One Month in Brasil!! :D

First things first, PARABENS Gabi!!! Man, you are getting old. Haha, love ya! Hope today is great and wonderful!!
Also, one month until Brayden reports for his mission in Chile!! AHH!!! So exciting!!

To start off, I need to tell a funny story about some of our investigators that I forgot to tell last week. We were trying to contact a referral, but it didn't work out. So a woman named Santa (yes, as in Santa Claus) invited us in because her husband, Luis, loves the church and was so sad when they moved and he couldn't find the missionaries. So we taught them the first lesson, about the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ. They liked that, a lot. At the end, we asked if either of them would like to say the prayer. Santa said that she would, but that she would say it the only way she knew how, and knelt down. Luis started saying, "No!!! No, Santa! Santa, no, we don't have time! No, YOU (aka me) say it!" But during all of this, Santa had already started the prayer!! So Sister Rojas and I closed our eyes and bowed our heads, and Luis knelt down muttering. After a good thirty seconds, Luis starts saying, "Amen! AMEN, Santa!! Santa, AMEN!! Amen!! Santa, amen!! Stop! Too long!! Amen, amen, amen, amen Santa!! Santa, finish the prayer! Amen!!" It was sooooo funny. Sister Rojas and I were trying so hard not to laugh our heads off. When Santa finally finished her prayer, Luis made us say another one.
Yupp. Thats Santa and Luis for ya.

Tuesday: At lunch, it was my turn to give the message. We were eating with Irma Alice, and I prayed really hard before searching the scriptures to know what to say. Because I knew that it needed to be one that would really strengthen her. After a while, I turned to Romans 8 and found some incredibly good scriptures about trials, and the blessings that await us. At lunch, I shared those scriptures with her and the Spirit was very strong. I know that it really helped her and that she really appreciated the thought. I know that the Holy Ghost led me through that message, and that Heavenly Father loves each of us as His children. I could really feel the love that He has for her, and that helped me realize (once again) just how much he loves all of us.

Wednesday: I had my first Zone Conference in Brasil!! Sadly, it was also President and Sister Tanner's last Zone Conference. We traveled there with most of our Zone early in the morning, and when we got there, some missionaries from another Zone were already there. And my heart did a little leap of joy because who did I see? Sister Paravan, from my Provo MTC district!!

She was so happy to see me and I was so beyond happy to see her. She got her visa a transfer before me, when Elder Wible (from my Texas Houston Mission) got his visa. We had so much fun talking together! During lunch, two other zones came for the next Zone Conference, and I saw Elder Wible, and Elder Cisneros & Elder Lewis from my Provo MTC district!! That was pretty awesome. We all took a picture together. Hopefully I will see the rest of the gang soon!! We just need Elder Fillmore and Sister Jacobsen here! And I was told that Sister Jacobsen got her visa!! Woohoo!
We sang for Presidente and Sister Tanner, as Sisters, and then after we all sang Called to Serve to them. That one is so fun!! I recorded it because I want to remember that forever. We sing it a little differently here in the São Paulo Sul missão! There's a part where we all shout "SÃO PAULO SUL SUCESSO!" And its pretty fun.

After Zone Conference, we went back to work!! Had some good lessons, and some good contacts, and were able to get a few more investigators! Woot woot!

Thursday: We had weekly planning! My favorite thing ever! We had an appointment with a girl named Linda, and her mom was there too, so she joined in. At the beginning of our lesosns, we always sings hymns. So Sister Rojas said that she would explain to Isabel, the mom, how we sing hymns, and told me to explain to Linda. I started explaining how we sing hymns- first line, and then you skip to the next first line, and the next one, and then you go back to the second and sing all the second lines- and was showing her with my hymn book and tracing my finger on the page. In the middle of my explanation, Linda just started giggling and patting me on the head, and said, "I can't understand anything you are saying." And she continued to laugh and pat me on the head. If we were in Texas, I am pretty sure that she would have said, "Bless your heart, you are trying to explain." As she was laughing and patting my head, she looked over at her mom and said, "I can't understand..." And Sister Rojas had to re-explain for her.
Awkward. Ouch.
However, during our lesson, I still spoke up and she understood me then. The Spirit was very strong, and Sister Rojas started the invitation to be baptized when outside we heard, "O ISABEL!!" Right in the middle of the question. They ignored the person outside, and so Sister Rojas started the invitation again. Once again, "O ISABEL!!!!" Isabel got up, explaining that it was her sister. Spirit was gone, and we couldn't finish the invitation because both Isabel and Linda started helping Solange, the sister of Isabel, with groceries. Isabel explained that we were missionaries and Solange was so clearly not interested. She glanced at us, and then didn't look at us. Awkward.. So we continued our lesson, and testified of prayer. The Spirit returned, and Solange started listening. She asked us if we had already prayed, and Isabel told her yes. Solange got tears and her eyes and basically said, "Oh, never mind then... But when you pray, please remember my son in your prayers. He really needs them." She started crying as she explained the situation her son is in currently, and I just felt a wave of love for her. I got up and shared a scripture about hope and told her that the Savior is there for her, as well as her son, and that we could help her. She continued crying and just kept nodding her head and thanking us. Then, she started saying "I don't have work on Mondays, Wednesdays or Saturdays. You can visit me on any of those days." So, we will be visiting her later today. And as we had that last prayer with her, the Spirit was so strong. I know Heavenly Father set that up perfectly. What seemed like awful timing turned out to be the best timing.
That night, we left for São Paulo to stay with some other sisters that night. I slept on a tiny couch, and I am pretty sure I got 2 hours of sleep tops. But all is well! Sleep is sleep!! All of the new sisters and elders were staying São Paulo because we all needed to go to the Policia Federal on Friday morning.

Friday: We left the house at 6 in the morning. Way too early!! But, we made our way into the heart of the city and went to the Policia Federal. Its like the DMV times 500, and I was super nervous for some reason. Nonetheless, I was not deported and I now have my legal documentation to be in Brasil!! Even if my picture looks like I seriously want to kill someone. And it was fun to see Sister Green again!! Also, I finally got some letters when we went to the Mission Office after to sign some papers. But none from Dad. One of the office elders said that he hasn't seen any missionties letters, doesn't actually know what they are, and doesn't know how they work... I don't know how to fix that Dad :/ sorry. He never went to the Brasil MTC so he's never heard of mission ties. But I did get two from my amigo serving here, Elder Sears, and one from a Cannon Center coworker thats a year old! Haha.
When we got back to our area, we had lunch and she made some lasagna pasta stuff and I was literally in heaven. I ate entirely too much. Every day here, for lunch, is literally like Thanksgiving. And every single meal, at least one person says, "Eat more, Sister, eat more!!!"
We had a lesson with Victor, a cute little old man in a cute little green house. Irma Alice came along and helped us with that. It went really well. We watched the Restoration DVD with him, and the Spirit was very strong. After, we ate some cheese and I thought "Oh man, Syster Miller would love this so much."
We had another lesson with Fabio, about the Restoration, and showed the DVD to him too. The Spirit was pretty strong, and we moved his baptism to a later date.

Saturday: We were able to finally visit some less actives! Irma Claudia, and her son Gabriel! She has three other sons too, but I believe that only the two oldest were baptized. Guilherme, one of the brothers, was there and participated in the lesson. We shared Boyd K Packer's testimony with them, at the end of his talk this conference. It was powerful, and the Spirit was strong. Guilherme wanted to come to church with us!! Woohoo!!

Sunday: We walked with Guilherme (11 yo) and Victor (80 ish yo) to church, with Irma Alice! And then, Luis showed up for part of church!! And then we went to go get a recent convert, Natanael, and his non member brother Emerson (11 yo) for church, but they were asleep. But Natanael called us on our way back to church, said that he just woke up and that he and Emerson were coming!! And they came!! It was seriously a miracle. And it was perfect, because it was fast Sunday, and the Spirit was so strong. And, like every Fast Sunday, I bore my testimony in Sacrament meeting. I know Heavenly Father helped me say what He wanted me to say, in my rather limited Portuguese, and I and I am so glad that I shared my testimony. The Spirit was so strong in that meeting, and several members expressed their desire to do more missionary work! Woohoo!!!
We also had some good lessons, and a bunch of conversations in the street. Good way to end the week.

Tomorrow, we are moving to a new house in our area, so today we will be cleaning not only our current house but our new one! Yay!

Some thoughts that I have had:
Sometimes, I like to add ".. in Brasil!!" to thoughts that I have. Like "Oh, I'm eating a sandwich.. IN BRASIL!!" or "I'm walking up a GINORMOUS hill.... IN BRASIL!!"
Also, I get hungry a lot. And I am pretty sure the sisters I live with think things like, "Oh, the American's hungry again. Better feed it." And then they hand me some snack, and I have no idea what it is, but I eat it and like it.
It is really hard to shower with just a bucket full of water. Yupp. Our electricity is being all weird, And that means no hot water for us, and that most of our outlets don't work except for the ones in our bedroom. So we make our little grilled ham and cheese breakfast sandwiches in our bedroom. And I just have to laugh.

I love you all!! The church is so true!!

Tchau!
Sister Shell

Sister Shell and others on the public transportation (the Onibus) that she affectionately calls the Knight Bus from Harry Potter because it is that crazy of a ride! :)