Querida família,
Hello dear family! I bet you´re all excited to hear where I´m writing this email from. :D Let me give you a few hints....it´s from a beautiful city veeeeery close to Rio Pardo (20 kilometros), about the size of Provo, famous for it´s amazing cuca and delicious sausage, has the tallest catholic cathedral in South America and the German capital of Brazil.... and also where I´ve already been visiting every week for District Meeting. Yup!! My next (and likely last) city is none other than Santa Cruz do Sul!!
And Sister Dangerfield is my new companion! She is from Cedar City, Utah and this is her first area in Brazil (she also got to serve a part of her mission in Alabama while she was waiting for her visa...cool, huh?) It´s awesome...we´re already super good friends because we´ve been in the same district for the last 3 transfers and I am so happy and excited that now we get to be companions! Sister Dangerfield is awesome...she is fun and loving and always always serving! The members, the investigators, people on the street, me....it´s an amazing example to me! I love her a lot and I know we´re going to have an awwwwwesome transfer together! Oh, another cool thing about Sister Dangerfield... she was roommates at BYU with Laura Sederberg and Julia Blackham and hung out of few times with Aubrey Clegg, Steve Holmes and Archie!! Hahaha...it´s been fun to remember and talk about old times with her... :D
So, I know that this city is super close to Rio Pardo...but I don´t think they could be more different! From the busy mossy tree-lined streets to the beautiful German accent...most of the people speak German here too! I´ll have to learn a few things while I´m here so I can talk with you when I get back, Dad!
This week was super great...and super fast too! Time really flies by when you´re walking down new streets and meeting new people and trying to remember who everyone is and what their story is. One of the wonderful things about transfers! It really is like pushing the restart button on your life... But the wonderful thing about this transfer is that I´m literally right next door to Rio Pardo. I have already seen Renata twice (Nara´s daughter who´s getting married next month...here in Santa Cruz!) and Irmão Ernesto in the praça by the cathedral where he paints every day. And every day we talk to people who know people that I know in Rio Pardo...ít´s very fun, but sometimes I still feel homesick!
But I´m already loving it here too. There are so many amazing people here in Santa Cruz. I´m already super excited for this transfer and the investigators that the sisters have been teaching. Cristiane is 25 years old and lives with her boyfriend, Guilherme, is studying psychology and she is amazing!! I think the sisters found her cutting grass in front of her apartment and starting talking to her about the church...and she´s become our best friend ever since! She comes to church every week and is reading the Book of Mormon a lot and is just one of those happy people that are good to be around. I love her already! On Friday night she came with us to a ward lasagna party....Cristiane, Sister Dangerfield and I got to be the judges and be the first to test the different lasagnas. Mmmm...they were amazing...first place was a chicken and chili lasagna with a white cheesy sauce on top. It reminded me A LOT of Mom´s chicken enchiladas. Que saudades!! :) Of course, it was my vote!!
Oh, guess what else! On Sunday we went to Vera Cruz, a small town about a 15 minute bus ride away from Santa Cruz that is also part of our area. There isn´t a branch in Vera Cruz yet, so the members that live there come all the way to Santa Cruz on Sundays to come to church. I loved it!!! I felt like I was back in Rio Pardo again...small and quiet town with dirt roads and green fields. Sister Dangerfield took me to meet Magda and Èder and their family...4 little boys and a new baby girl, Stefany. Èder is Antònia and Elias´ son and has been investigating the church ever since his sister, Tatiane, was baptized in Rio Pardo! :) I really liked them a lot...Magda is 23 years old and already a mom of 5 children!! And such a good and loving mom too.....and Èder reminded me so much of his dad, Elias!
The branch here is great too! All of the members love the missionaries and are always offering to help. I was super surprised on Thursday morning when Diego, the branch missionary leader, called to ask us if we needed any members to help give car rides to our investigators on Sunday morning. Wow! I really think that I´m going to like working here for my last area...:) The only downside is that most of the members here are very busy with work and things and seem to always be running...Sister Dangerfield said that it is hard to find members that can come with us to teach lessons during the day. Oh yes, cool story...Well, on Friday morning during companionship study we made the goal to try to teach more lessons with a member present. We were just heading to our first appointment of the day when suddenly we heard a shout behind us. "Sísteres!" When we turned around we saw a woman hurrying towards us. I thought "oh, another irmã from the ward" and Sister Dangerfield said she thought "must be another person from Rio Pardo that knows Sister Gee" :) haha...but really it turned out to be a member from São Paulo who is came here to Santa Cruz for a business trip with her husband. She told us "Sisters! I´m here alone and am bored and have nothing to do...and I love missionary work! Can I come with you on your visits? I have a car!" :D haha....perfect!! Another testimony to me that Heavenly Father will always help us reach our goals when we are doing all we can....this is His work!
Well, family, I got to go again! Thanks for your emails and your love... I am suuuuper happy today, I just got an amazing package from my best friend!!! :) I still haven´t stopped smiling!
Thank you Melissa!!!!
And thanks for the pictures, Dad! My favorite was the Easter eggs with Kyle and Megan....you make me feel so loved :) I miss you!
I love you all!
Love, Sister Jamie Gee
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