Sending a Christmas letter and its closer to the New Year...

Hey People,
I hope everyone had a splendid Christmas full of lots of candy and sleeping in late! As for me, Christmas just isn´t the same when all you have to look forward to in the morning is 6:30 am yoga. Lol! I used to do different exercises but I got sick and ever since then I´ve been enjoying just meditating through yoga. I´m sweating out all my stress during the day from walking in the heat so all is well. Don´t think I mentioned it in my last letter but Summer has started. Really it hasn´t been too bad. I´ve been enjoying the heat. I think after freezing myself silly during the winter I´m just happy that I don´t walk slow by the sewer vents anymore to get any form of heat.

So, the highlight of my week...I called home!! Wahoo! It was right close to amazing and I was glad to hear that no one sounds older than when I left. Everyone still has the same voices. Except Gwen. Her´s was a little bit different...Everyone laughed at me cause I was on a high for the rest of the week after that phone call. Everyone else talked to their parents and were happy but no one appreciated it like I did. Full-blown English for close to 1 hour. Can life get better? Ha! It was funny to hear my Zone Leader talk to his mom. He´s such a good missionary. He was giving her a lesson over the phone and making commitments with her and checking up on her reading and praying habits. Lol! (She´s a recent convert)

This New Year will be different I think...Lol! We´re going to have a bbq and play soccer at the church and then stay inside and study during the night hours. We figure this is best as most people will be setting of bombs, fireworks, and drinking.

I love everyone lots and lots and I hope that all is well. Peace out.
Love,
Shelle
Picture from Christmas Conference

Washing clothes isn't my favorite . . .

Hello Everyone!
So, as I guessed I am in a new area. It´s 

Casa Grande. It´s really pretty. There is a 

reservoir of water really close-alot prettier 

than the Delta Reservoir-and there is a good 

sized dock for sail/fishing boats. Maybe on a

 p-day sometime soon... Lol! But this is not a 

city like my last area. Its more rural here 

and the houses are bigger which means that our 

house is also bigger!! We have lots of room 

for whatever we need and we have two bathrooms!! 

But we only have a half fridge now... Another 

downer is that I have a companion that likes to 

eat as much as I do and we will probably soon 

be known as the Chubby Sisters. 

So...I found out that I would be leaving the 

area and Sister Hyatt would stay. We went 

around and said bye to most of the people 

that I wanted to and then decided that we 

would buy an icecream for our last night. 

While we were looking at the icecreams the 

cell wrang and S. Hyatt almost ignored it 

cause she was worried about the ice cream 

but she looked to see who it was. President 

Jackson was calling. I proceeded to laugh at 

her as she found out she was going to be 

training a new missionary in this area. When 

she finished she handed the phone to me and 

said that he wanted to talk to me. I told her 

I didn´t want to talk to him, thanks. Well, 

she didn´t let me go that easy. I talked to 

him and he told me I´m moving to Senior 

companion. I found out that I would be with a 

Sister that only had one transfer (which is 

only one less than me). But it´s all good 

cause he put us in a Semi-trio. I will have 

S. Pradeira with us part of the time. She is 

the sister missionary that has already served 

a mission and is on her second. She won´t be 

working with us much cause she works in another 

area but she´s living with us so we can ask her 

for help whenever we need. After the phone call 

we both bought alot of icecream and we went home. 

Lol! We needed it.

So, now that I´m in a new area I have no idea what 

will happen with the phone call home. I thought they 

might have that all worked out when I got here but 

they don´t. Maybe I´ll call, maybe I´ll use skype, 

I dunno. But now there will be three of us that need 

to call in the same day so it will be a little more 

difficult. But we will manange. I only have about 3 

hours of working in this area so I haven´t talked to 

many people yet but after I do I will find out where 

is the best place to make a phone call and I will 

send you that information next email. Sorry for any 

inconveniences.

How are all the Christmas preperations coming along? 

Everyone happy and healthy? The weather here is 

warming up. Not way fast but faster than normal maybe...

Summer starts this Sunday. Wish me luck. Im going to be 

tempted to run and jump in this lovely reservoir that I 

have in my area. But no worries, my fear of big brazilian 

fish will keep my safe on dry land.

I´m working hard in this area (even thought I´ve only 

worked 3 hours) But I have lots of plans! But then I 

guess that´s when life happens. And I hear when you 

don´t plan that´s when the devil plans...Is it just a 

lose lose situation? JK. Even if the plans fall through 

every day and I get buckets of water dumped on my head 

my a religion called Banda, I´m determined to work every 

second this transfer.

As I am now in a house with two Brasileiras I think that 

my Portuguese will speed up also. I just need to talk, talk, 

talk, talk. S. Pradeira talkes really fast so if I can manage 

to understand what she is saying I should master the language. 

But I´m going to get a north/east accent cause everone of the 

Brasilians in this area are from there and the have lots of 

"shuh" sounds instead of "juh" sounds. But listening to it I 

think it sounds prettier anyways. At least I´m starting to 

being able to tell where people are by the way they talk. That 

means that I´m understanding well enough to pay attention to 

something besides desperately trying to catch what they are 

saying. Anyways...

I´m alive and happy and healthy and strong. I´ve lost the area 

with hills so I may not have calves the size of Texas when I get 

home. O-well. I love you all more than a pig loves mud!!

Stay happy and don´t worry and listen to Bob Marley for me cause 

I can´t out here. Peace out.

Love,
Shelle

All I want for Christmas is You!

Okay, before everyone thinks Im trunky to 

the max from my email subject, I just have 

that song stuck in my head...

This week was good. Really good. Im not sure 

why but it just seems like it was good and 

that I dont have much to complain about. I 

did however have an amazing film moment 

that I will rewatch when I go to watch the 

film of my life. I was walking down the 

street with my umbrella in the rain, carrying 

a bag of bread. I was in front of my comp and 

we were walking on the sidewalk in this crazy-

horrible rain when a bus drove by and turns 

out there was a pond on the road that cascaded 

over me. Sopping wet I turned to my comp who 

hadn't gotten touched by the waterfall. Just me. 

But I had never heard of that happening outside 

of movies. Who would have thought that my 

mission was training me to be a movie star...

There is this new family that moved into our 

ward that w'eve been visiting 'cause they don't 

feel very accepted in the ward which is really 

unfortunate 'cause they are way awesome. We 

were talking last night and I found out that 

the dad drives the bus for the São Paulo 

futebol club. If I stay around here for a 

while I'll try to get some memorabilia or 

pictures with the team or something...Lol! 

Even though I am a Corintians fan. Even 

though I've never seen a soccer game of 

either team. But what can ya do. You've got 

to pick a side here or else you're nothing... 

I watched that happen with my comp. I didn't 

waste time in choosing who I like better. 

One of the sisters even bought me a Jersey 

for Christmas which was way awesome of her.

The weather is rainy and I haven't seen the 

sun in over a week I think. The sky is always 

overcast but it's still pretty warm after ya 

climb some of these hills. One of the Irmãs 

in the ward gave me a jacket so I dont freeze 

now so that was much needed. Summer starts 

Dec 20 so I have time yet until it gets way 

hot. One of my friends/investigators I've been 

teaching since I got here said that my mother 

won't recognize me when I got home 'cause 'Ill be 

brown, fat, and have really curly hair. When I 

first got here my hair was strait and I was white 

and yes I was skinnier but what can ya do... Lol! 

I told her I will have to accostume mom to my 

changes through pictures. Ah, life is good.

I say this now but we will know by next week...I 

think I'm getting transferred. I felt like I was 

for sure staying last transfer but now I'm pretty 

firm in the fact that I'm leaving. I'm planning on 

having my bags packed 'cause I think that will mean 

that I stay which I really want to 'cause I love 

the area and the people. Alas, I think I will be 

leaving. I'm using up all of my internet minutes 

today too so I hope that I'm not going to regret 

that next week. Lol! I can always buy more.

The language is still coming along. Im not 

learning lots of new words like before but I'm 

getting to where I can use them all right now...

somewhat... It will still take time. I only have 

one more month before my Bishop here wants me 

speaking like a pro. We'll see...

I don't know if I've ever said really where I 

am on a map. My area is Parque Pinheiros but 

it's in the city Taboão close to São Paulo. It's 

still in São Paulo state but not the city. I 

live in a little neighborhood called 3 (Trés) 

Marias. If you ever get bored you can try and 

find me on google maps.

That's about all. I'm healthy and happy and well 

fed and I get lots and lots of exercise. I miss 

you guys like a fat kid misses a cupcake. Have 

fun getting ready for Christmas! Love you!

Love,
Shelle

hmmm. . .

Hello everybody!

So when I got on today to check my email, I had 

6 emails telling me that I had no room and I 

needed to delete some emails so that I could 

receive some more. Convenient that I couldnt 

see that until after all those emails used up 

all my space. I dunno, maybe everyone did 

forget to write and I am just blaming the 

computer. It makes me feel better that way. 

But as it is I only recieved a couple emails 

from people and the rest from the postal 

service for my mailbox. That was a little 

disappointing.

So for Thanksgiving I didnt even see a 

picture of a Turkey...Thats okay though. 

I had some really yummy rice and beans. 

Ha. But it also rained really hard that 

day and so we stayed in again and watched 

the river run down the street. And because 

of this I decided to take a try at Bolinha 

de Chuva--Rain Cake. It wasnt half bad. 

Okay thats a lie. It was half bad. The 

taste was great but the weight gain was 

not... Its a good thing I walk everywhere 

in incredible heat. Thats the only thing 

that is going to keep me from coming home 

as one big fat Shelle. Ah, life goes on...
So there is this guy that lives in my area. 

I made a contact with him one time and I 

see him everywhere now! Me and Sister 

Hyatt call him "The Creeper of Jardim 

Mirna" The way he drives around reminds 

me of Jasper and Horace in 101 Dalmations. 

It gives us a good laugh. We were walking 

down the street to a persons house and the 

VW van was driving toward us. Then it 

started to veer at us. It was dark and they 

didnt have their lights on. My thoughts 

were, "Crap, were going to get kidnapped." 

But I figured we would keep walking and if 

they stopped(They were already slowing) then 

I would beat them with my broken umbrella. 

They stopped and I heard someone say 

"Sisters" So I looked up at them and it was 

"Jasper" and he had a "Horace" with him this 

time. They just were stopping to let us know 

that they were planning on going to church 

the next day. They didnt go but what can ya do.

The week with Sister Pradeira was really good. 

She was really an excellent person to learn 

from and it wasnt half as bad as I thought it 

would be. And she cooked dinner for us the 

night we were rained in and she is really good 

at cooking yummy food from close to empty 

cupboards. Lol!

Anyways...I don't know how Thanksgiving went 

as I didnt get any emails but I hope that it 

was fun for everyone and everyone is safe and 

sound back at there houses. Love you all lots 

and lots and lots!

Love,
Shelle