Hey everybody!!!
So this week has been kinda nutz! I
AM ACTUALLY IN BRAZIL!!! Can you believe it! I didn’t think this day would ever
come! haha but here I am! I have to say it’s a lot different than I expected. It’s
not really pretty...haha but I’m in a giant city area so I don’t know what I
expected. There are just houses and
buildings everywhere! I have yet to see a significantly large patch of green! But
there are plants and trees everywhere so that’s nice! :) The area I’m serving
in is called Rudge Ramos, it is in São Bernado do Campo so I’m quite far from
the beach but it’s all good! I really like this area and this ward! The people
are great! The biggest bummer about it is its kind of big. Our area includes a
place called Jordinopoilis and it’s about an hour and fifteen minute walk from
our house. That has been killing my feet. My shoes are REALLY getting broken in
now so I’ve been having quite a few blisters which makes walking not super fun.
We never take the bus so it’s just walking all the time! But it’s good for me
so I’m learning to love it! We are just exhausted by the time we get home. And
with me working so hard to understand what people are saying… I have been dead
by the end of the night. I would say that has been the hardest thing, it really
is just exhausting everyday but the good far outweighs that so I am happy! And
I will get more accustomed to it as time goes on! :)
So something interesting I found
out. You know that new mission that is getting created in são paulo? Well that
is my mission being split! The coastal area called the Baixada is becoming its
own mission! So after that SPS we’ll be the 2 smallest mission in the world
next to temple square! Crazy huh?! That will happen in July so if I am over
there at that time then I will be part of the new mission! So I could end up
having 3 missions!!!! Now that’s crazy! But we will see what happens. It’s
pretty awesome that the work is going so well and there are so many
missionaries that they need to make another mission! That’s why Brazil is so
awesome!
So my companion is GREAT! She speaks
English! haha what a blessing! She is actually American, her name is Sister
Larson and she is from Philadelphia. She has been helping me so much this week.
We get along great and she is an awesome missionary! She has already been in
the area for like 2 or 3 transfers so she knows the people and the area really
well! This will actually be her last 2 transfers and then she goes home! :(
Sad... But I´m just going to try to make the end of her mission totally awesome!!!!
She has been helping me a lot with the language which is very much needed! I
feel like things are getting better every day! I still don´t really know what
people are saying but I feel like I’m understanding more and speaking more
every day and it will only get better! I can´t believe I made it through this
week! It can only go up from here right! I sure hope so! haha
We have quite a few people we are
teaching and we get a new investigator probably every day… which is very
exciting. One great story was a lady we are teaching now, we saw her at the
bottom of a hill with a bunch of groceries and we offered to help her take them
to her house we did that and then asked if we could share a message she said
yes so we shared a scripture and she loved it! She told us we had to come meet
her neighbor who is an older woman that she works for. We talked to them and
they are just so sweet! They are really excited to learn about the gospel and
read the Book of Mormon! We have been teaching them quite a bit so hopefully they
will continue to progress! Another we are teaching is a woman Isabel and her
daughter Marina. They live in our building so It’s quite convenient! But they
are so great! They are like family to me already! Marina is about to be 20 and
is just so cool! I love her, she can speak English decently well so it’s easier
to communicate with her! They have baptism dates set and are already pretty
much living the commandments so it’s awesome! They are definitely a tender
mercy for me right now! :)
Leaving Elko was really sad but my last week was totally awesome! On sunday a few hours before I left we had the baptism for Ben. It was early but it was really good! The spirit was there and Ben got to start his new life! It was really special! I am so glad I got to be a part of that and of his conversion. He really is a special person with a special spirit! I wouldnt trade the experiences I had in Elko for anything! It was a great way to start my mission! I feel so blessed already!
Well things are going good! I have
yet to eat anything that I thought was totally gross which is good! haha
EVERYONE drinks juice here! And I’m not the biggest fan but I’m learning to
like it! I’m still just trying to drink as much water as I can! So yeah it’s
great!
One last funny story! So right when
we left the airport we were going to meet President and Sister Tanner (who are
totally awesome!) and there are like 5 of us and they drop us off at this
apartment building and let us in the gate. We walk in and I look behind me and
the people who drove us are gone so we´re just like well what do we do now?!
haha We are in the courtyard area with a couple big apartment buildings and we
have no idea where to go! It was your classic group of Americans in a foreign
county with NO IDEA what they are doing! And none of us really speak good Portuguese
and there is no one around so we had not a clue what to do! I was just laughing
that they just left us! Finally we ask a janitor for President Tanner and all
we got out of him was 2. So we thought okay much be 2nd floor! So we cram into
this little elevator and go to the third floor. The door to the floor is
locked! Again I just laugh at the hilarity of the situation. So we go back
outside try opening doors that are locked and then someone goes to the man at
the gate and he tells us building 2 13th floor! aaaaah it all makes sense now!
So we go up and are greeted lovingly by Sister Tanner! We did it! I was so
happy! haha apparently they are supposed to call them and then they come down
and meet us... but it was fun! So now here I am and it’s all better now!
Well I hope everything is going well
for everyone. I REALLY need your prayers now… but I’ll just keep workin hard
and doin the work! Remember to always share what you know to be true with people
because you never know who is going to need it! :)
TE AMO MUITO!
Sister Schwitters
Oh and also if you want to send me
letters (just need a foreign stamp that’s like 1.40 or something like that) you
can send them to the mission office and they will get them to me. This will be
the same address my whole mission! Thanks for all the support!
CEP 04344-010
This is me and Estella! She's 91 and super awesome!
Gotta have a picture of an elk in Elko! haha
One of the girls in the ward that I LOVE LOVE LOVE and miss so much! Candice!
Our ward mission leader and his wife! The Strongs were so amazing!
Bens Baptism!! So great!
This guy...haha he´s the best!!!
A house with a mustache???
The hastings! These are the people we lived with! They were fab!
Bye bye to my wonderful companion Sister Anderson!
You know me I just had to have Cafe Rio one more time in the SLC airport! haha it was delicous! :)
On the airplane!!! That was the longest travel day of my life....ugh but I was so happy when we finally made it! We ended up leaving an hour and a half late because of the storm so that was a bummer...
This is Brazil! haha not my area, this was on the way home from the airport but this is how alot of it is!
Me and my amazing companion Sister Larson! People love us becuase we are 2 Americans! Its pretty funny! But she is great! LOVE HER!
This is part of my area! It is so vast! You just see houses and houses and buildings going on forever! This place is just Ginormous!!!! haha
Another one!
So we had a fun time the other night going to a 12yr olds birthday party! Man was it hoppin! Brazillians sure know how to party!! haha It was pretty sweet, they had music playing they had a DJ and tons of food! It was super fun!
The name of my building is CALIFORNIA! Represent!!! haha
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