The Many Adventures of Sister Morgan Hartman in Porto Alegre, Brazil (Sur): Fun Fact #1: I enter the field in 1 week...

Fun Fact #2: Also my week is now the "oldest" in the MTC. Woo!!

I already talked to Bubs (I thought about him all day on his birthday.) and I'm cracking up because he mentioned that you think he's losing weight. HAHAHA!!! Y'all should come to brazil. Meat, rice, and beans, and a gelatinous thing for dessert every day. I'm surprised that I am still the exact same weight. Still feeling a little sick, but in waves. Usually it's my fault. Like today I had 2 Mr. Cheney's cookies and a tartuguita (turtle chocolate candy thingy) and a brazilian version or chicken cordon bleu and a beef roast thing all in one meal (lunch). Still loving the rice. The beans I'm over cuz they're causing a few gastrointestinal issues, if you know what I mean. 😜

😒I wish I could be there to play soccer- it's banned for all missionaries in every Brasilian mission. The brazilians love soccer too much, dang it! Also, they're REALLY competitive. We're not even allowed to JUMP in basketball and volleyball here because Things have happened. We're not allowed to leave the CTM for atividade fisica. When we do leave the CTM, we have so many rules. For exercise, we are all required to run 5 laps on the (TINY) track and then I usually do sit ups and a minute long plank or 5 minutes of inferno (I'm getting stronger! I can do half a pull up now, so there.) 💪

I'm learning SO much. We have classes about how to teach and how to speak the language. I really love my teachers. Irmã Andrade is stellar. I feel bad for her because some are disrespectful and no. one. does the stuff we're supposed to do before her classes. We spend her class doing the stuff we were supposed to do. I have seen many blessings in my life BECAUSE I have been obedient. (Ok, ok, ok, I have had a *FEW slip ups, but I have since repented and am on the straight and very very narrow again). (*Yesterday, I got in trouble because I didn't super feel like running around the TINY courtyard in the rain with SB so I sat under an umbrella'd table with some brazilians and we were just chatting about life in portuguese, which was fantastic practice which I need, and I got in trouble for being "alone" with elders, even though I was still in sight and hearing of my companion at all times and we were literally surrounded by other missionaries.) Sometimes, it's really hard to be obedient.

Roommates: Sister Louisy Couto, serving in Sao Paulo Norte; her bf is serving in my mission (Porto Alegre Sul). Sister Vitoria Silva, serving in Goiania. They're really nice. I don't understand a word the say tho so I can't tell you much about them!

One of my favorite sights is Sao Paulo from afar in the morning. There's so much beauty in an early morning skyline. I love Sao Paulo. Something cool about the temple is we do the sessions in Portuguese! (If you're wondering why I understand Portuguese better in some places than others, I couldn't tell you. I've been asking myself the same things and at times it's very frustrating!

There isn't enough study time in the day- I need and want more. It's hard because I have things I want to accomplish personally, but my study time is used studying for my investigators. This is the way it should be, but dang it. We learn so much about how to love here- the gist of it is that God loves his children SO MUCH and he needs us to do our part to bring all unto Christ, not just missionaries. Mosiah 18:8-10 talks about what we need to do as the Lord's people. I really like 1 Cor 15, I use it a lot in lessons. I use John 3:5,16 so often I have them memorized. When we teach, when we're doing what we're supposed to, we have the Spirit. It's amazing. I love the Spirit here. It's exactly what I need and I LOVE IT. I LOVE PORTUGUESE. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

Miss you guys a lot. Tell Andy good job and keep up the good work for me! Tell Bub to tell me all about his dates. Tell Dad to send me pics of the chicken coop when it's done. Sometimes, things happen and I'm just like "dang, I wanna tell mom" but then I forget because enough happens in one day here that happened in one week back home. I have already finished off a journal that I brought here. I hope I brought enough journals! (I have 1.5 more). That's all I got time for. They're kicking me off. Love you muito! Until next week!

xoxoxoxo