This week FLEW by!!! It is super hard to learn the names of everyone in the ward, streets, neighborhoods, etc. But at the same time, my companion and I are working soooo hard. I am really happy to have a companion that loves to work :) We leave at 10 am and are running to make it home at 9:30 pm. We are teaching a family!!! We took all their documents to the courthouse this week and in two weeks there will be a wedding and baptisms!!!
Cool story of the week: We had to pay for their wedding with our own money which means we were totally broke!!! We didn´t have enough money to buy some things that we needed but the Lord watches over His missionaries!!! That night one of our investigators bought us bread, cheese, a bag full of mangos, cookies, 3 two liter sodas, and salgados (I don´t know the name in English). Then we found money in the street and a lady in the ward one day gave us $90 Reis for lunch! And on top of all that, an investigator bought lunch for us today!!!! I have no doubt that the Lord blesses us when we put Him first in our lives. He gave us way more than the amount that we paid for the investigator´s wedding. Also I totally forgot how HOT AND HUMID Manaus is!!!!! My goodness!!!! It is sooo much hotter than Rio Branco. My new area is sooo hilly! When you finally get to the bottom of one hill you have another to climb ahhhh.... As a sister training leader you NEVER sleep!!! We are always calling and taking care of the Sisters. Normally I would always be in bed by 9:30 or 10, but now I am lucky to be sleeping by 11. It doesn´t help that we have 4 sisters in one small house and one bathroom! hahaha! So last cool story of the week: It was Saturday night and it was the championship game (gold medal game) for mens soccer right?? Brazil vs. Germany!!! I wanted to watch sooo bad but we had lots of work to do.... well every house or store we passed had the game playing. BRAZIL LOVES THEIR SOCCER!!! No one was working or in the streets. Well as you know it was tied 1-1 forever. We were walking down a street when literally the whole city of Manaus just starts SCREAMING. People were running up and down the streets with Brazilian flags and fireworks were going off. I literally was scared to death at first and thought I was going to pee my pants, but at the same time it was the coolest thing. I turned to my companion and said, ``Well I think Brazil won!!`` hahaha I love the Brazilian culture when it comes to soccer. I am proud to be serving in this country :) I have truly come to love the people and culture!!! Thank you soooo much for the prayers! I am doing well and happy as ever :) Y'all are always in my thoughts. Have the best week and CTR (choose the right)!!!!!!!!!! Come muito amor, Sister Bailey Pictures below: A bunch of random photos from my birthday: my new companion Sister Creel and a picture with Sister Corrêa and my grandaughter!!! Since Sister Corrêa is training, I am a grandma! Haha! Since my area is so close the mission office, I got to welcome the new Sister missionary to the best mission ever!!!!!!!!! Missão Brasil Manaus
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So this will be super quick!!!!
My birthday was so much better than I could have asked for... My companion woke me up at 6:30 with the sound of balloons popping in my ears and singing happy birthday in English! She had decorated the whole room and had chocolate, a shirt and some other goodies laid out for me. Then our district threw me a birthday party after our district meeting :) Several Irmãs (sisters) in the ward gave me small gifts and then we had a great big Family Home Evening/birthday party with tons of food and three cakes. I felt so loved!!!!!! I will never forget my 20th birthday :) Also I was transferred to Manaus! I am in the area of President and Sister Castro, Adrianopolis. I am super close to the mission office which means I will actually receive packages and stuff in before 2017!! hahahahaha!! My companion is Sister Creel from California. I was called at Sister Training Leader so I have the privilege of taking care of other sister missionaries in the mission. I will make sure they are getting along, following the rules, happy, and go on weekly divisions with them :) I super excited!!!! I am also living with another set of Sisters.... which will be weird to live 4 in one SMALL house but I am excited! I am sorry I don´t have too much time to write, but just know that I am good, healthy and excited to get to work here in my new area!!!! Tomorrow is my 11 month mark! AAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I LOVE Y'ALL SOOO MUCH!!! THANKS FOR ALL THE BIRTHDAY WISHES! I CRIED AS I READ OVER 60 EMAILS WISHING ME A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY! <3 Love, Sister Bailey This internet cafe won't let me send pictures. :( I'll try next week! I have a ton!!! xoxo Our week was pretty normal. We had a conference with President and Sister Castro on Thursday. It was great to receive some counsel and sit in the AC :)
My companion has a pretty sensitive stomach (something you cant have in the Brazil Manaus Mission), so Wednesday we spent almost all day inside because she was pretty sick. She took medicine for worms and is feeling better. I guess I didn't do my job here as ´Mom,` because I forgot to tell her that you have to take medicine for worms every 4 months... Yesterday (Sunday) we had a baptism of a young man, Luis. His friend, a young woman in our ward, invited him to our ward party a few weeks ago. He loved the party, went to church, received the lessons, and was baptized. We are now teaching his family. His baptism was so great!!! SO many members stayed to support him. The young women sang a special hymn and the seminary teacher brought a cake :) The spirit was so strong and it was so cool to see the ward come together. We also received a reference of a family!!!! I love teaching families!! They are super interested in the church and have 5 kids!!! They are also legally married which is super rare. We are planning to baptize this family and the family of Luis the last week of the transfer. I am just praying that everything works out. I am working and sweating! We are entering the hottest part of the year... September, October.... yikes!!! Miracle of the week; One of our investigators, João, showed up to church alone!!! We went to his house at 8:30 am, called, banged on the door and nothing. At 9:30 am he walks through the door at church!!!! He said he was sleeping but ended up loving church :) I love yáll :) Sister Bailey Pictures below: Batismo!! Conference with the President :) My favorite fruit here: Cupuaçu!!!!!!!!!!! |