*Checks pulse* Yup! Still alive!

Oi!

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH IT MEANT TO EMAIL YOU GUYS! I seriously miss this so much! I was looking forward to this the most! I can't send pictures, so I'll send all the old ones to you out in the field :) I LOVE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU VERY MUCH! I only have 20 minutes so sorry for any mistakes or errors in the message ;)

First things first

About Brazil:

Brazil is awesome! You fly in under the clouds and you see all these tiny little red roofs! It's a much different atmosphere. People here drive so crazy. I'm so glad we made it here alive and that i don't have a car! I just had my first experience buying stuff in the "real world" ;) It was crazy! It's a bunch of cobblestone streets and the stores don't look as glamorous as the ones we have at home. Walmart would seem like a mansion! ;) Hahaha we really are blessed in the states! A lot of people are very friendly and some of the vendors wave to us on the streets. I feel like having this tag on makes it so I don't get mugged ;) Nah. I probably don't There are cobblestone streets and the atmosphere is just way different! Did you know that Sao Paulo is bigger than New York? Crazy huh? It's huge here! But soooo beautiful and so green! The food! Brazilian pizza is awesome! They put amazing stuff on it and we have it every wednesday for dinner :) It's been good and I've had rice and beans everyday! I actually really like them!

The language:

Not gonna lie, the first 3 days was tough. The instructors only spoke portuguese so it was kinda hard but I can now usually understand what they are teaching! todo bem. It's all good :) It really is a beautiful language! I probably have learned more here in a week and a half than i did in three years of high school ;) but legitely. We try to speak portuguese and are practically in the class all day! We like to call it "Spiritual Prison" ;) It's great but it is a lot of work :) All worth it though ;) On the second day, we had to teach a fake investigator. Our second day here! It was hard. It was really hard to hear what he was saying but somehow we managed to make it through! It's all good though!I'm learning a lot of new words and it's going pretty good! And it's only the first week! We'll have to see where it goes!

Companions:

I love my companions! One is from australia and is Samoan, while another one is from Canada and is originally from venezuela! It's crazy how diverse it can get here! It was so sweet! we had a devotional and one of the sisters sang a hymn. One was in spanish, then english, then portuguese. It was so endearing to hear the brazilians try to speak in their broken english. Probably one of the sweetest things I've heard. It reminds me how a like we all are, even from different countries :) It's seriously great :) My companions names are Sister R and Sister F. Sister F's name is hilarious because in the brazilian culture fuifui is like a wolf whistle :) So whenever we call her we say Sister *wolf whistle* Probably the most funniest thing ever ;) They are both great and help push me to learn the language and study the gospel. They are great! And as far as the elders and sisters here, they are all great :) We are all still a bit goofy and laugh together, but we are dedicated and trying out best :) It really is wonderful here! My district is amazing. We just got elders this week and it's been great! We had an all girl district for a week which was nice, but it is nice to have elders :)

My week:

It has not been perfect, but it has been worth it. I don't know why but i think this experience here is kinda like getting some sort of skin infection. The Lord rubs you completely raw so all of your emotions show and your true testimony shows  until he gets to that skin that doesn't have an infection anymore. Then, we build up each little layer of skin back up until we have a completely healed leg or something. A perfectly fine and healthy leg. I don't know why I thought about that, but I thought of how you really discover yourself when you are alone and how your emotions are raw. Then I thought of skin. And i'm on little sleep ;) But basically. You really figure out who you are. You figure what you want to be and what God wants you to be. You see what gifts he has given you and what more he can give. He knows he can push you to your limits because that is what helps you grow. He's trying to heal that infected leg of yours. Make it whole. I know that this experience is great and wonderful and I'm glad I can be here to experience that growth. I love you all so much and Loved hearing from you! I will try to write letters this week! I miss you guys and am hoping you are all doing wonderful! Be good ;) Till next week :) <3 You all are amazing!

Love,

Sister Parco

What I'll be doing :)

While getting ready to leave I have gotten a few questions about what I'll be doing while I'm in Brazil. So, while I'm bored and have plenty of time to do this, I thought I would give a quick description of my daily activities in Brazil!

Ultimately, my purpose is to serve the people I am around and invite them to come to Christ. As I'm in Brazil, I will go from area to area every six weeks staying in either apartments or living with a host family. In every city, I will be paired up from a random girl from anywhere around the world (Most-likely the United States, Brazil, Portugal, or anywhere where the main language in their country is Portuguese). While I'm with them, we will live, work, and yes, attempt to cook to feed ourselves together. (Thank goodness I at least know how to make rice! ;) ) While I'm out there, I do not get to choose the cities that I go to but am called to where I am needed.

While I'm out there my routine will consist of me waking up at 6:30 am to exercise/shower/get ready, eat breakfast by 8, study the scriptures by myself for one hour, study scriptures with my companion for an hour, study Portuguese for an hour, and then come back at 9:00. While I'm out, I will meet new people, teach people about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and do service projects. After coming back at 9, I will head to bed at 10:30.

That's it!

Mormon Lingo!
District: Group of about 5 other missionaries that I meet with every week
Zone: Group of many districts
Mission President: A president accompanied with his wife that is in charge of the youth serving in our area. They watch over us and help us throughout our mission.
CTM: Where I'll be receiving instruction on the language, how to become immersed in the culture and how to teach the gospel effectively
Companion: The girl I'm paired up with! :)
Trainer: The more experienced missionary that helps the newer missionary when they are out of the CTM and in the place they're serving (In my case, Curitiba Brazil! :) )
P-day: This is one day of the week where we can write home, do our laundry, and shop for the week!
Sacrament meeting: This is the equivalent of church meetings. The sunday service begins with the blessing and passing of the sacrament. Sacrament is equivalent to the communion in other churches. In these meetings, we hear three speakers which are assigned from the congregation. The three speakers are different every week.
Ward: Our church geographically organizes the different wards. This is so that the members of the church can go to a church which is most convenient to them. In most cases we call each ward by the name of the city that most of the people live in.
Stake: A group of 7-8 wards
Testimony meeting: This happens once a month in our church. It is usually on the first Sunday of the Month. In testimony meetings, members of the congregation can come up and share their thoughts and feelings about the gospel. Unlike other weeks, the speakers are not assigned, but come up if they feel inclined.
Bishop: The Bishop is the unpaid leader of the ward. He has the same role as a pastor in other churches.

I hope that clears things up! :) I'm very excited to served and can't wait to have this amazing experience serving the people of Curitiba Brazil!

Sister Parco, you have been hereby called to serve in the Brazil Curitiba South Mission!

And so begins the journey to a year and a half endeavor to serve the Lord and preach the gospel and teach of Christ for the next chapter of my life! As a missionary, I will help those in need to come to understand the importance of Jesus Christ and the love that our Father in heaven has for us. As the title says, I have been called to Brazil Curitiba South Mission! I'm excited to start and can't wait for this privilege to serve!