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