Week Eleven.

I can’t believe that I have been here for over a week, and that Christmas is so soon. Wow.


This time I will tell you a bit more about Brazil. So Brazil... Recife the city is a lot
different then Gravará the place where I am at now (about 2 hours away). So I always
thought city traffic was bad in Seattle, but here (mainly in Recife) it is just super
dangerous! Cars fit in where ever they can go, like there are lines but no one pays
attention to the lines and is EVERYWHERE, motorcycles also weave in everywhere and
drive everywhere. In Gravatá not a lot of people have cars, very very few. More people
have motorcycles, more like nice dirt bikes. Most of the roads in Gravatá are
cobblestone, or dirt. So I come home every night having to wash my feet, because they
are so dirty. I think that I am starting to get tan, nope its just dirt. It is hot here, but
honestly not as hot as I though it was going to be. It is humid, but the thing that’s the
worst is because we are so close to the equator the sun is just really strong. But it is
surprisingly bearable. I haven’t gotten burned yet, also because my companion doesn’t
like being in the sun because she thinks is too hot, so we are usually in peoples houses
during the day.


I will tell you about my house. Our house is a lot better then a lot of the houses that are
here. The main difference that I am going to have to get used to is the bathroom. We
actually get hot water in our shower, it has this heater around the head, but sometimes it
drips and is cold. Sometimes it’s too hot because we can’t control the temperature. The
water is a bit yellow (so says my companion, I can’t quite see it, but I trust her) so it’s not
good for washing your hair in, so we have to wash our hair in a sink outside. But the
toilet in our house is different. First many of the toilets here feel like porototies. But ours
you can’t put paper in so it’s all in a garbage can in the bathroom, so it stinks! And we
have to fill up the toilet every time we want to flush it! So it always takes awhile. But
our big adventure these last 3 days has been no water!!!! That means no shower, now
our toilet really is a portapotty! No washing clothes, which I need to, or washing your
hands. But luckily we are going to go to a member’s house hopefully today and take a
shower!


The food here is different but I like it. Surprisingly I have not had any problems at all
with any of the food. It is al pretty similar food, but different if that makes since. A lot of
rice and beans and they like their meat too, but it’s not that good of quality. WE have
also had lasagna a lot here too, it has slices of meat in it, but it’s good. The fruit and juice
here is soooo goood. Everyone gives us pineapple, which I have never tasted anything so
good! I love it!! We get fed by a member everyday for lunch which is super nice! But
other then that we don’t eat much. Their lunches here are huge and they don’t eat much
for the other meals.


That’s a little about Brazil for you.


My week is going good, we have my first scheduled baptism for this week! And we have
been trying to find new people this week. We helped someone move houses, one of our
investigators. I am starting to get the language a little better each day. I can usually


understand what they are talking about now. My companion though, I can usually
understand everything that she says, which is good. But the people here have a really
different accent. I usually don’t talk that much when we are with people (which for me is
really weird and really hard) but yesterday I finally tried to talk and bore my testimony.
The lady turned to my companion and said, “I didn’t understand anything she said!”
Wow that was great. My companion said that people here usually can’t understand what
I'm saying, but she does and so do the other sisters I live with. One of the sisters I live
with has been helping with my grammar and Portuegese and it has been very helpful! Oh
I also got to see Sister Harris this week and she stayed in my house because we had zone
conference. It was great. All the sisters went out and got a hamburger. Which had sooo
much stuff on it!! - hamburger, hot dog, chicken corn,... strange but good. The members
and the people we teach are very accepting. Oh, everyone here gives hugs like right when
they met you, it is funny. I am trying to work my hardest everyday and share the light of
Christ with people.


Love to everyone and thanks for your support.


Love,
Sister Rebecca Nelson