Hello, hello!! :) How are you all doing?? :) Mark wrote me today!! It was good to hear from him!! I am writing you all letters right now :) and will send them off this week!! So this week Sister Twitchell and Sister Galarza had a baptism of a young mom, so yesterday we went to that!! Also, Sister Daniele and I had 3 people at church! :) We are teaching a woman, Atilani, she is 26 and she has never been active in a church or known much about religion but is interested in learning and already has a baptismal date marked for March 9th :) She is very sweet and  a bit shy! Her Mom is sick and she has been super worried about her! Many people these past 2 weeks have been very emotional in our lessons so it has been an amazing opportunity to share the gospel with them and let them know that the trials we have now will strengthen us for later and that during these difficult times we need to put our Faith in the Lord and move steadfast with hope that things will work out as they need to! I have learned so much already on my mission and I still have much more time to keep learning :)

Oh so crazy stuff will be happening this week! So here in Brazil they have a Holiday called Carnaval, other countries celebrate this as well. But it lasts for 4 days and 4 nights non stop! Here in Paracuru is where everyone comes to party because here they have the beach and a strip!! All of the members say it is nuts and the roads are full of people doing crazy things... you can only imagine and that no one sleeps and they have music blaring all day, all night! So we thought  for sure we would go to Fortaleza and work there for 4 days with other Sisters because everyone was like y'all won't stay here it's too crazy... so the news is we are staying hahaha! This shall be quite the crazy adventure!! President wants us to stay because we will still have church on Sunday so it's important that we will be here! We have rules that we can only leave if we have marked appointments with people andn we have to return to our houe each night at 6. He said if things are too crazy to just stay in the house and not leave and to use our heads! Everyone says people are drunk throwing water balloons and flour on anyone that passes so I am sure I will be taking some pictures at the end of each day lol! I think we will only be working 3 hours each day... if that. 15 thousand people are expected to show up here in Paracuru!! I feel like it's going to be like Bourbon Street the night of Mardi Gras but for 4 days straight! People are selling masks and beads like they do for Mardi Gras.

Well besides the craziness, it has been so awesome to see our recent converts grow in the gospel. Matheus and our other youth have started seminary and are very active in the church! President Eduardo is always talking about the comments Matheus has on FB about the Book of Mormon and then when we ask them, "so we will see you on Sunday at church? and they always respond why would I not be there"... aww it's the best feeling when you see people taking on callings, duties and responsibilities with honor and doing it happily!! The people here are truly awesome and I feel so blessed to be here!! We have our crazy, difficult moments here in Paracuru but the good memories make up for it all! :) Well I have no time left but I love and miss you all!! I will let you know how Carnaval goes next Monday!! Have an amazing week! :)

Muito amor,

Sister Mattei :)

HELLO :) Sounds like you are well, a little sick and cold but well!! I will pray it will warm up there!! It is so freezing cold here!! I am dying hahah.... jk It is blazing hot but I have some pretty cute tan lines so it's all good LOL :) So this week was good but yesterday was a bit disappointing because none of our investigators were at church :( but on the positive outlook this was the first time in 13 weeks so I won't complain and am grateful for the people who have a desire to learn more and are truly progressing!! Those Sundays with no one there are the worst and your heart just sinks but you just have to get back to work and try your best that next week around! So I will answer some of dad's questions :)

Weather: the weather is hot and sometimes humid after it rains... it usually rains only in the morning for 20 minutes and then sprinkles during the day

Animals: So the other day we saw this small little monkey in the trees, there were 4 and they were super tiny. I thought they were cute but my companion thought otherwise lol! We see chickens, donkeys, horses.... in the road on a daily basis... oh and people here eat chicken feet, yuck lol!

So the group is growing little by little :) We usually have 35 people at church! Our recent converts are active... they miss every once in a while but are active and our youth have started seminary :) and they will be going camping soon :) Our recent convert, Alex, has work a lot and on Sunday now so it's difficult for him to get to church and he can't take off so that is a bummer :(

Teaching is good and we have a lot of people with potential it is just difficult to get people to church so that's what we are working on :)

My Portuguese improves each week and usually people don't have too much of a problem understanding... sometimes I need to repeat a question but for the most part they understand everything... I am still trying to learn more vocab and not just the daily and gospel vocab. My accent is strong but I think its because I have a bit of an accent already and it's difficult to lose it so I will see at the end of my mission how different I speak! 

I have learned a little Spanish but not much... it is very similar to Portuguese so I can generally understand her and Sis Galarza when they speak in Spanish... it just depends on what they are talking about... Reading is easier because things are spelled almost exactly the same as Portuguese and I remember vocab from high school.

And Sister Daniele is good:) She is a lot of fun to work with! :) I have learned a lot from her! We can joke around but be serious at the same time so it's been a blast! She has 3 siblings and 1 served in Texas and another is here in Brazil as well! But she is awesome and we have fun together!! Lots of funny moments and lots of good spiritual experiences so we have bonded pretty close :)

Well I dont have much time but I LOVE YOU ALL :) Thanks for all you do for me!! Have an amazing week and take care!! :)

Muito amor,

Sister Mattei :)

Mom and dad read the talk on lds.org Dear are the sheep that have Wandered- this talk is super good I thought yall would like it :) 

Oi Familia!! :)

Tudo bom :) So I am glad to hear everyone is doing pretty well!! Congrats on losing weight and Dad on the new job!! :) So this week was good!! Our group was glad to hear that all of us are staying for another 6 weeks :) Edijane and Aline were confirmed yesterday! They are very sweet girls! So the situation with Aline was that her Mom passed away a while back and she lives with her Grandma and her Grandma wouldn't sign the baptismal form, but her Dad who is always traveling and not in the house gave permission for her to be baptized so we had to talk to our President and then have her Aunt sign it and it was just a huge mess but everything worked out well and she was baptized last week!! :) She is Ana Angelica's cousin who was baptized about a month ago. Edijane is 17 and she is very quiet and cute! Her Mom had told he she needed to wait till she was 18 to be baptized but we talked with her mom and her mom signed and went to church last week :) 

Things have been good but we only had one investigator at church on Sunday so that was a bit disappointing but it it is better than no one so we were still happy :) We have an investigator who I talked a little bit about in another email. His name is Lucio and he is 89 and his wife was baptized a long time ago in Fortaleza and is less active now but she is 43 years old! Crazy huh?? hahaha But I love them they are always making us juice and he wants to bring us to Italy with him lol! They live here for half the year and in Italy for half the year. He speaks no Portuguese so as you can imagine it is difficult to teach him. We teach and his wife repeats in Italian. It is very interesting and a bit funny but he went to church 2 weeks ago and climbed up 3 floors of stairs so he is still in good shape for having 89 years! The only problem is he is scared of water so baptism is going to be a problem to solve. Hmm... what more?? 

Oh so we have baby birds in our house AGAIN!! I don't even know how the birds enter but they have made a nest and we can hear the babies in the rafters... seriously I hope I won't have a dead baby bird on my bed again... it was seriously so gross lol! Oh and then the other day Sister Danielle and I were teaching a lesson and at this house they have 2 huge dogs and Sis. Daniele is terrified of many things.. so were teaching and they had the dogs inside and we were teaching on the porch but the window was open and the dog jumped out the window 2 times haha and she was freaking out... her reaction was so funny! She gives us a good laugh all the time and she is so innocent I love it :) The couple we are teaching are super good though.. Faviula has prayed and is reading the Book of Mormom and when we showed up the first time she told us how she was looking for a church. They just need to get married! :) and they said they would be at church yesterday and they weren't :( so that was a bit disappointing. But Oh to answer your question we do have a new President here in Paracuru. His name is President Eduardo and he is a hard worker and things are better here in Paracuru. Things were fine but it was difficult to have meetings with our other President so things are just a bit more organized now! We also started seminary for the teens here :) And Matheus, our recent convert, gave a talk already this Sunday and he has been blessing the sacrament. It is super cool to see the people we taught fulfill callings and duties in the church. Oh and I think I forgot to tell you but he baptized Ana Angelica :) So that was super cool to see!! :)

I truly love the people here and teaching and just having these great experiences :) I can't lie and say it has been easy but it has been a great learning opportunity!! There are times when I feel trunky and I miss just going out and doing fun things and being with family and friends but I have learned to just take in the moment and enjoy every second we have as missionaries and servants of the Lord! I am hoping to have baptisms soon and to find families so please pray for us that we will find these people who are ready and prepared :) Well I don't have much more time but just remember to keep your heads high in times of trials and to always count your blessings!! That is what has helped me a ton here in the mission!! :) Well I love you all so much and miss y'all!! Tell everyone hello for me :) Have an amazing, super, fantastic week!! :) 

Muito amor,

Sister Mattei :) 

No email this week.  Instead answers to questions:


So we had 2 baptisms this week :) Their names are Edijane and Aline :) I think next week I will send pics of all the people we have baptized! Oh and guess what I am still in Paracuru with Sis Daniele and so is Sis Twitchell and Sis Galarza!! :) I am super happy to be here for at least 6 more weeks!! :) How's the family?

My day to return is the 6th of Jan but I'm sure it'll be before.

Aww well I hope you feel better :) I haven't been sick not once on my mission sucha blessing :)  And ya I will be here for like half my mission and will live with Sis Twitchell for half my mission!! We have become super super close and will def hang out when we return!!  So this week it was pretty sweet Edijane's mom told her she had to wait till she was 18 to be baptized but we went looking for her house and we found it and talked with her mom about everything and how she had a desire to be baptized and she allowed her to be baptized on Sunday and even came to church with her :)

Sister Mattei, Sister Daniele, Sister Twitchell, Sister Galarza

Tudo bem!! :) So it sounds like y'all have had lots of snow and things have been pretty busy!! Congrats on the new job Dad!! :) I am very happy to hear that and that you won't be as stressed!! Heavenly Father is always listening to our prayers!! :) That is great y'all had Family Home Evening :) I know it can be difficult at times but it really is so important :)

So transfers are this week ahhh... where has the time gone ?? Time passes so fast... faster each transfer!! We had interviews with President and I have no idea what will happen... it sound like I have a good chance of staying so we will just have to wait and see!! I will seriously be so sad to leave!! I love these people!! I was starting to think about it the other day and I got all teared up... plus we have so many people progressing right now! :) we had 7 investigators at church yesterday!! That feeling is seriously the best when you enter church and the people you are teaching are there :) 

So a cool experience and rather embarrassing moment I had yesterday was we were walking to church and our church is on the third story of a building and I saw people waiting outside of our church apartment and I was trying to figure out who it was and so I was looking not paying attention to the road and waving to the people up top and while doing so I tripped on the curb and fell in the road haha and everyone saw lol... but the person who I was waving to was Jefferson which is one of our investigators and I really didn't know if he was going to come to church again this week cause when we were like Will you go to church again? He didn't say anything and we explained the importance and why he should go and left... we then left a note the next day just saying we hoped to see him at church and He was there!! :) Seriously I think the main reason I fell was because I was seriously so surprised when I saw he was there... It was a good lesson to me that I should never have the thought oh they want go so I am super glad he proved me wrong and was there! It was a very humbling experience for me and everyone got a laugh when I fell... this is the second time I have fallen in the road and scraped up my leg lol!! Oh and he went to church alone without his Mom or brother!! Oh how people are awesome :)

Also, this week we had bats in our house I am pretty sure they live in our house!! He was sleeping in our sink and we had to capture him and throw him out cause I think his wing broke or something... they are very ugly little creatures lol!! But we threw him off our third story apartment and this old crazy lady started beating him to death with a broom... it was quite sad but at the same time a bit funny because this lady is just crazy and was murmuring lots of things and taking her anger out on the poor little bat... we also have birds in our house and it pooped on Sis. Daniele's pillow the other day lol I was laughing hahhaa!! 

Well I don't have much time but know I am praying for you!! :) Pray that the 2 baptisms we have planned will work out this week :) Oh and next week I will tell you all about Lucio!! He is an old man and he is Italian and is 89 years old but married to a lady who is 43!! He speaks no Portuguese but he is progressing and going to church!! :) And is quite a funny old man lol!! Well love y'all lots and miss you tons!! :)

Muito amor,

Sister Mattei :) 

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 :)