Games Missionaries Play
October 22, 2012
Tiiiiiiiiime! OH! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappy 8 months to me! It’s today! And we’re gonna celebrate by eating at Bob’s Burgers that’s across the street from the beach. Yeah, a mission basically rocks! Can I just say that I’m SUPER EXCITED for all the future missionaries!?!? Benji Martineau, Spencer and Hyrum, Hite Bonner… wait, he still has a while. OH, and welcome home Jared Dominguez... Jesse Lewis, I think... Elizabeth Martineau. It’s crazy to think that The Hofstrand is in Real Life. AND Scotty’s coming home in 2ish months! Anyway, GO TEAM! So, it’s Spring here, right? Well, because of Daylight Saving Time, we “SPRING FORWARD.” Yours is a “FALL BACK” because you’re in Fall. I feel so much further away from America now, haha. [The time difference between Rio de Janeiro and home WAS four hours. Now that they changed their clocks, it’s five hours. When we change OUR clocks, it will be SIX hours.] |
Baptisms
After much confusion and moving dates, Aline and Ebert will get married in Petropolis on Saturday; and Ebert will be baptized. However, he’s going to be baptized there because Aline’s dad is the bishop there, and their family all live there. Boo. HOWEVER, tomorrow, they’re taking professional pictures here in Cabo Frio, and she invited us! Heeeeeeck yes! Get out the make-up and lipstick, ladies! I’m takin’ me some pictures with my first completed family! With success comes opposition, unfortunately. Our other family, Vangela and Jackson, are having a rough time. They have the marriage papers and everything, but Satan is working really hard with them. Jackson hasn’t been coming to church or reading his scriptures and such; so, needless to say, the weeds are choking his testimony. :( We’re praying a lot for them. Our other legally married family is Giselle and Rafael. The husband has been working a LOT every day except for Sundays. So, the whole keeping the Sabbath day holy is tough because it’s the only day they have together.
After much confusion and moving dates, Aline and Ebert will get married in Petropolis on Saturday; and Ebert will be baptized. However, he’s going to be baptized there because Aline’s dad is the bishop there, and their family all live there. Boo. HOWEVER, tomorrow, they’re taking professional pictures here in Cabo Frio, and she invited us! Heeeeeeck yes! Get out the make-up and lipstick, ladies! I’m takin’ me some pictures with my first completed family! With success comes opposition, unfortunately. Our other family, Vangela and Jackson, are having a rough time. They have the marriage papers and everything, but Satan is working really hard with them. Jackson hasn’t been coming to church or reading his scriptures and such; so, needless to say, the weeds are choking his testimony. :( We’re praying a lot for them. Our other legally married family is Giselle and Rafael. The husband has been working a LOT every day except for Sundays. So, the whole keeping the Sabbath day holy is tough because it’s the only day they have together.
Random
To stay sane on the mission, we like to play games: games with our contacts, games with things we’re thinking, games where we can punch our companion. I’m pretty much the game MASTER!! (However, I have already LOST “THE GAME” 4 times this week. Lame.) I like playing “What’s that smell?” When we come across an unfamiliar smell, we guess (or I guess and play in my head because sometimes I don’t share these games I play with my companion because she’ll probs think I am NOT sane) what it smells like. The most funny one I came up with in Anil was Guinea Pig... it really did smell that bad. Sadly enough, with this game I play, I have realized that sewer smells like beans... so sometimes I can’t think as I serve myself a steaming scoop of feijão. Hehe!
Speaking of beans, them being the magical fruit, we play the game of reactions to passing gas. Sister Diller told me her friend’s co-worker (who is atheist) had the FUNNIEST reaction one day at work. There was a pause, and from his cubicle, he said, “God? Is that you?” Yes, blasphemous, but nonetheless hilarious.
To stay sane on the mission, we like to play games: games with our contacts, games with things we’re thinking, games where we can punch our companion. I’m pretty much the game MASTER!! (However, I have already LOST “THE GAME” 4 times this week. Lame.) I like playing “What’s that smell?” When we come across an unfamiliar smell, we guess (or I guess and play in my head because sometimes I don’t share these games I play with my companion because she’ll probs think I am NOT sane) what it smells like. The most funny one I came up with in Anil was Guinea Pig... it really did smell that bad. Sadly enough, with this game I play, I have realized that sewer smells like beans... so sometimes I can’t think as I serve myself a steaming scoop of feijão. Hehe!
Speaking of beans, them being the magical fruit, we play the game of reactions to passing gas. Sister Diller told me her friend’s co-worker (who is atheist) had the FUNNIEST reaction one day at work. There was a pause, and from his cubicle, he said, “God? Is that you?” Yes, blasphemous, but nonetheless hilarious.
I also like to play 191. Whenever I see an address of 191, I move Mom and Dad there and think, “Oh yes, they would LOVE living there!” Unfortunately, I usually don’t take a picture because I STILL am not sure when it’s okay and when it’s NOT okay to take a picture in public. It’s almost as if I’m sinning if I want to take a picture because I’m not thinking about the work. Sad.
Mom, speaking of where you guys live, lots of members here like to look up our address, so SMILE! Hahah, but seriously, I have been thinking about the Book of Mormon promise on the land of promise; and I always wonder why we as a family haven’t “prospered” materialistically. I was pondering upon this yesterday in RS [Relief Society], and we were talking about the Law of Consecration. I felt impressed to share with you that your work here on this earth will make you all the better off in heaven because there is where we will live the Law of Consecration. You already live it so well because of your frugality in this life, AND you will help teach others to do the same. |
We’re takin’ a p-day trip to Búzios!!
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Our district leader was actually a DL in the Jacarepaguá zone... MAN, I miss saying that name. He started off college in STANFORD, switched to Southern Virginia University to play football for them, and then transferred to BYU-I because of a girl... crazy, huh? He’s a funny one. He likes to chat, which is something we’re not quite used to; but thanks to Elder Jarrell, I’m a bit more accustomed to it. The other day he and Sister Diller were “trunkin’ it out” and sharing what they miss about home. Sister Diller said music, I said working out, and then he said, “I miss kissing. Sorry, sister, but I’m just bein’ honest.” Cricket, cricket… “Okaaay, so good night, Elder Goodrich!”
SISTER DILLER LOVES PRETZEL JELL-O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?? She has been telling me the hidden secrets of the wonders of Pennsylvania, and I feel more Americanized than when I was IN America. I now know what the Nats are and Penn State, Ohio State, etc. rivals. Sister Diller was voted her high school’s Most Spirited, too. We have a lot in common, needless to say. She’s very organized and has impeccable handwriting and is helping me be less scatter-brained, haha. (That made me miss JAZZY! Hahah, awwwwww!!) I gave a talk yesterday. Yeah, we had a 14-hour warning. I stressed so much that I prepared with good stuff about prayer... and then basically just threw it all out the window when I spoke (DEFENESTRATED!) and explained that our loving Heavenly Father, the Almighty Creator of all, wants us to talk to Him. I said that, in this age of growing technology, it is so easy to stay in contact with our loved ones; but the tool God has given us to talk to Him has always been the same, and that is prayer. I said, “Imagine you’re a child about to call your parent, or you’re a parent answering a telephone call. The child talks the whole time, and it’s the exact thing he said the other day and hangs up. It would be annoying, right? You’d think he had the exact same day as yesterday. Oooor, the child just gives a long list of what he needs and then says Tchau! That would be sad, right? It’s the same thing with our Heavenly Father. He wants to HEAR from us, really. He wants to know about our day and how we’re doing. We need to be more sincere with our prayers because it’s important. Not only is it important, it’s a commandment! Prayer is essential for salvation. It is the way we gain a testimony. It’s the way we are forgiven of our sins. We can receive personal revelation through our prayers IF we have sincere intent and we have FAITH, which means we are willing to DO something with the answer God gives us and/or are willing to WORK before we receive our answer. God doesn’t give us anything until after the trial of our faith.” HOMEWORK: PLEASE read the Bible Dictionary on Prayer, it basically rocks.
Also, please read Elder Bednar’s talk “Ask in Faith” from the May 2008 Ensign. http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/ask-in-faith?lang=eng |
‘Tis the Season
So, we have an ample amount of apple vinegar from the elders who lived here before us... what is that, and are there any fun recipes you can look up for me? Also, I need more ideas for what to do with pumpkin. ‘Tis the season, and pumpkin here (abóbora) is cheap.
So, we have an ample amount of apple vinegar from the elders who lived here before us... what is that, and are there any fun recipes you can look up for me? Also, I need more ideas for what to do with pumpkin. ‘Tis the season, and pumpkin here (abóbora) is cheap.
Praia da Armação and Praia Do Canto
across the peninsula from Praia Brava
across the peninsula from Praia Brava