Discovery

Sao Paulo is a big diverse city. One thing that disturbs my husband is that people just drop their throw away stuff on the ground. There are thousands of people cleaning and sweeping every day, but they can't keep up with the litter. Another thing that bothers him is the grafiti. Many of the buildings have something written on them. Well, on Saturday we made a great discovery called Cidade Jandim Mall. It is a beautiful new mall with all the designer stores in it. It also has trees and shrubs that are so gorgeous. On the roof is another garden where you can look out and see some incredible buildings. I felt transported to a wonderful place and wonder of wonders I was right here in Sao Paulo!

SISTER BUENO

I want to tell you about my experience with Sister Bueno. She was two weeks away from being released from her mission when she was diagnosed with the terrible disease, lupus. She needed an escort home since she was not feeling very well. It was decided that I should go. The mission president and his wife, and Sister Bueno picked me up from my office where I work. We drove to the airport. Our gate was the second farthest away from the entrance and Sister Bueno walked as slow as a tortoise. I was afraid we would miss our plane and I searched for a wheelchair, but I couldn't see any. We persisted and eventually got there in time to walk on the flight. When they served the snack, I was touched when I saw Sister Bueno bow her head and give thanks. I'm afraind I haven't been thankful for the airline snacks for years. We flew for about an hour and arrived in Joinville. We were met by the bishop's counselor and the high priest group leader. They insisted that I go with them to take Sister Bueno home. They said I couldn't stay at the airport for five hours waiting for the flight back. We drove for about an hour and arrived at a very humble home. Sister Bueno's mother, the mother of thirteen children, greeted her and wlecomed her home. Sister Bueno is the only member of the church in her family. We were invited into the living room. The floor was bare wood and the couches were car seats. All kinds of strange things were hung on the walls including Santa Claus, the Savior, and Woody Wood Pecker all at different levels with a lot of other stuff. I patiently waited while the men inquired about all they should do to get Sister Bueno to the health facilities and doctors she needed to see in the next few days. They asked me what I knew about her and when they were completely satisfied we left. I was really impressed with these prieshood leaders who were willing and ready to help this sister. They drove me back to the airport for an hour and were not happy until they had made sure I was checked in for my flight to Sao Paulo. I offered them some money for driving me all over, abut they energetically declined. They left me wondering if I had ever been so kind and thoughtful to a stranger. I'm sorry to say, I don't think so.

MISSION

OCTOBER 7, 2008

Well this isn't so great. We only have three months left on our mission and I just found out about blogs. What a great way to record your life. Three months will just have to do!

I am at my desk which is where I am five days a week. I enter all missionaries in Brazil seen by a doctor in a computer program called Missionary Medical. It is okay, but like most missionaries here, we thought our lives would be more exciting. We do have the opportunity to visit the missions, usually one a month. We have traveled to Manaus, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Belem, Cuiaba, Londrina, Campinas, and all of the missions (4) in Sao Paulo. The missionaries are an inspiration to us and the mission presidents and their wives are awsome.

We are staying with Emily Ellis while her parents are gone for two weeks attending the LDS General Conference. Emily is fifteen and she is a delight. She also has times of being a typical teenager. We are dredging up all our skills to deal with her. While in their apartment on the 22 floor we are enjoying a view, and a gorgeous place to walk in a natural setting. There are tall eucalyptus trees, wild impatients blooming, birds of paradise, and all kinds of tropical plants. We also have a maid twice a week who prepares or dinner, washes our clothing, and cleans the apartment. Another part is that we have the use of a car each day. We have learned to drive around our area with no problems, except the crazy Brazilian drivers. It is luxury to have a car after our many trips on the bus.