So crazy right??? I can't believe this is the last email I will be writing to you all as a full time missionary :( It is bittersweet. This week has flown so I can't even imagine the next... and then I will be at home... the weather is gonna be a shock for me haha! I am gonna freeze but I am excited to play in the snow :) I don't even know what all to think... I am excited but a little nervous as well to get home and start all the planning and all and figuring out my life :) I am pretty ready to move into the next chapter of my life and to see what the future holds for me... I am excited to see all of you soon... I can imagine everyone is quite different now! Oh hey so were you still planning on me being in a box to surprise Garrett or does he already know the specific day I will be returning? Oh and I have many souvenirs and things to give to y'all and friends and family... I hope y'all will like it :) oh and I bought a hammock for you and dad too. They are super nice and really big and comfortable. You could even put it on the front porch or buy something to put it in the backyard if you wanted. We never go camping anymore but it is great when you're outdoors. I sleep in a hammock every night so it will be kind of weird to sleep in a bed. Hammocks are more comfortable... at least I think so :) I will let Thomas pick and choose at the souvenirs 1st since I am his secret Santa and maybe I will buy him something there as well. I am excited for all that is coming up and to see the family and be at the weddings! :) Oh hey you should make me a dermatalogist appt too... Maybe in January sometime. It would be good since I was so exposed to the sun for so long.

So this week.... I dont have much time left but this week was super good. Roberta finally went to church after like 2 months of visiting her and she loved it .I hope she continues to go :) She really needs the Gospel. Everyone needs it but she has been going through a lot of hard times. It was an answered prayer because we have had 2 members go to pick her up and she didn't go and we walked to her house and she was sleeping so Sunday was super good :) She went with her 4 year old son :) Also, a contact we made at the store a week and a half ago who is a lady in her early 30s who has a 12 yr old son will be baptized this week but in the other Sisters area. I am super excited for them :) She is golden and very accepting.

Well my email time is coming to an end and my mission as well is coming to an end. I would like to bear my testimony real quick and say that I know this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that Joseph Smith restored the gospel that was once lost. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have and the things y'all have taught me. My life would be completely different without the Gospel and I am so happy I had a year and a half to help others get to know the Gospel and the happiness it brings. I have not had a super high number of baptisms on my mission but the people I taught I have really learned to love and I have gained a stronger testimony of the Gospel and have been even more converted because of the experience I have had and the spirit that has touched my heart and testified of the truth. The spirit plays a huge part in our lives. I have learned to heed the promptings of the Holy Ghost and to follow what I know is right. I know that families can be together forever and that we are much happier when we keep the commandments and share the gospel with others. I never helped the Elders or Sisters too much in our ward and didn't really understand the importance of the members' help until I arrived in the mission field. Missionaries need the members. I strive to be a better member when I get back and to help the missionaries more. It is our responsibility and duty as memebrs of the true church :) Well no time but love you lots!! See you on Tuesday!! :) such a bittersweet feeling! Thanks for all your support and love! I truly appreciate it! :)

Com muito amor,

Sister Mattei :) the last time :( 

Feliz Dezembro!! :) I can't believe it is already December - the weeks are passing by too fast! Soon I will be home, then Greg and Nicole married, then Mark.... lots of exciting stuff! This week was super good! :) Surprisingly I havent gotten too trunky yet, just P day haha but the rest of the days are all pretty normal... I thought it would hit me more by now but I am glad it hasn't because we still have a lot of work to do :) These weeks have been super busy which has been a blessing because it hasn't given me much time to think about home and get trunky. Last night it hit me a little though. The youth choir had a presentation and we went with some of our recent converts and investigators. At the end they sang a song about missionary work and coming to Christ and they played a video while they were singing that had various missionaries teaching and doing service and I just started to cry because it hit me that my mission is really coming to an end. I am super excited to get home but at the same time super sad to say bye. The video just made me realize that 2 weeks from now I won't be a full time missionary any more. Plus the song was super pretty so I just got emotional which was the first time in a long while. I had held together well until yesterday.

Our investigator, Cisaro, came with his daughter. We had passed by earlier in the day but no one was home so we left a note with the info and they went :) It was a great surprise :) Oh and also this week we were teaching our recent converts, Carlos and Nonato, who were confirmed yesterday at church and they are amazing and are reading the Book of Mormon everyday. Nonato even told us that he went traveling with Nephi yesterday in the desert and then he started to tell all of the stories of Nephi. They are so great. I have started to read the Book of Mormon again and I am reading in Nephi and every day I learn something new and I understand more. It is amazing because I get excited to read and to see what happens and before my mission I won't lie I just got kind of bored when I read the scriptures. When we read with real intent the Lord truly shows us miracles and helps us understand what we are reading. I agree with Nonato when we read the scriptures it is almost like we are traveling with them and experiencing everything we are reading. My mind has been opened a ton.

Mom, you probably wondered why I asked you to send me a picture of a Swiss army knife. well Sister Sowa and I were planning a zone training of the importance of the Book of Mormon and we talked about how the Book of Mormon is like a Swiss army knife because you can use it in so many ways to help other people. Just as if you would like to help someone fix their door or cut something.... etc., we can use the Book of Mormon to answer questions of the soul, teach others eternal truths, read scriptures to bring someone comfort in a time of need.... It is so true. Just as someone might try and sell a Swiss army knife and talk about all the wonderful things you can do with it we too should share the Book of Mormon with others. Well no time but love and miss you :)

Sister Mattei :)

So first off Happy Thanksgiving!! :) I always love Thanksgiving because I love to eat lots of mashed potatoes haha and of course because we are all together as a family :) You can eat some turkey for me! I hope every one is doing well! Things here have been super good! :) Yesterday we had 2 baptisms! :) Carlos and Nonato were baptized :) They are seriously like grandpas to me haha... they are so cute. I will try to send pics next week :) They were super excited! We had the baptism after church on Sunday and Irmao Francis baptized the both of them because he is tall and they are super tall so needed a bigger person to baptize them. Nonato had to be baptized twice because the first time he didn't go under all the way. We are going to have a Family Home Evening with them tonight! They are just the best! I'll have lots of stories to tell when I get home in a few weeks. This week flew by. We are hoping that Daniel will be baptized either this week or the next. He has had various answers but just needs to make the decision to be baptized. He called us this week and told us he wants to be baptized so we are going to visit him this week to see when :) 

We have been working with a lot of good people! Also, many less actives are returning to the church. Lorena, a less active, told us this week that she is very grateful we stopped by her house the other day and that she was just needing someone to talk to and after our visit she felt a lot better and at peace. She said it is true the spirit guides the missionaries to where you need to go and who you need to visit. She has been opening up a lot with us and I think she has a desire to become active again! :) When she told us that I really felt the spirit... it's little moments like that that make all the hard work missionaries go through worth it all in the end. There are days we walk in the hot sun and no one wants to hear the message but then suddenly a miracle appears and the Lord blesses us for our work. Everyday miracles are happening around us, sometimes we just aren't paying enough attention to notice. 

I am super grateful for the things I have learned, the people I have met and the experiences I have had. I am super grateful that The Lord knew me well enough that he informed me in my patriarcal blessing that I needed to serve a mission. If it wasn't for that I don't know if I would be here. I have learned many things and I know my life wouldn't be the same without the experiences I have had. Well I have no time but Il ove and miss you all!! I will be seeing you soon! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Eat lots :) LOVE YOU!! :) SMILE!! :) 

Com amor, 

Sister Mattei :) 

Bom Dia!! Quase Boa Tarde! :) This week has been super good. I am super tired. Every week that passes I think I get a little more tired. Like my body is falling apart haha... you should see my feet I have lots of blisters and calluses... and the bottom is like hard as a rock and has a black line that doesn't wanna leave lol haha... it's super attractive haha ... I think all the boys will dig my feet lol :p So enough about my feet... So this week we had our Mission Conference and I already bore my ending mission testimony... time is flying by. I have less than 4 weeks now but the success is still going well :)

We have a baptism planned for this week! Nonato will be baptized on Sunday and if a miracle happens maybe his brother Carlos will be too. Nonato is amazing... I asked him to pray if Joseph Smith was a prophet and this was after like the 2nd lesson and he was like why do I need to pray when I already know... ya he is awesome! :) Also, when we invited him to be baptized he was like clearly... it is something we have to do to follow Jesus Christ. Last week he went to church alone because Carlos was having a tooth ache. A young girl told him... you look like a prophet... it is the truth he is very tuned in to the spirit and very willing to do what is right. He had a migraine on Sunday from not drinking coffee but still got up to go to church. Nonato and Carlos arrive at church before the gates even open like 40 minutes early! They will be the best members ever :) A lot better than I was haha :p I really enjoy teaching them. They are like our grandpas here :) They are always preparing a snack for us and telling us we need to eat more when we definitely don't need to haha... I've got to lose a couple of pounds if anything! We walk all day and still gain weight haha... I don't get it. Oh also yesterday Raisa, a young girl went to church and a less active family who hadn't been in like 2 years. So overall yesterday was tiring but a very good day! :)

Oh so this week we did some interesting acts of service. A lady didn't have underwear because someone came to her house and threw everything away since her house was filled with trash and that included her clothes and undies... super sad but the funny part was going to the store to buy some undies for this old lady. I felt weird as a missionary walking around with grannypanties and trying to determine which panties would fit her well and which we should buy... It was a hard decision lol... oh we also taught a group of young people who are all super cool but soon after entering the house we found out they were all homosexual. They are super nice and we had a good conversation, left a message and even took some pics with them but it was just not the lesson we were expecting to have. The truth is God loves everyone :) and as members and missionaries we do too :) Well I don't have much time left to write but I am enjoying my mission, even with the little time I have left in the field. I am really trying to keep focused, work as hard as I can and to just take advantage of the time I have to be a full time missionary! :) Well love you!! See ya soon! :) SMILE :)

Com muito amor,

Sister Mattei :)

I'm on.  I'll be writing super fast today... yesterday we sat at the doctor's office for almost 7 hours because my companion has a hurt foot... all my companions are getting hurt or having problem, but she is fine...I'll be doing splits these next few days to still be able to work in my area and my companion will rest for 2 or 3 days in the house...but I am alive,I thought you'd probably get a little worried and I got a call from an elder this morning that said you had sent an email...sorry, yesterday was a huge mess and we arrived with no time but to go and teach our marked appts.

So I will be writing quickly because today we have to work and we have less time than usual since its not technically p day! Dad I hope your enjoying the Philippines :) I bet its super pretty there! So good news we had 2 baptisms and confirmations this week :) Jusileide and Cleide, it was super good and they were super excited :) They're amazing!!  And we have a date set for Nonato for November 23rd :) He is awesome!! :) We are hoping in these next 5 weeks, 3 or 4 more people will be baptized :) Gotta have faith! That is good Todd is liking that program hahah and that his teacher is hot... oh i can just imagine him saying that... reminds me of Billy Madison lol! Have you put up Christmas decorations yet?? People here are already starting to put up some things! Sorry this is so short... everything is fine and I am well... :) this week we have conference and I will be bearing my testimony already... wow time flies!! Well love and miss you :) Oh and the quote you cited is so true :) things aren't coincidental! Tell everyone hello :) 

Sister Mattei :)

Boa tarde!! Today I am on a little later because the internet place was closed but it's all good now :) You didn't send Halloween pics or anything... did y'all dress up or have your little murder mystery party that you always have?? I guess not :( but you should send some pics of Garrett and Thomas.. they went trick or treating right?? We had a little party in our ward for Halloween... it isn't really celebrated here but we helped them plan and we had some really fun activities! More than 50 people showed up and our investigators went and really enjoyed the party. There were a ton of kids all dressed up, made me miss home a little bit. I was a ballerina :) haha! I wore my ballerina skirt all day... and put my hair in a high bun.. people prolly thought I was crazy LOL but it was fun! There isn't much you can do as a missionary with a skirt so we tried to be creative :) 

Oh other news!! I have a new companion! I was with Sister Sowa and Sister Arrieta for 3 days and then a new companion was sent to me on Tuesday! She is awesome! Her name is Sister Maza and she is from Peru and has about 8 months in the mission field. I was starting to like our trio so was a little sad when we got separated but it makes the work much easier and effective. It is hard working in 2 areas. So exciting news :) We will be having 2 baptisms on Saturday! :) Jusileide and Clede! Jusileide is 42 and she has cancer and is just the sweetest lady ever and then Clede is her aunt who has like 68 years old and she is so funny and cute! She can't see very well, as she gets older her vision gets worse and they don't have money to get it fixed. They are both super excited to be baptized! :) We had 5 investigators at church yesterday! :) So yesterday was a really good day! All of them have a lot of potential. Daniel knows like everything about the church but he is so hard, he has had various answers even dreams but just still doesn't want to follow them and be baptized. I am learning patience haha :) It will all work out :) Just got be positive :) Also, Carlos and Nonato went to church and they want to come every week now! Carlos had already been once but we started teaching Nonato this week. They are 2 brothers who are in there late 60s, early 70s and they are the cutest old men. A sister made a joke the other day, she said Sister Mattei brings a lot of old people to church haha. Hey, hey, hey the old people are receptive and they like us! I really do like teaching old people, they are so cute and sweet. In the beginning of my mission I taught a lot of young people because the old people didn't understand anything I said haha but hey at least I know my Portuguese has improved LOL :) 

Things have been super good, I was sad my companion Sister Soberon had to leave but she is feeling much better now and needed a break from the hot sun and migranes every day. Oh so I know y'all wanna hear something funny. So we taught Clede the word of Wisdom so she has stopped drinking coffee and she said this week she almost drank it when a friend gave her some with bread. She said she was tempted to drink it but then remembered the promise she made and decided not to. She said she kept talking and then she looked at her cup of coffee and it was almost empty. The cat in the road had hopped up and started drinking her coffee without her knowing and then she said well at least I know I didn't drink it and it gave the cat something to drink haha. She also told us a story that a guy showed up at her house with a veil over his face and then threw water on her face and said some words and said you're baptized now.... she just has the craziest and funniest stories. Oh and we also taught a man this week who is Carlos's neighbor who studies lots of philosophy and stuff, let's just say he didn't even let us teach or talk and was just telling us how our beliefs are absurd... the lesson went nowhere and we just bore our testimonies... well Nonato, Carlos' brother, was there too and he got up in the middle and left because his neighbor wouldn't let us nor him talk and didn't want to hear what we had to say... then on Sunday he said Sister Mattei, Just like it was an order from you that we should come to church, I am ordering you to never go to my neighbor's house again, his house is Satan's house... he said this laughing but at the same time serious but the funny part is his neighbor is one of his good friends... But ya I dont think we will be visiting his house any more. I have lots of stories to tell but I need to get going! I hope you have an amazing week! :) I think me and Sister Sowa will die in this area! I enjoy working here :) Time is flying by!! Love y'all lots! You are in my prayers! :) Te amo! SMILE!! :) 

Sister Mattei :) 

Hahahha so mom your lil joke was funny :p I gotta good laugh you lil minion hahah :p so no time to fill you in on lots I had to catch up with Jacey and Courtney, Sarah, and ya everyone haha ;)But my companion went home because she needs to have  a treatment done and then after will maybe go to another mission but it was for the best it was super hard for her and the sun in super hot especially during this time of the year! She was sad but it's for the better and her health. So now I am in an trio with sister Sowa and Sister Arrieta who is from Argentina... I think I will stay with them for 3 more weeks until the end of the transfer but we are waiting to hear more news from president Bonini... now we are coverning 2 areas so we walk a ton but I like working with them we  have fun :) well no time because I have to write Pres. Keep having faith!! I'm praying :) Love you!!!

Boa tarde!! :) Sorry I got on a little later today because we usually use the computers in the church and someone robbed the church this week and took a couple of the computers. Oh people are ridiculous... a church really? Good luck  for those robbers haha, stealing from the house of the Lord...The church has a huge gate around it and is well protected and they still find a way to enter. Anyways, this week was good! :) we had 3 investigators at church with us and we have 3 baptismal dates coming up so pray that it will all work out well. My companion suffers from severe headaches, migraines and it has been even worse these last 2 weeks because it is even hotter than usual and walking in the sun in the 1st place isn't fun so I can't imagine how she feels. She is taking medicine but it is not helping as it should so she might have to move to another mission where it isn't so hot. We will see what happens but please keep her in your prayers because she works so hard and never complains even with all the pain she has and our long days in the sun. She had to go home after church yesterday because she was feeling so bad so we had splits and me and Sister Sowa worked the rest of the day together in our 2 areas and her companion stayed with mine. Do you remember Sister Sowa from the MTC and when I was in Paracuru? We are living together again :) Oh and yesterday I received some lovely visits at church for the 2nd week in a row from people In Conjunto Ceara! :) I was so happy to see them :)

People we are teaching:

Mariza and Carlos: They should be a couple but they are just neighbors lol... and they're a bit older but in our opinion they would make a really cute old couple haha :) They went to conference and they have a baptism date but are needing to go to church more often to receive an answer. Carlos reads everything we give him. He already has read 2 Ensigns and is reading the Book of Mormon and Our Legacy. He is incredible but just needs to go to church :)

We are also teaching a guy who is 32 and he loves church and everything we teach but he is waiting for a very specific answer....which is..... a woman in his life haha... he says if a woman appears that that will be his answer from God that the church is true. We were like hmmm... ya I don't think God will respond like that... first you need to show your faith and love for the Lord being baptized in His church and then you will receive the blessings that He has waiting for you... which one of them could likely be a woman. We talked a lot about following the Lord's will and not our own. We set a baptism goal so we are hoping that he will recognize the answers that God is already sending him and that God sometimes sends answers how he wants and not how we desire to test our faith, obedience and love.

Awww.. so yesterday a woman who is very modest and humble and who has cancer went to church yesterday.She is so sweet. She loved church and this was her 1st time visiting and on Saturday she talked about how today many churches don't have people very loving and that the people in her church don't show an interest in her conditions and in her sickness. So yesterday at church in Relief Society, they talked about loving one another and serving others. It was perfect and we talked to her about visiting teachers and how it is a responsibility we have as members of the church and she was super impressed. When she was leaving I marked to pass by on Tuesday and she said I want to know more about baptism in your church and as you can imagine with a big smile I said Well we would be more than happy to talk about that during our visit :) Milagres de Deus :)

We are teaching lots of people but we are trying to see who is really interested and has a desire to go to church and to change their lives for the better. It is hard trying to help people change their lives sometimes. Sometimes I almost feel I don't know what more to do or say to help that person go to church and be ready when we pass by Sunday morning. It is quite an adventure, hard work and a great learning opportunity, helping others set things aside and make sacrifices to gain something much more precious and of value.

I am sorry to hear some things at home are still kind of crazy. I am glad to hear Grandma, Granny, Grandpa and Pop Pop are doing well. I cant believe Thomas is so tall now... it'll be weird to see him and Garrett to see how they've grown and changed. Well I don't have too much time but I love y'all lots and pray for y'all!! :) So to end on a funny note, this week we were walking and I turned around and my eyes were just shut for like 2 seconds and my companion shouted my name and when I opened my eyes, I opened them to a huge cement wall.... hahahaa I took a good bonk in the head and had a cut on my eyebrow haha...I felt dizzy for like 2 minutes but we were just laughing so hard... plus the guy we were talking to in the road seconds before watched it all happen haha... so embarrassing... it's a good thing I have a hard head! Well at least you know I am the same ditzy, clumsy me haha! Missions don't change everything hahah :P LOVE YOU!! :) is this long enough lol?? :)

Sister Mattei :)

Oh have you reeived my flight itinerary?? If not the woman who wrote you about my debit card you should write her and ask for it :) Oh and get on my FB to accept people please :)

BOM DIA!! :) 

So conference was awesome!! :) We had 4 investigators with us this weekend so it was great!! :) We are starting to see the fruits of our work!Transfers was today and I will be staying with my companion Sister Soberon. I am hoping this transfer everyone will come running to the font to be baptized haha :p we have a lot of people who are progressing and who have a lot of potential so I think this transfer will be super good!! Pray for us :) I really like this area, it is much different than the others but the members are still awesome! :) In between the conference sessions yesterday the youth invited the missionaries to go to their house to eat hot dogs! :) I will have to make a Brazilian hot dog for you guys when I get back! :) It is super good, can you believe it I like hot dogs now haha? :) 

Oh and you can look for my area on Google as Avenida Aguanambi, Fortaleza, Brazil. It is a huge city!! The beach is super close but I havent even seen it because we cant get close. It is like the major tourist attraction. Oh and I cant believe about Marks car wow someone is always crashing one another's cars... first I wrecked Greg's then Mark wrecked mine and now Todd wrecked Mark's.. who's next?? get in line haha.... but sorry that must be super frustrating... I don't know what I am gonna do when I get home... I am used to walking a lot but it's hot here. It will be weird to feel the cold again... I can't even remember what it feels like it lol. Sounds like y'all have lots of busy stuff and wedding planning!! Craziness! :) It was so good to relax a little Saturday and Sunday and listen to conference! I loved Elder Bednar's talk last night. We had an investigator with us so it was perfect. It is cool they are speaking in their own languages now and not just English. 

Please pray for our investigators because they are amazing and we are hoping they will all have a desire to be baptized soon this month! :) So Matheus who I was teaching in Conjunto Ceara whose mom wanted him to go to church for 1 more month before being baptized was baptized yesterday :) I am so happy for him!! He is the cutest thing ever. He is 12 and one day he will serve a mission! :) Also Fatima who I was teaching in my other area had a baptismal date last week and died suddenly of a heart attack :( At least she will accept the gospel in the spirit world. She was so sweet and was only like 60. It was super sad to hear that news. 

Well I better get going! This week was good :) It was a little sad yesterday because one of our investigators who was planning on going to conference drank instead :/ but Conference was still awesome and I have a lot of things to put into practice now :) I have lots of goals to set and accomplish! Good luck for me!! Love you all!! see ya soon!! :) Tell everyone hi!! :)

Muito amor,

Sister Mattei :)

Hello :) BOM DIA!! :)

So I don't know if I read slow or what but I always end up having to write fast... Time passes way too fast on Pday... hahaha today we will go to O Centro... they have like everything there! Lots of good stuff to buy to take home with me :) That is the advantage of living in the city... there is a lot of cheap stuff :) So I will try to give you an update on everything! 

So Patricia, the girl who was supposed to be baptized but then disappeared, so it turns out that she is alive and okay (more or less) |She is living in another neighborhood that is out of our area and the elders found her and said she is living in a small house with some guy. They said the situation was super strange and that the guy wouldn't talk with them and that it looks like he is controlling her life... she told them that he won't allow her to be baptized... I don't really know it is all super weird but I was just super happy to hear that she is alive, I hope it remains that way and that soon she can leave if that is her will. Her brothers didn't look for her or anything, the members were more worried than her own family and the cops here don't investigate things like they do there. 

Other news:

So we are teaching a man Daniel who is awesome and he is super receptive and had looked into the church before we ever arrived at his house. We are hoping he gets an answer soon and will be baptized. We have 7 or 8 people planning to go to General Conference with us this next weekend :) I am super excited! Seriously General Conference is like Christmas for missionaries! :) I have really learned the importance of conference here on my mission. Before, I paid half the attention that I do here on the mission and I get so much more out of it now :) I am excited for our investigators to hear the prophet and apostles talk. Conference makes miracles happen! 

The lady that has 30 cats is planning on coming to conference also. She is so sweet and every time we are at her house I just think of Grandma. We have been finding a lot of cool people these last few weeks I just hope they will get an answer, go to church, be baptized and be strong, faithful members of the church. In this area we have found amazing people but getting them to go to church has been the hard part. People are super busy with work and trips that it makes it hard for them to find time to visit the church but I have faith that it will all work out and that this week the 7 people to  be confirmed will really go. Please pray for them :) 

Oh so I never told you guys but me and another Sister teach English every week for an hour and a half in the church. It has been a great opportunity to meet new people and help other get to know the church. It has been good too because I was starting to speak English super weird and I need the practice. The first few days should be pretty funny. Oh so funny story last week at church me and my companion got in the elevator to go to sacrament meeting( yeah we are lazy and didn't want to take the stairs haha and the church is huge) So the elevator stopped and the doors opened and it was just a wall haha. My companion started freaking out and I just started laughing and tried calming her down. We were stuck for a good 10 to 15 minutes and walked in late to sacrament meeting and everyone stared at us lol... We had to explain later on we were stuck in the elevator. At one point all the lights in the elevator went off and we were just left in the pitch black, it was pretty creepy. Oh and we got lost walking to lunch the other day because my companion didn't remember where the member lived and she felt super bad and was almost crying cuz we were walking until almost 2 o'clock looking for her house and then I just was like don't worry about it and I just started laughing super hard in the middle of the road cuz things like this just seem to happen a lot on the mission. I was like we will just go home to eat and we will explain what happened later on, plus the other 2 sisters were there and ate with that family. We had asked so many people how to get there and no one knew and were sun burned from walking so long and so we just decided to make a funny experience out of it. I have just learned to laugh in all the bad situations haha. 

Well I don't have a ton of time left so I will start wrapping up. I am loving my mission, every part of it, even the super hard parts because it has made out for a lot of learning experiences :) I have learned how to take on responsibility even when you don't want it haha. I have enjoyed being a Sister Leader Trainer because I have met some amazing sisters and have had the opportunity to learn from them. It is funny sometimes when you don't want something, the Lord has others plans and gives a challenge. Now looking back I can see all I have learned and how much I have grown. It is crazy how fast time passes. Soon you will receive my flight information. That is so weird to think about. Well love you lots!! :) Have an amazing week! :)

Sister Mattei :) 

Boa tarde!! :) Today I am on a little later because we treated our hair and got a hair cut. A member here is a hair stylist. She cut a lot more than what I wanted... I was panicking in my mind when I saw how much she cut especially since I asked for just a trim but I like it. It will just take some time to get used to. I am happy you got my card finally :) The pictures I sent you can probably tell that my hair was super long... well not anymore haha but I had lots of dead ends and my hair was damaged from all the sun we get. I will have to send a picture soon, I think I look older. So I will give you a quick update since I don't have a ton of time. This week was a little stressful and worrisome.

So... first off the baptism that was planned for yesterday didn't work out :/.... the baptism isn't the problem... I had mentioned her last week and the week before... She is a young girl and she is awesome but not to freak you all out or anything but we think she was kidnapped.... as missionaries we can't be involved but the members are doing an investigation since she doesn't have parents and her brothers just don't care.... it is super sad. The neighbors and us are more worried than her own family. It has been 6 days since she returned... she left to meet a guy from the internet... :/ Please say prayers for her. Well I don't want to talk much about the subject because it is sad and just a mess. We are just trying to keep focused and work hard and keep a good attitude :) 

Oh so something funny... yesterday a bird entered our house through the window and he pooped on everything... my suitcase, the floor, the walls and the windows haha.... everyone was screaming and I was running around the room with grocery bags on my hands trying to catch it lol. Finally we caught the bird and then threw it out the window lol. It was super funny... just imagine 4 girls screaming trying to catch a bird... It seems I always have to have an animal in the houses I live in haha. 

Oh and also I watched Frozen last P day.... Finally :) It was super cute :) I will have to watch it again after the mission. We all were like aww.... I won't lie I felt like a normal person watching a Disney movie haha. 

So the people we are teaching are all awesome... I feel we are meeting a lot of people with true potential... There is a woman that reminds me a lot of Grandma, she is so sweet and loves to tell us stories... I could just listen for hours if we had time. We are hoping to have 6 or 7 people at church with us on Sunday. These people are amazing but they just gotta get to church :) I love them!! I miss the people from Conjunto Ceara a lot but I feel I am here to meet the people that we have been meeting... they are an incredible people!! 

Well no time but have an amazing week!! :) I love yall lots! My date changed and President is sending us all home December 15th! 3 months.... que loco!! Love ya!!! :)

Muito amor,

Sister Mattei :) 

Famila Mattei :)

Wow!! Sounds like lots of wedding plans and decorations and fun stuff are happening at home!!I am a little sad I am missing all the wedding excitement but at the same time I am super happy I will be there for the wedding! :) Oh so my official date is December 22nd. They still haven't bought the plane tickets but they will be in the next few weeks. It is weird talking about my homecoming date... we were talking with the secretary this week and another Sister and I were like I can't believe our time is already almost up and we are already talking about flight plans. I shouldn't say it is almost up because I still have a good 3 and a half more months to work, work, work!! 

I have been enjoying my time here with Sister Souberon and the new ward. It has been a lot different in some aspects... I miss the members from my other area a lot but the work here has been super good! Patricia will be baptized on Sunday :) She is so sweet! She is 15 and she has been through a lot and doesn't have a solid family structure and home life but is amazing!! She has been willing to give up a lot to go to church and to keep the commandments. I know it is not easy but she is super humble, she learns and then she does! :)  She likes to visit people with us and she still isn't a member, so I can't imagine the help she will be after her baptism. 

We are also teaching a single mom who is incredible. She wants to do what is right but is having a bit of difficulty giving up worldly things. She is Catholic and says she doesn't want to leave her church because she has been there for so long and likes her church but she started to cry and told us that she feels she needs to give up her religion to follow something better. You could just see in her eyes she was torn apart because she knows that the things we taught are true and will help her and her son to have a better life but is scared to give up her past life. When she was crying I asked her if she had said a prayer to know if the things  that were taught were true and she said no because I am scared of what the answer might be... I already feel like this and I still haven't prayed so I can't imagine how I will feel when I do pray and ask God. It is super sad because she is scared to have a confirmation because she knows she should follow it. I am certain that it won't be easy for her to give up some things like alcohol, worldly parties, bad influences, some friends, sex.... but I know she will be able to if she will just rely on the Lord and confide in him! She deserves a better life but first she needs to be determined and she has to make the decision to use her agency with wisdom. I have so much faith in her. She is one of those people who I really feel I have already met and who I am here in this area to help. It might take a bit of time but I am determined to help her get on the right path and change her life and see the blessings of the gospel. She has so much waiting for her she just has to decide now and not procrastinate her repentance day. 

Well there is that. There are amazing people who are waiting to hear about the gospel. We just have to open our mouths and follow the spirit. Never be afraid to talk with people about the church or what we belive, some people will deny it but you will find people who will accept  it as well, people who are waiting for YOU to open your mouth. Well I don't have much time but I love and miss yall lots! Have  a wonderful week! :) Smile and count your blessings :)

Sister Mattei :) 

Happy Labor Day!! :) I hope you all can relax a little bit and do something fun! I have so many memories of riding the Jet Ski or going camping Labor Day weekend!We gotta go camping again when I get back. I never understood why our family stopped going camping. I love the outdoors! :) It is nuts everyone is in school again, time is passing by super fast. I will get home and then it will be wedding after wedding.... lots of dancing for me :) 

So an update on everything...

My companion is Sister Souberon. She is from Argentina and she has 3 months in the field. She is super sweet! :) I am in the city of Fortaleza so there are lots of tall buildings and the majority of the people here live in big apartment buildings. Our church building here has 5 levels. It is huge, I have never seen a church like this one... it almost looks like a temple it is so big. It has less than a year so is super new and pretty. This area is a lot different than my other areas since it is where the wealthier people live. I thought it would be super hard here to meet new people and to enter houses but we have found a lot of awesome people in just this week alone. We talk with everyone on the streets and there are modest houses occasionly that we knock on their doors. 

This week was awesome because we found an awesome family. My companion and I felt at the same time that we needed to talk with a family we saw on the other side of the street so we walked over and talked with them a little, taught a lesson and invited them to church. They went to church with us yesterday and then a family in the ward invited them to eat lunch at their house. I love the members here, really I love the members in all my areas. I miss Conjunto Ceara but there are awesome people here too. Put simply I will be happy wherever I am :) This just shows how important it is to follow the spirit! It was an awesome experience. They are a family of 4. Also Patricia went to church with us. She is 15 and she has a baptismal date for Setember 14th. She already wants to visit investigators with us :) She loves church and told us she gets super excited when Sunday arrives! :) 

Oh so something super weird that happened this week.... this was my welcoming to my new area! My first day here we were walking and out of nowhere, on a normal street with people walking around in mid day, a man had pulled his pants down to do what I still have no idea but he had nothing on.... we saw everything! seriously it was horrible.... I was like did that just really happen?? we were disgusted.... Oh people here.... sometimes you wonder.... but you just gotta love them!! Oh and next week I will tell you more about Franciso. He is a recent convert/ less active. He is awesome but has drinking problçems. Sweetest man, but lacks confidence in himself it's super sad. 

Well no more time but love and miss yall lots!!! Time is passing by super fast! I think I will be here until the end of my mission! Craziness! Have an amazing week!

Com amor,

Sister Mattei :)

BOM DIA!! :) Thanks for all the pics you sent! Looks like your vacation was pretty relaxing! :) Looks like everyone had a ton of fun too.... looks like when I get back we will have to take a little trip or adventure to make up for this vacation without me haha :p and I was super jealous Mark and Tre' went sky diving! That is on my bucket list for when I return :) Tell Mark and Emma Congrats! :) I can't believe he is engaged!! The video was super sweet and I liked the idea! :)

So like always I have very little time but I will update you a bit because tomorrow I will be transferred! I will be in the area Aguanambi and I will probably end my mission there. I am still Sister Training Leader and will be with a Sister from Argentina who still I have not met. She arrived in Brazil 3 months ago. I am excited to meet new people and see a new area but I am very sad to leave the people here in Conjunto Ceara. I will prolly cry tonight. Raquel cried last night :( She is super sweet! The people here are amazing! Not many people were baptized this transfer but we met a lot of people who now have a baptism date for the next transfer :) Matheus and Leandra had a date to be baptized yesterday but he is 12 and she is 17 and his Mom said he needs to wait another month to assure he is ready and her mom said she has to wait until she is 20 to leave the Catholic church... so Matheus will be baptized soon and Leandra I hope when she turns 18 next year. She is super sweet and really wanted to be baptized but her Mom didn't sign and is very active in the Catholic church. So as you can see this week was a lil tough and sad but it is the Lord's will and in the end everything will work out :) Sometimes we might just plant seeds and then others will see the plant grow :)

I am very grateful for the time I had in this area because I met people who I truly love and will miss a lot! I stay in areas for a long time and get to know people super well and then it makes it harder to leave the area. Next week i will give you a good update on my new area and my companion. Oh but before I close this week we had a very spiritual experience. We are teaching a woman named Fatima. She is super sweet and she told us she was super lost when it came to religion and where to find truth. We taught her about the restoration and she said a prayer at the end of the lesson and she began to cry because she said she had finally found the truth and was super happy to not be lost anymore. It was very sweet. she went to church with us yesterday and she loved it! :) I hope I will hear good news soon that she was baptized :)

Well no time left but love and miss y'all lots! Have an amazing week and tell everyone hello for me!! Keep busy and always smile!! :)

Com muito amor,

Sister Mattei :)

So first of all Feliz Aniversario!! Parabens Mom!! Woo you are even older now lol! I hope this week you will have a wonderful birthday! You're welcome Dad, in case you forgot Mom's birthday is this week :p just kidding.... you have FaceBook to remind you ;) Looks and sounds like y'all all had a wonderful trip!! I am glad Granny and Pop Pop and Steph enjoyed themselves as well. I can't believe everyone is back in school already, summer passed by super fast! Woah and Thomas is in seminary now... he is already in high school that is nuts!

So to answer Dad's questions:

The language is good, yes I still have my American accent but I think for me it is almost impossible to lose... I haven't figured out how to change my voice haha but the people understand me well... it is like In the US when you speak with Hispanics or other foreigners who speak English. Usually you can tell they are from another country or speak another language but can understand them fine. It is the same thing. I wanted a Brazilian accent... I will keep trying haha but the people here tell me they like my accent. I don't really know why because I don't think the American accent is anything super pretty... but hey if they like it tudo bom :)

So on P days.... to tell you the truth we don't do anything super fun or special because our president is pretty strict with us. We can't go to zoos, museums, mountains..... he is new so maybe he will come around but I am not so sure.... he is super nice just very bold about some things. So usually we shop a lil bit in our area, sleep, write letters, joke around in the house, eat food haha.... I would like to go to the mountains before I leave but I will have to get permission from our President so I will just have to wait and see....

So a lil bit about this week.....

This week was good. My companion Sister Lara is awesome! We have luck to attract people super strange in the streets so we spend the whole day cracking up and just saying... what is our life? haha... we have weird experiences almost every day. There is a man who always sees us in the street and has to shake our hand and then he gives us a huge teethless smile haha, then we have drunk people, last week we were teaching with one of the young men in our ward and then a drunk man we know started kissing his hand and giving him hugs... it was super funny.... anyway I could go on and on telling strange stories haha!

So we are hoping for 2 baptisms this next week! :) Matheus and Leandra. please pray for them. They are awesome! Our lessons with them are super spiritual and Leandra has super good questions. I like when people have questions because it shows they are truly interested! She is 17. Matheus is 12 and he is the grandson of a member. They are both super receptive! :)

This week will probably be my last week in Conjunto Ceara. We have transfers next Tuesday. I will miss everyone here so much! President always keeps me in areas for a super long time and then I get super close with everyone and it's sad to leave in the end! The members and people we are teaching are awesome and I am super happy to have met everyone I have here! I will return to Brazil one day :) I gotta save my money because I have made promises to return and I would really like to! Maybe I will bring y'all with me! Well I have no time but love y'all lots!! have a great week and Mom have an amazing birthday, you deserve it! You are an awesome Mom #1 and you do so much for us all! I am super grateful for all you have taught me! :) LOVE YOU!! :) oh you should be receiving a card super soon if not today! 

Com amor,

Sister Mattei :)

Well.... I enjoyed the pictures :) Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and relaxing a little! Tell Granny, Pop Pop and Steph that I say hi and love and miss them! So today I am super short on time because we had to take a 30 min survey.... so a real quick update...

Francisco was confirmed a member yesterday :) He is super happy!

We went to a Primary activity this week with some of our investigators and it was super cute... each ward represented a different country and they sang in foreign languages, did a dance and ate food from their country. One of the wards was the US and they did a super cute dance... it was a country/pop song called Hey Brother, Hey Sister... it's new I think but it made me miss y'all and country music a lot haha! Sister Zambrana and I taught our primary how to sing I am a Child of God in English! They performed super well!

Oh and Dad will be happy to know me and my companion have been sleeping in a hammock out on our balcony all this week!! It is pretty sweet!! hammocks are super comfortable!! :)

Well no time but love and miss yall! Enjoy your vacation! :)

Sister Mattei :)

Hello!! BOM DIA!! :)

So I already sent one email to Mom so this email will be a bit shorter. So good news is that Francisco was baptized yesterday! It was a super special day for him and he was super happy!! Erick baptized him. We sang a children"s hymn. Yup you heard me I sang haha :p Seriously I wish I had a ton of time just to tell you about everything... the spiritual and the funny!! I guess some things just have to wait until I get back! I will send photos in a letter soon! I thought yall were in Branson this week... so have a great vacation this week :) I am just a lilttle jealous! :p So.....

Yesterday, we had 3 investigators at church so we were super happy :) We are hoping to have 3 or 4 baptisms on August 17th!! We have conference with our New president on Wednesday. We already had interviews with him and he is strict but he is super nice and he truly wants us to baptize people who will be faithful and active members in the church. I completely agree with his opinion because there are so many less actives here in Ceara. It is super sad... when a mission president just talks about baptism and numbers all the time... missionaries will baptize just to baptize not because the people are truly converted to the gospel. Missionaries work super hard to have baptisms and then it is super sad to see them as less actives... so President Bonini is more about helping them understand the importance of enduring to the end and going to the temple after baptism and having an eternal family. We need more active members in the church, not more less actives... and sure it happens... people have strong testimonies of the church but they stop nourishing their seed with (scripture study, church, prayer..) and then that tree that was once there starts to die and dwindle.

I think one of the hardest parts of missionary work is helping the convert realize they can do it on their own and with the members and that they don't need the missionaries to bring them to church. It is a tough change but I feel it is something super important for the new members to understand because we won't be here forever and they have to be converted to the gospel not the missionaries. So now that I talked forever, I don't have much time left but I am always praying for y'all!! :) I hope' you all keep on enjoying your summer break!! :) Love and miss y'all lots!! :)

Com muito amor,

Sister Mattei :)

BOM DIA!! :)

Well this week we moved houses!! which is a super good thing because our old house was not so nice, it was old and only had 1 bathroom which made it difficult for us to get ready in the morning and take showers at night! Imagine 4 girls trying to get ready with one bathroom and just 1 mirror. I have learned to get ready much faster as you and Dad used to make fun of me for how much time I spent in the mirror putting on makeup and doing my eyelashes lol. Just to let you know, my companion takes longer than I do haha :p

So now we live in a house that I think it one of the larger houses in our mission. Really, it is an apartment and it's not all that big but it feels big compared to our other tiny apartment. Our old house sometimes ran out of water so we didn't take showers and went to sleep dirty, so this will be a good change :) The members helped us move. I think there were about 10 of us all together but we moved everything rather quickly.

Updates on people:

Wellington has disappeared on Sundays and I think he needs a little more time to fulfill all of the commandments so we have just been taking it slow with him... giving him time to make changes and not rush him.

Francisco, he has been to church with us 3 times now and he has  a mild learning disability and a high functioning form of autism. We have to teach him a bit slower and help him understand a few things, but he loves to go to church, loves the members and wants to be baptized. He works and has lots of responsibilities in his household. He is super funny and has a super good memory when it comes to certain things. We are just going with the flow with him and when he wants to be baptized, he can choose  and we will mark a date and set everything up.

Also, we have lots of families we are teaching but the majority of them aren't married, so that has been the more difficult part. Mayrla and her son Juan went to church with us yesterday. Juan is super cute, he is 9 and supér smart. We taught him this week and every question he answered he got a chocolate. He was super happy and knew lots of the answers!

We are also teaching 2 young men, one is 12 and the other is 13 and they both have lots of potential and have family and friends that are members but are a little lazy and want to play video games and watch TV. They have  already been to church but need to go more to reach their goal of baptism.

Well I don't have much time because we have to go to the mission office in a bit which means we have to take a 1 to 2 hour bus ride. The transportation on buses here is super funny. Seriously each time we ride the bus we stand for about an hour or more straight and there are tons of people so you're just smooshed and can smell everyone's odor because everyone is just all up in your bubble haha. Sometimes people hold onto your shoulders so stay put while the driver is driving since there is no more room on the hand bars and poles haha. Seriously it is an adventure you don't want to experience but I will say it is pretty funny! I just laugh for an hour straight lol :) Well have an amazing week, I am always praying for you all!! :) Be safe and have fun in Branson! Miss y'all lots!! aww... y'all will go jet skiiing....?? I am just a bit jealous lol :p Boa semana!! :) Love you!!

Com muito amor,

Sister Mattei :)

Tudo otimo!! :) So I don't have a ton of time today to write since I was looking at all your photos you sent!! Everyone looks good! Your hair is long now!! :) Gostei!! So this week was good but not as good as I would have liked. I wish more people would have been at church yesterday and that Wellington would have been baptized but I am just happy we still had investigators at church with us! We are hoping Wellington will be baptized soon. He is a tough one. He says he knows everything we teach is true but is afraid he will have doubts after being baptized. So please pray for him. He already has received multiple answers but still wants something more to confirm his decision.

So we are teaching a man who is 35 and he is a little special. I am not sure what he has, I think maybe Tourette's and something mentally. He always wants to come to church with us and likes it a lot. He can read and speak fine and he understands. I have never baptized someone who is a little special but he is fully capable of being baptized and he wants to be so we will see how that goes. We are just taking it a little slower with him, but he is awesome and very funny and friendly!

Also, we brought a 50 year old man to church with us. We found him when he was drunk and he promised us he would be ready for church on Sunday and he was and he didn't drink more. He wants to change his life. He is an alcoholic and his family abandoned him a few years ago. It is super sad to see but we want to help him overcome his addiction. He liked church a lot. We will be visiting him this week, but with God anything is possible! He even got all dressed up for church :)

Wel no more time but I love and miss yall lots!! I hope you all have an amazing week and enjoy your summer break!! :) Go swimming, camping and take some adventures for me!! :) Keep sending pics I like seeing everyone :)

Muito amor,

Sister Mattei :) 

Boa tarde!! :) So as y'all all know Brazil lost this week... and they lost pretty badly! Everyone here is super sad, depressed and embarrassed about it but it's all good!! Now that the World Cup is over our missionary work will be going much smoother and better :) So it seems like things at home have their ups and downs!!! Just be patient and things will work out how they should! Just know you guys are awesome parents and you are doing your part!! Patience is truly a virtue!! :) You all are always in my prayers!! :)

So this week we are hoping Wellington will not be working so that he can be baptized either Saturday or Sunday. We will see what happens. He is awesome and very open! This transfer ended and my daughter and I are going into our 2nd transfer together as I finish training her! She is awesome. I enjoy working with her. I have learned so much from all of my companions! This week she was sick so work was a little slower than usual since we stayed in the house for 2 days. She was throwing up. I think it was something she ate. Oh hey guess what a miracle happened! I am learning to make Brazilian food!! :) Maybe if I remember how to make stuff when I get back I will make something for you guys!! Pastel is so good and fattening too haha! Maybe that is what got Sister Lara sick.

Even though this week was slow with the games and her being sick we had some really good lessons and marked some dates for baptisms! :) We have a couple we are teaching and they are awesome! They have a daughter who is 7 years old and they are just the cutest family ever. The only problem is they are not married but they want to be so we are hoping we can get them married and then baptized before the end of this transfer.Of course I would like to be here for their baptism but if they are baptized, they are baptized so I will be happy either way! Speaking of that, do you remember Atilene who had a baptism date when I was in Paracuru but her mom got sick so she stayed with her in the hospital in another city for a super long time.... well  she finally returned to Paracuru 2 weeks ago and her Mom is doing better and she was baptized this week! :) Sister Danielle told me and I was super happy! :)

Well I don't have a ton of time today but I love and miss you all lots!! Have an amazing week! Y'all should go get massages to relieve some of your stress! you deserve it!! :) Well take care and just stay positive and do as Dori says and just keep swimming!! :)

Muito amor,

Sister Mattei :) 

BOM DIA!! :) So I hope all goes well with Mom at the doctors today!! I will say a prayer :) This week was super good!! we had lessons and made contacts with people this week who actually seem interested!! :) Usually when we knock doors we don't have a ton of success with people who will have a desire to learn more but this week went super well. We had 4 investigators at church with us and we are hoping this next week we will have more! :) It all depends if Brazil is in the Finals because if they are no one will be at church on Sunday including the members... haha we will see what happens! It will be us and the Bishop lol!

So this week we made a goal to talk with everyone and try to see everyone with potential. So we were walking home one night and a drunk man was telling us to come here and talk with him, so we did and we told him we would pass by another day, we were walking on the same street 2 days after and I was like we need to talk with that one drunk guy again and my companion just looked at me and smiled and was like alright let's go there. So he was home but he was a bit drunk and smoking cigarettes. We gave him the Word of Wisdom pamphlet and told him he shouldn't drink or smoke and then I asked if I could break his cigarettes and he let me :) We are going to return this week, we told him he can't be drinking because if he is we probably can't teach him. He agreed and then introduced us to his neighbor Francisco who is golden. He is already planning on going to church with us and he wants his mom to come too. So the lesson I learned from this is that we should talk with everyone no matter what the circumstance may be because in the end we will be blessed. Now we have 3 new investigators :)

As for baptisms. We are planning the baptism of Wellington, Erick's friend for July 20th. At the start he had lots of questions and doubts but he is progressing a lot! He is 25 years old. Oh and other new information is that our new President arrived. His name is President Bonini. It was sad to say bye to President and Sister Souza but our new President and his wife are super sweet! It doesn't look like rules will be changing and I am not sure we will be able to watch Disney movies on P day anymore. He was a firefighter and in the military so he is pretty strict. They are from Sao Paulo. So after my mission I will be making lots of fun plans and adventures to do :) Well no time but love y'all lots!! Have a great week!!

Sister Mattei :)

BOM DIA!!! :) So how are yall?? Seems everyone is keeping busy as usual and enjoying summer time!! :) Oh how I miss summer time!! It is hot here all the time haha but I can't do summer activities so it's not the same... but the work is super good :) Oh and I loved Greg and Nicole's photos!! They turned out really well! :) I will keep everyone in my prayers! Tell everyone I love and miss them!

So this week....

On Monday Brazil played and they won and then on Saturday they played again and won.... It was a super close game with Chile... we stayed in the house and just heard everyone screaming and booing haha but when Brazil won in the end we heard lots of shouting and cheering so I looked out our window to see what was going on and 2 men took off their pants and ran in the road in their undies hahaha!! I won't lie it was pretty funny! If Brazil wins the World Cup I fear everyone will run around naked in the streets haha!

Oh also... this week we contacted a couple in the street and I think they were probably the rudest people I have talked to here in Brazil... We approached and said Hello, Good Night :) What is your name? The man said... Why should I tell you my name... what do you want? I won't tell you my name. Then we told them we were missionaries and he went on saying how he was strong and practicing in his religion and that he didn't want to hear our message but was talking very rudely... then we tried giving him a pamphlet and he was like No I don't want this I won't read it, I don't want to read this.... Usually people here will at least accept a pamphlet and be nice about it but not this guy haha...

No time, but everything is going super well! we have baptisms planned for the end of this tranfer and for the next!! Erick one of the Recent Converts is bringing us lots of people to teach! He is awesome! Oh and we went to church in a broken car this week haha it was quite the adventure!! Well love yall lots!!! :)

Sister Mattei :)

HELLO!! :) Good morning!! :) So I am glad to hear yall are doing pretty well! I can't believe Mark wrecked my car... oh my luck hahaha.... I guess I deserve it after I crashed Greg's...I hope I make enough money when I return to buy a car lol! Why was he driving my car? and not his?? Well anyway... things here are good!! At times a little crazy when Brazil is playing... but we stay in the house those days since everyone starts drinking and partying... if Brazil loses... everyone will drink and if they win they'll drink as well haha so its just better to avoid the crazies in the road lol! The rest of the week is pretty chill and we still have lessons, usually its the men who are watching the games so they usually don't let us teach lol but we are grateful for the women haha :)

Yesterday, 3 of our investigators were at church. We are trying to get 2 couples married here soon but first they have to divorce from another spouse so it's quite the process and then a 14 year old teen boy, Bauron went to church with us and liked it a lot. We had a training with our ward missionaries this week who are all teens or in their young 20s. After our training they started helping us a lot more! We had activities for them and us 4 Sisters in Conjunto Ceara did a skit that was pretty entertaining and funny! At church yesterday they all interacted more with our investigators and taught lessons with us. Jefferson, a 16 year old teen here,walked with our investigator to church and invited him to mutual and helped a lot! I am super impressed with the youth here! The majority of them are converts and are the only member in their family and they walk to church every Sunday alone and are super strong in the church. I look up to them a lot. They will be great missionaries one day! :) Yesterday, one of the young men opened his mission call in sacrament meeting in front of everyone (it is normal here and super sweet) I won't lie it was super cute, he was so choked up and crying, he could barely read... he was loosening his tie and collar just to take a breath.. he is a member of only 2 years... but it was a super spiritual moment and I am super excited for him! :) Missions are great!! They aren't easy but they're way worth it!! :)

So a little more about my companion! :) She is super sweet and we have a lot of fun together!! Since the World Cup is going on we get denied and rejected more than usual so we tend to get a good laugh during the day from the comments people make... One man was screaming at us from the window and was like y'all already passed my house... leave, leave, leave... I am watching the game haha! Then he slammed the window shut... it was quite the expereince!! We usually just laugh it off and continue on with a smile for the next door we will knock! She is almost 22. She teaches and speaks well already so I am learning from her :) Training is good, I feel much more prepared to train a new missionary this time around than the last. Last time the language was still super hard and I was a new missionary myself so didn't know what was going on.

This week for service we washed Irma Edna's dogs. She has 9 but we only washed 2. It was pretty fun! :) Irma Edna is awesome... I seriously love her!! She is a less active but is in the process of returning and has been to church much more frequently! Her son Erick was baptized about 6 months ago!! Their family is one of my favorite families I have met here in Brazil! :) I will be sending pics in a letter soon! :) Did you ever get my Mothers Day Card?? I hope so! I sent one for you, Granny and Grandma! :) Well I have like no time left but love yall lots!!! 6 months will pass super fast! Have a wonderful week! Yall are amazing!! Thanks for everything!! :)

Com muito amor,

Sister Mattei :) 

Thanks for the package I loved the photos and food and post its and all!! The pics were funny and brought back good memories! Thanks Mom love you! :) I made pancakes :)

Hello!!! :) So good news was that Brazil won on Tuesday! :) We stayed in the house since we couldn't watch the game but we knew the score because when the other team scored everyone was screaming BOO in the streets and then when they scored it was lots of cheering and screaming.... and lots of fireworks! Brazilians are super united when it come to soccer! They all join together to watch the big game and EVERYONE is in green and yellow with Brazilian flags on their cars. Everything here is decorated! I want to take pics but its dangerous to pull out your camera here in the roads... and they don't have disposable cameras :( Yall should try to send 2 in a small package if you think it would arrive in time cuz I want more pics of the outdoors and the roads and all but at the same time I don't want to be robbed and lose all my photos. Tomorrow is the big game since it will be held here in Fortaleza and Brazil is playing! Have yall been watching the games?? It will be pretty sweet if Brazil is in the finals... we will probably get locked in the house for like a week straight haha!

So the World Cup is fun! Yall see the pic Amanda put on FB in front of the flag? I'll try to buy souvenirs for everyone while I am here! :) and so about the missionary work... surprisingly it has been pretty good even with the World Cup going on! We have lost time to work because of the games and the strikes that are going on here but we are still having success with teaching lessons. In my area we are still looking for people with real interest. We had 3 people at church yesterday but they all have marriage problems and need to separate from their ex to marry with their spouse they have now and it's quite the process and a bit of a fun mess... They will be baptized... We are just not sure when. I hope while I am still here in my area but the more important part is that they are baptized :) 

Yesterday we taught a woman who would like to go to church with us but because of medical advice she has to stay in her house for about another month because she has cancer and is doing lots of treatments. We are continuing to visit her and hope soon she will be able to make it to church. She is a very sweet, humble lady! A very happy person for the circumstances that she has. I truly love the people here and I love meeting new people every week! :) I have made many friendships in the year I have been here and am excited to one day return and see them all again!! I'll have to work lots to pay for the trip but it will be worth it! :) Well I have no time left but I love and miss yall lots!! Yall are always in my prayers! I wish yall a wonderful week!! Take care and always smile!!! :) 

Com muito amor,

Sister Mattei :)