Mission Home Arrival and First Week in New Area!

I have arrived to my first area, first meeting at the mission home on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, arriving by bus and met by Pres. and Sister Acosta and other missionaries! The photos below are of Pres. Acosta and other missionaries watching for us to come off the bus, just after exiting the bus, the group of eighteen new missionaries just new from the CTM; where Sister Allison Thomson and I are the only Americans with this group, and me meeting and with my new companion, Sister Lara. As well, a photo of me with Pres. and Sister Acosta. My new companion, Sister Lara is from the State of Paraná, Paraná-PR in Southern Brazil; the state just South of where we are at, the state of São Paulo-SP. What a crazy two weeks it has been!

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This week was really hard to adjust to and I have found that my Portuguese is a little rough around the edges. Speaking to native people is way different than speaking with CTM teachers and instructors. We walk a lot here and all of the paths of cobblestone are super bumpy and my left ankle is having some issues 😊. But I think, as I get adjusted my ankle will go back to normal. I also have tons of blisters but I know that will phase out as well.

Brazilian Walkways or Paths of Cobblestone

I have gotten used to the Brazilian diet or food so that's good. I actually think I may gain some weight here ... yet with all the walking it will not be a problem 😄. Here we eat meals with church members at lunch time and they always insist we eat a lot of food. It's always some kind of pasta and meat.

My companion is Sister Lara. She is from Southern Brazil, the State of  Paraná and is super, super nice! She is also the Sister Training Leader and has been out here for almost a year. She has been in our area, Cursino for about three months and knows pretty much everyone here. They all love her. She teaches so well and follows the Spirit to know what to say. She always encourages me and tells me that in about three weeks I will be able to understand one hundred percent and speak really well. She said she knew before I came that she was going to train an American sister. She always helps put a smile on my face when I am down and says that one day she is certain I will be training other missionaries too. Some of the members have said that for only being here for two months its miraculous how well I can speak in comparison to other missionaries they have seen and known. Our area is Cursino and I really like it here! There are many people that accept our messages. My favorite place to share messages is with the people in the favelas.  A favela (Portuguese pronunciation: [faˈvɛlɐ]), Brazilian Portuguese for slum, is a low-income historically informal urban area in Brazil. Now don't freak out its not as dangerous as one may have heard 😊.
We had a baptism this week!!! Her name is Thaissa and she is almost thirteen. She has a strong testimony and is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. Her family is also preparing for baptism her mom, Crisi, brother Gabriel and little Mateus that isn't quite old enough. Cute Mateus gives the biggest hugs and wants me to hold a "class" just for him to teach him English. Gabriel calls me Sister "Smartchee phone", and loves to joke with me. We went to the park the other day and had a lot of fun! We also had a family night with them and ate Brigadiera which is like fudge and watched a movie. I love that family so much!

Brigadier - A Brazilian Treat that Tastes Like Fudge

I also tried chicken hearts before I left the CTM with my district. They were surprisingly good although somewhat disturbing. I´m not dead yet, so I guess you could say chicken hearts are A-okay to eat.
Love you all!