My week.

This was a pretty good week. Had a couple things that broke up the monotony...

We were in someones house and it started to rain. We decided to wait out the rain that was getting harder and heavier every second. After some time we really couldn´t wait any longer as we were suppose to meet someone at the bus stop in 5 minutes. We left the house and stepped out into the waterfall that was coming down. When we got out of the gate the road was gone and there was a river in its place. I took a look and saw that some of the cars were successfull in moving about in the river so I figured two sister missionaries could do it too. No worries, we made it across, which is more than I can say about that pour beater-car that got stuck half way and died. We took a viela (narrow "road" or walking path) to get to another road. The Elders called to see if we were living or not and so I was talking on the phone, holding my umbrella and walking in front of Sister Amancio in the rain when I heard her say something. I didn´t understand and so I thought I had imagined it. (It was very noisy with the rain) I heard it again and I turned to look at her and she was pointing at my legs, then I felt it. Something rubbed against the inside of my left ankle and I looked down so see what it was expecting it to be a cat or something. Nope. It was only a rat the size of a cat. When I looked down he was running across the top of my foot. Bah!!!!!!! I screamed into the phone and jumped in the air high enough that I could have made it on top of the house next to me if I tried. Then dancing around I watched the devil-rat running in front of me when he realized that his home was still full of water and came running back to me. Bah! Talk about watching a white girl dance in the rain. Just my luck that there was a crowd of people a little ways in front that got to watch me do the rain dance and song. But again, no worries, I screamed enough that I scared the rat into another place and we didn´t have another encounter. I don´t know who would have been the survivor, me or him.

All is well, I have no rat diseases as we went to the house and I washed my feet real good. It always is a little bit more draining in the day to fight your way through the rain. No, rain is okay. I don´t mind workin in rain, but waterfalls are different. You use alot of energy to make it through the day. I was beat that night when we got home and I just wanted to sleep but I had stuff that I needed to do before the next day so I just got to bed at the normal time. No complaints. Then in the middle of the night I woke up to my companion poking me. I was so confused. I thought maybe I had slept in or something. I think I spoke English to her cause she gave me a funny look. Then I know I spoke Portuguese because I remember thinking that no one should have to think that hard that quick after waking up. She wanted to know if she could use my bathroom. "What?!" Again, a funny look. Bah! I just wanted to sleep so I said yes. The thing is I don´t have my own bathroom here. I was so confused but I figured that she was sleep walking or somthing. The next day I asked her if she remembered and she said yeah. She had to go to the bathroom real bad and didn´t want to open the door to use the bathroom outside so she woke me up to make sure I wouldn´t get mad for her using the little bathroom in the back. She woke me up at 1 am to use the bathroom. I explained to her that we share all of the rooms in the house and she doesn´t need to ask my permission to use the bathroom. Especially if I´m sleeping. I´m glad we got that out of the way... Lol!

It looks like I´ll be moving. Same area but a different house. I´m excited cause we´ll be living with members that have a piano and so maybe I can get some practice time in at night. I hope.

Life is grand and the mission is wonderful. I´m still breathing and walking and talking in Portuguese and so I don´t have anything to complain about. I love life and I love working. Have fun this weekend watching General Conference. Wish me luck, maybe I will get to watch it in English this time. But who knows... Love you guys lots and lots and miss ya!

Love,

Shelle

November Rain...Actually Março.

This week was good. I really enjoyed myself. Lol! I decided that instead of asking for patience and getting lots of trialsto increase my patience I should ask for humility and get lots of success to try my humility. Think it´ll work? Hmmm....All I know is that I´d better be humble or things could get sticky...Lol!

This area is awesome! I never do want to leave. The area is really big and I have been here since the begining of the year and have yet to see the whole thing. I don´t know that I ever will but I have goals to have at least one family night in all the areas that I haven´t been to yet. But that means that we have to go to some of the areas with nothing to do but make contacts in the street. Then try and find a family that is willing to invite us back for another visit. My plans are to go there on a day with alot of rain and not take an umbrella so that some kind family will take pity on us and invite us in so that we can leave a message with the family. I just have to sell my companion on this idea. She´s convinced it´s better to stay in the areas we are working in already. But she´s new, maybe one day we´ll just take the wrong bus and end up in an area we didn´t plan for. Lol!

So in the mission they have a joke about when you train someone. When you train someone you become a "mom" or "dad" and you have a "daughter" or "son." At first I was a little hesitant to take on training someone but then I thought about it for a bit. If I will be a new mom, I should loose my tummy right? At least 8 lbs of it... I guess mission life isn´t exactly the same as real life. My child arrived and my tummy didn´t go anywhere. Its sitting right here on my lap. Jk. It´s not that big. But it´s a good rest for my arms when I fold them. I hope that you guys never have to see me like this. I still have time to loose it. Lol

I´m getting to be one of the old people in the mission. I´m not old by any means but I´ve been here long enough that people know me and know my name now. Which is okay except when we have a multi-zone and they need "volunteers" to do practices. Then because the sister are always sitting in the front "oh, Sister McCllow, you can help us today." No choice, just do it. Even if you Portuguese is particularly horrible today. Ha, but what doesn´t kill you makes you stronger. If we don´t take care, I´ll come home tougher than dad. Jk. I´m loosing all sorts of muscles here so I won´t even try to challenge him. Maybe. I´ll work on it and I let you know in a few months. When I can do 100 push-ups or so...

I know this gospel is true. I know that this gospel is deep and that we can always learn something new. I´m realizing that the Book of Mormon is one big parable. You can read it and if you aren´t listening to the spirit you will walk away confused. But if you are listening to the spirit you will always learn at the level of understanding that you have. But you´ll never increase your understanding if you don´t take the time to understand the basics. God is soo good and he is smarter than many people give Him credit. His ways are better than our and we have to have faith and just do what he says when he says it. You can believe in Him all you want but you won´t have true faith until you act. And acting is hard without true faith. Don´t know if I´m making sence but I´d like to think that I am. I think that I´m loosing my capacity to comunicate. I only talk a little in Portuguese and even less in English now. But life goes on. Love you all lots and lots and always remember to pray and read and pray and pray some more.

Love

Shelle

Hello there

Oh, the life of responsability...It´s great to work, but it´s challenging to take on responsability. I forgot how little I knew when I arrived in the mission field. I´m sure I was pretty pathetic and made a few people laugh and a few people cry. As it is, I´m learning and hopefully people aren´t crying anymore.
This week has been a week. I´ve been told to be carefull what you ask for cause you´ll get it. I need patience. I should just be happy with the level I´ve got now but no, I´m wasn´t...I decided to ask for patience. If you ask for patience The Lord will send trials to you to test your patience to help it get stronger. But, I never ask for help with patience until I´m already going through a trial and so when I do ask it just gets worse. At first this was something that I thought was a little ridiculous and that you should just be blessed with patience all of the sudden, then I remembered that God has a higher level of thought than I do and so I should trust in His way of doing things. So, I decided to ask for trials to strengthen my patience. What was I thinking? I don´t know but it all seemed right at the time. Maybe I´d been out in the sun too much that day or something but "Ask and ye shall recieve, knock and it shall be opened unto you." I´m sure that there will be lots of good to come from this. Lol!
The work is going good. We´re walking lots and teaching lots. Talking with everyone in the world. That´s probably my favorite part is making contacts on the street. They are people who are different than the people that you are teaching. They have situations different and they help to break up the day because you never do know what you will get when you open your mouth to introduce yourself. Yes, yes, it is different but I love it!
I got to play soccer for the last time in my mission. The Area Presidency decided that the missionaries couldn´t play anymore. So yesterday was our last day to expirience the wonderful sport and I´m broken and feel like I just to 98 years old. But that´s okay. I´m sure all the walking that I need to do today will help to loosen up this old, achy body that I have right now. Lol! It really does feel better when I´m moving than when I´m just sitting still.
I love you all lots and lots and thanks for all your prayers and support you´re giving me. Miss ya lots!
Love,
Shelle

Dun, Dun, Duuuhhhhnnnn

This week was really great. I had lots of good expiriences and lots of times when I wanted to smack people hard across the head and alot of cake. Lol! Thursday was my comps birthday and she had a couple of surprise parties and that was a fun break. It was also the last week of the transfer so we were running hard all week to try to make it a good end to the transfer. I was so sure that I was staying in this area. I had so much that I wanted to do here still. Then Sunday we got a phone call and the Elder on the other end said that I would be transfered. Hmm... I almost cried. I was in shock and so was Sister Da Silva. She didn´t want to stay in this area at all. Lol! Then we got another phone call. It was my District Leader and his comp saying that they played a joke on us and they didn´t know who was being transfered and who would stay. Little punks. But all is well and later that night we recieved the phone call that said I would stay in the area and Sister Da Silva would leave. She was a great comp but I´m glad for a change. Lol! 

P-day today was great! I thought that I couldn´t play soccer at all but it turns out I just need grass. We went to the ward in the interior to have a bbq and play soccer and their field there has grass. I played barefoot instead of with my bulky tennis and it was soo much better than cement or the cultural hall in the chapel. I´m trying to get some fancy foot work going on but most of the time I end up falling. Lol! No worries. When I get hurt i take it like a man and "rub some dirt in it!" 

My hammock is lovely and relaxing. I´m still enjoying it everynight when we get done planning for the next day. I just wish that I had a pday where I could relax in it but my pdays are alway rushed so I don´t see that happening soon. Lol! Oh! Another thing. We may move houses in this area and if we do I will live with some members that have a piano and I can practice piano everynight and maybe get some skills there. I´m kicking myself for being a little brat and not learning when I was young.
I haven´t been using sunblock on my legs and feet cause they haven´t been burning but the other day I actually looked at my feet and they look like that should be the feet of a 90-year-old. I have so many wrinkles on my feet! Bah! Needless to say, I´ve started using sunblock and its getting better. Thank you Trish.

I´m really getting to where I love this area and the people in it and it´s great cause I never want to leave and I get to stay for at least 5 more weeks. I have a bunch of people that I´m teaching that are awesome and have lots of potencial. It makes work so much easier when you like the people. Lol!

I can think of nothing else to write. It´s like when I talk to President, I always have alot that I want to say but when I get the chance to say it I forget everything there was so say. Sorry if my letters are getting shorter or more and more boring. I´m sure this next week will be an interesting one. Wait in anticipation for the next letter...ha.

Love you all sooo much! Thanks for the letters and support.

Love,
Shelle

Mmm...

Talented Sister Missionaries

Missionaries Have Fun

Hello Hello!
So, the big news for the week! (and also one of the biggest temptations in the mission) I got a hammock!! And its amazing! I just want to stay in it all day. k, not really but I want to study in it and eat breakfast in it and plan in it and I don´t know about sleep yet but Man, it´s wonderful! One of the Irmãs in the ward gave it to me. Ah, where´s my piña colada? jk.
But this week was good. I´m draining myself mentally and worrying about things that in the end they all turn out right so I´ve made a resolve to stop worrying so much and i was given a hammock. I think it was a sign. Lol! But last week was awesome and this week should be even better!
I haven´t seen the sun for 4 days now wich is strange. I guess summer is over and we´re moving right on in the Autumn. It´s cold and wet and my new umbrella sprung a leak. Lol! I´ve given up on trying to keep me dry anymore. I only carry an umbrella to protect my books and if I need to beat of some scary person on the street. I havn´t had to use it for that yet but the Book of Mormon has taught me to wear the armor of God and be prepared. I don´t have a bullit-proof vest so I carry an umbrella. Just Kiding Mom. If it was really that scary President Jackson would pull out the sisters and put elders here.
We rode bikes today for pday. That was fun but I may be sore tomorrow. It wasn´t very serious bike-riding but if my memory serves my right it doesn´t matter how long or hard you ride. Sometimes if you look to long at a bicycle you will start to hurt...
This area is wonderful and I love the people! I love this Gospel and I love this work (even though sometimes your stuck in a Tsunami 2 miles from civilization). It´s excellent. I´m healthy and happy and learning lots. Love you all lots and lots!
Love,
Shelle