8/20/18 - Emma Letter to Family

Thank you all for the encouragement and prayers I've sure felt them. This week has been a lot better! 

So when I got to my multi zona expecting the package instead I got "The gray letter of death" Its the letter the government sends when you have somthing stuck in customs. UGH anyway I got onling today and did all the snazzy stuff you have to do (thank goodness for my comp and helpful secretary elders) They were asking me to pay 340 somthing reals to have it released. That's the equivlent of 84 USD. I thought about it for a minute. I made more than that during one day of work at Ken Garff. To me it's worth it so I paid it and it should be delivered to the mission home this week. I found out how to not let this customs battle happen again. This info comes from Elder Langford who goes home this transfer so this is not his first rodeo with packages. He said anything that says the value is more than 50 USD they'll flag down and try to get money off your fam because they know you can take it. more or less this. Ugh. His advice was to not write the real value on the package. Not lying because once you open something it becomes used so the value is less. Basically please don't send anything expensive. haha! Tudo bem. Muito obrigada por este pacote. Estou muito animada. 

Highlight of my week I'm not talking about in my weelky hahah. We were the only ones in the building in Èden but I stood gaurd at the door of the baptismal font while my comp stripped down to garment level to clean it. It shouldve been cleaned before it was filled. haha! It was so funny! The things we do for baptisms! 

With Elder Ballard and Soares coming this week I've been reading Our Seach for Happiness and I'm obessed! LIKE YES! ELDER BALLARD GETS WHAT I'M FEELING! It's strange to invade people's space, time and privacy to share the resoration with them but how he explains it all is so good and wow I just love it! I'm so excited for friday! 

We spent p day today roaming around "shopping" that's what they call the mall. Shoppíng isnt a verb here, it's a place. Silly Brasil. We went looking for dresses for the occasion. After I said a prayer we would find somthing in our budget Sister Jales laughed at me for praying for such a thing and 2 stores later she found a dress. haha! I didnt find anything I liked. I'll probably jsut borrow one of her dresses. There are store here that are really cool and 100% modest dresses and skirts called Modas Evangelica. There's a religion here that a lot of people are apart of where woment can only wear very modest dresses, never pants and they dont listen to music because its unholy and tudo mais. I thought our mormon standards were strict. lol not even close. This is why I like wearing slacks when its cold because 1) comfort duh, 2) People dont think I'm a Jehova's Witness 3) My investigators know they can wear pants too. haha. It's a common question. 

Missionary life is a doido coisa. It's the weirdest, hardest, bravest, best thing I've ever done. It's going so fast! 

COPA sounds like a dream come true! Mari will do so well! Hyrum's football sound good too. I'm there cheering him on in spirit. It's a good thing the tempurature of the seasons dont match up here is Brasil because if that autumn chill set in during football season I'd be in trouble and get trunky reallllll quick. But it's just starting spring so that means I'm sweating like a sinner in church pretty much all the time. Tudo bem. Your park/river day sounds like what good memories are made of. Can't wait to run the river with you when I get back. The group rafts are my favorite because they're easier to control and you can battle people. Remember when I had that goal to raft all the major rivers in utah before I graduated and I was only missing 2 more? Let's do those 2 others when I get home ok? 

Thank you for your prayers and fasts! I sure need them and have felt them in abundance! 

I'll be praying for you all with work and school and orchestra and dean and everything else.

1) my gray letter of death

2) Everytime I pass this sign I take a double take becauseI think it's mom

3) comfort over style when it's cold out. These are my favorite pair of shoes the other ones I brought are fine but hurt if I wear them on a busy walking day