Well, I was transferred this week and I don't know if that was a good thing! I love my new area and all of the people here. But there are some things I miss. Like my old area was colder than this. And I lived with 4 people. And there were not as many mosquitos! I am dying of mosquitos! There are SO MANY! I was in the house of an investigator and the whole wall was full of mosquitos. NOSSA!
But here is a summary of my week. Don't really have enough time or space to write it all. It was like 4 weeks in one. The first part was in Currais Novos. We got our calls for transfers. And we had to wait until 7 pm at night. So the whole day we were all nervous about who would get transferred and who would stay. ON TOP OF THAT we would have to pack and be out of the house the next morning by 5. So my area there closed and me and Sister Castilho were both transferred. Sister Castilho is now a sister training leader in Sousa (that's 2 for 2) And I was transferred to Canguaratama. Zona Pranamirim. I think it is one hour south of Natal. But it is close to the coast. Which is cool because the other day we ate at a house close to the beach and saw the beach. It was beautiful and we saw surfers and dolphins. BUT I AM NOT ALLOWED TO SWIM! So that sucked. And now I am here. My companion right now Sister Rodrigues is from Cape Verde Africa. But when she was 8 she moved to Portugal. She was baptized at age 17 and has been a convert for 4 years. The only thing that is hard is that she speaks Portugal Portuguese. And it is a lot different than Brazilian Portuguese. Almost a different language. So I am learning that dialect too because some day I will go to Cape Verde and other parts of Africa and ride an elephant. We are the only sisters in my zone. And most of our area we cannot go after 5 pm because it is dangerous. My area also has fireflies, monkeys, crocodiles, SPIDERS GALOR, poisonous frogs (in the Capella too) weird worms in the bottom of my shower. and a lot more bugs that I don't even know.
Now about the people that I am teaching! My favorite part!
Marcos e Graça: They are so cool! Getting baptized but they have to get married first. So we are having a wedding tomorrow for them and then one Sunday they will be baptized! They are SOOO cool!
Fabio: He is a rapaz of I think 20 years. But he has sooo many interesting questions. He asked me if games are a sin and then proceeded to tell me how ALL games are a sin and that after he is baptized he won't play any more games. But he doesn't want to get baptized because he wants to make sure he won't change his mind. He says all of this stuff like he is IN the world right now. That he can play games and this because he is in the world. But the missionaries are not in the world. Because we are on the straight path. He just doesn't understand the atonement. That we are all going to mess up. That we are all going to do things wrong in our lives. But that is why Jesus Christ, our loving savior, provided a way that despite our imperfections we will be able to return to the presence of God. So we are still working with him on that one! But he has a baptism date for the 30th. And we are praying that he will feel ready by then and understand the things that he needs too!
Janaina: She is super cool. Was supposed to be baptized this week. But then we just barely found out she is involved in some crazy witch doctor stuff. I did not understand all of the things that her mother said but we asked Marcos and Graça about it and what I got out of it is that it is something like the creepy guy from Princess and the Frog. How he uses spirits to do bad things. Well, that is what she is doing. And every time she tries to leave this group bad things happen to her. So not really sure what we are going to do about that. I think when our elders get back they can give her a blessing. But my goodness it is creepy stuff.
Oh yeah. Our elders! Elder Carvalho and Elder Shakespeare. The first morning here we got a phone call from Elder Shakespeare and he asked us to bring a Taxi to their house that Elder Carvalho needed to go to the hospital in Natal and no one knows what is wrong. Well, we ran a mile to the Taxi place and got the taxi to them. THE TAXI WAS 160 reais! MINHA NOSSA! if I have to go to the hospital I don't have that kind of money! But I guess it's okay because I won't have to go to the hospital. So this was last Thursday and we have been the only missionaries within a half an hour by car since then. But he is coming back today. No one knew what was wrong. But all of the interior organs in his body were inflamed. He had 2 doses of morphine and it didn't help. Whatever they did next was better. He is coming back today.
Other random scary experience about listening to the Holy Ghost! We were walking home from a family night and there were 2 rapazes walking with us. I think because it is dangerous, but they didn't say that. We were walking down this little park and out of nowhere Sister Rodrigues grabbed my arm. And I was confused. So I looked at her and asked her why but she just kept talking. And out of the corner of my eye I saw a sketchy man walking really quietly REALLY close behind us. So I adjusted my purse so that it was in front of me not on the side and I kept walking close to Sister Rodrigues. And the man left. When we got home I thanked her for that because I was legitly scared of the man. And she asked what man. And I told her about the man and she said that she didn't see any man, she just felt like I was walking a little far away. I don't know that the man was going to do anything. He was probably harmless. But he was sketchy. And I am so grateful that I didn't get the chance to find out.
I think that is most of this week...definitely not all. I mean I still have a story about how yesterday we walked 2 hours to get to the house of a member. And she wasn't in her house. But that was an adventure. NOSSA!
But sadly I don't have time. Miss you all! Love you! And I will talk to you all next week!
XOXO
Sister Thomson
But here is a summary of my week. Don't really have enough time or space to write it all. It was like 4 weeks in one. The first part was in Currais Novos. We got our calls for transfers. And we had to wait until 7 pm at night. So the whole day we were all nervous about who would get transferred and who would stay. ON TOP OF THAT we would have to pack and be out of the house the next morning by 5. So my area there closed and me and Sister Castilho were both transferred. Sister Castilho is now a sister training leader in Sousa (that's 2 for 2) And I was transferred to Canguaratama. Zona Pranamirim. I think it is one hour south of Natal. But it is close to the coast. Which is cool because the other day we ate at a house close to the beach and saw the beach. It was beautiful and we saw surfers and dolphins. BUT I AM NOT ALLOWED TO SWIM! So that sucked. And now I am here. My companion right now Sister Rodrigues is from Cape Verde Africa. But when she was 8 she moved to Portugal. She was baptized at age 17 and has been a convert for 4 years. The only thing that is hard is that she speaks Portugal Portuguese. And it is a lot different than Brazilian Portuguese. Almost a different language. So I am learning that dialect too because some day I will go to Cape Verde and other parts of Africa and ride an elephant. We are the only sisters in my zone. And most of our area we cannot go after 5 pm because it is dangerous. My area also has fireflies, monkeys, crocodiles, SPIDERS GALOR, poisonous frogs (in the Capella too) weird worms in the bottom of my shower. and a lot more bugs that I don't even know.
Now about the people that I am teaching! My favorite part!
Marcos e Graça: They are so cool! Getting baptized but they have to get married first. So we are having a wedding tomorrow for them and then one Sunday they will be baptized! They are SOOO cool!
Fabio: He is a rapaz of I think 20 years. But he has sooo many interesting questions. He asked me if games are a sin and then proceeded to tell me how ALL games are a sin and that after he is baptized he won't play any more games. But he doesn't want to get baptized because he wants to make sure he won't change his mind. He says all of this stuff like he is IN the world right now. That he can play games and this because he is in the world. But the missionaries are not in the world. Because we are on the straight path. He just doesn't understand the atonement. That we are all going to mess up. That we are all going to do things wrong in our lives. But that is why Jesus Christ, our loving savior, provided a way that despite our imperfections we will be able to return to the presence of God. So we are still working with him on that one! But he has a baptism date for the 30th. And we are praying that he will feel ready by then and understand the things that he needs too!
Janaina: She is super cool. Was supposed to be baptized this week. But then we just barely found out she is involved in some crazy witch doctor stuff. I did not understand all of the things that her mother said but we asked Marcos and Graça about it and what I got out of it is that it is something like the creepy guy from Princess and the Frog. How he uses spirits to do bad things. Well, that is what she is doing. And every time she tries to leave this group bad things happen to her. So not really sure what we are going to do about that. I think when our elders get back they can give her a blessing. But my goodness it is creepy stuff.
Oh yeah. Our elders! Elder Carvalho and Elder Shakespeare. The first morning here we got a phone call from Elder Shakespeare and he asked us to bring a Taxi to their house that Elder Carvalho needed to go to the hospital in Natal and no one knows what is wrong. Well, we ran a mile to the Taxi place and got the taxi to them. THE TAXI WAS 160 reais! MINHA NOSSA! if I have to go to the hospital I don't have that kind of money! But I guess it's okay because I won't have to go to the hospital. So this was last Thursday and we have been the only missionaries within a half an hour by car since then. But he is coming back today. No one knew what was wrong. But all of the interior organs in his body were inflamed. He had 2 doses of morphine and it didn't help. Whatever they did next was better. He is coming back today.
Other random scary experience about listening to the Holy Ghost! We were walking home from a family night and there were 2 rapazes walking with us. I think because it is dangerous, but they didn't say that. We were walking down this little park and out of nowhere Sister Rodrigues grabbed my arm. And I was confused. So I looked at her and asked her why but she just kept talking. And out of the corner of my eye I saw a sketchy man walking really quietly REALLY close behind us. So I adjusted my purse so that it was in front of me not on the side and I kept walking close to Sister Rodrigues. And the man left. When we got home I thanked her for that because I was legitly scared of the man. And she asked what man. And I told her about the man and she said that she didn't see any man, she just felt like I was walking a little far away. I don't know that the man was going to do anything. He was probably harmless. But he was sketchy. And I am so grateful that I didn't get the chance to find out.
I think that is most of this week...definitely not all. I mean I still have a story about how yesterday we walked 2 hours to get to the house of a member. And she wasn't in her house. But that was an adventure. NOSSA!
But sadly I don't have time. Miss you all! Love you! And I will talk to you all next week!
XOXO
Sister Thomson