MONDAY - October 1, 2012

eat pray love (part one) 

Dear Friends, 

The title of the blog today I think I have decided without a shadow of a doubt is the title of my mission. It was for a while going to be 500 days of summer, and maybe that could still be the subtitle, but it for sure is eat pray love. Because that is exactly what my mission is and has been and will be for the next year. 

Eat- Holy cow I cant even begin to start on the eating factor of the whole title. We eat everything under the moon and it is delicious. And I am starting to love my fruits. Yesterday I ate an entire peach without one face. And although I wasnt exactly LOVING the peach, it was fairly good.... kind of. The food here is incredible and everyone wants to feed you and you cant help but want their food! I am surprised so far (fingers crossed) i have yet to gain weight because i eat a mans portion. And I love it. 

Pray- I don't think ever in my entire life i have ever prayed as much as i pray here in Brasil. I mean, i prayed a lot in Arizona and the mtc but for real Brasil prayers have gone up like no ones business. I feel like i am constantly praying. Praying for no rain, praying for us to find someone to talk to, praying for the sun to stop being so bright, praying for those we talk to to feel the spirit...the list goes on and on. And I love it. I have realized over the past few months the difference between conversion and testimony (and now i will stand on a milk box and tell you)....

I have realized that the world is a very cold place. Even here in Brasil, it is very cold and there are a lot of horrible things happening to everyone. whoever you are, you have tribulations. Testimonies are just little pieces of thread and a needle. Our experiences and life happenings and the things that change us and the times we share these testimonies are patches of fabric. You don't get converted to the Lord over night. Its a little at a time, small pieces of fabric stitched together. And sometimes its a large piece and sometimes its a small one. It just depends. But after a long time you have got yourself a quilt. And soon enough you can share that quilt with others while they're still working on theirs. So if you need to, feel free to come and sit with me under my quilt. Because I have room to share. And i think a very large piece of my quilt would probably have a brasillian flag on it. and another part would probably be Arizona  The mission is FANTASTIC. 

And now i am getting off my soap box....

love-Goodness gracious i don't know how else to explain it other than how sister noorda explained to me in her last letter-I feel like the Grinch and my heart has grown three times over night. I love everyone here more than i probably should. It feels like everyone is family and I can see them the way that Heavenly Father sees them. I think the thing that has changed the most on my mission was how i see others. How i just love others without even knowing them. The people are just beautiful here and i cant help but want to stay with them for forever. Its a very strange thing to just feel so much love for others that you don't even know. And you cant help but smile all the time over it. Mission life couldn't possibly be better. It makes me laugh at how completely freaked out i was over giving a year of my life. Because if anything, this is a year and a half of me just receiving more and more blessings. 

here i found who you should vote for if you cant decide for u.s president. she looks like she will do a good job in verador. 

also my favorite area we are teaching in. 

love mad.