Oi de Brasil!!!

Olá!!
Greetings from Brazil! It is insane to think about how a week ago I was on my way here. Brazil is crazy and wonderful all in its own way. In the airport after arriving in Sao Paolo I bumped into a bunch of elders all going to Brazil. It looks like a ton of missionaries got their visas the same time I did. Waiting for my plane to Porto Alegre I bumped into a bunch of different elders and sisters I knew in the MTC. But it sounds like me and one other elder are the only ones from our MTC district to have received our visas as far as I know. I did hear that my MTC companions are still in Alabama, as well as the other elder coming to Porto Alegre.

Yes, Monday is P-day and we do have access to a little internet shop where we can email. Emailing president was super hard in portuguese.

Anyway, So President Pavan and his wife picked me up from the airport and I stayed in the mission home that night. Sister Pavan is just so sweet. She doesn't speak any english, and my portuguese is a little rough, so communicating was hard, but even still she went out of her way to make me feel welcome. Driving in Brazil is absolute insanity. The cars make 3 lanes out of a two lane road and then there are people on motorcylces driving in between the already limited space between cars. And everybody drives so fast. Im so happy to be walking everywhere. So then Wednesday morning President took me to the mission office where I met the assistants and the 5 elders who arrived a few hours after I had on Tuesday. Then we all went to the Federal Police something or other where we waited for ages to get our paper work certified.

Then the assistants took me in a taxi to my first area, Gravataí. Except it´s not really my first area. President has had me working here with Sister Gonçalves and Sister Sousa for this week, because transfers are happening tomorrow actually, so tomorrow we go to Porto Alegre and I´ll be assigned to an official trainer in my first area. But my current companions have been amazing. They´re so patient. I speak more portuguese than I understand and it´s frustrating for us all when they´re trying to explain something and I´m just not getting it. Both are from Forteleza, Brazil and speak no english. But we´ve been having a lot of fun, and they´re very encouraging. I´m treated no differently than if I was brazilian and could understand what they said. I´m still expected to teach my portion of the lesson and talk to people on the street. So I´m learning, but it´s hard.

But I´m already falling in love with the country. It´s so so so beautiful. There´s trees everywhere and the people really are so friendly. I´ve felt so welcomed here. And even we can eat fruit right off the trees in the street. I had some sort of berry that Sister Sousa was eating the other day and it was quite tasty. I don´t remember what it´s called or else I´d tell you. It´s funny though, we talked to this woman the other night who had never met an American before me. I was her first to have ever laid eyes on and she had so many questions. People here are just fascinated by the snow. They´re always asking if there´s snow where I live. It´s funny, before I left Washington, an elder who served in the next mission over had just returned home from his mission and I asked him what the weather was like and he said it was getting cold since winter is coming. So I arrive thinking it´ll be at least a little more like fall, but it´s still super hot. Though in the evening it does get into maybe the 70s and my companions from the northeast are shivering and complaining about the cold, and I just laugh. But I have heard it gets into the 40s when winter comes for real. An elder from the states said that in Caxias which is probably a colder part in the mission, it got to about 30. So I´m not super worried. I think Washington prepared me well enough.

Anyway, Brazil is amazing. Everything is different, but I´m just loving it. It´s hard not really speaking the language because I want to learn about everything so bad, but I´m limited in what I can learn until I can understand the answers. But I know it´ll come. And before I know it I won´t remember how to speak english.
So next week I´ll have to tell you about my first official area and my trainer and everything.

After two and half months in Cheney, Washington, it's time to go to on to Porto Alegre Brazil! Flying to the southern hemisphere tomorrow morning! Hurray!!!

Paige on a bike

So this week was awesome! We're just plugging along. And we got hit with a surprise Monday when the mission office called about our car. Since we're covering only half of Cheney, and it's such a small town, they took the car to give to elders or sisters who need it more somewhere else. And since it looks like we're pretty much done with the snow and ice here, we pulled out the bikes. It's been such an adventure. The first day or so on bike were absolutely miserable, but my puny muscles are adjusting and I'm getting stronger. With the exception of yesterday, it's even been kinda fun peddling around town, despite looking like mega-dorks with our skirts and helmets. But yesterday was just as miserable as the first day again. Sundays are just crazy in general. So we have a meeting at the Cheney ward building at 7, so we left at 6:30, wiping the frost from our bike seats. Then after that meeting, we have to peddle over to the institute building for another meeting at 8:15, then back to the other building for church with the Cheney 1st ward. Then back to the institute for the single's ward. So after making the 10-15 minute bike ride like 4 times, we were so exhausted. We pushed through though, and despite our Sunday feeling like it lasted a million years, we had a good day.

This week we found and have been teaching this man and his son, who actually move back to Hong Kong on Wednesday, but they're so prepared for the gospel. We know we were meant to find them and prepare them for missionaries in Hong Kong. The son has such a desire to know that God is there and loves him, and his father has already had so many special experiences with his prayers being answered. It's only a matter of time.

It's so crazy how quickly you can develop that attachment and love for people.

But in general everything's going good. we're just working hard and teaching lots.

Beginning of March in Cheney

At a district meeting.


My first pizza in the field.


So we found out about transfers last night and it's been kind of a rough night/morning. I'm staying in Cheney with Sister Ginos and Sister Jensen as my companions, but Sister Peck is going to Colville, up super close to Canada, and she's not happy about it. I'm doing ok. I'm feeling a lot better about it this morning than I was last night. I'm just not wild about change right now. It's going to be weird being in a trio again, and getting used to new companions, etc. But it'll all work out. Poor Sister Peck doesn't want to leave at all.

I love my family so much. I'm so grateful for the family I was sent to. I have loving, supportive parents, and awesome siblings. You would not believe how normal we are. And I am so so so grateful.

February in Cheney

Busy teaching


We got snow!

Ola!!
So this week was awesome. I am healthy again so it's been a lot easier to get out and work. Sister Peck hasn't been feeling well though, but we're working hard regardless. And one of our investigators Mike has a baptismal date! We're so proud of him. Last week we committed him to the first Saturday in March so he'd have something to work towards. But then this week we were talking to him about it and he said that the 26th kept coming to mind for a baptismal date, so that's what we set. It was so exciting to see him recieve that revelation to know when he should be baptized. And he picked the date without knowing that it was the day his son John was getting baptized. So we'll have a father son baptism and we're so excited. It's going to be so tender for them to share that date. And they're such a nice family, we're so pumped to see them united in the gospel.

And then we've been teaching a different Mike in the YSA ward who's trying to come back to church, and I was talking with Sister Peck after one of his lessons this week about how his lessons feel like sacred ground because the spirit is always so strong. And it's because he's so honest and sincere in his desire to learn and to repent. He's been doing so good. We're just so proud.

Then a miracle! I had called a former investigator earlier that week, and he called me back. That's a huge deal. People never call back, members, non members, it doesn't matter, people just don't return our calls. But this young man called me back to set up an appointment.
It's so rewarding to see weeks of hard work start to really pay off and to see miracles happen in people's lives, and to see miracles happen in the work.

January in Cheney, Washington

So here I am in Cheney, Washington. It's cold but it's awesome, and today we're going to wal-mart so I can get some turtlenecks and warm socks. So as a part of my first area we cover Cheney 1st ward and the West Plains YSA ward. So we cover a part of the town and then all of the Eastern Washington University campus. So a handful of our investigators and the people we meet are college age students, which is a lot of fun. And then the rest are in the family ward, but it seems like everyone we meet is just so nice.


And my companion Sister Peck is amazing. She feels insecure about training someone but she shouldn't because she's so so amazing. She's from Las Vegas and went to school at BYU Hawaii and actually knows one of the sisters I lived with in the MTC. She knows Sister Roy and it was so fun to make that connection. But she is just so in tune with the spirit and is so good about following those promptings immediately. Another thing I love about her is her sincerity too. She's absolutely sincere in everything she does. When she talks to investigators or members, or anyone, you can feel the love and genuine concern she has for them in the most sincere way. I love that she's perfectly honest with her feelings and her thoughts. She has such an honest and wonderful love for the Lord and for His gospel and it's infectious. Plus, as an added bonus she loves EFY music. So now that I can listen to music again, she's right there with me asking me to replay songs that we just happen to both love. So we are getting along fabulously, and just teaching the gospel.
Being in the field is different than I expected, but it's good. It's less teaching lessons and more sharing scriptures with less actives, but we're working hard to invite everyone to come unto Christ. But it's amazing the instantaneous love I have for everyone we teach. To have that sincere desire for them to change their lives and then to recieve revelation on what they need, and what to teach them. It's amazing. I hope I can be here long enough to watch an investigator progress towards baptism from start to finish, but we'll see.
I've been asking everyone I meet if they know anyone who speaks portuguese, because I really really want to find a portuguese family, or anyone really, and be able to touch them and teach them in the language of their heart. and then yesterday in church I was explaining to a young man in the ysa ward about the whole visa waiting thing, and then asked him to let me know if he found anyone who speaks portuguese, and he mentioned a woman who works at a bicycle shop behind the library who is from Brazil, so tomorrow I think Sister Peck was going to show me where it is and we'll go talk to her. At the very least I hope to just practice speaking the language. I do have time in the morning to study, but it's no substitute to actually speaking it. So hopefully that'll work out. I'll keep you updated.
But in general I am just happy and healthy. I'm already loving Washington and the people. We went and visited a couple who Sister Peck baptized and this sweet man, his name was Bob gave me a Christmas ornament he made. I guess all the sisters got one around Christmas time, but he let me pick one out too. I just wanted to tell Daddy about it, since he loves working with wood, but it's just this little wooden ornament, he carved it with a scroll saw. I'm not sure what that means, but it's out of redwood and the only finish on it is just some mineral oil, and it's just the prettiest little thing. I hung it above my desk along with a map of the country I found. So I'm just settling in nice.

2nd MTC Letter

So everything is going well. My companions are still amazing and we're learning so so much. For Thanksgiving yesterday Elder Holland came and spoke to us and it was absolutely incredible. He taught us so much about the Atonement and our purpose as missionaries in relation to it. It was the neatest thing. You could feel it when he walked in the room, and the spirit blessed me with a powerful experience of empathy, to feel what Elder Holland felt as he walked in and heard us singing about the Savior. It was an amazing feeling. We are more powerful than we realize. He also had all of his grandchildren there and they all came up and sang that one primary song about the song of a bird and the rain on my face, the touch of a velvet rose, the smell of a lilac tree, etc. I think it's call "I know Heavenly Father Loves Me" but I'm not positive. Regardless, it's one of my favorite primary songs and I was so touched to hear his sweet grandchildren sing it.
Anyway, the Thanksgiving dinner was good. It wasn't as tasty as it is at home, and they only had the tiniest dollop of whipped cream for our slices of pumpkin pie, but it was good. I miss the family, but I'm doing well.
I did finally recieve mail today after we got back from the temple. The letters you and mommy wrote to me were the answers to my prayers. I needed them today, and I was so grateful. I cried as I read them on our way to lunch and asked my companions if we could stop off at the bathroom so I could blow my nose before entering the cafeteria. They were perfect. Obrigada.
Oh, and Mommy, you would be so proud. Last Sunday I went with my companions to choir practice, so that we could sing in the MTC choir for the Tuesday devotional. We sang "Come Thou Fount" and it was beautiful. Funny story about it though. So Sunday we got there a little early and had spots close to the front, and then in walks my friend Art from EFY this summer. He was filling in as our conductor that day. It was so awesome to see him. I had almost not gone since Sister Wegener didn't really want to go and I didn't have my heart set on it, but luckily Sis. Dangerfield talked her into it, and so I was able to see Art. It's funny, Both of my companions went to BYU and are from Utah, so every day they bump into someone they know from school or from home etc. Plus sis. Dangerfield worked in the MTC cafeteria for 3 years so all of her friends work here and she's always saying hi to them. So it was wonderful to bump into a friend.
Oh, so the devotional Tuesday was from Per G. Malm from one of the quorums of the 70 and he was from Sweden. And it just so happens that his wife is from the same town as Oscar. I just know if I had had a chance to chat with her we'd be best friends forever. But regardless it was an amazing talk that he gave. He told several incredible stories that applied so perfectly to us.
Anyway, time is almost gone, so I'll wrap it up. Hopefully this email works, but I'll be sending a real letter today as well, just in case. And spread the word to everyone you see that I would love love love any and all letters. Sister Wegener gets soooo much mail every day, and it's hard not to be jealous. I have heard wonderful things about Dear Elder as well. From what I understand it's a website and you can type in the letter and the print it off and deliver it here same day.
Anyway, I love you all. I miss everybody, but I'm doing wonderfully.
I'll talk to you soon,
Paige.