Things I Love about Brazil and Being on a Mission

When I came back to Brazil, I had people who asked me if it was hard to come back. After being home, they wondered if I wanted to come back to the mission field. The answer is that it wasn't hard to come back- I really like it here and I like what I am doing. I loved being with friends and family at home and I miss them, but Brazil also feels like home to me. Here are some of the things I love about Brazil and about my mission:

• Video file
  Fresh squeezed orange juice - you squeeze it yourself! (And it costs only $2 for a bottle!)
• Really fresh fruits and vegetables - so fresh that you need to use the fruits in just a couple days, or they will go bad.
• Amazing mangos- sweet and delicious. Never one that is underripe or rotten.
• A lovely lady who cleans my apartment and cooks for me! She works only for the missionaries. She comes to my apartment on Tuesday afternoons from 1-5.  She is a really good cook and will cook up a week's worth of food in one afternoon. I feel so spoiled!
• Free transportation on the subway and the metro. You just have to show proof of being over 60. (Somehow, I never even have to show proof. I wonder why that is??)🙂
• People are so nice - if the bus or metro is crowded, someone will ALWAYS offer me a seat.
• Very supportive friends who are missionaries- especially my district leaders, who are very kind.
• I am doing something that really has meaning to me. For example, this week, I was in contact with an Area Mental Health Advisor in Mexico. He was referred to me by the person at church headquarters who is over Missionary Mental Health for the whole world. He contacted her, needing some audio-visual material on the Adjusting to Missionary Life Manual. He needs it to make presentations at zone conferences in different missions. I showed him what I had, which was a five week, one-hour a week workshop, but he needed something lasting 30 minutes. So, I created one for him and used my translation app to put it into Spanish. He still needs to have it checked by a native Spanish speaker, but it is done. It was such fun to do it and to stretch out of my comfort zone a little! My supervisor saw it and would like a copy in Portuguese. Things like this really give my life meaning!
• I am with a group of people who love to do fun things. Yesterday, we got a rotisserie chicken at a stand on the sidewalk, went to a Dinosaur restaurant and got lava cakes and I ended the day at a Lebanese restaurant! What a fun day!
  Video file