Another Week In Recife!

Ok not really, I´m in Jaboatao.  But that is ok.  It´s like, the same thing.  Hey, Congratulations to Cooper for being such a baller and making the basketball team!  Oh I´m so proud....because you know, I totally played basketball too in highschool....nope, but that´s ok.  But hooray!  Sounds like things are just peachy there, and they are here too!

Oh family...it is so very very hot.  Like, extremely.  But you know, that is ok because this is the Lord´s work and so sometimes we just have to make sacrifices!  So now I am Sister Sempre Suada.  Yeah, ask Dad and Norma what that means.  It´s really true.  But yeah, we are in that in-between stage right now where we have a lot of people super close to baptism!  Like, Alexandra.  All we have to do is convince her bf that marriage is the way to go and that alcohol really isn´t all there is to life.  Maybe we have our work cut out for us....but I am so happy for her because she told us that no matter what, one day she will be baptized.  She quit partying, drinking, smoking(!) and all of this stuff, and she said that there is no way that she is going back to this life.  She has made some serious sacrifices and will be receiving some major blessings, I just know it!  Also, Messias came to church this week!  For the very very first time ever, and he loved it!  It was a huge sacrifice for him too though, so I was way impressed.  He ditched work yesterday in the morning to come, and he didn´t know if he would have a job to come back to.  Whoa...talk about faithfulness.

I am amazed every single week by these people here.  They are willing to give so much for the Lord, for this faith that they have only known for a teensyyyy weensy time....and yet they change everything about their lives for it.  It´s the best job in the world to be a missionary, that is for sure.

Hmm, let´s see if we have any good stories from this week...well, we were at lunch at a member´s house this week that has a little dog that drives me crazy.  She is INSANE, but Sister Patino loves her.  She loves all dogs, poor thing.  Anyway, we were waiting for lunch, and I was giving that pooch a pretty wide berth because she smelled like death, and Sister Patino was just happily playing with the little beasty.  I knew it was a bad idea...and it really was.  Lo and behold, when lunch was ready,  Sister Patino had a nice round yellow spot chillin on her dress.  And we had an appointment right after, so guess who and cachorro chichi on her person the whole day?  Ducky, that´s who.  Gross.  

Also, the gift of tongues is SUPER real.  Sister Patino decided that she wanted to make the most of our time here together and try speaking English, and so we have been doing that a lot more often now.  Um, all of a sudden, she is speaking perfectly.  On Thursday, she went the whole day speaking English to me, something that she has NEVER done before.  In our prayers together at night, she speaks English now and she started crying when she was thanking Heavenly Father for the gift of tongues.  I have no idea how this stuff happens, but it is crazy and the Church is true!

 I can´t believe that Hayden is going to be a missionary this week!  Oh that is so dang exciting.  I´m pretty sad that it will be a long time before I see that kid again...we are kind of pretty good pals now, you know?  Even though he never wrote me or anything, but whatever.  And Reggie too, and soon Jake and Hunter...aw, all my little cousins are going to be gone for a long time, dadgumit!  But this is the best thing that we can all be doing, so we will just have to wait about 4 years to all party together in Snowflake again.

I will definitely pray for my pals there in the Philippines, that is super scary!  Also way scary that I had no idea any of this was even happning!  But I KNOW that the Lord takes care of his missionaries, and they will have angels around them for sure, if that helps at all.

Life is good here!  I have a feeling that I´ll be transferred soon, but I don´t know...it´s not like I´ve got 5 months in this area or anything;)  Have a great week and remember that I love you!  And also please help the missionaries.  They need it.

Love,

Sister Dana