Oi!!! How are you all?!
I'm at the MTC in Provo!!! I love it! It is so amazing here and everyone is so nice! So I guess I'll start from the beginning. I met an Elder at the airport so that was nice because he knew what he was doing. I would have been lost without him-- literally haha.
We got to the MTC they gave us our books and we went to class. And oh my goodness can I just say THANK YOU BROTHER ASTON!!! Our teacher has only spoken to us in Portuguese since the minute we got here and it has been SUCH a blessing to understand what he says to us. Some of the other missionaries were stressing out, as I would have been, but I have just been so grateful that I know some Portuguese. I actually know a lot more than I thought I did. I understand pretty much everything our teacher says, at least the gist of it, really well. He does talk really slow though, so it's probably gonna be a different story in Brazil. But yeah this last week has just been review for me. We've just learned how to pray, bear our testimonies, meet and greet, ser and estar, and thats about it. So Brother Aston you are like my favorite person right now (can I say that? hahaha) You taught me sooo much and I wish I would have listened to more Pimsleur or done more Duolingo! I don't know how the other missionaries in my district are doing this. We actually TEACH lessons in portuguese to an 'investigator' and it is soooo hard! He talks faster than I'm used to but I still do pretty well. When my companion and I rely on the spirit and worry less about the language though, we do a lot better.
My district!! So my district consists of 6 Elders and 4 Sisters, including me. We are all visa waiters going to Brazil. I love them sooo much!!! We get along so well together and everyone just has amazing personalities. Sometimes we get off topic during study time but my district loves to sing so we sing hymns in Portuguese to get back on track. They are all just hilarious and I love them so much!
Oh, my companion is Sister Kormylo (sounds like kOr-melloh) and she is just amazing! She is 6'1"!! She's from Logan Utah too. Oh yeah 8 out of 10 in my district is from Utah--either Highland or Logan. One other Elder is from Riverside, CA. Anyways, she is amazing and I am so glad that we are companions!
Sunday was AWESOME! Church was half Portuguese half English. All the missionaries in my ward are speaking Portuguese except we're going different places. Some to Portugal or Cape Verde which is weird to listen to because they learn different pronunciations as us so its a little harder to understand them. For Relief Society we watched Music and the Spoken Word and then we heard from Sister Bonnie Oscarson General YW President. Her talk was so amazing and uplifting. One thing I loved that she said was 'hold nothing back, you won't regret it.' She also said to expect miracles! So its all good Mom ;). And on weekdays we just study ALL day. But it seems like we never have enough time to study everything that I want to know. I want to know Portuguese now but I have to be patient. That reminds me, something that some Elders in our District have started saying is "Eu SOU Portuguese." meaning I AM Portuguese! They just all like to think that they know so much but really we all know nothing.
Man, I don't even know what else to write. I just love it here! I love letters too! Use DEARELDER.COM and I can read them any day of the week! I would love a letter!
One thing that I have been thinking about is the phrase "in the strength of the Lord I can do ALL things!" It's hard to remember sometimes but it is sooo true! And I always think of Waghers too when I think that because of the song :) I love you!
I do wish that I had watched the Best Two Years again. I totally feel like Elder Calhoun right now and I just totally understand WAY more things about that movie, I love it.
When I was feeling bad about Portuguese and feeling inadequate I read part of the talk "The Fourth Missionary" by Lawrence Corbridge and I love it:
"Paraphrasing C.S. Lewis the Lord says to us: "Give me all. I don't want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work: I want You. All of you. I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man. but to kill it. No half-measures will do. I don't want to only prune a branch here and another there; rather, I want the whole tree out. Hand it all over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them all over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart." (Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, p. 167)"
I'm hoping that I'll be able to give my whole heart and soul to God while I am here, so that I'll be able to be the missionary that the Lord NEEDS me to be, not just who I WANT to be.
Sorry I am all over that place, we just don't get a lot of time and I have so much to say. It takes me forever to fall asleep because my brain won't stop thinking of Portuguese or how to teach our next lesson. Everything moves so fast here!
Oh, and one of the Sisters convinced me to play basketball with some of the Elders--bad idea haha. I am so out of shape and the Elders are so fast! But I actually did pretty good and made all my shots. I'm a good post player but nothing else. Now everyone tells me I'm great at basketball :) Its good exercise though.
Also, everyone calls me Sister Be-hee because that's how you say it in Portuguese! So everyone in my district calls me Be-hee, I'm totally used to it now and hearing it the normal way sounds weird already! And I love being a Sister Missionary. I love how everyone calls us Sister and how we wear the nametags. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I'm so excited to share it with the people of Brazil.
Btw, MY VISA GOT APPROVED! I'M GOING TO BRAZIL! I'm not sure when but now its official, I'll be headed to Brazil once I'm finished with the MTC. Seven of us in the district got theirs so we're excited but not sure what happens from here. I'll keep you updated.
Oh man I am running out of time. I love you all and miss you! Sorry about all the mistakes!
Tudo Bem!!
Sister Behee ;)
