Countdown until Christmas! December 7th 2015
So this week, well transfer has been the longest one in my life. For real! But the thing that I learned this transfer is that the mission really does change people. It can be for the better or for the worse. OR a little of both. But no one will leave their mission the same as when they arrived. I have already hit the 9 month mark and I can see the changes. My goodness! I am walking around my house without shoes for the first time in 9 months. And drinking out of the same cup as everyone else in my house. I am living DAYS without showering because we don’t have water. These are things that in my house in Washington I would NEVER do! Go to sleep with dirty feet. Sleep on the ground. Use nude nail polish. Ha-ha I know this sounds silly. But it is what I realized this week. That really we think things are important. Money. Clothes. Washing machines. Running water. But how it is completely possible to live without them and be happy. I remember before my mission if I wanted something I just went and got it. But here you learn to live without. And what you have has a higher value. I am so grateful for this! But it just makes me ask...what was I doing with my life before my mission? For real? I have no idea. But I am so grateful for the changes that I can see with myself on my mission!
And this week I am getting ready to go to Natal for the Christmas conference. Mission wide. It will be cool. But we are leaving tonight 11:40pm. And we are going to arrive 7am tomorrow morning and the conference is 7:30. So wish me luck! Imma need it with more than 7 hours in a van with 21 missionaries. Squished! In the van...WHOOT WHOOT!
#lovemymission
Love you all!
Até próxima semana!
Sister Thomson
And this week I am getting ready to go to Natal for the Christmas conference. Mission wide. It will be cool. But we are leaving tonight 11:40pm. And we are going to arrive 7am tomorrow morning and the conference is 7:30. So wish me luck! Imma need it with more than 7 hours in a van with 21 missionaries. Squished! In the van...WHOOT WHOOT!
#lovemymission
Love you all!
Até próxima semana!
Sister Thomson
soooo...another week in the mission...12/14/2015
So this week started out really great. And ended REALLY BAD! Well just the last hour was the bad part. But I went to the Christmas conference in Natal. It was for the entire mission. But my area is one of the longest areas and we left 11pm Monday night and arrived 7amtuesday. The conference went until 4 and we arrived back in Sousa 2am on Wednesday. It was actually really cool to get to know a lot more mew missionaries that I never talked to before. And with 18 hours on the bus it was really nice to get to know them. I learned how to finish the Rubik’s cube and how to say unconstitutionally in Portuguese...it’s a lot harder than it looks....well I think it is a hard word in English too....
Then we got home and my companion was sick. So I did a division with a member! I learned how to make cuzcuz. And I will make it when I get home. But then I had to return with my companion and it was ALL DOWN HILL FROM THERE. And is still headed down. But on the bright side transfers will be tomorrow. And hopefully there will be a great change. Well needed change.
But the one lesson that I learned this week! (I think this is the same lesson that I learn every week) That I really don’t need a lot of crap. I was cooking with fabiana yesterday and in her house there is not only no water but they only have one knife that is broken and really hard to cut things with. But I have never had such a great time cooking as I did in her little kitchen! I don’t remember what life is like with my car and a million knives in the kitchen. And food in the fridge. Going wherever I wanted whenever I wanted. Working and making money. Going to the movies. Doing things with my friends. But it is all of the little things that matter. All of the little 25 centavos under my dinner plate that I sit on the floor bawling and no one knows why. The days that I can cook with some of the humblest people on the planet. You don’t have these experiences everywhere. Just here in Sousa. Literally using your last pennies to pay for one hour of internet to talk with your family. BUT you know everything will all work out in the end. If I only learn this one thing on my mission I know that I will be better off! I mean I sure hope that I learn a lot more! CONCERTEZA! But I know that this will be a lesson that I will use every day of my life. I am so grateful for that! Just remember it’s the little things that count. And they add up a lot faster than the few big things. And will stay a lot stronger for a longer period of time!
Merry Christmas! I think it is strange that Christmas will be here in a week. I keep forgetting because it’s so dang hot here! But I am excited to talk to my lovely family and friends! Miss you all! Amo vocês também!
Ate mais!
Sister Thomson
Then we got home and my companion was sick. So I did a division with a member! I learned how to make cuzcuz. And I will make it when I get home. But then I had to return with my companion and it was ALL DOWN HILL FROM THERE. And is still headed down. But on the bright side transfers will be tomorrow. And hopefully there will be a great change. Well needed change.
But the one lesson that I learned this week! (I think this is the same lesson that I learn every week) That I really don’t need a lot of crap. I was cooking with fabiana yesterday and in her house there is not only no water but they only have one knife that is broken and really hard to cut things with. But I have never had such a great time cooking as I did in her little kitchen! I don’t remember what life is like with my car and a million knives in the kitchen. And food in the fridge. Going wherever I wanted whenever I wanted. Working and making money. Going to the movies. Doing things with my friends. But it is all of the little things that matter. All of the little 25 centavos under my dinner plate that I sit on the floor bawling and no one knows why. The days that I can cook with some of the humblest people on the planet. You don’t have these experiences everywhere. Just here in Sousa. Literally using your last pennies to pay for one hour of internet to talk with your family. BUT you know everything will all work out in the end. If I only learn this one thing on my mission I know that I will be better off! I mean I sure hope that I learn a lot more! CONCERTEZA! But I know that this will be a lesson that I will use every day of my life. I am so grateful for that! Just remember it’s the little things that count. And they add up a lot faster than the few big things. And will stay a lot stronger for a longer period of time!
Merry Christmas! I think it is strange that Christmas will be here in a week. I keep forgetting because it’s so dang hot here! But I am excited to talk to my lovely family and friends! Miss you all! Amo vocês também!
Ate mais!
Sister Thomson
TRANSFERS! And Natal! 12/21/2015
Well this week was a REALLY good week! And also a REALLY bad week! Started out with last P-day with my old companion CHATA DE MAIS! The elders bought coca cola to drink with us but she didn’t want to do ANYTHING! So we pretty much wasted the last p-day with my district in SOUSA. Then Sister Carvalho left. I cried com força! I miss her so much! But I got a beloved phone call that said I would be transferred to MOSSORÓ! Which is another really hot place...but one of the best to spend NATAL! And that I would be there with 2 of the Elders from Sousa! AT LEAST THIS TRANSFER WILL BE FUN! And that I am going to finish the training of Sister Lerner. She is cool but her old companion was the kind that lives to the letter of the law...and I like to have a little bit of fun on the way...so we will see how this is going to be! Imma teach her how to work and have fun at the same time! Because HECK! Missionary work without fun is DEATH!
I also learned that we have RATS in my house here. It has been my goal this week to KILL them all...we are in the 3rd story of nossa complex. But we have a mission...to kill all of them. Already killed 2 of them and they are BIG! Minha nossa!
And the other story really cool for this week was that we had a baptism...but the chapel doesn’t have water. So the leaders were talking about buying mineral water to fill the font. But that would be really expensive. So we talked to the bishop of another ward if we could baptize her in his swimming pool. So Elder Lima had a great experience entering a SWIMMING POOL during his mission...me no...But Lima...it all worked out for him! It was a beautiful baptism!
And there are LOTS of mango trees! P day today is climbing them to pick mangos!!! I’ll send you pics!!!
Love you all! Miss you!
XEIROS!!!
I also learned that we have RATS in my house here. It has been my goal this week to KILL them all...we are in the 3rd story of nossa complex. But we have a mission...to kill all of them. Already killed 2 of them and they are BIG! Minha nossa!
And the other story really cool for this week was that we had a baptism...but the chapel doesn’t have water. So the leaders were talking about buying mineral water to fill the font. But that would be really expensive. So we talked to the bishop of another ward if we could baptize her in his swimming pool. So Elder Lima had a great experience entering a SWIMMING POOL during his mission...me no...But Lima...it all worked out for him! It was a beautiful baptism!
And there are LOTS of mango trees! P day today is climbing them to pick mangos!!! I’ll send you pics!!!
Love you all! Miss you!
XEIROS!!!
Last Week of the Year December 28, 2015
So this week was probably one of the BEST and WORST weeks of the mission. BEcause it was Christmas...And it was christmas without my family...but I got to skype and I was SO happy to see everyone! and everyone I didnt see...maybe next time! Sucks to suck bro! But we started off the christmas partys on christmas eve. All of the missionaries in my zone went to the stake presidents house where we had a family home evening and his wife made dinner and dessert for 24 missionaries. and then after we left at 9:30 the whole stake passed by their house! It was a party to remember...there was a TON of food and it was just nice to sing christmas songs and get to know everyone a little bit better! Then we got home and the next morning everyone woke up and we went over to Brads house (brad is an american who lived in Brazil as a kid. Served a mission in Brazil. Married a brazilian and now has an english school in Mossoró) and had a christmas breakfast. All american! bacon, eggs, peanut butter cookies, juice, hashbrowns, omlets! Everything! then we played with the dog and the kids. Skyped home...which was probably the best thing that I have done all week. And then ate christmas lunch. this family is demais! I miss my family but I was so blessed to be able to spend christmas with this family! We even had 7 layer cookies!!! WHAT!!! Saturday we had a baptism in the area of the Elders. We were helping them because they baptized 3 girls. And after Patricio (a member that is leaving in 2 days for the MTC) invited us over to drink Terere...which is the BEST! so we went over but the other sisters in our house didnt want to. So they passed by our house. And while we were drinking Terere they were having a war in our house with 2 more RATS! and one of them was the size of a Book of Mormon. GIANT! and when we got there there was blood all over our house and 2 dead rats. and they were cleaning up the mess. So now we are at 6 rats dead and 4 sisters dying in the house...and I think there are still more...so right now we have 1 bedroom secure that we all 4 are sleeping in and 1 bathroom. I hope that we can get this all fixed soon...but I really think the easiest thing to do is just move apartments! for heavens sake! But today we thres bleach on everything in the house and are cleaning everything! EVERYTHING! and it will all work out!
HArd point this week: we have a mother that wants to be baptized, but her mother in law is a member of the assembly of God. And she said that if Sayonara is baptized she will throw hot water on us and beat her...so bring on the hot water because we are gonna help her! from her stinking Monster in law!
Miricle of the week! We had talked with everyone in our area this week to confirm them going to church this week! because it is the week of Christmas it is difficult to get people at church because they are traveling. So it is harder than normal. But we talked with everyone saturday. And sunday morning everyone fell threw. But we had one more family to visit but 3 mins before the bus left and then we would miss church becasue it is REALLY far away. So we decided to run to this other house to see if they were ready for church. So we ran and the min we were on their street dying becasue it was not close we saw them. and they entered their house really fast. and we stopped for a little becasue we thought they were avoiding us. a little sad we walked the rest of the way to their house and when we get there all 4 of them were waiting ready and their mom said they have been waiting since 7am. and church was at 9. And when we got to church with them there were 4 other investigators that are from a different part of our area that went by themselves. I know that this really is a blessing and a miracle! I am so greatful that me and my companion could see the hand of the lord in our work this week!
Second Miracle this week! it was raining today!
Random thing this week: I had 2 marriage proposals and 1 invite to date...and one of them is older than my dad! YUCK! What is up with these men in Mossoró! never had this problem in any other area...
Love you all! Thank you so much for your prayers and christmas greetings! It is really helping!
XEIROS!
Sister Thomson
HArd point this week: we have a mother that wants to be baptized, but her mother in law is a member of the assembly of God. And she said that if Sayonara is baptized she will throw hot water on us and beat her...so bring on the hot water because we are gonna help her! from her stinking Monster in law!
Miricle of the week! We had talked with everyone in our area this week to confirm them going to church this week! because it is the week of Christmas it is difficult to get people at church because they are traveling. So it is harder than normal. But we talked with everyone saturday. And sunday morning everyone fell threw. But we had one more family to visit but 3 mins before the bus left and then we would miss church becasue it is REALLY far away. So we decided to run to this other house to see if they were ready for church. So we ran and the min we were on their street dying becasue it was not close we saw them. and they entered their house really fast. and we stopped for a little becasue we thought they were avoiding us. a little sad we walked the rest of the way to their house and when we get there all 4 of them were waiting ready and their mom said they have been waiting since 7am. and church was at 9. And when we got to church with them there were 4 other investigators that are from a different part of our area that went by themselves. I know that this really is a blessing and a miracle! I am so greatful that me and my companion could see the hand of the lord in our work this week!
Second Miracle this week! it was raining today!
Random thing this week: I had 2 marriage proposals and 1 invite to date...and one of them is older than my dad! YUCK! What is up with these men in Mossoró! never had this problem in any other area...
Love you all! Thank you so much for your prayers and christmas greetings! It is really helping!
XEIROS!
Sister Thomson