So this week consisted of many laughs, tears, foods that
excited and disappointed, and a whole lot of oh-my-gosh-why-is-it-so-hot-Christmas-doesn't-belong-in-summer
type of feeling so ...... vamo-lá! (let’s go)
Ok it really is a mean joke to have Christmas in the middle
of summer, I don't know WHOSE idea that was but please let's make that stop.
It's funny because everyone's been running around buying presents or putting up
decorations and every missionary is like, wait I still have to work on
Christmas day? and #wowIhopemypackageiscoming
#canIactuallyspeakinenglishfor40minutes #havingseriousdoubts
This week we had splits with my old companion Sister
Carvalho when I was in my trio which was great fun also super stressful because
it was just her and my poor little filha Sister Mendonça wandering around
aimlessly and hopelessly lost because in our area EVERYTHING looks exactly the
same and she had only had 2 weeks in the area! I switched to Sister Carvalho’s
area with her little filha which was really amazing because Sister Carvalho
really is the definition of a consecrated missionary - works harder than anyone
I've ever met, studies the scriptures with deliberate thought and intensity,
and being in her area (which is a lot less complicated AND we had a map) I was
able to see just how effective and healthy her area and people she is teaching
were. So while I was like whoop whoop this is great, my poor filha was like "I
don't know anything-why-are-there-7-parks-that-all-look-the-same"
:´D
But after our long day we decided that we were all in the
mood for some pizza so we looked around and grabbed this number for Tibet's
pizza that was on the refrigerator mixed in with ads for água e açai. Ok
beleza. So we are calling this place and the ad says that for a grande, it
costs $22 so we pool in and decide to grab one chicken (which is like the most
common pizza here that everyone LOVES - shredded chicken with catupiry which is
like this white squeezable cheese they put on tapioca and everything #SEMsauce)
and one chocolate, and the person says hey we'll be there in 30 minutes and we
get HYPED because we are seriously starving, slightly impressed with the speed,
but mostly hyped right. The guy shows up about 30 minutes later and we go to
pay for the pizza and he says that'll be $77.
um.
que??
So come to find out that not only do they charge for the
pizza (ok annoying but understandable), they charge for delivery (also annoying
but understandable), for EACH card board box that holds the pizza, the speed of
the delivery, the driver's healthy mustache, the discomfort of the motorcycle,
and just about any other excuse under the Brasilian sun. Ok fine we each fork
over $20 reais and grab the boxes of pizzas "grandes", which were so
light we started to doubt that they actually had something inside. Long story
short we opened the boxes to find that Tibet's pizza works with "massa
FINA" , (thin crust) was not massa fina (thin crust) but rather massa de papel. (piece of paper thin). Heated Sister Carvalho calls Tibet's
and demands to know why there was paper inside of our $30 pizza box and we just
can't hold it in and we are all dying laughing because it seriously was
ridiculous. Needless to say we tore up that horrid little ad and swore that
next time, we wouldn't be cheap and just go straight for the good stuff
#reismagos #60reaiscadapizza.
But it made for some good times and bonding experience so
who's complaining? #mystomachbecausenowIdon'thavemoneyforaçai
But this week I have been really trying to help Sister
Mendonça with her street contacts because she really REALLY hates them right.
She has such a bright intellect and powerful testimony but she is a bit more
reserved and absolutely gets way stubborn when it comes to approaching and
talking to people on the street, never approaching people unless I prompt her
and sometimes, quite literally PUSHING her towards them. There was one time
this week when we were passing this trampolim (trampoline)
with all these little kids and their parents on the side of the street
(I don't know why but literally every party rents a trampoline and puts them in
the middle of the square or sidewalk) and I nudged her to go over and talk to
them. She quickly denied it and tried to keep on walking. I stopped and tugged
her arm and we stood there for about a tense 5 seconds with me physically
PUSHING her back towards the parents with her squirming and moving away. Which
would have gone unnoticed because the parents and kids had their backs to us
but the OTHER side of the street had all these tables filled with people that
must have been quite the sight. While we are sitting there like 'go', 'NO',
'go', NO' a woman on the other side who had been seeing us comes over and
mistook our hesitancy for nervousness to ask for the cotton candy that was
sitting in front of the trampolim. So she says go ahead, take some! And we were
like 'umm no that's alright' and with her insisting I finally asked, 'ok how
much does it cost?' and she goes no it's my grandson's birthday, please just
take some!
It was literally the most hilarious thing, all I could think
about was me and Rachel with my Dad and how I had to bribe her to ask my dad if
we could get Dippin' Dots. But with cotton candy in hand we managed to just
talk to her about her family and eventually the church which made for some
great conversations and discussions about the Book of Mormon.
It blows me away how sometimes we just forget to be normal,
that we are talking with real people and that it's so much easier to get to
know them for who they are first than to just jump right in with talking about the
gospel. I feel so much happier when I am just talking to them because I love
this - making connections with people and helping them to find the way back to
live with our Father in Heaven again. This week really hit me with the amount
of love and urgency I feel to have these people become a part of the Lord's
flock again, to be numbered as one who knows His voice and understands their
purpose here on the earth.
This work really demands all that I have to give physically,
spiritually, and emotionally but yet I still feel there is more I can give.
Sometimes we just demand, demand, demand things from God but are never willing
to give anything back in return.
Trying to really give more because there is nothing that I
have that I didn't receive first from my Savior or loving Heavenly
Father.
EAT SOME COTTON CANDY FOLKS #savessouls
Muito amor <3
Sister Staheli
