June 30, 2014

Dude. So I am totes jealous of all of you. Jealous of Warren and Ivy having so much fun without me. Mom in the awesome cheetah costume. I miss doing overnights with her at the fireworks stand. Missing sterlings amazing concert. I can only imagine how great it was!! ALL OF YOUR CREATIVE ADVENTURES. 

Lislane was right in that comment on facebook. My tan lines are so freaking bad. I am on the lookout for a new bag, so that I can get rid of the tanline on my chest. When I take my bag off, half my chest is white, the other tan. When I wear my hair in a braid it is harder to see, lol. Good luck for my feet. The chacos tan is going to take forever to go away when I come home. Sometimes I am okay with that, other times I am not. Really guys, all the members of this ward keep telling me that my skin is the color of brasilians and not americans. It´s crazy how dark I am. 

Yeah. SO Manaus is great as usual. The ward here really likes to help with the work. We have some great investigators, but are really needing to give some of them a push to get baptized. As for my new responsibilities... We are going to meet the new mission president tomorrow when we have our leadership council meeeting. Basically as a sister training leader we just do splits with some of the sisters. We have like 4 sets of Sisters that we will take care of this transfer. 

So I really like Sister Crane. We are going to be best friends. She is super sweet and blonde. Blond hair and blond in the brain too. We combine really well. She goes home in September, so we have fun talking about all the things she is going to do etc. The city where we live ran out of running water this week. Something broke the water line in the streets, and rumor is that it is not going to get fixed until the end of July. We spent a few days without water, taking showers with a bucket...all that. Then we called the Elders in the office when we found out it was going to be a whole month without water. They had us switch houses with the Elders (our DL) close by, and moved the Elders to the other Elders house. Every time our DL calls he wants to know if the water has come back in our part of the area. EVERY TIME.  Oh. Sister Crane is from Dallas Texas. Her dad is a retired pilot. He worked for American Airlines. 

I am excited to get lots of pictures. Say hello and give big hugs to everyone at the family reunion for me!! Have a HAPPY 4th OF JULY!! Y´all are great!! 

BEIJOS, 

Sister Chatwin

**Really mom. That tiger suit is the best. I love those pictures.

June 23, 2014 - Transferred Again

Sounds like things are great! 

I was transferred. I should have seen it coming, but I just didnt want to leave Parintins. I had so much fun there and I was sure sad to leave. I am in Manaus again, the area of Noel. (Christmas is in the air) I will be a Sister Training Leader this transfer! My new companion is Sister Crane. She is really cool, we are going to get along great. It will be interesting being in the leadership this transfer with the new president and all. 

Sunday after Sacrament, the youth made me sit down on the bench and they sang God be with you till we meet again. I took lots of pictures and I would send them to you, but my camera has a virus and it wont let me open the pictures... The festival in Parintins is this weekend, I just barely missed it. They were beginning to put in all of the big monsters and so forth... I am glad that I wont have to be there during the festival. The streets were getting so crowded, and there were sooo many people. We also lived right by the stadium so during the show it would have been impossible to sleep with the loud music. I really wish I could send you pictures! Parintins is sooo pretty. 

I traveled alone yesterday, the other Elder missed the plane. When I arrived in Manaus it was filled with Americans for the game that night. IT was weird being around americans. They were all dressed so funny for the world cup and singing really loud. I stood outside waiting for my ride while they got on the busses. I kind of hoped for one of them to to yell SISTER! Would have been cool, but it didnt happen. Could have been that I was wearing a black shirt and you couldnt really seee my name tag. Also I look like a gaucho. ( The cowboys of Brasil) Everyone thought that I was Brasilian when I arrived in Manaus. lol.      

So the internet cafe will be closed this afternoon for the Brasil game. No one has emailed me but you... :) You will get a long letter today. When Brasil plays, no one is in the streets and nothing is opened. President allowed us to watch the game when Brasil plays, so we usually go to the house of a member and have a little party. Which sadly I will be missing in Parintins today. We always went to the house of Marcos and Irleia. We always made a cake with them and Marcos would make Pudim. I´m going to miss Parintins. It was a culture shock coming back to Manaus. Imagine how it will be coming back to the states. I prefer being in the small poor areas, Manaus is too much of a city for me. I need to see my trees and the river and the dirt streets. 

I am jealous that you get to go to Colorado! I miss it so much, and its cold. (I got so tan in Parintins...It was stinking hot) Bruce told me that I should put my pictures on a USB and send them to you. I would be doing that, but first I have to find someone to get rid of the virus. Give everyone a big hug for me! I miss going to the family reunions.

In relations to college. I am happy at BYU-I, but I also have been thinking about going to Mesa State. Only thing is its super expensive... but they have a good Geology program. Don´t know, just something to think about.

Send a picture of the snake skins! They sound really cool. I got to hold a baby Tambaqui last week. Its a fish. Sounds like Remmi is becoming an expert fishermen. I sure cant wait to have fun with you all again!!

As for the package..

• Pop tarts
• Cereal
• Peppermint patties
• Body spray

Okay, I love you!! :)

I´lll write more when I think of more to say. 

Beijo, 

Sister Chatwin

June 16, 2014

This week was awesome. I really love being here in Parintins. We have transfers this week, and I really dont want to leave. I am ready to kneel and beg to stay here. It´s crazy how fast I get attached to these people. I have a love so strong for them that I know it existed before this life. 

That makes me really excited that Sister Wallace's daughter is going to serve here! You will have to have her send me an email, and I will for sure think this week on things to bring! :) :) She is going to love it here, it´s stinking hot, but the people are amazing. 

Being the last week of transfers, and that last week that we have President Klein, he is coming to Parintins this Thursday to give a last trainging to the missionaries here, and a fireside to the members. I have learned so much from him and am excited to meet the new president. Really, I dont want to leave Parintins. My heart is here on this tiny island. 

Today was the best p-day yet. There is a couple that I just adore here and we spent p-day in their house.They we both the first elder and first sister to serve a mission here in Parintins.  The Elders made a churrasco for us, it was super yummy. After that we watched The other side of heaven. I love that movie, and it really made me think on the experiences that I have had on the mission and how much I have changed.... both physically and mentally. 

One of my friends from Flight Safety sent a picture that we took before I left on the mission.. I look like a little girl.

I am jealous that you are going on a cruise. You will have so much fun. I absoulutely just love the different cultures here in Brasil. I have been absorbing every moment of the mission, things will be different when I return home. There will always be a little brasileira in me. 

Things on the mission are not always easy, but you deffinitely learn how to work out the differences, work in unity, and give all you have to these people. I have been blessed to see so many miracles here. I get sad thinking that one day I will return home, the culture is so different. 

Anyways I better go, Hope that all is well with you and sending my biggest X´s and O´s. 

Beijos

Sister Chatwin

(I saw another alligator this week) I wish I could send you all of my pictures!

June 9, 2014

Remmington is getting so big! I hardley recognize him. Oh, I love you
guys so much!! :) :)
This week was a lot of fun. I got to do a service project! The Elders
had some investigators that were getting married, so I got to make the
cake!!! I was in heaven all day. It was so much fun and I missed
baking. Sad thing is, is that it was to stinking hot and we didnt have
an electric mixer in the Relief Society Presidents house, so the cream
cheese icing stayed really liquidey.
Even more funny was during the wedding, one of the Elders couldnt stop
dreaming about how his future wedding would be. He kept talking about
all of the proposal ideas he has seen, and how he just really wants to
get married. Its really quite funny, because he talks about it all the
time and he doesnt even have a girlfriend. 

I had to miss our baptism
this week, because I was making the cake. We arrived at her house 8 am
left for lunch at one, returned after lunch at 3pm, did splits with
other members so I could stay and make the cake, while Sister Nina
went to the baptism. It was a really good and busy week for us! We
were all dog tired come Sunday. My portuguese stopped working, because
I was practically sleep walking, and one of our investigator was
holding my hand as we crossed the streets. She was a little worried.
We had a good p-day too. Some of the Irmas spent the day with us and
painted our nails. My camera isnt being recognized so I didnt send the
pictures. We should be going to play dodge ball here pretty soon. Just
wanted to send my love! The internet was slow and not couperating with
me.

One thing I love doing on Sundays is teaching Gospel Principles. I
only have time during the week to read the lesson once, and some how
it seems like the lessons always last the time of the class. Most of
the time, I feel really unprepared because of the lack of time I
study, but I trust in the Spirit, and he makes up for the lack of
time, and somtimes lack of knowledge that I have.

Well, I better go and play dodgeball with the people we invited.

I emailed bruce, praying for Ryan, forwarded the picture of the cake!

Hope you are having a wonderful summer. I miss you lots, and am
excited to see you all again.

Sending a great big hug!

-Sister Chatwin

p.s. Congrats to Megan and her decision to serve a mission. It will be
the best thing she has ever done!

Sister Chatwin - June 3, 2014

Hi dad! 

We were really busy yesterday and when we arrived in the internet cafe, the internet wasnt working really well. So we decided to pass by this morning. I love Parintins, but I just feel like everything runs late. It can be annoying, but apparently we just have too much work to do. I´d rather have too much work, than too little. 

This week went well. We were walking by the river and I always look to see if I can see any animals. This week I saw dolphins. There were about 5 or 6 black dolphins and I even got to see a pink dolphin. He was huge. 

Funny thing, in the super market they have sea turtles for sale. I think people eat them. It was weird walking by this huge bucket filled with water and lettuce to see 3 big turtles.

I dont really know what else to say. I am really tired. There is so much work to do here and I feel like I am doing it all by myself, that and it doesnt help that when my companion wakes up during the middle of the night she turns the light on in the room and I wake up every time. 

Thats crazy. School is already out. I bet it must be getting hot there. It sure is hot here. Walking by the river feels so good, sometimes I just want to jump in because I know that it is really cold.

For p-day yesterday I went cloud watching. I just sat in the house with the windows open and watched the clouds and vultures pass by. This island is full of vultures.

I am glad that you are starting to launch the new program. I hope it helps lessen your work load. I miss summer. It was always the time when I got to travel with Bruce and you guys. We will have to have some adventures when I come back. 

Well, my time is up. :( I promise I´ll write a really good email next week. 

Love your brain dead, tired little girl. 

Sister Chatwin