Maceio!

Oi Everyone!

Well, I made it to Maceiò! It was quite the adventure, but I made it. We had to be in the parking lot at 4:20AM last Tuesday, and we were packing the night before, so I got maybe 3 hours of sleep... We had two flights though from São Paulo to Rio and from Rio to Maceiò. The mission president, his wife and some other missionaries were there when we got there. I already love them! Sister Gonzaga is seriously the sweetest person ever! We rode from the airport to the mission home and my goodness it was beautiful! The weather here is so much nicer than I thougt it would be and where I am there is always a breeze and by breeze I mean gusts of wind where you have to make sure your skirt doesn´t fly up, but I love it :)

I met my companion the same day... she is American!! Such a blessing from Heavenly Father! She has been out for 8 monthes and is 21 years old. She is super nice, but we are still getting to know each other.I know that I can learn so much from her.

We live in an apartment with 4 other sisters. There isn´t really room for us there (it is only meant for 4) so we will be moving the beginning of this week to somewhere else,but they are all so nice and patient with me and my Português.

So a normal day for me is wake up, a little devotional with all the sisters (a song, prayer, someone shares a sciprture, and another prayer), exercise, then get ready for the day and eat, an hour of personal study, an hour of companionship study, training (it is just for me in my first 12 weeks here as I get used to missionary life) and langugage study... so lots of study :) Then we have our lunch appointment at a members house. Lunch is the big meal for them here, so that is when we eat with members. We have 2 hours to eat with them and then from 2 in the afternoon until 9 at night we work! We have been doing alot of tracting because they just spilt our area and the area book had pretty much nothing in it.We are working hard though and we will have success with time. Then at 9 we go home, shower, get ready for bed and sleep! Every night I am so exhaused and an grateful that I made it through another day.

This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I know that with time I will come to love it, right now it is all just so new to me that I am taking it all in as it comes.

I want to share one thing I learned this week with all of you.I always knew it before, but since I have been on the mission it has been reafirmed to me that Heavenly Father is always watching over us. He knows us individually and provides us with the strength when we think we cannot do it anymore. I know that whereever you are in your life it where you need to be and every person you meet, every experience you have is what you need. I have felt Heavenly Father´s hand in my life and I know that He is right here with me when I think I cannot take another step and I know He is with all of you as well.

I love this gospel so much and an so grateful for the opportunity I have to share it with these wonderful people of Maceiò. I am so sorry for the lack of pictures... I will get better at this whole thing- I promise :)

I hope that you each have a wonderful week and Christmas approaches! I love and miss you all and pray for you each every day!

Com Amor,

Sister Chilsona