I made it to Maceio!!! Right now I am actually in Aracaju and it is BEAUTIFUL here- right next to the coast. We left the CTM Tuesday and got to the mission president's home that afternon. After lunch and getting to know him, we went to the church near there to get our companons and leave for our zone! We stayed with another group of sisters Tuesday night in a beachfront apartment and then Wednesday morning, after visiting a pier in Maceio, took a 6 hour bus ride here to my area!
My companion is Sister Cruz- from Sao Paulo and doesn't speak more than 10 words of English. I have never been more grateful for my dictionary!! She is the sweetest companion and I feel very very blessed to have yet another awesome comp. She is so very patient with my constant questions and inability to speak very much Portuguese. Even though it is harder to communicate, I am very glad to have a native speaker first because I'll be able to learn faster and more effectively.
Like I said, my area is SO so pretty. It has rained a couple times and staye pretty cool, thank goodness. It's interesting- in America, there are richer and poorer areas, but here, everyone is all mixed together. There are 3 story houses and shacks right next to each other. In our city, there are a couple main roads with shops and such that are paved, and then the residential roads that lead out from there are usually old cobblestone or dirt. I can finally send photos so I have some of the city here. I stand out ALOT. No kidding, I have yet to see anyone with blond hair or blue eyes here, let alone both! There have been multiple times where someone on the street will literally stop and stare as we walk past. I hate the attention but it does make it easier to talk to people and we always get a good laugh out of people's reactions to seeing me. We do a lot of walking here, which is a good thing because the members here make us feasts every single day. I absolutely love the church members here and they have taken me in like family. It's humbling to see people who have so little do so much for us. The poorest house I've eaten at so far was with a family who not only made us tons of food, but also baked us a cake as well. At church yesterday, I got more hugs than I think I have ever recieved in my life thus far. Everyone here is so welcoming and I am so grateful to be here, especially for my first couple months while I am transitioning into the missionary routine.
The language is coming along and I am just taking it one day at a time. It makes me grateful for how hard I worked in the CTM, and also wish I could have learned more. I can hold simple conversations and communicate pretty much everything(slowly) with my companion, but sometimes it is hard to understand more in-depth conversations. The people in this area of Brazil are known for talking very fast, so that combined with the accent makes it difficult. The best way I can describe it is like in Nemo, when Squirt is talking to Marlin and Dory really fast and Marlin says something along the lines of "you are really cute and I feel like you are telling me something really important but I really cannot understand half of what you say!!" BUT I am seeing progress every day and really do love learning this language. It will come, in time!
The people we are teaching are very receptive to our message and one named Carlos came to church yesterday! It was really cool to see him feel the Spirit and be welcomed with open arms into the ward. Another one of the people we are teaching, Alexandre, is getting married next month and baptized after that. Him, his fiance, and their daughter are the first people I met here and they have quickly become like family. The first visit, I accidentally said that my parents dies, instead of moved, to Washington!! They tease me about it very time I visit! I am so excited for both the wedding and the baptism. We teach every day so I could go on and on but those are the 2 people that stood out the most this week.
Sorry for the long email but I am so excited to finally be here. The adjustment has been a smooth one and I couldn't be more grateful. Every time we teach, I feel the Spirit and am reminded of how much I love Christ, God, and this gospel. Christ sacrificed everything for me and it's a priviledge to be bringing other people closer to him for 18 months.
With much much love,
Sister Lauren Mather
PS. first day, forgot to use bug spray and got 34 bites- thus the subject line!! Definitely will not be making that mistake again..
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