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!

 

Miracles and a Sweater...

Okay I don’t know what happened I’ve been trying to upload fotos for like 10 minutes. So... just remember what I look like okay? GREAT. Obrigada.

Sorry about the money! I was going to tell you! The other day we were waiting for the ônibus in another bairro (neighborhood sort of?) and I was literally freezing to death. Like... almost an icecube. The weather here is like a Sister missionary. I won’t sing Katy Perry for you... okay I will... YOU´RE HOT THEN YOU´RE COLD... (Side note- the other day I called Presidente for permission to leave our area and he started singing [in English] IF YOU DONT KNOW ME BY NOWWW. YOU WILL NEVER EVER EVER KNOW MEEE. OOOH. OOoooOOOooh. Which is actually true because he is leaving at the end of this transfer...) But really it was FREEZING. I think the vento (wind) did it. Anyway there happened to be a nice little shop there with straight up American sweaters. Like Abercrombie and Fitch? So I bought a sweater. It was way pricey, but I figured the hospital bills for pnemonia would be worse. And now it’s my favorite sweater! WOO! I dont know why I just spent a whole paragraph explaining a sweater but... you get it. DESCULPA! AND I almost got a perm today? My hair is dying. I’ll keep you updated, but I need just one more for 6 more months right? Consider it a birthday present? But claro (obviously) I’m being careful!

I love that you name dropped Harvard and MIT! Ha! Everyone here thinks a gente é bem rico (aka they think we are rich) but they think all Americans are rich. So keep traveling. Aint nobody gonna judge you! Mas, I must admit. I miss the Veendam. Sometimes I have dreams where I just sleep. Im so tired. I understand all the boys who get home now. When they say things like- I fell asleep in church. SHOOT, I practically fell asleep in a lesson the other day.

Im still here in Santana de Parnaíba! With Sister Sares. Which is a little bit of a surprise to everyone, but Im excited to stay for my birthday! We have one more transfer June 17th for Sister Huskey and Sister Montjoy to come here- so if I don’t recieve a new American, I think I’ll stay here til July! Can you say longest area ever? Toto, we are not in Montana anymore!

What is a week in Brazil without finding at least one elect family? Or for us this week. TWO! WOOO! One doesn’t live in our area so that was a little triste, BUT we were riding the ônibus the other day and I started chatting with this guy Clayton. (He has an American name- I know) and Im like you should visit our church! Where do you live? Pq. Santana dois. .... NOOOO! The elders area!!! But I get his info to give to the elders and we hit our stop. So then Saturday we are walking home and I was having sort of a horrible day because the whole world was like- hey can I marry you? Are all Americans as beautiful as you? which sounds really flattering, but when it happens to us we have to say super forcefully NOOO and leave the area so they cant follow us around? So essentially that day we walked to whole city. My companion is always like- I always wanted an American companion, but this is a little bit annoying! HA! I die. But anyway, we see the same guy with his wife and he is like TOMORROW 9 o’clock! Ill be there! I didn’t forget! We are like alright see you there! But then he insists on buying us sorvete (ice cream) which is way expensive here and then the next day... WHAT DO YOU KNOW he comes to church with his wife! I don’t even care that he is not in our area, he is the BEST. His wife and him loved church and she started crying a little during fast and testimony meeting. THE SPIRIT OF GOD LIKE A FIIIIIRE IS BURNINGGG. 

Oh and the elect in our area. Jader and Janice. The other day I was on the phone with someone and we were going up this hill. Apparently some guy said to my companion- are you evangelizing? She said yes and then just continued walking. Not a joke. But I was on the phone so I didnt hear this. So then the next day we are walking down a street and meet this boy Henry (pronounced here like you are drowning.) He is like- I used to go to your church when I was like 10. So we get his contact info and the next day we are in that area. Brazil thinks they are so clever with names of streets so we are on Rua Urugai. como Uruguay. (Obviously I have a preference for Rua Estados Unidos- but it only has like 10 houses on it so...) Anyway we go to visit this house and it turns out Henry doesn’t live there! We are like oh.. sorry what is your name? This woman says Ivonette, remember me? The other day you were with a different American and you asked if you could visit me! (The other day as in a month ago) Oh- yes of course I remember you! (lie) Can we share a message? She had a whole bunch of people there and looked pretty busy so we were a touch reluctant and she is like- I have my 2 sisters and friend here. Is that okay? CLARO! So we teach them and in the middle this man comes into the house and is like- I KNOW YOU to my companion. Turns out he wanted to talk to us the other day but we just passed by. I told Sister Sares she will for sure have to thank God on judgment day for not letting that little gem pass by a second time! Him and his wife came to church, are reading the book of mormon, and will hopefully be baptized this next week! 

AHHHH Milagres people! They exist. I know because somehow I speak Portuguese these days.

Love you! 

Soldades de vocês.

Sister Haley K. Mills