(314) BRASILLLLLLLLL! =]

 June 30, 2014


 So this past week was crazy!! We went to the temple Tuesday, which was amazing! I love going to the temple! But it was also exhausting... Spending the whole day in São Paulo transito is never peaceful... but i´m super glad we got to go! It´s always nice.
     And then Saturday we had a mission wide conference to meet the new mission president! President and Sister Tanner left Friday night and Saturday morning the whole mission went to the São Judas Capela to meet President and Sister Broadbent! It was so cool! And I love President and Sister Broadbent already! It was really neat, the second I saw them I was just hit with this overwhelming confirmation that he really is our President now and that he was called by God to lead this mission and I love them already!  It was funny. He told us about when they got their call back in October and how that day they had had the missionaries over for dinner and he had just been released as Bishop and was home early for the first time in forever and they were going to go see a movie together but then he checked his phone and he had a message from the secretary of Elder Tom L. Perry.... needless to say they did not go out to see a movie that night... hahah But I am really really excited that they are here and to work with them these next 6 and a half months! (not that anyones counting or anything... hahah)
     Alllsoo Saturday was the first game of the set of games before the quarter finals of the World Cup.... hahah obviously i know a bunch about futebol... but it was between Brasil and Chile and we totally got to watch it!! It was so awesome! Well, actually we only made it in time to watch the second half... and the 15 mintue ovetime, and the 2nd 15 mintue overtime... and then the penalty kicks... It was horribly intense! It came down to being tied up in the penalty kicks all depending on the last save by the Brasilian goalie... I´m pretty sure all of Brasil was dying!  I also officially have a favorite brasilian futebol player! HULK!! (hull-kee) Definitely my fave...and no it has nothing to do with his name... ok maybe just a little bit haha really i just feel cool for knowing any of their names to be honest... but he´s deff the fave.
     But yeah I hope that y'all are doing awesome! I miss and love you guys a bunch! Have a great week!

-Sister Rice

me and sister dias and sister campbell at the mission conference to meet our new Pres! =] haha I love them! =]

so y'all have already kind of seen this kind of but look at my hair!! One, it's straight! Two, What the heck, why is it so long?!? It´s gonna be down to my butt by the time I´m home! Hello Hippie =] also... i am not as skinny as this picture makes me look, but it´s a good pic so let´s just pretend that i am... =]

 

 

Last picture with President and Sister Tanner at the temple! Aren´t they cute?? =] Also, please ignore the horrible tanline i´ve got going on on my legs... it´s bad... i can´t wait to get black again... =]

 

Peace Man. Peeeeeeaccce. Also, a great shot of my ugly sister missionary sandles... =]

(300) My new compy comp!!

June 16, 2014


So we had transfers last week! Annnnnnnnnd I have minha nova companheira!! Whoooooo! Her name is Sister Robinson, she´s 24, and she´s from New Zealand!!! that´s right. New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND. As in middle earth! MIDDLE EARTH! I have been dying all week because of it. She has skiied down mount doom. MOUNT DOOM! I told her that I am for sure coming to visit her and that i am carrying her up Mount Doom on my back so we can ski down it... or more likely roll down it, but that´s not important! hahah Seriously I am stoked. I am so excited. hahah It´s actually really funny. We´ve been wanting to be companions for like 3 or 4 transfers now and every tranfser that we are both there we´re always both just like "this is it! this is the transfer!" and then it doesnt happen.  And so this past Tuesday at transfers again we were both just like it is totally 100% happening again, we even stood by each other and everything.  And slowly everyone else was getting called and my anxiety was slowly getting worse and worse and we´re both just like "oh my goodness it´s not going to happen! NO! It´s going to happen! No it´s not!" hahah but then all of a sudden she was hugging the crap out of me and we were companheiras! Whoooo! It´s a Christmas Miracle!  hahah But yeah she´s awesome and it´s pretty cool having her as an companion.  She´s teaching me british english and how to hula and the haka and it´s gonna be great! hahah
      But yeah so that´s great and I love her and also the World Cup started this past week! The first game between Brasil and someone else (who knows, all anyone down here cares about is Brasil) was on Thursday and the next one for Brasil is tomorrow. It´s actually pretty cool! Everyone get super excited and happy and all dressed up in yellow and green and drive around waving flags and honking horns and it´s just a big festa.  We stayed in and studied during the actual game and then went out and worked and it was super calm so that was pretty good. It´ll probably get crazier the longer it goes on but it was still really cool! I remember 4 years ago being out at school and watching videos and stuff about all the excitement of the world cup and thinking about how cool it would be to be from a country that LOVES  soccer or even just be in a country during the world cup and.... BOOM. here I am.  It´s pretty funny how it all worked out. hahah
      Let´s see what else... We´re going to the temple next week! Super excited! We´re going on tuesday so I wont be emailing until tuesday so dont freak out when I dont email monday... also It´s the last time we´ll see President and Sister Tannner! PResident and Sister Braodbent get here on the 26th or the 27th and then BOOM it´s them! We´re gonna have a big getting to know you conference with the whole mission so that should be pretty cool! I´m excited!
      OH! Also! Sister Ray is finally coming! I don´t know if I told you that last week! Sorry if I did but she´s coming and I´m so excited and also Elder Starr and I´m so excited! AAHHHHH!
     Well, that´s all i´ve got for this week... I hope y'all are doing good! I´m doing great! Loving my companion, loving my area, lovin the mishh! (Oh and it´s 11 months tomorrow... make a cake tonight with the elders....=] ) LOVE Y'ALL.

-Sister Rice

Me and Sister Robinson! Whooooo!

 

WHOOOOO! Happy World Cup y'all!

(293) Transfers!!

June 9, 2014


I cannot believe that it is transfers again already! This has literally been the fastest transfer of my mission life!  It feels like yesterday I was emailing you guys telling you about my new area Rudge Ramos! Is is going by as quickly for you guys??
     So yeah, transfers tomorrow! I will be staying and my compy comp Sister Sequeira will be leaving... It´ll be hard, she´s been here for 4 or 5 transfers already and it´s hard to leave after that... and I´m gonna miss my companion from Africa! =[ but it will be good and a fantastic transfer!
      And speaking of this transfer, SO MUCH is going to happen this transfer! The two biggest being that President and Sister Tanner are leaving the end of this month and THE WORLD CUP starts next week! I don´t know whether to be excited or scared! hahah It will definitely bring a change to the work here but it´ll still be cool to be here during something so big!
     Also! I think that Sister Ray (my mtc companion) got her visa!!! FINALLY! I am so excited to see her! It´s been almost a year already! It´s going to be so awesome to have her here though!
     We had stake conference this past weekend also! It was really cool! The Saturday night Adult session the Stake President invited all the missionaries and it was all about missionary work and how the members can be more involved and it was really cool! He had us the missionaries do a couple roleplays of members talking to their friends and neighbors and then had everybody there do a couple roleplays as well!! It was so awesome! And they had a special satalite transmission here from salt lake of m. russell ballard and richard g scott for all of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro! It was so cool! And kind of weird to hear Richard G. Scott speaking portugues! hahah I kept expecting it to be english! But it was really cool to actually hear his voice! That´s one thing that I dont really like about not listening to things in english, you don´t actually get to listen to the prophet´s voice... =[ but it was really cool and I understood pretty much everything! whooo hooooo! hahah
     And I really liked what you wrote about your guys stake conference in your email momma! What President Selzak said about weaknesses. It´s really funny  that he spoke about that cuz I´ve actually been thinking about that a lot and how it really is true that the more you are aware of your weaknesses the closer to Heavenly Father you are... which is kind of the opposite of what people want or expect... but it´s true.  If you read Ether 12:27 it says ( and sorry this is paraphrasing... i only have my portugues scriptures with me right now...) "If men come onto me, I will show unto them their weaknesses..."  Come unto me is the invitation that Christ extends for all of us, and is something that all of us to one extent or another want... but i dont think that I know one person who actually really wants to be shown their weaknesses... no one likes that... if i had my way i would hide them all away and only think about rainbows and Doctor Who all day... J/k j/k not Doctor Who... I mean the scriptures of course... =] haha no but seriously it feels like lately all I can see is my weaknesses continuously stewn out before me... I guess this is just cuz I am SUPER close to the Lord =]... hahahaha once again, j/k. sorry I don´t ever get to be sassy or sarcastic in Portugues so it´s nice to get it all out... even if it is just in writing! =]
      But yeah.... I don´t really have anything else to say at the moment.... other than that I love you all and hope that y'all are having a fabulous June so far! Love love love love love love e amor!

-Sister Rice

(286) Oi Oi Oi!!

June 2, 2014


 How was y'all's weeks?? Mine was great!!! We had a baptism! WHOOOOO! It was so amazing! Leticia!!! She is so wonderful and I am so happy for her!
     And it was super cool. The baptism was this past Saturday, the 31st of May. aka exactly one year since I went through the temple for the first time! It was kind of surreal when I realized that... sitting in a chapel in the middle a baptism in the middle of Brasil... One year ago I had no idea what to expect of my mission and now all of a sudden I am one month away from having a year on the mishh. Sometimes missions are hard (well, really all the time) and sometimes you feel like you really aren´t making a difference in the lives of these people that you love so much.  But sitting there at the baptism of one of my investigators, I remembered sitting in the temple and how hopeful I was for the next 18 months of my life, trying to picture all the people that I would meet and come to love and things that would happen.  And it was a nice reminder that I really am helping here, and not just bumbling around Brasil trying to speak português, but really helping. =]
       We also had Zone Conference this past week! It´s the last Zone Conference with President and Sister Tanner! They´re leaving the end of this month and I know that we are all going to miss them so much! They have been so wonderful and have helped me so much! And I really am going to miss them, but I know that President and Sister Broadbent are called of God for this mission and that I will love them just as much! They sent a video to President and Sister Tanner for them to show to us, just talking and to let us get to see them! And it was really cool! They are going to do great here!
       But um yeah... i have a bunch of other things to write from this week and last week that I didnt write but I´m almost out of time! I love you all so much! Thank you so much for all the prayers! Have a good week ok? =] Talk to ya next week!

-Sister Rice

We had a batismo! This past Saturday! This is Leticia! She is fabulous! I have other pictures but they turned out bad... dont worry though a member is gonna send us some good ones! =]

 

us trying to fill up the font! haha we ended up using this hose and buckets cuz  no one could get the silly little faucet thing to work! hahaha

 

and look! Irmã Vera bought this for me! Isn´t it beautiful! =D hahah There are thousands of real life ones here and I told them how i´ve always had a secret desire to have a hippie van! and now i have it! =D hahah

 

Last Zone Conference with President and Sister Tanner! I´m gonna miss them so much! They leave the end of this month! =[

WHHOOOOOOO!! THE WORLD CUP! LESS THAN ONE MONTH! =D

 

 

look what i found.... =] hahaha

 

happy one year Sister Sequeira!! =]

 

it´s been freezing here in our apartment... this is how i study in the mornings... =] hahaha i think i could be on the cover of national geografic nao é?? =] hahaha

monday, may 26, 2014

Our sacrament meeting is at 11 aka the same time as yours... i spent the whole time just thinking about you guys and dad being called as bishop.  i don´t even remember what was said during my meeting hahahaha i was so nervous and excited... i might as well have been there with you guys... i kept looking at the clock and thinking ok... they are starting now, and now this and this and this and by now he´s been called... hahaha and that´s so cool about his counselors!! hahaha madison emailed me this morning and was just like remember that time your dad was called as bishop and my dad as first counselor?? hahah

(272) Whoooooooo!!! Rudge Ramos!!

May 19, 2014


Hahaaha yeah I didn´t really have anything else to say up there so yeahhhh... but sorry about not emailing last week I didn´t really have very much to say... =[ Buuuuuut this week I have a bunch! So yay!

      Let´s see... first things first! We are going to see Elder Anderson on Wednesday! He´s coming to visit and talk with us and the Interlagos mission and we are all so excited! haha Sister Sequeira won´t stop talking about it! I will tell you all about it next week! Oh and I´m super excited because I´m gonna get to see the sisters from my MTC District who are in Interlagos! It´s going to be so awesome!

    Also... trying to explain baseball in portugues to Brazilians who don´t even understand the basics is a nightmare... escpecially when you are me and don´t really care about baseball... But seriously, just picture that for a moment when you want a laugh... =]

     Let´s see... Oh! We also have an English class here in Rudge Ramos and this past week we taught people about food... and a large section was focused on Hamburgers..... I taught people english using "I want to buy a Hamburger"... it was hilarious... and no one else got it but that´s ok.  I also taught them about double bacon cheeseburgers and how they are gifts straight from heaven... especially if they have green chilies and are from Blake´s =]

     The work here is good, could be better but good! The people here are so much more receptive! We´ve only had to knock doors once for like 5 minutes! It´s so awesome! We also might be having a baptism soon! I really hope so and will totally send pictures!

     So yeah... this wasn´t exactly the big huge email that I promised last week but... I love you all! And get excited for next week cuz I´m sure my email next week will be full of all the wonderful spiritual insights that I´m going to have during our time with Elder Anderson! =D

   Love you all so much and thank you so much for all the support and prayers!

 

-Sister Rice

our last picture together!! =] (sister dabelko)

 

 

at transfers!! =]

 

 

me and sister cozzens at transfers! =] also can i just point out that you cannot see the end of my hair in this picture... booyahhh

 

 

the view from one of our windows in the morning... it´s much better in person... haha

 

 

it´s a horrible and goofy picture but it´s the only one i have of the both of us at the moment... me and sister sequeira!! =]

(265) Rudge Ramos!!!!!!

 May 5, 2014


 Sooo transfers happened and I am now in the Rudge Ramos (Whoooo-Geee Haaaa-Mos) São Bernardo 1st ward! Whooooo! My new companheira is Sister Sequiera! She´s from Africa!! Cabo Verde! She´s so cool and speaks like perfect portugues (they study it there in school) and no english so it´s been great! =D
     I am really loving the ward so far! I haven´t met everyone yet, but the people I have met I love! There is also two sets of Sisters here so that´s fun! We have out lunches together everyday and it´s cool being in a ward where there is enough work for two sets of missionaries!
     The people here in this area are so different than in my last area! They actually stop and talk with you and give you their address and want you to come back and talk with them! hahah It´s pretty awesome and I´m super excited!
     My portugues is IMPROVING a CRAZY amount too! Seriously only being able to speak portugues is helping so much! Some night´s I can´t even write in my journal cuz I cannot manage to put english on the paper... and it's only been a week! hahah I am so excited!
     Oh and also I found out the other week that my return date has been moved up a week... I´m now officially leaving Janurary 6th... instead of the 13th... Sooooo basically y'all can´t celebrate Christmas or my Birthday until I get back... Just save everything. =]
     But yeah sorry I dont have much to say this week! Hopefully this coming week will be more eventful! Love you all! Beijos!

-Sister Rice