Blog Post #2

Last week in the CTM! Crazy. I've been thinking about my time here, and a few different things have surprised me. I'm surprised with how hard Portuguese is. I knew it would be hard, but it didn't really hit me until a few days in. On the other hand, I'm surprised with how much Portuguese i do know. The gift of tongues doesn't make it easy, it makes it possible (I hear that phrase like every half hour but it's kinda true). The biggest surprise for me is how much fun we have here!  I thought it would be like 6 weeks of straight church, and we do learn a lot, but we also laugh so so so much. 

the scripture I put on my mission plaque is Alma 31. 34-35 which reads (mom can you just find it for me haha) I've been thinking about this scripture a lot this week since i'll be a real missionary next week! I know that on my own, I would not be able to convert anyone (especially not if I was only speaking Portuguese). However, I know that with the Lord, I will be able to teach others about Jesus Christ and they can feel the joy that comes from the gospel (even if I'm speaking only Portuguese). I know that this gospel is true. I know it is the only way to true happiness.  I know that with God's help, I can teach this to others. 

love you lots!

Sister Gruwell

I'll think of some funny things that happened so you can put those. put this:
The chocolate banana pizza is real! Also really gross! If you're wondering about the Brazilian cheese bread, also real! And actually good. 

Non-Americans think the wood chuck tongue twister is so funny. I love doing it for people. Yesterday I told some guy on the stairs is and he called me Eminem. I asked Sister Borrelli (our district calls us sister Gruwelli) to teach me an Italian one and so now I know one! Directly translated into English it means "over the bench the goat lives, under the bench the goat dies" I'll record us doing it together and I'll send it to you later. 

Sister Borrelli and I have so much fun. We like to skip and laugh and speak Portuguese. Her English is amazing but not everything translates over perfectly. The first week she would always ask if we could "go in the toilet" and after a few days I told her it might make more sense if she just says "in the bathroom" because the toilet it the white thing you sit on in the bathroom. 

I told Sister Borrelli I need to stop saying "um" so much when I speak Portuguese and she said "you say um a lot in English though". 

Sometimes his questions are hard to answer with my limited Portuguese. Yesterday he asked what the spirit feels like. I was trying to say I get the chills or like a shiver up my spine or something but all I could say was that my back get cold. He thought that was really funny. 

My district thinks it’s hilarious that I say a different hometown when people ask me where I’m from. not only did moving strengthen my character, but it amuses those around me! 

Honestly, being on a mission has sort of lowered my humor threshold so everything is funny. The other day I dropped something and said "oh flick" which was just weird because I never even exclaim things that sound like flick. But then me and another sister laughed for like a whole minute straight. Or the other day I was eating this melon and I said "I like this melon" and my companion looked so shocked. Confused, I asked her what was going on. She looks at the elder sitting next to me and says "you like him???" (he didn't speak any English). LOL no I just like melon. Anyway, we had a good laugh at that too. 

When we got here they gave us Portuguese scriptures, English and Portuguese preach my gospels, and a bunch of other books and pamphlets and stuff. We use our preach my gospels all the time, so we all keep track of ours pretty well. Somehow we have 9 extra preach my gospels (and Sister Borelli said there's another 3 in our room). There are only 8 of us in the classroom so the fact there's 9-12 extra is a miracle. I don't why this particular miracle happened, but it's interesting haha. It's like that one story in the bible with the multiplying rolls.