Transfers!!

Oi Minha Familia!!!

So, it´s that dreaded time again - transfers!! And I have been transfered. :( I´m a little sad, but I kind knew it was coming so I got to say goodbye to everyone. :) I´m almost already packed and well... just not really looking forward to the 2 AM bus ride back to Porto Alegre. But I´ll get to see Sister Cleveland again so that will be good! I´m not sure yet if I´ll see Sister Furtado, but I hope so! haha I don´t know where I´m going or who I´ll be with - I won't find out till I´m at the train station tomorrow around noon. Soooo that´s a little crazy. haha but I´m realizing this is my first time being transfered on my mission with a NORMAL transfer. haha the first was from NYC to Brazil, the second was an emergency transfer and well - I´m over 9 months in and finally have a normal transfer! haha it´s great. I´ll get to my new area and the second full day will be my birthday! haha WEIRD.

This is a family we´ve been teaching for a while
and I just love them

This week was good. We spent about 36 hours in the hospital with Sister Loss and finally discovered the source of her pain - the gallbladder. But she´s able to take some meds right now and doesn´t have to do surgery so she´s feeling much better! I´m so glad. It was pretty distressing because they wouldn´t let me be with her in the hospital so I just chilled in the waiting room - both of us alone. A member came around 11 at night and took me home because I was no longer allowed to wait in the waiting room because the person I was waiting for was over 18. haha I went back to say goodbye to her and we both were freaking out almost crying cuz... we´re not supposed to be separated! haha I didn´t sleep at all cuz I was freaking out being alone (well... I wasn´t alone. There are 4 sisters in the house... but still.) and well. I´m just glad it´s over and she´s feeling good. I´m realizing I´m such a missionary when I can´t even handle sitting in a room by myself. haha! I was able to do a split with a member the next day while we waited some more for the tests to be run and... all ended up well. :)

Mustache rings jen gave me! haha

This week Stefane was baptized. We´ve been working with her for a while and I was SO SO happy! She is 13 and had to quit smoking (she´s been smoking for 4 years already). Her life has been filled with pain and things that members of the church really don´t have to worry about. She had such a desire to change her life and after working with her most of the transfer she has made SO many changes and is SO happy. I am so so so happy for her! I just love that girl.

Stefane´s baptism!

Well, as I leave Passo Fundo I´ve been given the chance to reflect on my time here. I´ve spent more time in this area than any other area on my mission and truth be told, I really don´t want to leave. The members are SO helpful. They take care of us like nothing I´ve ever seen. We got more chocolate and easter candy than I´ll be able to eat in a lifetime! haha They offer referrals and call just to make sure we´re eating right. haha! I love the members. The people are so open and I´ve really come to love it here. When I first got here, I spoke almost no Portuguese. I had only been in Brazil 10 weeks and still felt completely lost. Here, I became comfortable with Portuguese. I made friendships and felt at home in this country. I´ll always be grateful for the wonderful city of Passo Fundo. I sure will miss it. But, I´m excited for the adventures that lay ahead and I´m excited to meet and love even more new people. 

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!! Happy happy happy birthday to my sweet twin! It´ll be strange to have a birthday without family, but we´ll be together next year! (also, I´m pretty sure I´ll turn 23 first this year. mwahaha!!) I love you all so much and I hope you are all happy and healthy!!

Drea