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 :)