Life in Brazil :)

This week has gone well. 

Today I feel good but this weekend I was SO tired. Our alarm goes off at 6 every day but my internal clock wakes me up at 5:50. Sunday we get to sleep in because we don´t exercise :) We walk to church and pass by people´s houses to walk with them. There are only 2 people at church that have cars. Incredible right? The only times I ever walked to church in my life is in Honduras or Utah when we were visiting family and that doesnt even count because it was a block away :p I am so impressed with the members here that have to walk for a half hour in 85-90 degree weather. And then they have to walk back at mid day. :) Sacrifice brings blessings. I have really learned the importance of going to church since I´ve been a missionary. During general conference they talked about the importance of taking the sacrament, and I´ve been thinking about that these last couple weeks and we´re doing a better job of teaching people about it.

Sister Gauna is an awesome missionary and companion, I´m really glad to be able to work with her. She likes to talk a lot :) While we walk she asks me questions about my life and talks about hers so we get to know each other really well. It really helps me stay in a good mood and trust her as my friend and companion. Our new best friend Victor is going to be baptised during the same baptismal meeting as a family that the other sisters are teaching on Saturday :) He had to go to Fortaleza to resolve some paper work on a house he inherited in his mom´s will that the family wants to send, so the timing didnt work out for him to be baptised this week, but he´s diligent and even offered to take the afternoon off of work for the baptismal interview. 

Second miracle, is that my friend Felix who has a lot of faith in god was having a hard day saturday and said that he lost his faith and decided god doesnt run the world anymore, that satan was in charge. in his life anyways- because he didnt feel like God was taking care of him anymore. I was like, Felix what happened? because he doesnt normally talk like that. We had a lesson about the importance of going to church (he´d been to just about every church except ours) and sang a hymn and promised him very strongly that if he went to church sunday he would see the difference. Pretty much dared him to test God and told him the promise was in the name of Jesus Christ. We got to church late yesterday and who was there hiding in the corner? :) Felix. He told us he did his part, now he´d see if God did his. I know that his week is going to be blessed in ways that he´ll perceive. By the end of church he was happier and said he enjoyed it.  

Oh another thing about church ha, they ran out of sacrament cups to put the water in and didnt notice until right before the meeting started. So President Forte ran to Pecem, the nearest church branch an hour away and brought some cups. Everyone waited talking to each other until the meeting started, but I was really impressed that people didnt decide to leave or get grumpy because church ended an hour late too because of it and they´d be late for lunch. But no one said anything and the meeting was really enjoyable :) This week we´re going to have family home evening with 2 families. A recent convert Maria (72) offered her house for Victor and his family to go over, and a new family in the ward Sydney (57) will host Ronne, a recent convert and his mom who´s investigating the church. I love family home evening because its a strong spiritual environment that enriches everyone in the 3 things President Hinkley says we all need. Friends, Responsibility and to be nourished by the good word of God. I hope that you all have family home evening and make time for one another this week :) I love you! 

Sister Miess