Bugs, Baptisms and Blisters

Hello from Hot-as-inferno Foraleza.

Whoof. I forgot to wear "protetor do sol" a few days this week and so even when I´m not in the sun, my red skin likes to remind how hot it is outside.

 It´s hot, guys. 

This week was so, so lovely. This whole transfer just feels like a dream. I love my companion, Sister Ferreyra with my whole heart. She is incredible and it is such an honor to work with and "train" her. I´m learning much more from her than I will ever teach her. This was a week of learning. We had the great opportunity Sabado (Saturday) to have divisions with the Leaders of the Sisters aka our housemates. We have the incredible opportunity to learn from them everyday because we live with them, but this day was extra special because we got to work with them. I stayed in our area with Sister Miles and learned SO much. She is so...well she´s just everything that I want to be in life and a phenomenal missionary and teacher. It was an honor to work with her. She reminds me SO much of my cousin Kristin...maybe that´s why I love her so much. 

In other happy news, we had 2 very, very special baptisms this week. One was Lucas who we contacted on the street our first week here. He has 14 years and we´ve been working with him for this whole transfer which for baptism here is a long time. He was so excited and exited the font just beaming! 

Our other baptism was my darling friend Elizabete. She was so ready to start a new life. Her baptism is a testament to me of the power of members. We were really close to cutting her as an investigator but after a very special lesson with one of very recent converts she wasSOexcited to be baptized. I gave her a hug right when she was entering the font and she looked up at me as she was descending the stairs and said:

"Say goodbye, because I´m going to leave the old Elizabete in the water".

On Sunday we had 4 confirmations during sacrament meeting. Needless to say our bishop was beaming. Our ward mission leader that he has honestly never seen him so happy. This was quite the compliment since our WML served as his assistant Elder when our Bishop was mission president and now works as his secretary during the week. I love serving here in Rodolfo Teófilo and working with such incredible people. We have big plans for this ward next transfer. 

 Sister Miles, Sister Fernelius and I decided that we were going to celebrate Halloween this week and it was a HOOT. They don´t celebrate Halloween in Argentina and so Sister Ferreyra just thinks we´re nuts. We had 10 minutes to celebrate on Thursday after our nightly planning. We threw together some costumes and went trick or treating at each others doors. Sister Miles and Sister Fernelius were Arabians, Sister Ferreyra attached cotton to her head and wrote "ovelha" slash sheep on her forehead and I stuffed pillow under my moo moo, used glasses and smeared lipstick on my face. I think I was trying to be a crazy old lady..I´m not sure. We threw candy at each other and it was a wonderful 10 minutes.

To finish I have one more story. I receivd a package a couple weeks ago with some oreos. I ate all but one of them in like 3 days. I had one more that I was saving for some special moment. One morning this week was my special moment. I opened the ziploc that I for some reason forgot to seal perfectly. I  took a bite out of my last oreo with so much anticipation but it was AWFUL. It tasted like dirt. About 3 seconds later, I felt...things running across my face. 

Oh my gosh. It was the most awful thing ever. I had taken a big bite out of a flea or maggot or something infested oreo. Eeew. Eeew. EEEW. I ran to the sink and rinsed my mouth out for a good 5 minutes but for the rest of the morning I kept kinding little mini bugs running across my leg or arm. Blehhh. I don´t know if I´ll ever be able to eat an oreo again which in itself is a huge tragedy.

I don´t have much else to say other than my testimony. God is so good, so incredible and so powerful. I am continually amazed that He can use tools SO imperfect with so many weakness to accomplish His marvelous work. It´s a miracle. I know that that is God´s work. I know that truly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a new church. It wasn´t created by Joseph Smith. This isn´t a reformed church. This church truly is the church of Jesus Christ that he established when he was on the earth with the same authority, organization and ability to receive revelation of God. I love this opportunity that I have to share this knowlege and great blessing with the people of Brasil. I´m so in love with missionary work.

Thank you all for your support and prayers and love. Special thanks to Mama Hicken for the letters and updates and Duck Dynasty Tshirt. You know me so well :) 

Hugs and love and prayers and happiness from Brasil,

Sister I´m-covered-in-sweat-and-bugs Brown