Week 29 - Trials and tribulations

It has been hard. I feel like my mission trials are really starting.  Trying to battle the bugs and the weather is getting to me. I had thoughts about coming home this past week but my week ended good and the weather cooled a little.  I am pushing forward.

I get eaten alive here. I wake up just about every night because there are so many mosquitos around.  I end up breathing them in during my sleep.

I slept at another missionary’s house last preparation day.  They have a hammock outside.  It was crazy hot so I went to sleep in the hammock.  It was way comfortable and there was a little breeze but I was getting eaten alive by the mosquitos.  I went back to the mattress in the middle of the night.  Later, I felt something on my arm and I thought it was a mosquito.  When I swatted it, it was something huge.   I got up and opened my blanket and I had cockroaches all over me!  I didn’t sleep the rest of the night.  It really bothered me.

My legs and arms look just like chicken pox.  In our house we play a game where we see who can kill the most mosquitos at night.  Last night I killed twelve.

We have one fan in our house and because my bed is in the middle of the room I am lucky.  I have the fan blowing on me all night but mosquitos still bite me.

I haven’t seen bug spray at all.   Someone told us that you can buy a thing to stick on the wall to keep the bugs out but I haven’t seen it anywhere.  I asked around about where to buy mosquito nets but no one knows of a store here.

In turns out my companion didn’t have dengue fever.   He is just fine now.

We received a lot of references from the members this week, which has been a blessing.  We see progress with our investigator’s testimonies but getting them to church is still a battle.

Week 25 - Transferred, Monkeys, and Coconuts!

I am being transferred tomorrow. I’m getting transferred to the interior, which I am excited about! I’ll be in the jungle!!! I’m transferring to an area called Mogi das Cruzes. My branch or area is called Jardim Ivete. My companion will be Elder Farias. I don’t know him. He started in the same group as Elder G. Santos and Elder Faustino. Elder G. Santos says he is a way cool person.

Elder Faustino was heading to São José dos Campos today.  He had to pass through Mogi to get there and he called me while he was on the train.  He said its just completely forested there. I have no idea what it will be like. It’s the city where the interior starts so I could have some part of the city or could just be in the forest but a good thing its the coldest area in the mission!

I almost bought a cart today for my luggage because I don’t know if the roads in Mogi will be paved and it’s mountainous. I don’t want my suitcases to get ruined. I also need a new backpack because mine ripped.

I GOT A SWEET VIDEO OF THE MONKEYS!!! They didn’t come shake my hand like the other time when I didn’t have my camera but in this video they were pretty close up.

If you want coconut milk there are people on the street and that sell coconuts.  They just chop them open and you drink the coconut milk. After, they cut it again and you eat the coconut jelly. Its so good!