Dear family and friends,
I love you so much, thank you so much for the letters and emails. Really truly, I love you all. The longer I~m on a mission, the more people I meet, the more I realize just how blessed I have been.
The computer thinks I~m spelling everything wrong. So there~s this red squiggle line under almost every word. An English major~s worst nightmare.
It~s true! The rumors you~ve heard, I got my visa and I~m in Brazil! I went from blustery fall in Michigan to blustery spring in Sao Paulo! My first area is Santo Andre. I love it. SO MUCH! I~m so excited to be here, I miss everything about Michigan, but I love and am learning to love it here. For being a country girl and loving silence, to...here- it~s like New York. I remember when I was in New York with my family my parents used the term, :concrete jungle: That is exactly what Sao Paulo is like, but better, because it~s the amazon colliding with New York! At first it was kinda frustrating because there~s always noise, cars, dogs, music- but I began to realize how cool it was that everywhere the natural jungle could, it sprouted greeness, palm trees, pretty flours, grass- even ON the cement, moss, mold and vines- it~s untame-able. And awesome.
Oh my. So much has happened in two weeks. I have so much to say, so many things I~ve felt. Oh, I just found the ` on the key board...OH à <-- look what I just did! Haha.
My companions has a german name and Brazilians have a hard time saying it. We opened a new area, and it was pretty crazy at first because she didn't even know where we lived! Otimo. The people here are so great. It´s frustrating that I can´t communicate with people and help them, because I love them so much already. The ward here is great, they haven't had missionaries in a bit, so they were super excited to get us, they already a full calendar for this month for us to eat. The big meal here is almoço, or lunch, and every day someone has fed us. They`re pretty good at the gluten free stuff too, and in the stores it may be harder to find gluten free things that I'm used to, but on everything it tells you whether or not it has it in it, which is AWESOME.
Something funny. It was really weird the first time I saw a dog in the street. In my mind I thought, oh no- someone´s dog got loosed! Where´s it´s owner? Then I realized by the second or third dog that day that they...didn't have owners...Oh. I was really confused when I saw a dachshund wandering around at night...The last dog I´d ever think of being homeless. And everyone has dogs too- we passed one gate and it started barking at us, which started the neighbor's dogs, which in turn the next dogs until I thought of 101 dalmatians...
Patience has a completely different meaning now. Especially when it comes to learning the language. I love it, and I want to speak it- I have the desire- but I want it NOW! I want to really get to work like I got to in Michigan NOW! I want to help these people! But now I have to let them help me, let my companion help me, and pop all the rest of my comfort bubbles.
I was reading in the Book of Mormon about Nephi building the boat, much like Noah built a boat. It was interesting to see that his brothers doubted 1. Nephi´s ability and 2. that it was ordained of God. And Nephi knew God wanted him to build the boat, and he knew he had the ability. This can be true for anything that God has asked us to do- we must know that it is divinely appointed of God- like for me to be here called to Brazil. And then I must not doubt my ability to learn the language and be a missionary. Same is true with any commandment that God has given us.
I know this is true, com todo da minha coração, with all of my heart. With patience and endurence, we WILL make it to the end, or in other words, to return with our Heavenly Father with our families knit in eternal units. When it comes out, read the conference ensign with the talks from apostles, Prophet, leaders, called of God- it will bless your life! Or go online and read them now. Apply the things you learn. I love you all so much!
It´s so odd. Looking out the window here...I think I´m in a library...on a high floor. And to see houses as far as I can see. Much like the ocean seems so endless. It´s so beautiful and new and exciting.
Love, Sister Duncan
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