Brazil - - - Week 2

Hello world!

It´s so weird to think that the normal world is going on without me! I hope everyone is loving school. heh.

 I am beginning to fall in love with Brazil. Most days I feel like I´m on another planet... but it´s a good planet.

It´s a planet with cockraoches and scoprions and lots of sun, beans and rice, hammocks and happy people.

This was a crazy week! Lots of ups and downs.

Downs first:

 Our area is well...exciting is a good word.
I hesitate to tell this but mehhhh what the heck. We had a couple of crazy experiences this week that I´ll tell you about when I´m safely home from my mission where you can´t worry excessively about me. The only reason I bring this up is because I have a testimony that THE LORD PROTECTS HIS MISSIONARIES! Woof. Seriously. We are so protected and so blessed. It´s such a real and undeniable power.

Portuguese is hard!!
Remember that time when I was a little baby child and had an ear infection and couldn´t understand anyone and it was the worst thing ever? I kind of feel like that most days. I am not exactly a quiet person of few words. I have so many things that I want to express and no words to express them. It´s the hardest kind of trial.
I am learning SO much and can now teach and also communicate with people (somewhat) without using my companions to reexplain everything to me. It´s so hard to let myself be a beginner, but I´m trying and I´m learning!

Time for the Ups!

I had someone hug and kiss me when I gave her a Book of Mormon this week. Slightly different than what would happen in Denver. haha People here are strangely receptive and prepared for the gospel, It´s incredible!

We had miracles this week!! Our bishop is a former mission president (actually the MP of my MTC teacher, weird) and our Ward Mission leader is a RM who served under the bishop, then Mission President. Lots of crazy cool connections. I´m convinced that the Saints here are some of the strongest in the world! Our ward is beyond fantastic at fellowshipping and member missionary work. During church yesterday a member came up to us and said that his friend really wants to be baptized and soon. We set a date of baptism before we had even taught him the first lesson!

Crazy right?? Well it gets crazier. We set the date for 2 weeks from yesterday but that wasn´t soon enough for our Bishop so we got permission from our Mission president and we´re having a baptism on Thursday! Wha?? Crazy.

Next miracle. We were out contacting some old referrals 3 days ago and met a 17 year old boy on the street. We told him about the BOM and he said he wanted to learn more. We had the 1st lesson the next day, invited him to be baptized, he said of course, he came to church the day after, loved the ward and now he´s getting baptized on Thurday too. We will have taught him everyday since the first day we met him to the day he´s baptized. He´s being baptized 1 week after his 1s contact with missionaries. CRAY-Z.

In other news, I started wearing my hair in a sock bun like everyday because it´s so hot. The ward now calls me Princess, Ballerina, or still little white girl.

Have I even told you about my comapnions? I don´t think I have. Sister McQuivey is from Vernal, Utah. She´s 21 and studied at U of U and USU before her mission. She has a cousin Kel´s age- Tanner McQuivey. She´s a rockstar and has only been in Brazil for like 2 months. My other companion is Sister Fegereudo. She´s from Argentina and delightful!

I will now conclude with an ``Ode to the Cockroach``

Ode to the Cockraoch

*ahem*

Dear little friend. Actually you are not my friend because you are a bug. You are a really big, fast , nasty bug with 3 inch long antennas and so you are REALLY not my friend. I hate everything about you. Please stay away from my things. I am sure your last fews moments of life were amusing as you hid underneath the soap that I unknowlingly grabbed last night. I´m sure you got a kick out of my running out of the bathroom and screaming like my arm had been chopped off. Was it amusing to you how I timidly had to spend the rest of the night spraying every corner of the house with poison and trying not to cry? I´m almost sorry that you had to squirm and suffer on the bathroom floor because I didn´t have enough courage to step on you. Please tell your little friends to stay away forever because I will spray them with magic poison too.

I love you all! Thanks for the prayers and love!

Hugs and love and kisses from Brasil,

Sister Brown