Our first Sunday

Our Sister Training Leader Trainers:  Sister Milhomen from Goiás, Brazil and Sister Hoover from Ammon, Idaho! (our only Idahoan)  We met Sister Hoover´s Uncle at the Mission President´s Seminar in Provo.  He and his wife are the newly called Mission President and companion of the Brasil, Salvador South Mission.  Six weeks after we had been in Brasil, Dee was in a Mission President´s training in São Paulo.  Sister Hoover called President Jones´s cell phone and Dee happened to be sitting next to President Biddulph, her uncle.  Dee handed President Biddulph his phone to surprise Sister Hoover (she had no idea Dee was in São Paulo at the training)  She didn´t beleive she was talking to her uncle for the longest time!  They finally convinces her.  She was a little set back over the whole situation!

Our Assistants to the President were amazing and helped the transition flow as easy as possible.  Elder Pimento from Sergipe,

Brazil and Elder Tullis from California.  This picture was taken in front of the Mission Office which is attached to an Institute Building.  It takes about 15 minutes to drive to the office from the Mission Home.

Misc. Activities!

One of our Elders did this drawing of us, Elder Martins (brasileiro).  I think it´s incredible!  I think I like it because we look super young, thin and tad bit like Barbie and Ken, hahahah! 

This is an incredible story.  This man, Valtenir, shot someone in self defense when he was 18 years old.  He spent time in jail and then released learned about the church and wanted to be baptised but couldn´t because of his crime.  He has attended church and paid tithing for 8 years!  He approached the Elders again asking if there was a way that he could be baptised.  Dee interviewed him and was so impressed and touched by his repentant heart, deep testimony and amazing desire to be baptised.  Dee wrote a letter to the First Presidency telling his situation.  Four weeks later he received the go ahead to be baptised.  It was such a beautiful, joyous occasion.  He appreciated so much being able to make this covenant with God after so long!!! 

Stopping in on some of our Elders on a Sunday afternoon (some errand, not remembering what).  They were at their Sunday lunch appointment after church.  Elder Ferreira and Elder Salina.

A fun P-Day outing with one of our Districts!  A tour of the Gremio Area.  The stadium of the soccer team here in Porto Alegre.  It holds 55,000 fans so a little smaller than the Lavel Edwards BYU football staduim.  This is a really great district!!
They were nice to invite us on thier outing.

In the dressing room!

Number 11, my favorite number but not a clue who wears it on this team!

These are the District leaders that invites to take part in their P-Day activity.  l-r E. Almeida and E. Southwick

With Sister Training Leader Leaders Sister Hoover from Ammon, ID (our only Idaho missionary) and Sister Bartels from Texas!  Super sisters and leaders!!

So happy I don´t have to change companions every transfer!  This one is pretty good!!

These STL call president, President Jones, but on P-Day he is their BYU dad.  They both attended a year at BYU before the mission.  Sister Bartels (blond) gave up a full ride volleyball scholorship to serve her mission.  The BYU hat is the envy of every missionary here!!  Dee wears it in the morning while his hair is drying to train his calick and the missionaries sometimes see him wearing it in the morning and often on P-Day.

A little taste of a transfer of Zone Conference

Richard, a man that Dee visited with these Sisters (Mendes and Pereira)and invited him to be baptized.  He accepted and wanted Dee to baptise him.  Very special baptism!

Just a glimpse of a typical kitchen in a church building ( this one actually nicer than most).  Pretty simple with absolutely no plates, pans, silverware........nothing.  If they are furnished with that type of stuff, it gets stolen...........by members!

Some of the Elders from our smallest zone, Osório
l-r E. Soares, E. Marin, Pres., E da Silva, E. Foot

Some of the Sisters from Osório
l-r S. Domigues, S. Quintel, me, S. Sandoval, S. Strahl

Porto Alegre Zone
l-r E. Glasgow, E. Azambuja, E. Menezes

We got to participate in another baptism!  (this was taken after with Elder Maciel and Elder Moura)
This was the night that our car window was broken and we were almost robbed, (it was probably happening right when we were taking this picture!)  I just happened to go our to the car, it was in the church parking lot and I think I scared the robber off before he could take anything!!  So glad he ran off and wasn´t in the car when I came out.......in the dark.......by myself!!

Me with the Sister training leaders after our Leadership training meeting.  Such amazing Sister missionaries!!

One of our very favorites!  Elder Pimenta.  He was the assistant when we arrived and served until he left, 4 months later.  It was hard to let him go.  He hated leaving too.  He loved being a missionary!!

Canoas Zone
l-r E.Santos, E.Romero, E. Fernandez, E. Albrect, E. Cheeks, E. Kinnear

Gravataí Zone (the zone of boxers, actually garments :) It´s the only zone of all Elders!   l-r E. Marques, E. dos Santos, E. Loor, President, E. Knebel, E. Clementino, E. da Fe, E. Castillo, E. Oliveiro

At lunch with 2 Elders Berheimer and Costa and their investigators

Struggling through my part of the training at Zone Conference!  Ahhhhhhh.........will this every get easier!!

Just a little sample of some of the lovely photos I get!!  Ingrown toenail problems.

Novo Hamburgo Zone

Some of the Sisters from Passo Fundo plus the 2 Sister Training Leader Leaders  l-r S. Pompeu, S. Soeiro, S. Hoover (stl) S. Bartels (stl) S. Fernandez, S. Rochas, S. Caires

Gramado Zone  the zone full of Sisters!  Only 2 duplas of Elders.

A little P-Day fun!

We went to the Farroupilha (Ragamuffin) Celebration.  Everyone dressing similiar to this man.  Like a gaucho (cowboy).  That´s what they call people from Rio Grande do Sul, ´gaucho´ and they speak ´gauché´.

A little different look, interesting hats........still gauchos!

Farroupilha is a celebration in memory of when the state Rio Grade do Sul, caused a civil up rising as they tried to become independent from the rest of Brasil in 1835.  Despite the support of Italian revolutionary Garibaldi (wonder if that´s where Garibaldi chocolate comes from?), the gaucho led revolt ended in 1845.  Even though they were defeated, it still is celebrated with regional pride.  A cowboy type celebration where they meet together with friends and family in cabin like houses like these in a huge park and have a churrasco (huge bar-be-que with tons of different meats, like Tucanos).  They ride horses, wear clothes like these shown, the women in long dresses, cowgirl style.  It´s pretty cool.  We´ve discovered that Rio Grande do Sul is a state like Texas.  Everything thing is bigger and better, they think!  

A section of the park had a big market place where they sold handmade items and all sorts of other stuff.  Very gaucho type things.

The food section of the park reminded us of the State Fair.  They even had `Lays` type potatoe chips.  They made them fresh right there.  They don´t even sell chips like these in the store!!  It was a special treat!

A Typical Day!

This is what happens when the President leaves his phone laying around at the chapel during interviews.  The Sisters (and
 it´s generally only Sisters) take selfies! From front to back:  Sister Schimdt Brasil, Sister Medeiros Brasil, Sister Mariño Ecuador and Sister Heiner Logan UT  

I took the office secretaries with me to get 21 pillows at Zaffarri (store like a Super Wal-Mart).  It took 3 full carts to get them to the car and then it filled the car completely up!  We give our new missionaries a fresh new pillow to take with them on every transfer during the mission!
Elder Gonçalves Brasil, Elder Bangerter South Jordan, UT

President and I went with the Elders to teach a lesson and invite this young adult to be baptised.  The lesson took place in his bedroom.......the only quiet place in the house and no one else wanted to participate.  He was baptised the next Sunday!
left-Elder Pacheco, ctr-Elder Marins

We happened to be at the place at the right time.  We attended Sacrement Meeting in one of the wards in our mission and after the Elders held this baptism so we got to attend!
Elder Favoretti and Elder Nascimento both brazilians

Cátia Biehl da Silva, she and her husband Sérgio) clean the mission home.  They are wonderful!  They lived in the US for a time and both speak great English, she always speaks portugues with me to try to help me learn (I wish she wouldn´t......but I know it helps!)  She is so encouraging because she suffered when they lived in the US.  She knows how hard it is!!  She always sends inpirational texts and is so sweet and supportive of the work!  They are excellent in caring for the mission home!  They are members of the ward were the mission home is but it´s not in our mission so we have only attended there one time.  

Our Second Tranfer!

What a great group of Missionaries!  We only had 12 weeks with them but came to love them so much in that short time!!
S. Meireles BR, S. Aguayo Chile, E. Dieckman Florida, E. Tridade BR, E. Milton BR, E Hernandez Texas, E. Beraldo BR, E. Tullis Modesto CA, E. Aguilar Honduras and E. Nascimento BR

Only 2 Sisters leaving in this group.

The next day, Elder Glasgow, Arkansa arrived from the Provo MTC.  He had problems with his Visa so he did his mission training there.  Great Elder, he´s going to play football at USU.

And another beautiful group arrives!!  A big group of American Elders (5). Five Brazilian Elders, two Brazilian Sisters and a Sister from Mexico!

Matt and Drew´s visit

Looks just like them!  It was super fun watching this artist do this caricature of the boys.

The boys and the magestic waterfall (the picture doesn´t do it justice)

In our hotel for a late night pizza fest!  We had fun with Kaitlin (Matt´s friend from Brasilia)

Love this boy!

A really cool waterfall (that we are standing in front of)

Gramado with our boys!