(:

Our beautiful chapel!

Candied apples and chocolate covered strawberries anyone?

THIS WAS THE WEIRDEST WEEK OF MY LIFE!

It has been full of the greatest, most life-defining and completely epic moments of my mission - hands down!

We received word on Thursday morning from President Farnes that he'd received revelation that if we went after those in our area book that had visited regularly the church in a 2 years - 6 month window, that someone would be ready to be baptized this same weekend. What. Aaaalrighty then!

Have you ever run a 10K in a 2 o'clock Brazilian sun while reciting missionary scriptures and quotes three days in a row? OH MY GOSH IT WAS SO INSANEEE!

We literally threw our plans out the window (ok, not actually literally) and visited every person from our area book as President had said. We found a family of four and a special woman named Fátima (who's lost her husband to cancer two months ago and had been thinking about the Sisters of the past and how the temple is the only way we can have our families together forever. Whaaaaat? So cool!) I have never ever worked so hard, with so much diligence or faith in my lifeeee. We are a big mess of sore and tired but I regret nothinggggg. I LOST 2 KILOS PEOPLE! It was wonderful.

This week has also been full of the hardest, most disappointing, and quite honestly devastating moments of this whole crazy adventure some call a mission. You take some risks and you fall down sometimes. We didn't baptize. And Andréa broke up with us.

Ok, the story. She had arrived at the chapel on Saturday for an activity with the Relief Society and her baptismal interview with our Zone Leaders and she decided she would just be baptized on Sunday at the same time as a couple the other Sisters in our Ward are teaching. Woo hoo! She is so cute you guys, she came out of the interview and yelled down the hall, "Bishop! I'm going to be baptized tomorrow! I can, right?"

But in the morning at church she just felt completely torn in two. She was there with her youngest daughter knowing that her other two were in the Catholic church. They are in the middle of their commitment with their catechism and confirmation and Andréa just can't make a conscious decision to divide her family. She said, "I can't ever go back there now that I know the truth, but I can't make a covenant with God that I won't be able to keep with all my heart." She has decided to wait until her girls finish their commitment catechism to be baptized with her whole family. It's just that they are seriously not interested and we have done everything we know how to do, trust me.

I can't even explain how special Andréa is. She was telling us how she's been trying to talk with them about what they're learning in their catechism and then show them the same principle in the Book of Mormon to spark their attention. She's a dang missionary!

Tomorrow we are going to São Paulo for a Mission Leadership Council with Elder Aidukaitis of the 70 (the one who spoke in General Conference that is Brazilian and we all thought he was Russian) so we are going to buy her a Preach My Gospel at the temple that she can use on her family. (: But she has asked that in the mean time we not visit her. And the temple is closed for renovations until September, I mean come on people, it's been a rough one and the temple can't even be open? (If that sounds like murmuring, it's not, just to clarify)

But you know what, I have just learned so so much. Especially about diligence. I know that we "are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33) And I have learned so much about companionship and am so so grateful for mine! For real, she's the best. If we didn't have the same vision or if she weren't willing put up with my crazy ideas or run with me day after day in this dang sun, we'd never learned so much about the Lord. We're constantly looking forward with the eyes of faith!

Carry on! Love you!

Love, love, love,

Sister Vaughn