Just-- like-- you!
I've always wanted to live in this neighborhood
With you, so,
Let's make the most of this beautiful day!
Since we're together,
Might as well say:
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Hello, neighbors! It's another sunny day in good ol' Jequié and the air is
rich with the sweet fragrance of garbage, horse manure, and acarajé.
Speaking of Mr. Rogers, there's a little white boy here with a long
bowlish haircut who looks just like Rebecca in her Mr. Rogers stage of life,
complete with gapped teeth and goofy energy. I'm determined to teach him and his
family tomorrow!
This week's headlines include such themes as "Jequié's Well Runs Dry!",
"Sister Attacked By Dog!" and "New Beginnings!" We'll take this email one
headline at a time.
1. Jequié's Well Runs Dry!
After a long day of sweating under the scorching sun, having dirt and
who-knows-what-else blown over us, braving unsanitary "bathrooms" and playing
with the dogs of our investigators, we Sisters made our way home Tuesday night
in our usual itchy, grimy, smelly state anticipating a cold shower and the
relief of soap to brake up the shell that was suffocating our flesh. The
Brasilians were the first to shower. Their showers were short and when the last
of them emerged, clean and fresh, she apologetically announced to us, "Agua
acabou," (the water ran out)! Ran out? What do you mean it ran out? We turned
every faucet in the apartment. Nothing. Not a single drop to ease our caked
skin. And so we slept in our grime.
For several days, Jequiézinho (the barro in which we live) was without
water. The Elders gave us some keys to the church so we could fill up some
water bottles there and have something with which to at least wash our dishes.
The next night, we learned that the woman who lives at the bottom of our
apartment building had water, so we filled up some pots, pans, water bottles and
buckets and hefted them up the 4 flights of stairs to our apartment to bathe
with. I couldn't help thinking of Rebekah in the Bible, hastening up and down
the stairs of the well to draw enough water to satisfy several camels. Oh, it
felt heavenly to pour a bucket of water over my head after 48 hours! Thankfully,
we were blessed with three days of rain after that and our water is back to
normal (we hope).
2. Sister Attacked By Dog!
Poor Sister Freitas, one of our Brasilian roommates, hobbled home with
blood dripping down her legs on Friday night after several hours of hopping from
one hospital to another in search of a vaccine that no one claimed to have. She
was attacked in the home of an investigator when she went out back to use their
latrine. The dog bit both of her legs before the owner pulled him off and the
bites, though small, are deep and didn't stop bleeding until Sunday morning!
Sister Freitas and Sister C. Silva took several pictures, excited by the mission
experience, but also super nervous about infection. Sister Freitas is on the
mend now, ready to get back to work tomorrow, and I think the investigator came
to church on Sunday.
3. New Beginnings!
Sister Ellis has a gift for drawing, and this gift was put to use in
designing a huge temple to decorate the wall for the Young Women's New
Beginnings activity. We got to help prepare for the event and oh, how it made me
miss my YW days! It's so fascinating to see that some things are the same,
despite where you are in the world or what language you're speaking. The Young
Women here are super strong, and many of them are the only members of the church
in their families. It was so fun to work with them for three nights in a
row!
Well, that's all folks. I hope y'all are well, happy and healthy!
-Sister Whitaker
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