It has felt like a very long time since I emailed!! But I am in my first area and I officially feel like a real missionary! I am serving now in a place called Campo Limpo Bay (but dont let the name fool you. It is far from clean and we definitely don~t have a bay.) The work is pretty difficult but at the end of each day I come home happy so I guess Im doing well!
My companion is from a tiny town (it puts Orderville to shame with 25 people TOTAL) in the Amazon. She is one tough cookie. I tell you, she works harder than anyone I have ever seen and she is teaching me lots. For example, last night we were in family home evening with the president when she realized that we only had 135 contacts for the week and our goal is 140. So then and there we got up and found 5 more people to talk to so we could check report positively to the President. She is a convert of only a few years basically is the only member of her family. Since her family doesnt have internet anyway she views things like emailing and writing letters as a total waste of time. She says her mom can hear from her once a year, Christmas. But she is smart and confident and I am learning a lot from her.
As our weekly goal for contacting alone could suggest, we talk to so so many people here. And I am surprised at how humble everyone is here. At the moment we have between 6-8 baptisms scheduled for the next 3 weeks. People are very receptive and ultimately just want to do the things that will make Christ happy. It is inspiring really. A few days ago we were teaching one woman who is so kind. However, one little problem is she can not even read so we are trying to help her read and understand the Book of Mormon which is quite the task. But she was so excited to show us the new dress she bought/acquired for church. She wanted to make sure we thought Jesus would be happy with her if she wore it in his house.
We also have a recent convert named Eliene. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite people here. She is a 23 year old marketing student with a little baby girl. She beat the odds and kept attending school every day while pregnant and now she is almost done. She lives in the favelas (most of our area is extremely poor) but I can just see how her education and new found dedication to the gospel can make all the difference for her life. Missionaries found her only about 5 weeks ago but she is already is baptized and has a calling! As of yesterday she is the new primary secretary and she is so so excited! She just readiates confidence and joy and we visit her a lot and every time she excitedly points out something new she learned from the Liahona or from the scriptures. We had a really special experience with her a few days ago when we showed her the temple and spent some time in the waiting room with her. I found a new love and appreciation for the temple as we showed her around the gardens and taught her about the significance of that special place. I realized that for most of the people I am teaching now, they will never see a building as beautiful and clean as the temple. I definitely took for granted how special of a place it is.
Another cool new convert, Danillo, is 12 and he reminds me so much of John. I especially love talking to kids here because they think it is so cool that I speak English and they are happy to teach me Portuguese. But this boy is extra special. He is the only one that got baptized in his family but he comes every week in shorts and a T shirt. On sunday he recieved the Priesthood and passed the Sacrament. He has started bringing his friends to church as well. I admire so much that someone as young as him comes to church, reads the book of mormon and everything all on his own.
But this is definitely a lot different than the CTM. At times the CTM felt a lot like an extended EFY. We worked hard in class but there were tons of people to meet and talk with at meals. A lot of elders acted a lot like 14 year old boys. Here is an example... One night I saw a huge pile of sheets, pillows and blankets falling from the sky. I thought it was kind of weird but went to bed. The next day I found out the story. So apparently five or six Brasileros joined together and tied up this little Puruvian kid, using their own sheets and blankets. They dragged him around the hallway for a long time and when my American friends finally untied him he took the pile of sheets and things and chucked it out the window. So they had to sleep on gross mattresses. haha serves them right I guess.
Another funny story, so my companion and I spent a lot of time with the Brasileros to practice Portuguese. I had a situp competition with this one kid and the next day I he handed me this letter. I opened it and to my surprise it said --- know that you are never alone because my thoughts will always be with you. And when you feel the breeze in your hair, please think of me.You are beutiful and smart. Lets focus on our missions now and after I would like to see you again. I felt like I was reading a Nicolas Sparks book. And I mean, I knew him a week total and the most we talked was while we were doing endless situps. It was pretty strange but flattering I guess.
But needless to say, we dont have lots of silly pranks or cheesy love notes here. It is a lot of work in very hot weater. We are constantly sweating and our living condition is far from pleasant. But I love the people and I already can tell that I have so many lessons to learn. Thank you for the letters and the support. I am sorry if I cant respond to everyone. I will try but know I am always thinking of you guys and love you very much!
Until next week
Tchau!
Sister Lauren
We send Danillo some new cloths for him to pass the sacrament in and they fit perfectly!
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