Today we mixed things up and went to the market before the LAN house to write. I don't think I will ever do that again... I was so distracted and anxious the whole time. Writing and hearing from you guys is definitely the highlight and priority. Forget groceries- e-mails from my mom are waiting!
The puppies were absolutely adorable! I wanted to take one home so badly. The mom died and so the family was giving them away for free. I haven't ever been so tempted to break a mission rule. I stayed strong, obedient and petless though. The plenitude of dog poop on the sidewalks afterwards were a nice reassurance that I had made the right decision too.
Marcos, the 14 year old who walked to church, is doing well. He has a really complicated family situation with divorced parents and such. We were able to meet with his mom though and she is amazing! (She also makes a killer cake with goiabada- I am going to get the recipe and send it to you). She came to church this Sunday! But Marcos didn't... he stayed with his Dad. His Mom really liked church though. the Relief Society lesson was perfect for her- it moved her to tears! Haha, sometimes as a missionary it is good to make people cry. We are going to meet with her several times this week. I am hoping that in the next couple of weeks she and Marcos can be baptized together!
We also have had some progress with Laudo's wife. During the entire time we were teaching him before baptism she was very antagonistic and standoffish with us. This week I had the idea to take a copy of The Family- A Proclamation to the World to her. So Sister Malta and I prepped a killer lesson on this and made the trek to the outskirts of Alfenas where they live (I swear everyone with potential either lives really far or at the top of a crazy morro(hill)!) When we arrived Laudo happened to be home too- his work was cancelled due to rain. So he let us in right away (we were a bit worried she wouldn't let us in- so that was a miracle!) As we sat at the kitchen table just chatting with them we somehow found out that Luciana's father passed away just two years ago. It was obviously still a very tender topic for her. So in spite of our other plans, we moved into a lesson on the Plan of Salvation. We taught in perfect unison and the lesson flowed flawlessly. I don't think we would have taught that well, hitting exactly the points she needed- if we had planned and practiced to teach that lesson. I love it when the Lord takes over in lessons and all of our weaknesses melt away. It is the coolest thing ever. She had o travel this Sunday, but Laudo said she is anxious to come to church next week and wants us to come back!
I had another really cool lesson this week. It was more of a learning experience for me. We were teaching the Restoration to a college student named Isabela. We teach this lesson so often that it is easy to fall into a pattern and say the exact same things every time. After I finished the first part of the lesson and Sister Malta was teaching, I realized what was happened. We were just being missionary robots. I decided then and there to change. I started praying to know what she needed specifically and started to really pay attention. When my part came, the words started to flow. Rather than moving on to the first vision as usual, I took the time to fully bear my testimony of the atonement. The change in the atmosphere was all too clear. the spirit filled the room and I could see a physical change in her. She was suddenly intently paying attention, cherishing every word. The change in me was all too clear too. I stopped stumbling to find the right words in português ad just spoke. When the spirit takes over like that I could be speaking English it is so easy to say what I want! Haha, if only it was like that all of the time! Needless to say, it was an amazing experience. Lessons like these make all of the hard work worth it. We leave those lessons ready to climb the tallest hills and face the dark rainy evenings.
So on to some of your questions. We do still keep working in the rain and thunder. If we are lucky we can pass most of it in the houses of investigators teaching, but even if not, we keep on woking. My shoes are holding up pretty well. I doubt they'll make it through the whole mission, but they are good for now. They don't dry out totally in one day if it has been really rainy. I have a pair of plasticy flats that I bought here for 10 reals though. So I switch off wih my shoes. The flats make my feet hurt a bit, so I can't wear then everyday.
The picture of the ice cream cone I sent was half ice cream half açai. So so good! We can only get those in Varginha though... another reason to love zone conferences! The cone is in fact coated with Nutella. Yes. It is basically heaven. Sister Malta also introduced me to brasilian churros this week. They fill their churros here! Sweetened condensed milk, nutella... it is super duper good.
Love you all!
Sister Emma Maxwell
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