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Friday, April 11, 2014

The Toilets Flush Straight Down!



April 11, 2014


Oi Familia!!!!


First of all, just to answer your questions before you ask, I have NO idea if the toilets flush the other way or not... the toilets here flush straight down......... como se diz, sorely disappointed.... haha jk but …


Wow!!  I have so much to say and sooo little time!  Remember how it was in the Provo MTC, no time to write?  sim, mesmo aqui. mas   Today, we went to the temple!!!!  We left at 6:30 and didn’t get back until about 4!!   So we have literally no time to do anything haha!  But it's okay.   It was sooo worth it.  We got to do the session with headphones ... very difficult to do things with headphones. haha.  But it was soooo great.  It was showing in Spanish because most of the people there were from Latin America and I didn’t know it was Spanish.   I thought it was Portuguese so every once in a while I'd take off the headphones to practice hahahahahah but yeah I could actually understand it!  que legal!!!  But yeah. obviously not enough to realize it's not Portuguese.... hahahah.  Oh well.


This week I got to talk to lots of natives and I can truly see the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues working in my life!  What a blessing!   At times it's reallyyyy difficult and discouraging when I can't say what I want to,  but it is a work in progress.  This complete immersion is such a blessing.  They took a video of us teaching and sent it to Salt Lake because we are the little test run.  They said that Salt Lake kept asking questions about what we were doing different because we were soooo good at the language after 2 days!!!  que legal!  But honestly I think it's just seriously the gift of tongues and speaking our language as much as possible!  I can tell that it helps because I am sooooo much better at just normal conversation and stuff than in lessons because we practice normal conversation 24/7, but lessons and church talk only 3 or 4 times a day when we do role plays with the teachers.   But it will come in time in the field.


I wasn’t able to read all your emails because I have nooo time but I did get the card the first day here -- I felt so popular hehe --  but I have no idea when it got here..


Also,  omg.  I LOVE BRASIL!!!  I can't get over it.  I just keep thinking wait… am I seriously in Brasil.  Woah!  I'm in Brasil!!!  IT’S GORGEOUS!!  Everything here is gorgeous!  It's insane!! Even the graffiti and the trash is gorgeous!!  achh.  And I will never be able to eat when I go home.   The food in America is just not the same.  Their junk apples here are the best things I've ever tasted.  Brasil will ruin fruit for me forever haha.  I have pictures but I forgot them.  I will send next week when I have more, too. :)


But honestly omg.  I love the people here soooooo much!!!!!  os brasileiros e latinos  are Just SOOOO amazing.   They’re the nicest, happiest, most open, loving people ever.  I love them.  I can't wait to go to Teresina.  Every single person we talk to here that finds out we're going to Teresina says -- first thing – oooooh, muito quente. -- very hot.  Hahahhahah  :(   I will die, but it's okay, because I will die on my mission. and I will be happy.  j/k   But seriously, it's going to take some serious acclimating.  haha.  Trusting in the Lord!  haha


Also, one more thing.  The driving here... is insane.  Every time we take the bus or van to go somewhere, I am scared FOR MY LIFE!!!!  They are insane!!!!  We literally were zooming inches by people as we look and if we stuck our tongues out, we could taste the car next to us. OMG.  Not exaggerating.  It's like a rollercoaster without the security of knowing it's approved for the public.  hahahah.  It's great. Also, it's hilarious because a lot of the people here think I'm Latina.  They think I'm from Chile or Peru.  And they give me the translator headset and tell me what channel to put it on and it's always Spanish  hahahha.   I’m like  oi! eu sou dos Estados Unidos!  :)  hahah.  They reply what?  You’re Japanese?  Either that or they'll see my name first and be like ohhhh!!  Japonais!!  Speak japanese!  Are you from Japan!?  haha.  It’s really funny. They say, “What?  California?  What do you mean you’re from California?”  hahah.  All the time I hear YOSHIMOTOOOO!!!!!  and I look and see missionaries doing the Japanese bow hahahhahahahah  I love it here.


Man, it was interesting, I was reflecting the other day... hahah so cheesy, but it happens often on a mission, and I remembered how sad I was about leaving Vegas.  I was trying so hard not to cry when I was going to the airport, but now that I'm here in the CTM [missionary training center in Portuguese], I seriously just feel this confirmation.  Just a comforting, "this is where you're supposed to be" feeling.  and I am SO fired up again to go out into the  “campo” and serve the people in Teresina!  I feel such a love for them and I just want to goooo!!!!!  Rain and humidity and heat!!  Bring it on!!!!  I really needed this CTM experience, too.  I guess I didn't even realize how burnt out I was at the end of my Vegas mission.  It was a amazing!!!  But now that I’m here I realize that I was seriously BURNT OUT and I really REALLY actually needed this re-firing up!  I feel so ready and excited and am just SO depressed that my mission has only 8 months left,....... but I seriously am going to make these last 8 months the best in my entire mission!!!!! “Muito” people say (jokingly, but it's probably for real) that in Teresina you'll baptize 100 people and 15 will stay active, in the “sul,” you'll baptize 10 and 8 will stay active.  It was funny because we’re bashing missions, but I seriously am super nervous about it.  Sooooo yes, I hope to be able to bring many people to Christ through baptism by the proper authority, but I don't want to baptize inactives.  I've experienced what it's like to share the journey of amaaaazing prepared, life-long converts, and I NEVER want to give that up.  So I'm seriously making it my goal to do EVERYTHING I can to help them stay active in the church!


BTW, I have many reasons to return to Brasil... .we can't take pics of the temple, we can't bring food with us, I have mannyyyy friends in Sao Paolo now.  The beaches are off limits for me as a missionary, sooooooo I think that's enough reason for me to return after the mission sim?  hehe. I LOVE it here.  I never want to leave....... :)


General Conference was AMAZING!  We got to watch it in English so we could actually learn something heheheh  j/k.  But yeah it was great. Wow.  I SERIOUSLY need this Ensign edition!!!  I don't know how to send letters.... or anything from here... but I have some stuff from the temple distribution store for you all!  In Portuguese! :)
 [The Ensign is a monthly church magazine.  The edition in the month following each General Conference has all the talks from 5 sessions of conference.  These are great editions to read.]


AHHH I gotta go!!!!  byeeee!!!!
I forgot to watch my time. I love you all!!!
I will send more pics and everything next time!  <3  YOU!
Sister Yoshimoto



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