Week 10- Two months!

 Gah!! Hi everybody! 

This week has been good! It has definitely been a little nuts, but so good.

First, I don’t know WHAT is in the bugs, but I am so allergic. I look like I have chicken pox! I am going to try and switch the repellent that I have been using and see how that helps. I have been using the stuff that my mission president gave me, but I might have to bring out my American stash. I was hoping to save it for when I go to more foresty areas, but again. Chicken pox arms.

I am also going to give a formal apology to all of my friends who are on missions. I am sorry for all the times that I've yelled at you for not writing emails! I now understand what you guys mean by you're too tired. I am tired all of the time. I am on my feet for 14 hours a day in the hot sun, and it has completely zapped me. By 4 or 5 in the evening, I am barely even awake. I actually fell asleep at a members house on Wednesday. I swear I just blinked... it was only for 10 minutes but still. I was so embarrassed! 

On Thursday, I got to have lunch at a members house. Her name is Marlene, she has a son who is a service missionary. At the lunch, she gave me some yarn and a crochet hook and she taught me how to make a tie! I have made 0 progress, but still! I hope to finish it sometime in the next two or three weeks. 

Thursday was the day of food. They just keep feeding us! Every house that we went to gave us something. 

House 1: lunch. Pasta and rice and sausage. I was told to eat more 6x

House 2: juice

I ate some Açai in between house 2 and 3. There is a inactive member who works at an açai store. Because she is in school and has this job, she isn't available at home so we met with her at work.

House 3: birthday cake and coxinha. It was a members 22nd birthday.

House 4: this was the house of the Açai Members parents. They are catholic but love to talk to people from other faiths. Her mom insisted on a selfie with us. She also made us 1.5 grilled cheese sandwiches each. I almost started crying. We ate half there and then said we needed to take the whole ones to go. 

I also got to participate in karate on Thursday. Normally I'm just an observer, but this time I was wearing pants, so I got to participate! It was so fun. I did a year of karate back in high school, so it was fun getting to do it in Brazil.

On Friday, I attended my first baptism! It wasn't mine, it was Sis Oliveira and Centeno's. But Oliveira was in the hospital, so I had to take her place. Sis Oliveira and Sis Centeno went to the hospital at 0800 because Oliveira was in some serious pain. Sister Maciel and I headed over at around 1130 with some lunch. We waited for a bit, but Oliveira wasn't improving, and the results weren't going to come in until 1900. So we did a comp swap. Maciel stayed with Oliveira, and Centeno and I left. I helped Centeno set up for the baptism, and then we worked her area for a couple of hours. Then, it was baptism time! It was supposed to start at 1900, but no one, not even the youth getting baptized, showed up until 1930. I got to recite the first vision. Thank you CTM! Turns out, Oliveira has kidney stones. She is doing a little better now, but still not having a great time.

Saturday marked my 2 month mês-aniversario. (2 month birthday). It's so crazy to think that I have already been a missionary for 2 months! And even crazier to think that I am going to be here for 16 more. It was also Maciels 11 month mês-aniversario. We celebrated by eating burgers with Marlene, Elder Coelho (her son) and two other Elders who were spending the night at her house due to Stake Conference.

Elder Coelho keeps calling me a criança, which means child. I told him it's true, and that I also have the vocabulary of one. He reminds me of my siblings. 

Sunday was stake conference,  and I am not going to lie, I didn't get much. I fell asleep during part of it. I did catch that they were talking about temples! One of our investigators came which was awesome! We met with him on Tuesday. Apparently he had been meeting with the Elders for a couple of months. He served us homemade grape ice-cream and two different types of cake. We gave him a Book of Mormon. Turns out he is kind of famous in Teresina,  he's a news reporter. After stake conference ended, people kept coming up and asking to get a picture with him. He had a lot of questions after the meeting, so we're going to meet with him again.

I know this was long, so I am going to wrap it up with a spiritual thought now. 

God knows you. He knows you individually, and He knows you perfectly.  He knows you because you are His. You are His child. He knows your likes, your dislikes, your hopes, dreams, He knows your potential.  He knows who you are and, more importantly,  who you can become. 

Psalms 147:4- He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

How cool is it that God, creater of the universe,  knows your name? And cares enough to know it? I know that God loves each and every one of you. 

Love you all so much!! Tchau!

Picture descriptions:

1- Acai!

2- Our investigator

3- Hospital trip

4- Batismoooo

5- Mirror selfie at stake conference