It Happened

Sent:	Wed 10/28/09 11:56 AM

Dearest Amigos...

Well the rain that didn't turn into
a flood last week was good.  This
week however it rained, and rained,
and rained, and the floods came.
I ate lunch with some of my
district at a Sisters house close
to mine.  When we left we ran to
our house to get our umbrellas
while a set of Elders and Sisters
started their journey for their
areas.  We got a phone call after
a few minutes and it was the
Sisters we ate lunch with telling
us that the lower streets had
started flooding and they had to
wade across waist deep water.
It was our choice to go back out
or not but they advised us not to.
I was all for it but Sister
Wosnjuk decided we should stay
in the house.  We live higher up
a hill so we were able to watch
what was going on below.  It was
pretty bad.  No one was hurt but
lots of houses flooded.  The rain
continued into the night and the
next day the water marks on the
walls were over my head at some
parts.  Others it was only around
my shoulders.  No worries, I
missed all the excitement cause
I was safe and sound in my house
making goals and reading and
studying like a safe, cautious
missionary should.  Lol!  The
next day was a difficult cause
it wasn't as easy to be happy
and greet everyone cause what
do you say when this happens...

Me: "Hello, How are you?"
Person:  "Oh, I lots all my
furniture and clothes, but
im still alive."
Me:  "Uh...right...I'm a
missionary of the church of..."
(I translated for you guys;)

But we got lots of good
service in so that was a
change.  It was crazy to
experience this though. Ive
only ever seen this on the
news and then here it was.
But I'm safe and sound.  So
is everyone else here so no
worries.

The language is still coming
but I'm friendly enough with
some of the people that they
think its funny to talk
really fast with my/around
me and watch my face as I
try to keep up.  They've got
my facial expressions down
now so that they can all
laugh in unison when
they've made certain that
I'm lost.  Usually all I hear
anymore is my name and a
bunch of rubbish and then
everyone laughs.  I know
enough that they are
talking about me.  I hope
nothing too bad.  JK I'm
sure its all in good fun.
Ok, I really hope its all
in good fun but how can I
be sure as I have no idea
what they are saying.  But
i laugh with them so its
all good.  And we get
along so I wouldn't call
it bullying either so no
worries about that either,
Mom.  Lol

I sat in Primary to help
out this week.  I don't
normally get headaches.
I felt like my head was
in a clamp by the end of
it.  That was chaos... I
don't even know what else
to say...chaos...and I
never want to do that
again.  I will if I need
to but Ill need to have
a coke or something to
bribe me.  Lol.

For the sake of time on
P-day I will print all
the emails that I get and
take them home to read
them.  So, if you have
questions you want
answered that day put
them at the front of
your letter and I will
read that much in the
shop and then know
what I need to reply.

Love you all lots and
lots and lots and I
enjoy all your letters!
Hearing about home
doesn't make me home
sick it helps so keep
it up, please!!

Love,
Shelle

Rain Bread

Hello dear people!

Its been raining pretty crazy here. When it rains there is a good chance of the streets turning into rivers because of all the trash blocking the outlets or whatever they are but luckily I havent been out in one of those. I thought that it might happen this time cause it was crazy rainy but It didnt happen. I went to one of our investigators houses and she had made "bolo de chuva" (Rain Bread) It was delicious and Im going to make it with her sometime so that I can have the recipe and the knowledge to make it again later. Mmmm. Scrumpcious!

We had day-light-savings time. I didnt know about it until in the morning. I got up and did lazy stretch-excersises cause it was sunday and then my comp got in the shower when I normally did so I thought "o-well, Ill make breakfast" So I was started making breakfast and taking my time cause I wasnt going to be able to get in the shower for a while. Then my comp got out and I was still making breakfast (I struggle with cooking). She came into to kitchen and asked if I remembered it was day-light-savings. Bah! We had to leave the house in 20 minutes to get to church on time and I hadnt eaten or showered. I was amazingly fast and in 23 minutes I was showered, dressed, fed and out the door waiting for my comp to catch up. It probably helped that the power went out while I was straitening my hair so I just decided that it would be done. Lol! But we made it to church on time and I have my alarm changed and life is good.

There is a Sister in the ward that I think she thinks Im accident prone. Ive had a couple retard moments in front of her and now she is so funny cause if she feeds us she lets my comp carry her plate to and from the table but with me she will carry it and then one time I got to take it from the table again. We had had watermelon and I tried to throw the rine away but missed and hit the floor and she just laughed and took my plate from me. I guess Ive given her good reason to think Im a little incompetent. And then shes asked me to please be careful when I walk down the road cause shes seen me trip many times and she doesnt want me to die. Lol!

I tried doing my hair curly here. Everyone loves strait hair and they have loved that my hair was strait. Then I did it curly and everyone kept running there hands through it to try to straiten it out for me again. Lol! I think they thought it happened on accident but I really did want my hair curly. By the end of the day I fealt like an over-loved puppy dog cause everyone was petting my hair to straiten it. Funny people.

The language is still coming. Everyone tells me how good Im doing still. Dont know if they just feel bad that I struggle so much or if all the struggling is paying off...I sure hope its paying off.

I love you guys all soo much! I hope you are having fun and enjoying yourselves. Keep the emails coming cause I love em! Love you all lots and lots!

Love,
Shelle

Devil Bird

Hello Everyone!

I have knews. Not incredibly exciting or even good news but it is different. I got pooped on by a bird. I wanted to kill it. Definitely no Sister-Missionary thoughts were going through my head. I wanted a gun and if I had it I would have used it. It happened Sunday, luckily on the way home from church. That was a really winner of a day. I kept tripping, Bishop called me up to bear my testimony with no warning, I was pooped on, my eye swelled up, (I think I had an allergic reaction to a bunny) and my skirt blew up while I was walking down some stairs by an overpass. Breazy skirts are great in the heat but you need to be careful. Lol!

It was Sister Wosnjuks birthday on Sunday and we ate way to much. Everyone gave us cake and dinner and lunch and then Monday we had dinner with a family that cooked way too much and sent us home with lots of cake. I eat two plates of everything cause one time I didnt and I think I offended the lady who cooked. So I eat alot but the good news is that Im keeping up with it walking around. Ive lost almost all the weight I gained in the CTM!

I still have a hard time understanding what people are saying to me because they all talk so fast! But Im making great friends with them and I will definitely miss them when I have to leave them. I hope I get at least one more transfer in this area. At least. I really love it! Everyone tells me that I am speaking really well so all I can figure is that they have been blessed with the interpretation of tongues. I can understand them if them speak slow enough but if they throw in a word that I dont know my brain hits a "blue screen of death" and I shut of for a few sentences. I know is shows on my face cause everytime this happens someone asks me if i understand. I go through about 50 flashcards of new words each day but I still have so many words that I need to learn! I need patience.

I saw a big spider. It was on the pathway of a shortcut that we have taken a couple times. After we were away from it and I was calm again I asked my companion what type it was. When she gave me the name and I still was lost I asked if it was poisonous. She said "Yeah, it will kill." .........But no worries. It wont be in my house cause she said shes only ever seen it in grassy areas and my house is cement and so I am safe. Lol!

This week really went by alot quicker than the other ones since I got into the field. I guess that is a good sign and means that Im doing what I should be doing. I really do love it here! I hope that I can come back within a year of going home cause these people are great! And Ill be able to comunicate with them all then!!

I enjoy all the emails and Im glad to hear that everyone is doing well and liking school and work and such. I pray for you guys all the time. Be safe and have fun!

Love,
Shelle

Calves the Size of Texas Come with Nasty Shin Splints

Hello Everyone!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the emails youve sent! I love getting them and hearing about what is going on. Life here is good and Im getting the language a little better and I understand a little better and people are laughing a little harder at my attempts to sound like I know what Im talking about. But all in all Im doing great.

We got to go to the temple today which was awesome. We did a Portuguese session and it was amazing cause I understood most of it! Wohoo! But then when I talked the temple working had a difficult time not laughing and finally let out a chuckle at my struggles and multiple times of saying "O Que?" (What) But it was great and then we went to a rodigio where I ate way too much but enjoyed all of it. Mmmm....Delicious.

Im getting a tan line on my feet from my shoes. Kinda funny looking but I havent burned yet. Im just darkening which is weird. Normally I burn and then turn white again.

General Conference was amazing! I loved it! I watched RS and 1 session in Portuguese and convinsed my Comp that she may not understand all of the English (She actually speaks and understands very well) But she wanted to hear the voices of those great people. So we watched 3 sessions in English also. I was very homesick during it and just wanted to be at home on the couch with my family eating been dip. Especially with all the pictures of around Salt Lake and Manti. It was good here and I learned alot but man I missed home. Lol! No worries, no tears though... Im a tough girl.

I was talking with one of our investigators and she was asking me about what I thought about Brasil before and after I came. She asked me if there was anything I was scared for and I told her the rats and the spiders. I asked if the rats really get to be the size of cats and she confirmed my nightmare. Nasty nasty! And the spiders get big too! Not as big as I though. I was thinking plate-sized. She told me someone was over-exagerating. They only get the size of your hand span. Argh! Then on the way home from her house low-and-behold I saw a rat. Not cat-sized but big. Luckily a car had ran it over and it was dead but it made me cringe.

I did laundry for the first time. That was an adventure. The yellowing of my whites has begun. I was very disapointed with that. I thought it would take longer but maybe it was just the detergent I used. I hadnt bought any yet so I used my comps and maybe she just doesnt have good stuff. Im buying some today though so that should be good.

I love you all lots and lots and I hope you have an awesome week! Sorry theres nothing to intensely interesting. Ill try to make this week incredibly interesting so that I have something to write home about. Love you lots and Hope all is well and that the weather doesnt get too cold.

Love,
Shelle