Monthly Archives

January 2011

Brazil

Brasil Photos!!!

23 January 2011

Olá!!!
My first transfer in the field is done! Crazy! I was in Pennsylvania for two glorious weeks and I’ve been melting in Brasil the past 4 fantastico weeks. I loooove this place and am excited for next transfer! One of my companions is done with her 18 months and is headed home. Craaaazy. But the other one and I are thank goodness stayign here in this area! Sister Morales and I in Jardim da Penha again! I am soooo happy that we are both staying, because we’ve got some elect peopel to baptize!
 
We are teaching some really wonderful people now and making such good friendships. I looooove these people and am sooo happy I am not getting transferred! I love these people here and this ward and especially those we’re teaching. It’s so incredible. It’s so wodnerful to find those people that have a desire to listen, learn, and come unto Christ. It is so rewarding. I am so happy to be here.
 
Oh and there is some massive flooding going on but it is south of me in a different state. But still keep those people in your prayers. I’m pretty much completely good and safe here. Doing fantastically of course! Just learning so so much.
 
And today I ate the cutest little baby banana. It was the best! The fruit here is sooooo good. I love it! And the beans… yum yum yum. It’s kind fo sad when we go to a member’s house for lunch adn there is no beans. We need that rice and beans every day! :) We need that energy to walk miles and mile in the 90+ degree weather with like 1000% humidity. It’s killer. But it’s so nice when you get home at night after a long hard day of work. It’s so much more rewarding to sleep! :)
 
I’m just excited for this next transfer that starts tomorrow, sad to see my companion Sister Olsen go though, but there’s always good things ahead. Hope life is grand for your all and that you’re doing lots of good things! :D
 
Peace out for now. Até mais!

PS I bought some TOUCAN earrings!
Brazil

Loving Brasil

12 January 2011

I love Brasil more and more every day! And I love my mission more and more everyday too! It’s so incredible being out here and being a full time missionary. Plenty of hard work, but my life is just being so blessed.

Í’m so happy I have my visa and that I’m here! It’s still wicked hot, but I think I’m adapting a bit. The people here are wonderful. We knock on lots of doors, which is actually clapping at their gate, and so many people are just so inviting and let us right in. I love just being in people’s houses with them, getting to know them, bringing the spirit to them. It’s the best. 

And we went to one casa the other day, taught the first lesson to a mom and a daughter, and then they gave us a bunch of delicious mango. It was like the best I’ve ever had. Mangoes here are soooo good. I eat lots of them. I love all this fantastico fruit. But I could definitely use more vegetables these days. I’m getting plenty of rice and beans though, which is the best! And I’m not much of a meat fan, and fortunately I’ve been able to avoid most of the meat at meals pretty well.

And the other day there was a man who was pushing a big giant cart full of pineapple down the street yelling “abacaxí!” to sell it to people and I bought 5 cute little delicious pineapples for about $6. Fun fun in the sun sun.

Oh by the way, pedestrians do not have the right of way here. But all is well, no one has been run over for a while here. :) Just kidding, but seriously, you’ve got to be careful for those cars. 
I love teaching and sharing the gospel with people. Some people realize we’re bring something incredible, and even thoguh we testify, others don’t realize we’re bringing something incredible. But it’s good to know we’re out here doing what the Lord wants us to do and the we are making so much more of a difference than we realize. 

Transfers are next Tuesday. Wnoder if I’ll stay in this area of Jardim da Penha or move somewhere else. I’ll find out on Sunday! :) I love this area and these people here, but there’s always more good things and more good people ahead if I get transferred. 

Love you all a lot! Make sure you’re going to church, reading your scriptures, and saying your prayers! :) Have a happy day!

Love Sister Owens

Brazil

Feliz Ano Novo gente!

10 January 2011

Feliz Ano Novo gente! :)

Being a missionary is fantastico! But tis quite difficult too. Especially when we’re just walking in the hot hot heat, you keep smelling the sewer, and you’re going from appointment to appointment and no one is home! It definitely takes a lot of mental, physical, and spiritual determination. But it is quite excellent. And I want to be no where else right now than here in Jardim da Penha. This is a perfeito area to start in! I’m a lucky ducky.
      So it was New Years this week! I think I had the most uneventful New Years of my life. :) We just did our usual working all day, but there were some fireworks so yippee skippee! And NEw YEars Eve my companions and I got AÇAÍ bowls on our way home! Yay! Yumm yumm deliciousness! Oh there is so much wonderful divine fruit here. And it’s not very expensive either. I ate a fantastico mango this morning. Oh yum yumm.
      And speaking of food, the rice and beans here, thank goodness we eat it every day at lunch pretty much, beacuse I love it. One of my companions and I are always wanting “arroz e feijão”. And at every house they have these yummy Garoto chocolates that they always give after lunch. Good chocolate appreciating people. 
      The people here are pretty wonderful of course. Everyone is welcoming and friendly. And when we knock doors/bater portas people will lets us in and let us share a little message and offer us water and things. Not all doors/gates let us in, but they’re mostly all nice. And for street contacts we make appointments to go back and taech people but so often they’re never home and we just go from dropped appointment to dropped appointment, which is not fantastic. 
      But we did find some excellent hopefully promising people this week. Interested and enthusiactic, so hopefully they’re genuine and we can baptize them! Batismos! We need two baptisms this month. But Transfers are on the 18th I think, and no idea or not if we’ll still be here. Transfers happen on Tuesdays every six weeks. We find out Sunday night if we’re being transferred to a new area so we have no idea. And then you don’t find out till transfer meeting where you’re going and who your companion is. Craziness. 
       I really like this Jardim da Penha area and our apartment is like a 10 minute walk from the beach. Fantastic! Not that we can go swimming, but I did walk in the sand the other day and my little toes were so happy! :) I am sooooo happy I’m serving on the coast.
        And good news! It rained lots and lots and lots this week! Oh it was so fantastic and the best ever because it was not so so hot and I wasn’t spontaneously combusting this week like I was last week. Thank you for the rain! But I’m still getting plenty of sunshine and working on my sweet missionary tan. 
        Portguese is improving. I still just smile and nod and say “sim” and stuff, but I did much more teaching and contacting this week than I did last week and got through it pretty fine while still inviting the spirit. :) missions are the greatest, but yes, definitely on the difficult side.
         And by the way there are so many old VW bugs here. It’s the best. I want one. And there’s tons of sweet VW vans too. Love it. I’m so happy I’m here, being led by the Spirit all the time, testifying of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Tis simple marvelous.