Happy and healthy and smiling here in Timbaúva

Querida família!

Hello dear family!! How are you all doing? I am happy and healthy and smiling here in Timbaúva and I hope you are all the same :)

First of all...I´m sorry this email is so late today! Today has been a craaaaazy busy day...I feel like I´ve been running all day long..and today is P-day!! haha...it´s always funny when you´re day off ends up being the most tiring day of the week! :) But it was a wonderful kind of busy... This morning Sister Gibson and I went to the "forum" with Valdemar and Iracema to see if we could find out more about the divorce papers. Valdemar and Iracema are the cutest couple ever....Valdemar is very old and doesn´t walk very well, but Iracema takes such good care of him...always taking his hand and helping him walk and making sure he is comfortable :) It makes me happy to watch. They have been going to church every Sunday for almost 2 months now....even before I got here! Their testimonies are very strong and they always talk about how excited they are to be baptized someday...but first Valdemar needs to be divorced from his ex-wife so they can be married. And it´s been taking a loooong time. But we found out that the papers have already been signed and hopefully it won´t be much longer until they arrive! I hope I´m still here in Timbaúva to see their baptism....I love them so much!

Sister Gibson and I ate lunch at home and quickly cleaned and washed laundary...and then the rest of the day was spent with another friend that I love...Maria Idelina. :) Maria Idelina is pretty much our adopted grandma here...she is a recent convert and LOVES visits from the missionaries... The only problem is that it is hard to leave once we are there...so it is better to plan for P-day when we have more time to stay and talk :) Today she taught us to make bread and rolls....it was so fun. Maria Idelina is so sweet and loving...but she is super lonely and she worries constantly about her 8 sons who live far away... It makes me happy that we can cheer her up with our visits, but it makes we wish we had time to visit her more! It´s important to realize that we can be a blessing to people´s lives...just with a visit and a smile and a hug! I know we´re here on this earth to be the Lord´s hands...He has confidence in us that we will help His children that need comforting or lifting up!

The rest of the semana was wonderful too....we had a Great lesson with Anderson on Saturday! The Spirit was strong and he was participating a lot in the lesson. Éder, a recently returned missionary from the ward, came with us and shared a powerful testimony about his conversion...it was so great! I could tell that Anderson was feeling the Spirit too...and he said he´d definitely visit the church the next day.....but Sunday came and he didn´t show up :( I was pretty disappointed. Oh well....next week!

Oh! Next week will be General Conference! Wahoo....I am very very excited. How was the RS session Mom and Melissa? Are you going home for GC weekend Melissa? I´ll be thinking about all of you!

Simone and Adelar and their family are doing great! We have been reading the Book of Mormon with them every time we visit....and it´s really making a difference! So much that Simone even started reading the Book of Mormon on here own and is already halfway done with 1st Nephi! I´m so excited....I love that family so much and I´m happy that they´re slowly starting to progress. Simone went to church one week...but it´s difficult for the rest of the family because they own a transportation company and always have a looooot of business on the weekends...especially Sunday mornings. They are an amazing family though....I know they´ll be baptized someday :)

Well...I have a lot more to talk about, but no more time....so until next week!
Remember that I love you all so very very much. You are always in my thoughts and my prayers...it is true. Thank you for being the best brothers and sisters and parents and for always loving and helping me want to be better. I know that Heavenly Father loves us so much. He is always with us.
Have a wonderful week family!
Love, Jamie