WEEK 12: Honestly the Fastest Week

Getting ready to board one of the Church buses

I think it’s funny that you keep hearing this from me, but this was honestly the fastest week in the field. The difference is that now, we have so many people we are teaching and visiting. Here, I’ll name them for you: Glecianie, Elvis, Almir, Nivea, Carla, Elaita, Fatchma, Raisa, Estephanie, Patricia, Evelyn, Carlos, Miguel, Pricilla, Rute, Junior, Juan, Joaquin, Celia... and a lot more; that’s just all I’m able to think of right this second. So yeah, a lot of people! We have also started trying to make appointments or visits with less active members or recent converts. So we have been very busy. Asking for references from people has also created a nice network around here, so we have had to do little contacting and are still finding many people who are receptive to our message. That has been very helpful.

Halloween was this week! It is not really celebrated here, but I bought a bag of candy and gave some out to little kids in the street. It was also a sort of “Day of the Dead” holiday on Saturday. It’s not really a holiday, it’s just a day when everyone goes to a cemetery for basically the whole day. So that was kind of different.

With the end of my first transfer, we had 2 new elders come into our district. Elder Ball and Elder Duque were replaced by Elder Lopes and Elder Fiorovante. They are both great, and will be a great asset to the district. Elder Lopes is our new DL, and has been great taking up the torch and leading us here.

Our ward is really getting stronger here (Ward Guararapes in the Dunas Stake). I played the piano again in church. And the closing prayer. haha. Our chorister doesn’t call to tell me the hymns anymore so my first glimpse of what the hymns will be is at exactly 10:00 when the meeting is starting, and the people (including me) who were on the always-late bus are entering the chapel! I just kind of pray that they are hymns that I know. If they’re not, I do my best. I am able to sight read all of them, except one: Castelo Forte. It is a hymn that is only in the Portuguese hymnal. I cannot play it to save my life. I am just hoping that they don’t ask me to play that one.

Nothing too crazy in the food department this week. We do in fact, have rice and beans for every single meal. There are a few smaller restaurants around here that sell `salgados´ which are small, meat filled pastries. A few of these places sell the salgados for only 1 Real, so naturally, that´s where we end up going. It is so great. There is actually a family who owns one who will be going to church with us pretty soon.

I am loving the work and service here in Brazil. This country really is beautiful, and the people are all so friendly and nice. I am eager and happy to be blessed with such an incredible opportunity.

Elder Perry

Acai bowls are a favorite evening treat