BATISMO!!!!!!

This week was amazing!!!! Guess who had their first baptism?!?! This Sister missionary!! It was so wonderful to finally have a baptism. We were able to baptize Edivaldo from Liberdade! It was kind of a complicated situation since we weren't sure if he would be going out of town on Sunday to Linhares but we finally got everything settled and he was able to have an interview with Elder Hidalgo on Thursday and we got him to church and it was great! We're planning on following up a lot this week to make sure he'll be at church this Sunday to be confirmed. 

We've also been working a lot with Julio Cesar. He came to church last Sunday so we had plans to meet with him every day this week. We were lucky to have the sister training leaders here because Sister Patricio is awesome and I went on divisions with her and we worked in the Aviaçao and Centro and Fatima/Ideal areas and she was able to mark a baptism date for him for the same day as Edivaldo. It ended up falling through though becuase he didn't feel ready. He believes in what we've taught him and he really likes the members of the church and he's already made a lot of friends and he went to three activities this week, but he's worried that he might move away and that he won't stay strong in the church after baptism if he moves. So we're going to work with him this week a lot too. We're hoping he'll feel ready to be baptized this quinta or domingo. 

Everything else is pretty great. I can't believe this transfer is almost over...And Sister Wootan will be leaving early next week which is crazy haha I can't believe I'm already killing off a Sister and that she's going home. It's really weird. I really want to know if I'm staying in Sao Mateus or if I'll be transferred. Everyone thinks that I'll be transferred and that our area will be white washed but quem sabe? 

Oh something cool that happened this week haha I'm still struggling with the language obviously...But! Sister Wootan got tired of talking to everyone on the phone this week so she kept asking me to take phone calls and I was like what? I can't understand anyone in person when they're speaking portuguese so how am I supposed to talk to them on the phone? But I did it! And people actually understood me and I understood what they were saying (most of the time) haha So yeah I'm basically fluent...not.

I made it to Alma in the Livro de Mórmon this week! Everyone should read Alma 5 because it's awesome and a huge call to repentance. Still pretty sure I won't finish the Book of Mormon this transfer but I'm gettin pretty far and I'm actually starting to understand what I'm reading without looking at my English copy so that's pretty sweet.

Eu amo vocês!

Com amor,

Sister Alia Yun Earls

P.S. BATISMO!!!! Sorry I'm just really excited

 

EDIVALDO!! He's 78 years old and he's awesome. Elder Hidalgo (our district leader) baptized him! I don't know why brasileiros don't like to smile in pictures but Edivaldo is still killin it haha

 

 

Brasil is weird and they don't have mops so this is how we clean the floors...with brooms and powder laundry soap. It's super fun

 

Alessandra, Manuel, and Antonio! I love these kids but it kind of sucks because they're going inactive. We've been trying everything to get them to church and we do FHE with them every week but they don't really have any friends at church and their parents don't help and it's just sad because they're great kids :(