Eu Sei

Happy New Year Friends and Family!

This past week here has been great! I am starting to feel adjusted, because I am able to talk more and develop relationships with the people in our little branch and the people here in Parnaiba. I am starting to feel like a local! Let me tell you about my favorite day here. It was last Tuesday and it was later in the afternoon, and we were walking around talking to people and I realized I needed to go to the bathroom in an urgent way. I told Sister Bagatoli, and she said that we would just ask someone, because there are always people outside of their houses and in the streets. We walked around for at least 15 minutes because we just didn’t feel right about asking anyone we saw. We would walk past someone, almost ask and then shake our heads and not ask. It was so funny because we couldn’t decide! After 15 minutes, I told her, if we don’t find someone, I WILL literally pee my pants/skirt. A couple minutes later we passed by a house and I just said “here”, and she agreed. We clapped outside the door and a man came out followed by his wife and we asked him if we could share a message with him, but also use the bathroom. He said yes, and I was so happy that I wasn’t going to have to change my skirt, if you know what I mean, lol. Anyway, we ended up teaching them the first lesson. We testified, and at the end we told them the story of me having to pee, and the Spirit was strangely so strong. We testified that God knew them and their needs. The woman’s name was Soccoro, and she said that she knew that we were sent from Heavenly Father, and when we gave her a Book of Mormon, she held on to it so, so, so tight against her chest, like the most precious thing ever. We invited her to be baptized after she prays and receives her answer, and she said she would, for sure! I call her my “mom” and she calls me her baby. When we teach, her eyes are just wide open and she holds on to every word we say. We returned and taught her the second lesson … her husband doesn’t listen as much, but I love him and he always feeds us food and is so sweet. I love this couple and every time we leave their place, I want to cry because I just love them so much. Every day we pass by their house and my companion and I are so tempted to stop by EVERY DAY, but we limit it to about every other day, hahaha.

It is so funny because there are so many different times when we are running from one appointment to the next, literally sprinting from one end of our area to the other! Then a herd of dogs starts chasing us and when they get close enough to almost bite off our calves, we stop and stand still and close our eyes and cringe in fear and wait for them to walk away! It is truly terrifying, but also really funny. This week I also went to Teresina for visa paperwork, so my companion and I took the six-hour bus ride, and while there is literally “nothing” between here and Teresina, it was so interesting to see. While we were returning, we were getting on the bus and there was a reporter in the bus station and a camera crew. I kept walking back and forth behind them flashing my badge, haha, I was dying. You could say that I am literally spreading the name of our church throughout the world. Then when we were on the bus, the camera crew came on and were recording a woman talking, and they asked me and my companion if we could be filmed reading a pamphlet. I need serious help with my acting skills, because I was smirking the whole time and pretending to talk with my companion about the pamphlet, and I can’t even explain, but it was hilarious. We were just waiting for a call from our mission president, when he saw us on the 5 o’clock news. It was so funny. It was also weird because I was only in Teresina for two days, but I missed my little town of Parnaiba so bad!

On Sunday, I gave my first talk in church. Our branch president forgot that we weren’t having Fast Sunday, and last minute said he needed speakers, and asked me to fill the role. With 20 minutes to prepare, I found a scripture and scribbled some notes. When I went up there to talk, I realized I had forgotten my paper, in my head I said "oh no" in my Brian Regan voice, and I thought maybe I could turn around and grab it. But then I decided, nah, I got this. I have to trust in Heavenly Father. I introduced myself and then shared a scripture, and testified. That is the easiest thing for me to do in Portuguese because I do it all day, every day. I say "Eu sei que" or “I know that” in English. It is the most frequent phrase I use in Portuguese, because I know that what I am teaching is 100% true. I finished the Book of Mormon again by New Years, and now I’ve started it in Portuguese! Wish me luck! In our lessons we are working on using the Book of Mormon as much as we can when we teach, because it is the word of God, and the best tool we have for conversion.

I say this every week, but the people here are the BEST. They are so tiny and cute, and there are some women here that are seriously as tall as my ribs. To greet people they do the cheek kisses, and they are so pure and Christ-like. I feel bad though, because when I hug them there head/face is in my armpit, lol. The best compliment I have gotten here, a few times, is that people are confused because they say that I don’t look or talk like a Brazilian, but that I act like one! I don’t know what they mean, but that is truly the best compliment someone could give me, because these people are so special. I am so grateful for this opportunity! Life is good, and I am excited for this next year!

Love,

Sister Vance