Opa!! happy November! 🦃🍂 🛍 I am so not jealous of American fall, Black Friday and Thanksgiving this month! Unfortunately, I have to admit I didn't put the 2 and 2 together that Brazil wouldn't celebrate Thanksgiving. Education was never really my thing.
This week was pretty good. we walked a lot and had a couple solid lessons. we found 16 new people. our main purpose right now is working with Natália to be ready for her baptism next week. Also, Halloween is not a thing here. after growing up with Natalie Copeland as a mom it was almost alarming not waking up to a perfectly designed Halloween-themed breakfast with real-life actors and bats. But I did wake up to a spider so that was festive
This week
-Halloween
-carved a pineapple and watermelon
-walking
-baptism date with Tonny
-Natália
-we got fed cow intestine 🤩
We've been visiting Natália pretty much every night. she is so excited to be baptized. we drew out for her the Plan of Salvation, and she went and hung it up on her door. she likes to draw for us, so I drew her a photo of the three of us all in pink dresses, because she wants us in pink for her baptism. so now that and the Plan of Salvation are on her door. ❤️🩹 we are really trying to get a good relationship with the dad to hopefully eventually baptize him too. we would love to see this family be sealed in the temple, since the mom is already baptized. he is anti-Elders (valid) and they were never able to go into their home before. little by little he opens up with us so we think with time we can baptize him too.
Random from this week
-the bugs here are brutal. my ankle is rock solid from how swollen it is. they also go after our hands
somehow (açai) I have $1 U.S. dollar in my bank account. I have no idea how
-we had a night at Natália's house where her mom helped us learn to braid better
-we had a lunch at a member's house and she was playing Abba instrumental and that made my day
-got told I'm funny in Português. I'll take that over being fluent
-taught 6 little girls a lesson that we found playing in the street, they then didn't let us leave and chased down our Uber.
-a random horse ran up to me, and I felt like a horse girl again and Disney princess all at the same time
-we teach this family who lives at the very very top of the tallest hill and we're winded every time we get to the top. the dad told us next time he'd pick us up and drive us up the hill because we shouldn't get any skinnier than we are. that is the best thing I've heard all year. especially after the fact Brazilians don't know how to NOT put sweetened condensed milk in every article of food.
My comp is great. we laugh a lot. she's the honorary spider killer in the house because I haven't advanced to that point yet. it's nice to talk to someone about America. she said the first thing she wants to do when she gets home is go camping and on a hike. respectfully that is probably the LAST thing I am doing. I am getting a massage and not getting up for weeks.
I can't believe in two weeks I'll be out of training. I am so grateful I never have to do that again. I will be telling stories from my training for the rest of my life haha. I journaled a lot, my future kids will read it and think it was Anne Frank's diary. this second in-field transfer was definitely better for me, was a blessing. here are a couple things I learned since July 7.
-be thou humble
-God is good even when the world isn't
-praying and the scriptures are my favorite place to find peace
-there is something to learn from every person, there is something good in every person
-I am so lucky to know God has a plan for me, not everyone knows that
-there is more to the world than just my life
-I was so lucky to have a car
-when focusing on Christ, priorities become clearer. genuinely my mission has already changed the course of my life and what I want
-everyone needs a smile or a hug, everyone is going through something
-pizza with chocolate is a 10/10
-to be a disciple of Christ we need to be peacemakers, bare others' burdens, not heap them onto others
-Português is hard haha
-cockroaches are fast
-I can do hard things through Christ, who strengtheneth me
These lessons are all things I've heard before and I've always agreed with, but I didn't truly learn it until I lived it. I am thankful for my mission. 9 transfers left, I'm excited to learn more. honestly kind of crazy that in one month, I'm only one year out. can't imagine doing 2 years haha.
It's impossible to not miss my life before the mission, we spend hours walking and so I spend a lot of time thinking about everything I miss. but when we get into a lesson with people who hang on to every word you're saying (or they're just trying really hard to understand my Português) and you see them hear about the Book of Mormon, Plan of Salvation everything for the first time and they are just captivated. it's one of the most rewarding feelings. it makes it so worth it. every blister, every bug bite, every tear, every bashing, every event at home I'm missing is all worth it. knowing that what I'm blessed to know, I have the opportunity to share it with people is a humbling honor.
That's my spiritual thought this week. that I have a testimony spiritually and literally. confirmed to me through the Holy Ghost every day that I am here. I have learned so much about the doctrine in these past months and as I've learned more my testimony has solidified. my favorite sentence to testify is "eu sei que esses coisas são verdadeiras. eu estou aqui porque eu sei."
I know these things are true. I am here, because I know.
At the end of the day, leaving my family, friends, comfort, country, opportunities would not be worth being here if it wasn't true.
Miss and love you all every day, email me
sister copeland
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