Brazil Is Crazier Than I Thought!!

What's up everyone! I hope each and every one of you is doing amazing! My week has been amazing but far from ordinary! I could literally write a novel about this week, but I don't have much time so I'll keep it to the usual: some highlights, pictures, and a spiritual thought.

 

 

Spiritual Thought

 

 

Please don't skip this! Last weekend we had general conference! General Conference happens twice a year and it's a televised conference where our prophet and apostles speak to us. We are literally hearing words directly from God from our prophets! It's truly amazing! 

 

 

There were so many talks that I loved from conference, but the talk that stood out to me the most was Paul V. Johnson's. Johnson talked about the story of his grandson named Aaron who had a rare disease. The only cure from this disease would be a bone marrow transplant and only if they could find a perfect blood match from one of Aaron's siblings. Luckily they found one! Out of all of the siblings, only his brother Alex had the perfect match! 

 

 

This transplant, however, would cause a very real physiological change for Aaron. His blood would have his brothers DNA. This meets that if Aaron broke a law and they found DNA, Alex would be blamed. 

 

 

In our lives, we too have the opportunity to change our DNA through the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shed his blood for us and saved us! But just like Aaron, we had to be willing. They wouldn't have performed the transplant without Aaron's willingness. Just like we won't be saved through the Atonement without our willingness. We must allow our Savior to perform this change! We can't save ourselves! 

 

 

Like Aaron, we may not know how this procedure works, and we don't need to. We just need to have enough faith and willingness to allow our Savior to perform this change! 

 

 

I also posted on Facebook if anyone wants another message!

 

 

Highlights

 

 

- The living standards of the area that I'm living in is very humbling! The names of the area is cabela if anyone was wondering. There are rarely any roofs, clean water, or cleanliness. We see animals all over these villages. On our first day here we saw cats, dogs, horses, wild pigs, chickens, and goats. All just chilling in the streets. Its so different and I love it!

 

 

- The food here is either crazy weird or very generic, there's no in between. We will eat the most flavorless chicken, beans, and rice and then go eat an entire pig in a stew! Seriously, some members fed us a bean dish with pig. Inside I found a pig tongue (I could still see the tastebuds) and a knee cap (hard as a rock). We also only eat one meal a day which is lunch so I'm constantly starving! Looks like I won't be gaining weight after all!

 

 

- We played soccer today and these Brazilians bring some serious game. We play on smaller futesol courts, kinda like the surface of a tennis court. The goals are much smaller. It makes in so much harder because I have only speed and no feet skills. I was able to score a couple goals though!

 

 

- My companion works my tail off. We wake up an hour before we are suppose to, walk over ten miles a day in the blazing sun, and end up having to sprint back home to make it in time for curfew! I love this work so much!

 

 

- My language needs a whole lot of improvement! Our appointments are about an hour each and I kinda just sit there the whole time awkwardly. My companion is from Peru but grew up in Brazil so he has a different t accent than everyone else which makes it hard. He also loves to speak to me in his broken English. So it's either we talk together in very slow English or very slow Portuguese haha! 

 

 

- The people here love me because I'm American. People on the street will constantly call me beautiful or blow kisses at me. My companion just laughs at me. They will have us over for juice and just try to talk to me the whole time. I get uncomfortable but at the same time I don't really know what's happening.

 

 

Here are some pictures. I'll try to take more pictures of the area for next week.

 

 

Love you guys! Keep me updated on your lives! I will try my best to respond but it might take a few weeks.