well, I finally made it down to Brazil. I apologize ahead of time for all of the punctual errors, their keyboards are pretty funky. so I didn't really get a chance to write last week. sorry. and I didn't get to talk to you when I came down here. sorry about that too.
so brazil. I got to fly down sitting next to Sister.Thacker. EU AMO SISTER THACKER! it made the whole trip for me! I walked onto the plane and saw her hair. by the time I got there most of the people were already sitting down and I freaked out! I love her! we talked a lot and it was so great!
then we stepped off the plane in Sao Paulo. it was so hard to breathe. and confusing because our Portuguese was good, but not amazing. but the climate here is a killer. and it just kept getting hotter. and from the Natal airport I was picked up by an American elder harris and a Brazilian who speaks no English. I would have died without elder harris. he was so amazing and helpful. serious would have died. then I got to the mission house and stayed there for a day and after I got my new companion sister Castilho (amazing from Sao Paulo, speaks little English) we got on a bus for 4.5 hours to come to our area. it is called currais novos. that is the city and me and my companion are opening a new area here. with our elders. so we got off the bus and two AMERICAN elders met us and talked with me in English. I almost cried. because the whole bus ride I couldn't talk to anyone. I almost cried. and I see these elders every day! Love these elders. and on top of that one of the sisters I live with is also American. so I have lots of people to talk to. and they ask me all the time if I cried because the day was hard, but I let them know they are the reason I don't cry myself to sleep every night. serious blessing.
well, my overall opinion of brazil. It's really hot and muggy all the time. but I love brazil. my feet hurt from walking on the paralelepipido. but I love brazil. I ate a baby bird on day one and the food is overall kinda weird. but I love it here. there are bugs in my house and I can't drink the water and I have mosquito bites all over my body. but I love brazil. and the shower has one temperature. we don't have a real mirror. I don't know what kind of meat we eat every day. I think I ate cobra yesterday and a full blown baby bird. (I didn't know what it was and the sister gave it to me. I looked at it for a little while and then I saw the feet, and the wings, and I almost cried...) but I love brazil! muito muito muito! I was so homesick in las vegas. here, nope. it doesn't even feel like another country except all the bugs. and the water. YUCK! the water is gross here. and everyone walks up to me and smells me or comments about my eyes or my hair (I stick out like a sore thumb. only blonde and only one with blue eyes.) and I sound like a gringa. but I love brazil.
really fast before I leave. I had a weird experience. well, I have lots of those here but this one was different. we went to this lady's house that we saw on the street and she showed us her mother. her mother was in such bad condition. old and sick she had to be fed with a bottle. and there are flies everywhere (even in my house there are flies and bugs everywhere) and we got to talk to her even though she couldn't talk back and we saw pictures of her when she was younger. she was so beautiful. how she is now and even more so when she was younger. but we walked out of her house and I just started bawling. I have no idea why! I think it was a lot because of the situation she was in here. it is not a good environment for her. but also because I think she is getting ready to see heavenly father again. and I think she knows that. despite the fact she cannot talk. and her spirit was so precious I just bawled. I couldn't cope with the amazingness of the experience. and the spirit in the house while my companion was talking. I don't know what she said. but it was the right thing. I hope we can see her again. she is going to be a great asset in the kingdom of God. I know that!
last thing for real. I had to share my testimony in Portuguese in church. first Sunday! minha vida! and people say freak a lot here. Americans and Brazilians. and they have no monkeys here! triste!
love you all. next time I promise I will be more organized with my thought!
love you
sister Thomson
so brazil. I got to fly down sitting next to Sister.Thacker. EU AMO SISTER THACKER! it made the whole trip for me! I walked onto the plane and saw her hair. by the time I got there most of the people were already sitting down and I freaked out! I love her! we talked a lot and it was so great!
then we stepped off the plane in Sao Paulo. it was so hard to breathe. and confusing because our Portuguese was good, but not amazing. but the climate here is a killer. and it just kept getting hotter. and from the Natal airport I was picked up by an American elder harris and a Brazilian who speaks no English. I would have died without elder harris. he was so amazing and helpful. serious would have died. then I got to the mission house and stayed there for a day and after I got my new companion sister Castilho (amazing from Sao Paulo, speaks little English) we got on a bus for 4.5 hours to come to our area. it is called currais novos. that is the city and me and my companion are opening a new area here. with our elders. so we got off the bus and two AMERICAN elders met us and talked with me in English. I almost cried. because the whole bus ride I couldn't talk to anyone. I almost cried. and I see these elders every day! Love these elders. and on top of that one of the sisters I live with is also American. so I have lots of people to talk to. and they ask me all the time if I cried because the day was hard, but I let them know they are the reason I don't cry myself to sleep every night. serious blessing.
well, my overall opinion of brazil. It's really hot and muggy all the time. but I love brazil. my feet hurt from walking on the paralelepipido. but I love brazil. I ate a baby bird on day one and the food is overall kinda weird. but I love it here. there are bugs in my house and I can't drink the water and I have mosquito bites all over my body. but I love brazil. and the shower has one temperature. we don't have a real mirror. I don't know what kind of meat we eat every day. I think I ate cobra yesterday and a full blown baby bird. (I didn't know what it was and the sister gave it to me. I looked at it for a little while and then I saw the feet, and the wings, and I almost cried...) but I love brazil! muito muito muito! I was so homesick in las vegas. here, nope. it doesn't even feel like another country except all the bugs. and the water. YUCK! the water is gross here. and everyone walks up to me and smells me or comments about my eyes or my hair (I stick out like a sore thumb. only blonde and only one with blue eyes.) and I sound like a gringa. but I love brazil.
really fast before I leave. I had a weird experience. well, I have lots of those here but this one was different. we went to this lady's house that we saw on the street and she showed us her mother. her mother was in such bad condition. old and sick she had to be fed with a bottle. and there are flies everywhere (even in my house there are flies and bugs everywhere) and we got to talk to her even though she couldn't talk back and we saw pictures of her when she was younger. she was so beautiful. how she is now and even more so when she was younger. but we walked out of her house and I just started bawling. I have no idea why! I think it was a lot because of the situation she was in here. it is not a good environment for her. but also because I think she is getting ready to see heavenly father again. and I think she knows that. despite the fact she cannot talk. and her spirit was so precious I just bawled. I couldn't cope with the amazingness of the experience. and the spirit in the house while my companion was talking. I don't know what she said. but it was the right thing. I hope we can see her again. she is going to be a great asset in the kingdom of God. I know that!
last thing for real. I had to share my testimony in Portuguese in church. first Sunday! minha vida! and people say freak a lot here. Americans and Brazilians. and they have no monkeys here! triste!
love you all. next time I promise I will be more organized with my thought!
love you
sister Thomson
if you send packages add American candy! like 1000000 smarties and peanut butter and reces and Oreos and smarties. I am almost out of smarties. and twirlers. and smarties and sweet tarts and smarties. I miss them so much! and tell dad I am making my first batch of chocolate chip cookies tonight. last night I took some candy with me to a meeting and everyone LOVED IT! all the Brazilians told me to hide it or they would steal it :p