking about hamburgers and S. Teixeira was saying how much she wanted a Big Mac. I started thinking about In-N-Out oh how delicioso!. J

OH that car that car. Its ridiculous! She needs to date a mechanic :P
OH and how is my baby boy? ( She is talking about Shaggy, her cat.) We saw a cat yesterday that looked exactly like him. 

I don~t know how my Portugues is haha. Its coming, but for me I wish I was  alittle further along for being in the mission 6 months!....can you believe i´ve been in Brazil for over 6 months now! Next week I´ll have one year left in the mission! Sometimes it does seem forever and other times it seems really short. 

The other day we were talking with a woman and she was telling us all the problems she has with her son. Made me so grateful for the relationship I have with you and dad.
Anyways Love you tons and miss you too!
Carissa 

November 5, 2012

How Sad about Halloween!!!  (Our Halloween was very cold and stormy.)  Ours too was fairly uneventful, they don~t really celebrate it here. I saw two houses kinda decorated and that’s about it.

Yeah for Shaney! (A friend of Carissa's just arrived home from his mission.) How is he adjusting to being home? And Janelle leaving soon how crazy is that! Send me her address and I´ll write her, I want to hear how she´s doing! Life´s gotta be so crazy for them right now.

That’s funny you mention testimony meeting. I was sitting in our ward thinking about that because not one of the youth or primary kids shared their testimonies and I was thinking I wonder if they (Matthew and his friend) are still sharing their testimonys all the time. That’s so good to hear that they are doing that still. Might as well cuz when they are on the mission….no one knows how many times a day you share your testimony! And the when not if is very important. ( I was telling her about some boys who are planning on serving missions that are saying "When I go"  not "IF I go"  )    We had a RC (recent convert)  tell us he won~t serve, he won~t go to church anymore and all that stubborn rebellious stuff. So awesome that they are preparing and excited to serve!

I did hear a little about what happened in NY. But not much after effect that always happens.

Sorry this letter is kinda short, I had to send pictures to the mission office for Christmas and transfer pictures for sister matiaco because her camera broke and she doesn’t have any pictures so i´m transferring some for her from my camera. And it used up some of my time to write yáll sorry.

  (The next part is a question and answer type of conversation.  Sometimes Carissa doesn't have time to write long letters, so she will just type in answers to my questions.)

How is your new area?  Is it as hilly as your old area?  No not even close. Its flat flat flat flat. Chico has more hills than this area. It was the first strange thing about being here in Porto Alegre/Elizabeth. Not hiking hills, its so much easier haha Plus we live in the area. In Caxias we didn~t live in our area so we had to walk about 30 min to our area and then to wherever we needed to go. Crazy (That hill photo was very impressive! I can't believe you go up and down those all day!)  How is the ward? I really like the ward here. Its awesome. Tell us more about your new companion?e  us more about your new companion?  Where is she from?  Is her family supportive/ active? Sister Teixeira is a new convert of about 2 ½ years. She is from Sao Paulo. She and her cousin are the only members of her family.  I did get a letter from Sister Wright and she does sound adorable.  It was so sweet of her to write!  Are you in a suburb of Porto Alegre? Yes Any miracles happen this week?  Yes we had several but i´ll just share one because I still have to send a letter to president and I have 10min ahhhhhh we contacted a woman in the street. She was boarding the bus but said we could visit her and quickly gave us her address . We went to visit her several times but she never could visit with us. Finally the last time we were going ot visit her we she said we could come in. We entered and she had a friend there, Aliane. We taught them both and when we finished we invited them to be baptized and attend church on Sunday. They said they would and asked where the church was. When we explained it Aliane said oh i´ve been to your church before I know…and named a member. This member had told us that she had a friend Aliane who wanted to learn more about the church. But we had never been able to coordinate with her to visit aliane. (We´ve been trying for about6 weeks) The Lord always prepares a way.

BTW I hear you want a puppy!! Chow/shepherd mix….how did you know that’s what I wanted :P

Love yáll

October 29, 2012

Here the heat is coming. Its already almost scortching at times. Its been threatening to rain here all weekend but as of yet, nothing. Just dismal humidity and clouds. 

 ( I told Carissa about Matthew preparing for a huge report he will be doing. )What type of subjects is he looking at doing?? I´m sure they´re all over the board haha. (anything to do with brasil or rio grande do sul (its basically its own country everyone says haha)

I have been studying parables too!! Presidente Wright wants all of his missionaries to have read the standard works. Since I´ve already read the Book of Mormon He wants me to start with the New Testament and read it cover to cover. Its weird because I´ve hardly ever studied the scriptures cover to cover. Rather by topic but its going to be an interesting and difficult expereience because I have a goal to read the book of Mormon in Portugues. and I have to read about 10 pages a day to finish all the standard works before I go home. (Sister Teixeira and i today created a study plan) Yikes the mission does pass quickly. I´ve almost hit my 6 month mark. I can hardly believe it. 

Oh but the parable you shared i found a poem, `´the echo´´ in a conference talk its about this parable and its really neat. I liked it i think you´ll enjoy it.

Dentist: I bought one ( a Brazilian mouthwash) and have been using it in the morning and ACT at night so that should  lengthen the time i have act. The stuff i bought here in Brasil actually has more of the active ingredient than ACT. I´m just worried  because everyone here drinks soda....coka cola is like water here. But its nice because for me I don~t like telling people no to food, because serisouly people are offended if you don~t eat or drink everything they offer you. I think its easier for Brazilians to say no than for us americans because people will think its a cultural difference and such. So its nice that sister teixeira doesn~t drink soda. I just add on to her no thanks haha. But don´t worry i always carry floss with me and floss all the time haha.

Debit card: I haven´t used it since i was in Caxias that one time to print photos. I have cash that i exchanged at the airport. My only fear with my debit card is that it will be blocked. 

Anyways on to the events of this week. Its been crazy!!! Temple, Conference just for Sisters!!! WHOOHOOO foi chique de mais!!!!! (WAS AWESOME). 

The temple was really special. Difficult because everything was in Portugues but i understood practically everything. But the part that was incredible was i got to see elders from the Mission Porto Alegre Sul!!! (People i knew in the CTM) and then as we were leaving the temple. My instrucutor in the CTM in Sao Paulo followed me out of the temple!!! Irma Korth...What a surprise!!!! She is from rio grande do sul. but it was such a miracle to see her!!! Then the next day we had our district meeting and i received a letter from her!!! (I should have gotten it a few weeks ago but our elders forgot to bring our letters). Speaking of letters i love getting those letters from the Primary! Tell sister Arvenon thank you for me. They are so sweet. 

Then on thursday we had our sisters conference. There are only 20 sisters in our mission but because of the change in age for sisters we are expecting many many more. (about 1/3 of our mission will be sisters in the future) We will have traveling sisters, who can go on splits with us. It was so fun. And I finally got to have my 1st interview with Presidente Wright! (We didn~t have time to interview when i arrived in the field). But i love them they are so sweet and wonderful. Apparently they are very different then the other President (the one we received information about when i got my call) He was very strict, but Presidente Wright just loves you and wants to help you. But he seriously wants us to be the best we can be. its great.

OH but i have a question for dad. How does he work with the missionaries? Who organizes baptisms for investigators in our ward?? The two wards i´ve been in have done it differently. And yikes we have communication problems here...be greatful for unlimited data and calling plans. 

Short hair for the summer!  So cute!

October 23, 2012

Alrighty I have about 20 minutes to write whooohooo. So many things that happened last week I forgot to tell you about, opps sorry. 1st is…. I CUT MY HAIR….SHORT

But I forgot to take a picture so you´ll have to see next week when I e-mail my photos from the temple…which we are going to in about 2 hours whoohooo *(which is why today is p-day for us). I´m kinda nervous but really excited. Other exciting news is Thursday we will be having a sister conference! Just us sisters!!! Because of the new age for sisters we are expecting more sisters in our mission (we have about 20 right now) and we need to be prepared. And talk about clothes and standards of course haha.  

Haha that’s so awesome. (I was telling her about seminary where we are learning the names of the current twelve apostles and reminding her of her seminary days energetically learning the twelve apostles. ) I was helping Sister Lira learn the apostles too, it was also way calmer than us. Yesterday we had lunch with the 2nd counselor in the bishopric here and he was talking about scripture mastery and super Saturday with scripture chases. Oh good times good times. I remembered all the scripture chases we would have and how intense we were…and doing it at parties and all.

That’s so weird to think about it getting dark earlier because here right now…it gets dark later. Yesterday it was pouring rain and I pulled out my boots but the front lip is separating so they didn~t really help much L but the funniest part was we stopped by again at the 2nd counselors house and we used plastic bags for socks to walk home in so we wouldn~t be as wet. Helped a little but not a ton. Oh the adventures we have.

Oh but I do have a question about the fluoride/ACT I use. They don´t have it here L But they have some with the same active ingredient. It doesn´t taste as strong (but everything dental wise here doesn~t have such a strong taste that i´ve tried yet). But we drink so much soda here. I wanna be cautious. Everyone drinks coke. Sheesh. (still don~t really like it)

Another funny food story. We went to the store and they had cheddar cheese. I was so excited I bought some and apples (since they didn~t have Peanut Butter L) well cheddar here is not cheddar there. Its basically kraft American cheese…not very good. But I ate it with apples

I´m writing a lot about food I know. But like you mom food played a huge role in my week….we ate…we ate…we ate and then we ate some more. Sunday we were practically sick we ate so much. OH but we had the best food. Sonhos (dreams) are like donoughts and basically heaven on earth)

Anyways, this week has been good. I love it here. At times yes I miss being home but this really is a special place. (Oh Sister Wright told me she wrote you a letter how cute, you´d like her a lot)

Anyways love you

Tchao
Carissa Bradley

PICTURES FROM BRAZIL!!!!

Me with chuhasco last dinner with Irmao joao (ward mission leader) and his family

                 THANK YOU!!!!

  Me with a giant chimarrao (famous drink of rio grande do sul)  In gramada for P-day de zona!!!!

 me and four elders in my zone that came with me from the ctm!! P-day de zona at a waterfall in Canela

October 15, 2012

Katie do you know her last name??? cuz if its the Katie i´m thinking of ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hahah. And Janee too??? TO WHO???? (Carissa is reacting to news that two people she grew up with are engaged to different people  :)))


Anyways very fun. Oh my goodness I want to e-mail photos to you but i haven´t been able to yet. and my adaptor never works on the computers here. I´m trying to find a cord for my camera but haven´t been able to yet. 

Not very many new happenings this week. 

Roadshows how fun. And sounds adorable, I love that scene from that movie. (Our ward used Enchanted as a starting point and used a song from that movie,  How Will She Know You love Her?)   And that song too (can you make a cd and send it too me??? pretty pretty please) Oh I almost had an attack yesterday the mp3 and speakers you sent me have been wonderful!!! But then the speakers stopped working. The batteries were still good but the speakers wouldn~t turn on. I tried new batteries today and they worked. 

We talked to a member about the nativity. And when she goes into the more shopping friendly part of Porto Alegre she´ll take pictures of them so i can see them. I don´t know what will be best to do. I´ll just have to see what its like. 

Anyways, this week. Honestly not much happened. We are trying to find new people to teach and really struggling. 

You asked about eating at members houses....EVERYDAY. Come mais sister....eat more eat more eat more. Yikes I really don~t want to come home fat...but its impossible here. We are always eating. (but the food is really really good)

The ward is fairly small not tinnie tiny but decent. 

Sister Teixeira is awesome. 

This week has been hard for me. I left Caxias and we were succeeding. We taught lots of lessons, people, and were successful and usually received well. Here, a completely different story. Its been challenging. Very different area. 

In this area we only take the bus for District meetings once a week. In Caxias we would have to take the bus sometimes for lunch (lunch here is the main meal). I don~t know exactly why they closed our area. There are lots of possible reasons. All that happened was our areas were switched. We lived in centro but worked in bela vista. It was about a 25 min walk to our area. The Elders that worked in Cento live closer to bela vista. And also we had 6? Young recent male converts (RC). Elders could help them better than us. We couldn~t visit RC in their houses. We would have to visit them outside, Elders won~t have this problem. plus bela vista is a huge area. But the cool part is here in Elizabeth its a fairly new area for sisters.

A lot of the missionaries here have little albums of photos of family friends and such. I have a little album can you send me pictures? from our vacation, my trip to europe i don~t need a ton but i do miss photos. 

I can~t believe all the changes that are happening at home. It scrazy. well i miss you tons and tons and tons (honestly you have no idea how much i miss you all) 

love 
carissa

(Life in Durham has been really busy and Carissa wrote only a few lines one week.  I am trying to catch up!  This letter was from  October 8, 2012)

Alright, I have lots to catch the world up on. Sorry about last week but literally I was online for 5 min. We had P-Day as a zone because we accomplished our goal of 20 baptisms (actually we had 21!!!!) But for S. Lira and I it was difficult because we had 2 people decide not to. One of them...in the minute of her baptism. It was a very emotional week for us, she was going home, our area was closed for Sisters, I was being transferred, Baptisms, baptisms falling through. it was just a crazy week! 

Anyways, our investigators-- our 3 young men were baptized. two Haitianos and one other brazilian. His mom was already to be baptized but she has a fear of water. She was all dressed, interviewed and ready to be baptized but when she saw E---- baptized she began to panic and decided to wait .The other L---, i don´t know what happened because we didn~t get to see her again. She called us the night before her baptism and told us she wasn´t ready. (this is the 2nd time) we went to her house the next day with the elders that were being transferred to our area but we only got to talk to her husband. and she didn~t come to church on sunday. It was really sad and difficult for us. But we did our part, we did all we could....and people have their agency...and at times thats very difficult for us missionaries. 

Anyways, transfers.....dum dum dum...... were AWESOME!!!! hahaha everyone thought I would be going to Canoas. But the night before i was thinking and started thinking about Porto Alegre. I got my paper for transfers.....and yep Porto Alegre! I get to go to the temple haha My new companions Sister Teixeira has 7 months in the mission so we´re both fairly newbies and she was the companion of Sister Lira before me in Caxias!! Small world. Its fun because everyone in Caxias loves her and I always heard about S. Teixeira and now she´s my companion. She is helping me a lot with Portugues which is awesome. She doesn't know a lot in English but more than S. Lira and can help explain and correct the things I say. ....also I´m the only american in my district! and the other district in our zone are the assistants and secretaries who are basically fluent in portugues...so i´m the only one whose learning portugues its very different but will be a good learnin experience. 

the ward here...idk yet ive just met members we´ve visited and tons at the stake center for conference

General Conference....please send me one in english!!!!!!! haha our dupla will get one in Portugues but i really want one in english....because i still understand english better than portugues. it was a really neat experience thought to listen to conference in portgues. I really had to rely on the spirit and it was easier to receive personal revelation. Usually when i listen i hear things that really touch me but then the speaker moves on and i continue listening. In another language its easier to tune it out and listen to what the spirit had to teach me. It was an incredible experience. Also fun because all the missionaries of our zone were at the stake center. and the power went out the last half hr of the saturday session! (and we were late for the 1st session so we missed the announcement about the change in missionary ages.) but its awesome!!!! 

Porto Alegre is more humid than Caxias. So it feels a lot hotter and as been raining quite a bit this week. My clarks (shoes) are wonderful. A sister that went home last week had the exact same pair and they lasted her the entire mission (i think) Mine are a little worn but i think they´ll last and be fine. my boots are a little worse for wear i need to glue the front of the soles and then they´ll be fine. 

I will start looking for nativites. I don´t live in the center of town anymore so idk if i´ll be able to find any right now. But i will keep my eyes open.

Did i tell you about my birthday yet??? So I was with S. J. Fernandes and we had p-day and basically slept the whole time. But we did make a cake. After we had made the batter we realized we didnt have any gas for the oven....opps. So we made it in the mircrowave!!!! .... it turned into a rock haha a great chocolage rock :P 

Well i love you!!! And think of you all often 

Love Sister Bradley

                                           Pictures!

 Carissa with her first baptism

 Carissa and her trainer, Irma Lira and all the Elders!

 See our bright little flower!

Pictures!!!  September 17th

September 26,2012

So 1st thing, don´t stress you didn´t receive an e-mail yesterday. Our lives got turned upside down flipped around and rotated and any other way you can think of to manuver a life. Anyways, long long long story short. Yesterday two other sisters came here (the rest of the world had P-day) and we went on splits and worked. Today Sister Lira and Sister Barbosa went to the temple and I stayed here in Caxias with Sister Fernandes (From Sao Paulo) and we are having Pday today.Its going to be a very interesting birthday. 


OH MY GOODNESS THIS WEEK, honestly I don~t know where to begin!! It has been a rough week for me emotionally. But Heavenly Father knew that and gave us soooo many incredible blessings. 

One incredible story, I don~t know if I´ve written about the Haitianos we´ve been teaching. Remember all the humanitarian projects and things that happened in our Stake for Haiti? I now know them! they are incredible! They don~´t speak very much Portugues. But they are so ready for the gospel. Edvard, has had a baptismal date for about 2 weeks now for this next weekend. But his friend Joseph (who speaks a little ENglish) has been very hesitant. There are others but i´ll just write about these two for now. Anyways Joseph doesn~t understand very many words in Portugues but he understood baptism, and it kinda became a joke between all of us when we´d talk about baptism to invite him to be baptized. And he would always say after Edvard, after he saw Edvard´s baptism. well on sunday we had a miracle. he was a lot more open and joking around with us, usually he is very reserved (I understand why, its really hard to understand and requires a lot of concentration). Anyways we invited a friend of theirs (a brazillian) to be baptized too and she accpeted, only she lives in the area of those Elders so they get to teach her :( We turned and asked Joseph if he would be baptized with Edvard....HE SAID HE WANTED TOO!!! Not just yes but i want to be baptized with him!!! BASICALLY we were just overflowing with happiness. They love having us visit them...they´ve received visits from other Religions (while we were visiting them sometimes haha awkward) but they always tell us they love the spirit we bring and talking with us. 

Oh my goodness I have so many stories for this week!!! We have5 or 6 baptims this weekend. We need everyone's prayers. We love these investigators and each one is so special and has overcome so much.   

I have learned the importance to have a profeta (prophet). there is a scripture I read the other day, i don~t remember where butit talks about how there will be false christs and people performing "miracles" trying to lead the hearts and the elect astray. There truly are people searching for the truth but they get distracted and confused. Its so wonderful when they learn the truth, recognize it and want to change and accept the fullness of the gospel. 

Another incredible story....HAS PUPPIES in it too! I´ll send pictures the next time I send home a card (i think next week). Anyways we can´t knock on doors near other churchs. There has been one house (i´ve always felt a connection with....and i love the dogs in the yard) Chowchows...they´re little bears!!!! Anyways we were working on the street next to this particular house and we started talking with a family. They were not interested AT ALL but in their rush to get us to leave they gave us two references. They told us to visit two of their neighbors....one of them was this house!!! We on our own couldn~t knock there but the Lord truly works in mysterious ways!! And we could! Anyways we met the daughter and when we returned we met her mother. AND SHE IS SO AWESOME!! They have chow puppies and as we talked i expressed my love for her dogs haha she brought out the puppies so we could see them! Oh my goodness...seriously i just about died! And the blessings continued, i had my camera because we had had Zone conference that day. Usually I don~t have my camera but that day i did. (i may have already told you this story but it makes me happy and so i´ll tell it again)

Anyways i´m glad all is good at home. and wow lots of new things happenening how exciting! Gold bond is good, i will listen to the song today because yes it is on there, Oh can you make me a copy of josh groban (espeically the chrismas cd), 

17 September 2012

Hey, 

Package, yes I got everything...lots and lots of socks haha. And yes i did get the mp3 speakers and everything. You put the new batteries inside already and it must have been on the whole time it was in the package cuz they were dead when they got here :( but its all good cuz you had the spares and I found a place that sells AAA batteries. Yes the Nutella was awesome i~ve been eating it with my bananas yummmyyy. and the Jelly Bellys...i finished them today haha. No but everything was successful. No worries. All the horror stories about packages... aren~t common. (according to Irmao Israel).  Oh but you asked about supplies last time. I~ve been trying to find those footies (the tights/socks that are just for your feet perfect for flats) I can~t find any here. And they are starting to get wholes in my toes too. gah my feet are so obnoxious. 

And thats so awesome you have a baptism coming up!!!! We had one on Saturday. A member called us up and said her mom wanted to be baptized....we all thought her mother had already been baptized and was just inactive!!! Probably the easiest investigator I~ll ever have. She already knew everything and was such a pleasure to teach. And her baptism was really special especially for her family!

Spring is basically here. Instead of April Showers its Setembro Showers! Its hot one day and cold and raining the next. Its going to be hot hot hot hot soon. Luckly this winter here apparently wasn~t very bad. (and I spent most of it in the CTM) Last night we had hail apparently. I don~t know because I was sleeping (I wasn~t feeling good so i went to bed earlier and missed it). But don~t worry today i~m much better. 

We have a pavillion:????? cool!!!

And yes Sister Lira is still with me. For two more weeks. Transfers will be the 1st week in October. She~ll be heading home and I´ll probably stay here for another transfer. but who knows. 

I guess I should finish the R--- story. We lost contact with him. :( He moved and doesn~t know where he moved too, just that its in the area of our ZLs. It was really hard for us. We´ve stopped by his house a few times and talked to his cousins and brother but they don~t know and are usually less than helpful. Hopefully he remembers the things we taught and someday will take the initiative to find the church, or that the missionaries will knock on his door again. 

Oh but next week could you E-mail me pictures of short hairstyles. Its starting to get hot and having long hair is horrible :D I have some examples on my computer. and if you look up Alice from twilight (i can~t believe i~said that) something similar to that. I~m hoping that will be easier, cooler and cheaper cuz i won´t have to buy as much shampoo and conditioner lol. 

Well this week we worked, walked and walked and walked and hiked and hiked a ton. OHHHHH how could I forget! We had a special zone conference this week!!! Two zones juntas! Foi muito legal!!!!! (was SUPER COOL!) We had Elder Mazacati (idk if thats how you spell it, he´s a 70 and 2nd counselor in the area presidency for brasil. It was an incredible meeting. He talked about so many different things. But an elder asked him about how we can be more happy during our missions. I really liked the question because at times it is really hard, but his response was so profound. Our testimonies. When we remember why we are here and have testimony of what we are doing we will be happy. 

Well so next week is my birthday and its going to be very very very different. At first we thought I would be going to the temple with Sister Lira that day. (Your last week before you go home everyone in you `group´ goes to the temple...and their companions. But our area is really far and its really expensive to go. There are two sisters in our Zone leaving this transfer. Sister Lira and Sister Barbosa. So they will come here to our area, I will stay here with the companion of Sister Barbosa and Sister Lira and Sister Barbosa will go to the temple. Kinda bummed I dont get to go, but there are areas that have more opportunities to go, and its a lot cheaper.  But it will be interesting on my birthday to be working with another sister, not my companion. Wish me luck....we´re going to get so lost. Our area is huge!!!! I know most of it but there are still parts i get turned around in. 

Well I love you and miss you tons and tons. Dont really have lots of exciting stories this week. Just the Baptism!!! Whooohoooo haha. 

Hope all is well
Chao
Carissa

10 September 2012

Family!! (and mom cuz i think your the only one that reads the whole thing haha)

I was kinda excited last week to maybe get to talk to you, but oh well. haha But I received your package this week!!! Yeahhh thanks!! ...I was very excited for the Jelly Bellys and fruit snacks (they are so expensive here, 3R$ for a small pouch, thats like 1.50 for one little pouch from the box! And the sour skittles I gave some to Sister Lira and she ate them before I could tell her they were sour (we were talking to our Zone leaders on the phone too) Oh my goodness probably the funniest thing that happened this week! 

And tell the Primary thank you that was so sweet and I loved all their pictures and messages! This week was our Primary Sacrament Meeting...and I got to sing with them! I sang the 2nd verse from I~m trying to be like Jesus...in portugues ahhhhh. I don~t know if I~ve already told you my Phantom of the Opera story but I~ll write it just in case. So a few weeks ago we were walking in the rain and i was singing. And started singing from Phantom of the Opera. Sister Lira recognized it, and from then on everyone members house we go to she tells them I know how to sing it and i have to sing it. haha its so funny. Well This happened in the house of the Primary President and she asked me to sing in the program. So i did, and tonight we are having FHE at their house, a night of talents. And I have to sing (by request) Phantom. Wish me luck lol. 

And yes i have a ^signing journal too.( I had asked Carissa if she has a signing journal-- it is a book that other missionaries write their testimonies in )  Started it in the CTM. This next month I~ll have to start handing it to members and missionaries cuz I~m pretty sure I~ll stay here in Caxias another transfer but who knows after that. 

For the most part, I~m pretty well set. I wish i had a flashdrive, but I~m debating buying one here, idk. its like 50-60 R$ but its 16G so perfect for all my photos. 

OH my pyro family i love it.   (We had several fires in the firepit this week!)

Supplies?? so far are good. Just sunscreen I think i~m gonna start going through pretty quick. We spend so much time outside walking walking walking walking. They is a rule in the ´whitehandbbook´ we´re not allowed to go mountain climbing....we climb ´mountains´everyday haha. literally hill after hill after hill up and down up and down and down and up. 

We did have one really interesting experience this week. We contacted the African (i think i told you about him, from sinagul). He doesnt speak very much portugues but Saturday we met with him to teach him the 1st lesson he~s masumeno, I was 50% sure that signifies muslim now i~m 99% sure haha. Anyways We met with his neighbor too, whose brazilian and christian. We taught the restoration to them both. Sister Lira didn~t understand that they don~t believe in Jesus Christ, or the Bible and it was so funny watching them try to converse and not believe the other. She was trying to explain so he could understand, because he doesn~t speak very much portugues, less than i, and he was trying in the Portugues he knows to explain his beliefs to her. He explained that has two wives, and then his friend leaned out the window and in broken portugues said he wanted to marry a brazilian...Sister Lira. you you you he kept saying... Our new investigator (their neighbor) and I could not hold back the laughs. It was so ridiculous. And really difficult because I don~t remember much about the Koran anymore, it was really difficult to prepare to teach them. gah why don~t i remember the things i study!!! Definitely was an interesting experience. 

I mailed some more photos last week, so i don~t know when you~ll get them but you should eventually haha. 

Oh this week we are having zone conference with two zones. kinda excited and we should be having a baptism this week too!! 

well i love you and am glad all is well. Tell Lauren and Chris Hi for me. and the passantinos....everyone haha
Love you guys
Carissa