The Church is True

The church is true. That is all I have to say.

Well, I am definitely in Brasil. My companion is Sister Barros. She is from
Cape Verde. She speaks very very little English. It has been fun to be
using hand signals and pictures and broken Portuguese to communicate with
her! She is incredibly loving and I am so glad she is my companheira. I
really am blessed because she has the most patience I have ever seen in a
person. Sometimes I worry she will get irritated with me because I am
always asking questions in my terrible Portuguese and making her explain
grammar to me.

Did you know they taught me the wrong language at the MTC? I am almost sure
of it. I have been here for six days and people are still just babbling in
some strange language. hahaha not really but sometimes I wonder if anything
could ever prepare you for something like this. Sometimes I look at what I
am doing and I think I am crazy. How am I doing this? The church is true. I
have no idea how I am able to teach lessons in a language I can hardly
understand, let alone speak. I have no idea how I am able to love a people
I hardly know. I have no idea what is happening most of the time. But I
know that I am doing what I am supposed to do.

So after we met the Misson Presidente and his wife we went to a meeting and
met our trainers! Super stressful. But I got a great companion so that is
awesome! Lots of things happened after that but I do not remember much
because it was all in Portuguese. It is funny because I know they were
saying important stuff like rules and things but they said it all in
Portuguese so Elder Trout and Sister Lopez and I were very confused.
Luckily we have trainers to lead us around. We stayed the night in Maceio
and then in the morning headed out the the other side of our misson....it
would probably be about 6 hours away by car but we took brasilian crazy bus
and got there in 5. I like it here. We are in the area called Eduardo Gomes
just outside of Sao Cristovao. Its one of the hottest places in the mission
and I can completely attest to that because it is incredibly hot. Super
duper. Never experience heat and humidity like this in my life. The only
thing I can compare it to is when I was at fair and had to change into my
FFA show clothes and my jacket and everything in the hot van and it was
super hot and sweaty. It like that all the time. I think Wyatt and
Anneliese might understand here. Also the bugs are terrible. I will be able
to kill bugs like a pro when I am done with the mission. I have a story. On
like my third day I was in our casa when I saw this really weird looking
bug and it was by my foot a few inches away and I was watching it trying to
get the courage to kill it when it sensed my fear and, I kid you not, it
full on jumped at my foot and tried to kill me. So I screamed and karate
chopped it in the air. Super fun times in Brasil!!

My first day in the field was very interesting. It started out with a
district meeting at the church building. There are me and my companion and
two other sisters that live with us and then four other elders that are
about 20 minutes away by bus. They are all awesome, but I had no idea what
was happening...at all. I think they were trying to talk to me because they
kept looking at me like they were asking questions but I think they were
speaking chinese because nothing made sense....haha. Anywho after that Sis
Barros and I went to a local store to get some food. It was incredibly hot.
So hot that my companion passed out while we were waiting in line.
Omygoodness I had no idea what to do then all of a sudden some man had
picked her up and was taking her to an air conditioned place and all this
time people are yelling at me in Portuguese and I have no idea what they
are saying and somehow I am able to get our cell phone and call the other
sisters and ask for Sister Lopez (different sis lopez than the MTC) because
she is American so I can speak in English and tell her I have no idea what
is happening but I need help. Yup. Super fun. All this time people are
still trying to speak Portuguese to me and everyone in the store is staring
at me because some white girl is talking in English super fast in a phone
and all the world is in panic. Yup. Great first day in the field. It all
ended up alright. The sisters came and saved me and Sister Barros was fine
and we went on our way.

Compared to the first day all the rest of my days here have been much less
exciting. Every day though, without fail, when I walk on the streets the
people will literally stop what they are doing and just stare at me as I
walk past. Yup, the life of a super white ruiva. Super awkward though.

On my second day we clapped at a random house and a young girl answered.
She agreed to listen to our message...just like that. The people here are
ready to here the gospel. Sister Barros taught her about the restoration
and then sister barros turned to me and I taught the first vision. In
Portuguese. And then I invited her to be baptized and she said yes. just
like that. :))

Brasil is very.........different. To say the least. Let me tell you about
some things in Brasil. People drive like maniacs. They have no crosswalks,
people just frogger across the streets. Also I do not think there are speed
limit because people are always going a million miles an hour down the
street. The food here makes up for everything else. It is amazing. I am
going to be a million pounds when I l leave because all the little
Brasilian women are always shoving more food on my plate.

I love you all. Thank you for your prayers.

Sister Helm