November 18, 2013

Oi Familia! Our baptisms all fell this week but we´ve still got quite a few possibles for this week. Lais´dad didn´t sign the paperwork because of her ``behavior`` but we´re going to talk to him again this week. It´s funny, for every single parent who has signed the paperwork, their kid backed down in the end. And conversely, all of the teenagers who still want to be baptized have parents who won´t give permission. We´re making slow progress with Oridette, and I´m starting to not think she is such a Bruxa. She actually likes us now, but she still isn´t letting Sandrielle go to church. We offer every day to clean her yard, do her laundry, cut her toenails, ANYTHING. No one ever lets us do service here :( It´s actually really funny sometimes. Asking to help with dishes after lunch is basically a joke now because the answer is always no. Brasilians are funny. They tell you to eat more then right after they tell you you´re getting fat. I love the honesty haha This transfer is FLYING. I can´t even believe it. It seems like Sister De Paula just got here. I am still praying to stay here. Jaqueline is probably the biggest miracle of this area. She deserves a little more written about her. I already talked a little bit about her but she´s a recent convert with two teenage kids, Bia and Hercules, and she´s shorter than I am. She has cancer and some days she can´t even get out of bed, but she is honestly doing more work than us at this point. She brings almost all of our investigators to church, talks to the parents of all the teenagers, calls everyone to remind them of church, even the people who don´t live on her block. We really need to be careful now because she was so upset about the last baptism that fell that she got really sick and didn´t go to church. Most, okay, all of our success right now is because of her. And she keeps insisting that she doesn´t do enough. I think she needs to be an example to our other members who have cars and won´t even pick people up to go to church. Jaqueline is an angel. Absolutely the craziest, feistiest woman I´ve ever met, but she´s an angel. This week has just been about staying animated and happy, even when things are going wrong. Losing energy ALWAYS has to do with one of the Christlike atributes in PMG. If you aren´t sleeping enough or excersizing, that´s obedience. Otherwise it´s faith, hope, patience, diligence, charity or something else that´s missing. Be of good cheer! God´s work can´t be frustrated, His plan has already won. The problem is always yourself. We definitely have some awesome cooks in our ward, especially desserts. Every meal has rice, beans, and spaghetti. EVERY MEAL. My favorite thing here is Lasagna. Before I go home I´m going to buy little metal desert bowls so I can make Mouse and other delicias :) Mouse is the best thing on the planet. Mouse de Maracuja and Mouse de Limão. I love you guys! Keep smiling! When in doubt, just break into song! Com abraçãos, Sister Moore