Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Signs things aren´t going so well:‏

...During long bike rides in Brazil you don´t have a windshield to protect you from all the bugs... you only have your face. haha Yeah, it is a great feeling. I just try to keep my mouth shut. haha Another sign things aren´t going so well is that I am about to hit HALFWAY! What?!?! This thursday will make 9 months and then it will officially be downhill. Crazy crazy crazy and I don´t even want to think about leaving Brazil!!!! That journey song keeps coming to my head ``woah, you´re halfway there woah living on a prayer.`` Totally works for my situation. haha Friday Sister Peterson will have one year in the mission so we are gonna party it up this week in a very missionary style. Don´t even worry. I am having a great time with Sister Peterson. It is cool to have an american companion once in a while and have her understand my little movie quotes and stuff. Dont worry, we still speak portuguese all the time. Except when quoting movies, and kid history. Duh. but anyways....
This week was crazy full of experiences. Last p-day we made cookies (well, sis. peterson kind of made them while I `taste tested`them. Someone had to do it! I am pretty selfless.) We had an FHE and played spoons. I almost won. But the 6 year old beat me. Pois é. I love being able to speak portuguese better and joke around with the people. Man it feels great to be able to get to know them. Afterwards we delivered cookies to all the members and they just LOVED it. One thing about BRazil, they dont even eat cookies here. Like, at all. They were so excited about this new ``biscuit`. haha So funny. 
This week the city was out of water so we were trying to be savvy with our water use. Hard with four girls living together but we are managing. And we used my little water sterilizing kit yesterday to have drinking water. It was pretty fun actually. haha 
Can I just say that it is hard to ride a bike uphill against the wind! But I know my thighs are getting stronger and stronger and I am probably gonna come home looking like the hulk. I am almost a bicycle pro. I said almost alright.
This week was great with our investigators. Our baptismal dates are looking great and we are hoping to have a baptism saturday. People this week seemed to be more receptive than ever. Wishy washy investigators are changing! 
Thursday we had a night of integration at the church to help build friendships between the members and our investigators. We played charades with playdough. I forgot the name of the game or if there even is a name for this game or if it is just charades with playdough. Anyway, you get the point. It was way fun though. They dont have a church building here. It is a rented house with two stories but it works. It is cool how that doesn´t even matter because the spirit is still there. 
One problem... I am getting so used to eating dessert after lunch that when we don´t have it I feel like something is missing in life. haha We make a lot of stops at the local bakery. Yum!
We went one day without our bikes because some members gave us a ride in their car. Everyone all day kept asking us ``but where are your bikes?`` ``why aren´t you two using your bikes?`` It was really funny how everyone was so interested in the fact that we were walking. But it was weird. I felt like I was moving in slow motion all day. Bikes are the way to go.
Sunday morning before church we biked out to Santa Catarina. THe little town we are working in right now and were passing by our investigators houses. ALmost EVERYONE bailed on coming to church. Ugh. But one family came and it made it all worth it! They are so cute and are really progressing now. 
We found a different great family and they are legally married! Jackpot! So hard to find. They are pretty strong in their religion but they are reading the book of Mormon and willing to give it a shot. They invited us to their church to hear the two daughters sing and our mission president said it was okay so last night off we went to Igreja Missão Evangelica! Wow, what an experience. It was so different than our church. They sang and it was great and cool to see that other people really are trying to follow Jesus Christ as well. But also made me so grateful for the amazing church we have and gave me that much more of a desire to help people find the truth. They talk REALLY loud in other churches. And they welcomed us as visitors and actually invited us to speak in front of everyone. haha I had no idea what to say. They were all yelling hallelujah and gloria and stuff and waving their hands. Good thing Sister Peterson went first and she asked the pastor what he wanted her to say and all he said was ``church, church, church.`` In english. She just bore her testimony and then I had to go up and I did the same. It sure was a crazy experience. Its not every day as a missionary you get to bear your testimony in front of a congregation of another faith. haha but it was definitely an experience I will never forget. Oh man. 

My email is pretty short this week. Or maybe you still think it´s too long! Too bad, you have to keep reading. I am loving this area. I love riding a bike and looking out into the distance and seeing nothing but fields and fields. The stars here are so bright and the moon is like my favorite thing in the world. The little kids in the town are always running up to us and asking us if we speak english and if we are from germany or france. I love the kids here. They are so cute and I just want to help all their parents teach them the gospel so they can grow up and know how much they are loved. I think that is the hardest thing about rejection on the mission. Looking at the kid and knowing they are gonna suffer because their parents didn´t want to change. But then I remember to trust in the Lord and I know he will take care of everything. 

Well, family. Thanks for all the emails. It was almost email overload this week but it was great. I love to see pictures! I am waiting on the package but I know it will come soon. Love you all and you are always in my prayers!!! Some day you can all come to Brazil with me and then you will understand how amazingly awesome it is. Or I will just talk your ears off when I get home about all my experiences. haha Probably both! Be excited!!! Estou voltando já!!!! haha

Love you! Tchau Tchau!

Beijos!

Sister Zeller

I attached a video of Sister Dias and I singing our favorite song. We changed the words a bit. We heard a guy playing this song from a speaker on a bike. It says, ``(random name) everyone knows him`` Then in the background he says ``Yep, everybody knows me`` then they say ``he is a way cool guy`` and then he says ``Yeah I´m pretty cool`.` Rough translation but you get the point. When we first heard it we about died laughing and we sang it to each other pretty much every day. Que Saudades da Sister Dias!!!

Pictures: sister peterson making cookies and writing cute little notes for the members. The elders totally don´t do this!
Also, a sneak peak of our area and our well beloved bike path we use everyday! Thanks random brazilian bike rider for making the picture great!


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