Hello hello hello :) How are y'all ?? I am on earlier today so sorry!! But I hope you are all well!! Things here are good!! :) Ana Angelica was baptized on Saturday and confirmed yesterday!! :) We taught her for 5 months!! Her Mom finally allowed her to be baptized after the third time of talking with her!! :) Woo!! :) It was great and she was so ready! After the Elder had an interview for baptism he was like dang she knows everything haha!! She is super smart and very mature to be 15! :) This week at church we had 4 people which we were very happy about :) still hoped for more but it's not easy getting people to church. We are teaching this boy Jefferson and his mom Claudia. He is 19 and the first time we taught him he was just so receptive and just his eyes and the way he took the lesson in I was like he will be baptized...  it was one of those times when you just feel you have already met them before... but we will see!! I have faith he will be baptized before I leave but I really want him to feel and be ready!! :) Brazil has so many baptisms but something I have learned is that a lot of these people fall away so fast so it is so important as missionaries that we truly prepare them for baptism and that they are truly converted to the gospel and don't just like the gospel... because we need our members to be firm and endure to the end!! :) So at times when people are pushy on numbers I always have to remind myself that it is not about quantity but the quality :)

So some funny experiences Sister Daniele and I have had this week:

So yesterday we taught an old lady and it's really difficult for old people to understand us at times... so I was praying and in the middle of my prayer she was talking to her grandson saying I can't understand a thing she is saying hahhaha

Then another day a lady told us that we can't speak in English with people in Brazil  because they wont understand ( we were speaking in Portuguese with her but she thought because of our accents that we were speaking in English) the funny thing is she was responding and could understand but thought we were speaking in English.. I told her 3 times that we were speaking Portuguese with her lol... she then went on to tell us that if we want people in Brazil to understand her we need to speak in Spanish hahha- Sis. Daniele spoke in Spanish and she understood nothing lol... oh people

We met a man/ woman( I am not sure what ´it´ was... lol) and I didn't know whether to call her/ him Senhor or Senhora haha... I also called a man the other day Senhora and Sister Daniele was busting up... oh the fun stuff about learning a new language lol!! It has been a difficult but funny and great experience :)

We have drunk people say weird things to us and they kiss our hands and heads a lot hahha... and just are like you are all so blessed lol

But so these upcoming weeks we are hoping for 3 or 4 baptisms! I hope we will reach our goal!! One of the ladies we have been teaching for a long time now has 3 times at church and she believes everything but she doesn't want to leave the church she is comfortable in for our small tiny group here in Paracuru.. I feel like we have explained everything to her so many times and our last 2 lessons with her have been some of the most spiritual lessons I have had in my mission; talking about separating what we want for what Heavenly Father wants... and I know she already has an answer that the church is true but she is stuck in this funk and I don't know how to get her out of it... ugh it is frustrating sometimes because when you love someone and you truly have gotten to know them so well and you're trying to help them but they won't budge... ugh it's the hardest thing ever to see... and she wasn't at church on Sunday :/ and I was like if you want an answer first you have to show Heavenly Father you truly have a desire to know and you have to act... and she wasn't there :( and I know she is busy with work right now but it's just one of those hard situations :( But as for the weather and other investigators and things here with our group things are really good :) We have  a new President of our group now and things are more organized than before and he is a super hard worker!! He lives in Fortaleza but he travels here 2 or 3 times each week to help us!! He is awesome!! His name is President Eduardo!! :) I am going to be sad to leave Paracuru and I probably will in 2 weeks... I will just have to wait and see what happens!! But I truly love all the people here even though the members can be difficult with one another at times!! I have been so blessed and I am so grateful for our members and the investigators we have :) well I have no time but I need to get going!! Have  a wonderful week and count your blessings!! Love and miss y'all!! :)

Muito amor,

Sister Mattei :)