World Cup...

Oh HEYYY.

Thanks for the updates this week! I’m sure you are all speaking French beautifully by now, immersion can do that for you! HA! But seriously I’m a little jealous you are cruising Canada this week with Aaron and Chelli! Tell Jessica congrats on the job! And the other Jessica congrats on the internship, and it ends faster than she realizes! I still miss DC like everyday. My companion always asks me things like... have you been to San Francisco too! I’ve seen it on the TV! HA! I spend all day describing different cities to her. But really, it’s all just the same. The places may appear different, but the people are the same- same wants needs and desires. ...she doesn’t like that answer.

Everyone here LOVES Shakira for your info! And don’t worry I searched out a reputable woman to perm my hair. It’s hard to get perms here because everyone WANTS straight hair- but when I want something I find it right?

Speaking of that we had the most HILARIOUS/CRAZY week. I’ll start with Pedro. He is 13. We baptized him. BUT BARELY. We kept having miscommunications because we had Stake conference in Alphaville (bem longe) so we literally set up 12 different times to have his interview and baptism and every time he went to the wrong building! But finally after stake conference we baptized that slippery boy and actually 4 others in the stake too! It was soooo cool to see a row of white ready to make covenants with God! Especially when President showed up (SURPRISE!) and then one of the investigators for Alphaville started bawling because SHE wanted to get baptized too (but needed to go to church one more time). So we convince the zone leaders to ask president, get special permission, teach her the commandments REAL fast, THEN learn she lives with a MAN! AHHHH. Not married! So it all fell through anyway. And all this is DURING the baptism of everyone else! Not kidding. My companion and I were laughing non-stop, but hey. She felt the spirit and knew the church was true. Can you blame her? Really?

Stake conference. WOAHHH. We got a new stake president because ours is moving to Rio. SO... we had 2 members of the Quorum of the Seventy there! And they spoke and BLEW MY MIND. They had stories about missionary work. WOAH. A new missionary refused to leave a house without testifying that we have a LIVING Prophet today even though his companion was like- they hate us, let’s leave, this is normal. So guess what happened? I heard this and YOU BET I DID IT! We were walking down the street in Pira Pora do bom Jesus (one of our cities. We have one of the biggest areas) and we are looking for a house that doesn’t seem to exist (normal). We start talking to this woman, Maria, (also normal) and she says she is part of a church that não gosta de nós. I say- Mas irmã, we have a living prophet today. God is the same yesterday today and forever, he called prophets in times of old to lead the people and still does today. BECAUSE of this authority we have on the earth we can return and live with our families forever. Is this something you want? .... silence..... Pode entrar. WOOOO! We teach her and her son. They accept baptism and whoa. They are just perfect. I was like- I want to film our stake conference and watch it whenever I get comfortable in the gospel. I know we have a living prophet. But does everyone? NOOO WHAT A SHAME! We are literally robbing the world of the truth when we don’t share! They can accept, or they can reject, but WE HAVE A DUTY TO TESTIFY! To invite! I’m about to throw this out there- we made a COVENENT when we were baptized to stand as a witness in all times in all things in all places. I’m so ashamed of the covenant breaking I was comfortable with before my mission. Stir up your hearts to remembrance people! 

Uhhh. Rant? Desculpnãodesculp! And now on a little note of humor. The Weekly Loidinha (little blondie) Report. A man asked if I would accompany him and earn 100 reals. Another man asked for my number, then I pretended I couldn’t speak Portuguese. So my companion goes- yeahhh she doesn’t understand or speak Portuguese very well. The driver of the ônibus then yells- Sister MILLS, você quer descer aqui o mais para la? I yell... Obrigada, nos precisamos sair perto de o ponto de asucar, mais um ponto por favor! Then we die laughing because I go... oooops... 

Love you and miss you! 

Sister Haley K. Mills

Sisters Mills and Sares (from Bolivia)

World Cup - Brasil Pride!