October 25~written the week of September 24 (Was week 2)
We got a fun surprise on Saturday, October 25, a letter in the mail from Joci! She sent them on September 24 so a lot had happened since she wrote them but it was so much fun to get a letter in the mail and on a day that we didn't expect it. Every day is like Christmas when we get a letter! Here's excerpts from each of our letters. It's interesting to see her perspective now and when she wrote the letter. I see so much growth in so many areas! So much fun to get a letter.
Dad,
There are so many people here that I love. I took your advice and I forget home during the day. I just focus exactly on the gospel and the people and the language and everything seems to fall into place. It's when I am not that I just want to hug you and mom. But I try not to think about it and it works. The music here is minimal and I'm going crazy! No music! When we do sing hymns we sing them in Portuguese and with so much gusto that I'm 72% sure you can hear it at home. No one can sing worth a lick and so off key but so much wanting to sing. I love it so so much. And I love that everyone here has the spirit. So many answered prayers and so many prayers happening all the time. So something that we are working on right now is following the promptings of the spirit. The promptings will come more frequent the more often that you listen and obey. So that's my challenge for you. Try to obey the promptings of the spirit. And also I love you. Be good.
Eu ti amo e Eu sinto sandades
I love you and I miss you
Love,
Your favorite sister missionary
Sister Baker
PS Tell me stuff. I wanna know stuff and I love you.
Mom,
I know you will be so jealous when I tell you what I wake up to every morning. Not only my alarm and a jackhammer outside my window at 6:00, but Macaws and all sorts of tropical birds right outside my window! Outimo! Macaws! So fun. So so fun such fun much birds. Amora. You also would just fit right in with the sisters here. I know how much you love to hug people and everyone here just hugs everytime you see someone you know or don't know you hug them and kiss their cheek. It's adorable. I love all the sisters here. There's also so much color. The houses aren't even brown. There's a lot of reds and yellows and blues and greys. And the houses are like on top of each other! Crazy man! I think you should come or something. We will come back when I get home. It's worth it, even just the small amount I've seen, I'm in love. So something we are working on now is not getting discouraged. There are so many things that will tell you that you could do better and that you aren't good enough and there are people doing better than you, but see the thing is, as long as you are doing your best, the Lord recognizes that and you will always be good enough for him. I haven't learned the language yet, but I am trying but I am not nearly as good as the rest of the people here but as long as my intentions are good the Lord will do the rest.
Eu ti amo e Eu sinto sandades
I love you and I miss you
Love,
Sister Jocelyn Baker
(your favorite sister missionary)
PS Tell me stuff please about you and everything you do.
Kaiti,
I'm writing this on a bumpy bus on the way back form the temple so if you can't read it, I'm sorry (Mom note these letters were handwritten and I'm typing it in the computer for the blog) I think you would love this place. And you would fit right in cuz you're brown (mom note: Kaiti has beautiful olive skin and brown hair) So much brown here. So much there are 3 blonde girls in the whole CTM and I'm one of them. Everyone here hugs so much. When you see someone you know you hug them and kiss their cheek, as long as they're sisters of course. NO kissing boys! Ha Ha. You would love all the colors here. There are a couple grey houses, but all the rest are green and a lot of reds and pinks and blue. So much yellow. All the houses look happy. My companions are fabulous. So fun. I feel like you would like them. So right now we as a district are working on doing our best and letting Christ do the rest. He already has suffered everything that we have to suffer, so the moral of the story is give it all to him. Turn it over to him. So when you are going through a hard time, whether it is a hard time with friends, or missing me, or anything else in life, try your best and put your whole faith in Christ and He will be walking beside you and suffer with you the whole time. You are NEVER alone. I love you so much. That is my challenge for you. Just put your faith in him.
Eu ti amo e Eu sinto sandades
I love you and I miss you
Love,
Your favorite Sister Missionary
Sister Baker
PS If you need advice or have a question or a problem or anything of the sort let me know. Plus tell me stuff! I want to hear about your life baby!
Al,
I think you would like this place. It is perfect weather everyday. Everyone is super chill and I am 84% sure you would stick out like a soar thumb. Everyone here is short and brown. And well lets be honest here, you are neither short, nor brown. You would like the sports here. We play volleyball every during actividade fisica. We play mostly with Brazilian natives. They don't use their hands! They always head it over the net or stall it on their chest then pass it and someone else would donkey kick it over the net. It's crazy. We don't really know much of what they say, but as long as you just yell "Outimo!" or "tudobem" they think you're cool. Everyone in my district is OBSESSED with Namar. Whenever they talk to a Brazilian they say "voce gustar Namar?" and the Brazilians laugh like they have been stereotyped. I think he might be overrated or something. I can hardly wait to send you all pictures of the sweet Brazilians I have met. I miss you a lot. All of the Elders in my district get mad at me when I punch them, but I love them. Something that we have been working on is having the light of Christ. This means that whatever is happening around us, whether it is your companions, other missionaries or people on the street we are making sure we are doing what's right no matter what. I want you to do the same. That's my challenge for you. I love you so much. Make sure you always have the light of Christ in you.
Eu ti amo e sinto sandades
I love you and miss you
Love,
Your favorite sister missionary
Sister Baker
Zac got a letter too but it was personal. He did say that she talked about volleyball and Namar. She also asked him to tell her everything about his life. He also said that she misses him, and their talks and his hugs.
Jake,
No one here loves it when I punch them. In fact several elders from my district get mad at me but I can't help it! If they flinch, they flinch! Not my fault! And my companions don't care too much for it either. Other than not being able to wrestle and punch, I am very content. In fact, I'm probably happier than I have been in a long time. Feeling the spirit and teaching and learning the gospel just makes me so happy.
Our district is learning a lot about strict and exact obedience. Each day I think of one thing I could be a little more exact about. Ponder on that and choose one thing that you be more obedient about. That's my challenge to you.
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