Week 11 of Hortolândia- "This vanilla comes directly from Utah."

I was able to talk with Miriam two days in a row!! (On Mother's Day and the following day.) She had to speak in church for the first time a couple days ago. It was a small congregation and she spoke for five minutes but she had members tell her that she did a great job! She felt they were just being nice but I am sure she did fantastic! 

President Card, the mission president, announced that the Piracicaba, Brazil Mission will no longer be taking sister missionaries. I don't know how long it will be closed off to sisters. I'm also not sure if it's related to the last couple stories of sister companions being robbed at gun-point but I wouldn't doubt that is part of the reason.  

Speaking of sister missionaries, Sister Card (the mission president's wife), spent the entire P-day with all the sisters of the Piracicaba mission yesterday. I think Miriam said there were well over one hundred ladies.

And speaking of yesterday, here's the email Miriam sent. 👇The subject title she wrote for the email is, "This vanilla comes directly from Utah",  because Sister Batista in the cooking video kept saying all the ingredients were from Utah and it made Miriam laugh! Sister Batista is adorable!

"Another busy week! Today is Sisters' P Day, so this email will be a little shorter.

I did another division with Sister Batista this week. We stopped at a bakery and I made pancakes that night, which is what she's filming in the attached videos. 😂

I tried Snickers Maracujá (passionfruit) for the first time and it was fantastic, to say the least. 

Sister Casperson and I had breakfast in a bakery together. We ate Pão de Queijo and hot chocolate  After which we helped the Relief Society make brownies for mother's day.

MOTHER'S DAY! We had lunch yet again with Yvonne. She made a Venezuelan dish of pulled pork, black beans, rice, and fried plantains. 

My scripture thought for the week: Mosiah 2:41 - 'And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.'

The commandments we have received from God are not a restriction on our lives that make us miserable. Quite the opposite. Those who keep the commandments are far happier, free, and more blessed in this life and the life to come.

- Miriam"