Mangabeira..new apartment!

I am really excited because this week we will be moving into a new house. (Actually, an apartment) But this old house was horrrrrrible. We had so many problems with bugs, rats, you name it. But now, we will live in a nicer apartment, second floor with tile everywhere and no bugs. It also has a beautiful view. Above the apartment you can walk on the terrace and see the whole city! I sent a picture. I am just really excited to leave this old nasty molding house.
This week was normal. It’s really hot here, but a different type of heat. My other area was hot, but we were constantly sweating. Here, it feels like the sun is just frying your skin. I think it’s more of a dry heat. Who knows? But at least it will probably only cool down starting the next month or so.
My cultural moment for this week: (you guys will laugh) Here in Brazil Carnival is a HUUUGE holiday. Bigger than Christmas! They shut everything down and go to the beach, where they party, drink, dance and everything else. In preparation for Carnival, they have commercials and programs on the TV that to me, a little American missionary, were shocking! We were in an investigators house, and a program was playing on the TV. They were having a competition between carnival dancers. Just picture the show girls in Las Vegas with the feathers and bikini clothing. So these girls were dancing and I became completely shocked when I realized that their naked bums were totally showing. (Maybe I’m just innocent? but I’m pretty sure that doesn’t show on the TV in the US) They were all laughing at my facial expression when I realized what was happening. I was freaking out saying `seriously? They can show this on TV at this hour?` They all laughed and said `Ya! It’s so normal here!` There were commercials passing with a painted naked woman dancing- my goodness. Here, it´s normal! Ha ha ha! Maybe that will give you an idea of what carnival is all about. But it was pretty funny.
I don’t know what else is new this week. We are trying to find people to teach, but people aren’t as open and accepting here in this area. They don’t even open the door for us at times. O well! But we will have success- I have faith. The only reason we found this apartment was because we prayed endlessly to move and we worked to find a place. It was really difficult to find something here, but we did! Only because the Lord helped us.
I have also become addicted to açai here. It is a fruit from the amazons, and you eat the frozen pulp with things like nuts, granola, honey… YUM. They also make a really good smoothie with it too. I LOVE açai! This week I drank a huge jar of this smoothie and my companion was astonished that I finished it. Next time I´ll have to take a picture. Mmmm... you should all try this açai. It’s amazing!
Thank you for your prayers and support. I love you all and have a good week! Keep writing because I like to know how you are doing.
Love,
Sister Gordon

Bugs, Bugs, More Bugs.......

Hello everyone!
I don’t have much to say, but I can write a whole lot just about all the creatures we found in our house this week! Don’t get worried with these stories, because I know that the Lord is protecting me! But they are pretty interesting.
The first one was a cockroach that was calmly walking across the floor the other day. When I just look over and see them, I don’t scream or anything. So i just pointed casually and asked my companion to kill it! This week it has been raining here a lot, which is a wonderful thing because it means less sun! But something weird happens here when it rains. The already huge ants magically grow and grow, and then grow wings! They are sooo disgusting! I have no idea how it happens, but they are so creepy. Imagine, huge ants with wings. I think they are almost an inch long... ugh. These bugs creep me out.
Then... the best creature of the week. (Drumroll please!) One night I entered into my room, and a Scorpion on the wall next to our beds. It was really little, which scared me even more, because the smaller they are, the more dangerous! I didn’t freak out, just left the room and got my companion. She said after `I didn’t even believe that you were telling the truth because you were so calm!` But I took a picture, and then we killed it and burned it. I was pretty much freaked out a little, but the Savior promises that he will protect his missionaries from scorpions and snakes. So I slept calmly.
The next day I was in the bathroom trying to shut the door, but it wouldn’t shut! So finally I pushed hard, and whoa a huge cockroach fell from the ceiling! I screamed as he was running around me on the floor, and grabbed my companion to kill it. What a scare! I hate surprise bugs! These are just a few little stories, but my goodness.. it’s been an interesting week. Needless to say, we are looking for a new house :)
This area is great and I am excited to work here. My companion is really funny. She totally has the attitude of an African American. I tell her all the time that she is African American, but just one that speaks Portuguese. She said `I think I was in the line in heaven to go to the United States, but I just slipped and landed in brazil!` She is really funny and crazy. I am learning a lot from her.
But the work keeps going. I have been getting to know my Savior more this week and studying a lot about the Atonement. I am truly grateful for my Savior. Being here on a mission makes you realize how hard it really is to love people that don’t love you, even when you are trying to bring happiness and peace to their life. But I understand my Savior more and more every day.
I am grateful to serve a mission! You learn more than you could ever know. A mission is difficult, but worth it.
I love you all and have a good week!
Sister Gordon
(she didn't download the photos of the creatures...maybe next week)

Serving in Mangabeira.........

Hello everyone!
I am in a new area, Mangabeira. (maanga bear a), and really excited to get to work. It’s always nice to start over. I have a new companion, her name is Sister Mares, and she is from Minas Gerais. She doesn’t speak a word of English, likes to dance and do crazy things, has a wonderful testimony and will be a great companion. We are working a lot here which is really tiring in this ridiculous sun! Just walking in the sun leaves that fried, dry skin feeling, but you are sweating at the same time. Ha ha! Even the people who live here think we are crazy to work in the sun. O well!
I am excited for this transfer. There are some wonderful families here that will be baptized this transfer. My house here is huge and kind of scary. I don’t really like it, but I am getting used to it. Last transfer, Sister Pozete and Sis. Mares found a scorpion, spiders, huge cockroaches, rats, and a snake in this house! So we´ll see what happens. We are looking for a new one.
My Portuguese is improving a lot because that’s all I can speak! I think in Portuguese, and starting to dream in Portuguese and English is getting harder to speak. That’s a good thing.
Well I don’t have too much to say, I hope I will in the future. I downloaded a ton of photos- O! When someone has 9 months on the mission they take a picture with their belly. The rest are saying goodbye pictures and stuff. Love you all and pray for you!
Write letters!
Love sister Gordon
Note: I (Jenn)had to add some personal notes she wrote to her parents, I thought there were worth sharing.
It’s funny, but we always laugh about how worn out we look as missionaries. The sun just destroys your skin and hair. Our feet our horrible and sad looking. And I pretty much am always tired. But, it’s part of the mission. I was thinking the other day- Wow. Half of my mission is gone. I don’t want to go home with any feelings of regret. So when I arrived in this new area, I had a new energy to work and do everything perfect. I think I scared my companion a little, ha ha! But I am trying really hard to give it my all, sacrifice everything and be 100% obedient. It’s really tiring! So much to do and think about. Ugh. Plus I am senior companion now, so if things don’t go right, it’s my fault. But I’m not worried; we will have lots of success.
I am only speaking in Portuguese now, and it’s great! The other day I was talking with my mission president´s wife in English, and it was so hard! I had to think a lot. I was pretty happy about that.

Brazillian Taco

Some weird huge fruit

Bishop Ferreira and family

My Nine Month Mission Belly

Good byes

Açai (aw-sigh-ee)and friends- yum.

Letters...I love letters! Hint, hint!

My mission President, Gordon Hall from AZ, and his wife

Coconut Juice and Ibuprofen....remedy when sick

Cleaning our new house....we just pour water on the floor and mop.

Transfered to a new area........

Hello everyone!
Well, where do I even begin? I won´t say too much, but I will say that this week was absolutely crazy. My companion and I got sick, some other things happened, and now I have been transferred!! I am really excited to be in a new area with a new companion, especially after being in my first area for 7 1/2 months.
But I have to quickly say that I know the Lord is watching over us and protecting us every day. I can feel this, and work with confidence knowing that we always have angels protecting us.
My trainer, Sister Pozete is going home tomorrow, and she visited our area for a day. It was so wonderful to see everyone and say goodbye. I truly realized that I have a family here and made a lot of close friends. I will miss that area, but excited for a new beginning!
How did I forget? This week I will celebrate 9 months on the mission, HALFWAY DONE!! My goodness, I have been thinking a lot this week about this, and I realized that it passes reallllllly fast. I have learned so much, and experienced so much. Now I have this second half to use it to the fullest! I have been feeling a little sad too, just thinking, `my goodness, what more do I have to do? What more do I have to learn? So much to do and so little time!!` A mission really passes by fast.
So I have a new companion, Sister Mares. (I have a lot of photos, but my cable is in my suitcases.. so next week you´ll have lots to see) She is Brazilian, and doesn’t speak a word of English. This is an answer to my prayers, because talking in English with my last companions was fun, but I started mixing the two languages! So now I will learn how to speak better and really become Brazilian :)
Well, I don’t have too much to say. I love you all and hope you are well. You are in my prayers. Write letters and pray for me!
Love,
Sister Gordon

Happy New Year.........

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating the new year! I started out with some good food, and spending time with a wonderful family here. IT was really fun! My companion and I arrived in home around 9:30, and started waiting for new year. Honestly, we were exhausted, so we slept until 5 minutes before. I got out of bed and watched the fireworks, while my companion stayed in bed looking dead. But I still had fun!
It´s so interesting to work around the holidays, because the world stops. We walked on the street for new years, and it was literally deserted. Starting a new year being a missionary is just weird, because its just another normal day on the mission. But I am happy and its nice to say that I will return home from the mission this year :)
Not too much has happened this week to recount right now. I am doing well! It´s getting hotter and hotter. We are trying to teach families and it just takes time to make progress with them. I think (hope) I will be transfered next week, and am looking forward to a fresh new start.
Well I love you all! Remember to set new realistic goals you will actuall keep. I pray for you, and until next week!
Love,
Sister Gordon

Our New Year Lasagne

FELIZ NATAL

Hello everyone!

  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I did!  What did we do this week... hmm.

   We started out the week with `Natal Blanco` or White Christmas. Not like the ones I used to know... ha ha! Our zone had a night where everyone met at one chapel to have baptisms. We didn’t have any, and arrived too late, but there was one advantage. This chapel was right next to a HUGE Christmas tree of lights. It was absolutely beautiful! We climbed up on a wall to take a cool picture and almost killed ourselves, but it was worth it! I loved seeing the tree!

 Then we had our Christmas conference with all of the missionaries in this city. There were about 80 Elders and 4 of us Sisters. We shared skits, watched `Toy Story 3` (which was a real treat! Such a cute movie!! I died laughing when ken was trying on the clothes, and I LOVED the Spanish Buzz.. so funny! Things also become funnier when you don’t see movies for a long time. But I have to admit that I was trying so hard not to cry in the end in front of 50 young men. Ha  ha!) We had a big lunch, a great spiritual time with our president and then got little presents. It was so fun! Its always nice to take a day off and spend time with other missionaries.

   Christmas Eve we visited people and wished them a Merry Christmas. Everyone one the street received a `FELIZ NATAL!!` from us, and people here are so friendly that they always shouted it back. We ate dinner in a member´s house who is a chef at a nice restaurant on the beach. YUM!

  After, my companion insisted that we celebrate Christmas `Brazilian Style` or in other words, we stay up until midnight to open gifts and party. So I took her package and wrapped all her gifts, wrapped some odd things around the house for myself to open, and then arranged our little tree. She was already sleeping, so I read the Nativity story alone, and realized how grateful I am for all the things in my life. I am so grateful for my Savior, because without him, I wouldn’t have any happiness in my life. But because of him, all of the things I love and are of worth are possible to have forever. It was so great!

  So we opened presents at midnight and ate a ton of candy! It was really fun. Then slept..

 Christmas day I talked with my family and it was absolutely wonderful! I loved talking with them, and have never had 40 min pass by so fast.

 Well I hope you all have a wonderful new year and set good goals for this year. I am so excited for 2011!

 Love you all!

-Sister Gordon!

The Tree and the wall....





Ward Christmas Party






Me and My Missionary Companion




Singing for the ward Christmas Party


Another Christmas party




Christmas at Midnight

Christmas in a city named Christmas (Natal)!

MERRRY CHRISTMAS!!  Feliz Natal!

  This past week was pretty fun. I had a funny experience I need to share. So last p-day we were able to go to the mall for a little bit, which was a special occasion. We saw that the Santa line wasn’t very busy, so why not? When we finally got to sancta, he started asking a lot about the church. He was so sincere! He said that he had always been curious about the church, and was asking a lot about what we do and believe. Everyone was looking at us weird, Santa talking to two missionaries in the middle of the mall!!  Our turn was over, but he continued talking to us about the church as little kids were taking pictures on his lap. Ha ha! When my companion took down his address, i wanted to make so many jokes! She asked `where do you live? ‘I wanted to say `The north pole!` Then she asked, what is the best time to find you at home? He replied, Oh you know, this season is a little busy! I almost said ´of course! With the elves and present stuff, your schedule is a little tight! ` But it was a fun experience. Having Christmas in a city named Christmas, and baptizing Santa! HAHA!

 We also had an activity this week with both wards. We  made `gingerbread` houses! We used crackers and frosting to make the houses, and decorate. They had never done it before, and it turned out to be a huge hit! I had to explain to everyone that they weren’t for eating, but they didn’t care! We had a lot of fun, and I played Christmas music to bring the spirit. I just love the Christmas season!

 Well, this should be a fun week. We will have an awesome Christmas party with half my mission, and I am really excited! Then talking to my family and  Christmas dinners! Y ay! I hope you all have a wonderful week, and remember that I love you!

Love, Sister Gordon