Chutes and Ladders of Capão do Leão

If you ever visit Capão do Leão, buy a GPS. But be warned, you will love it so much that you will want to stay forever.

During my whole mission I served in the far south of Brasil. Rural. Cow country. 

I know. When you think of Brasil you think of the Amazons. You think of beaches and blue skies and agua de coco. Here you will be surprised. You will find cows and goats in the streets and normally people seated in the front yard (in beach chairs) drinking Chimarrão. In Capão they call it Mate. I here that its the opposite of sweet and come rain or shine (like summer heat that makes you sweat bullets with cars passing raising dust on the unpaved streets) there they are. Drinking the traditional bitter drink of the Rio Grande do Sul. The Gauchos. 

I love them. I love this place and the Lord knows what to do. Truly. 

Now that you know what is it´s like in the Rio Grande do Sul, I will explain a little bit more about Capão. 

This week we walked in circles. Literally. The streets here are giant circles. On the map it looks simple enough, but what the map doesn't know is that the people here made streets and alleys where they wanted. Basically: hey this street passes my house but my friends house is like three circles away so lets just cut down this tree and make a bridge here and done, I'm at my friends house. 

So. Our life from now on is just trying to find out how to get from one circle to the next. It´s like connect the dots with the Spirit. But sometimes I feel like it´s chutes and ladders!

The first couple days Sister Ampuero herself was trying to remember and pass everything for me. She only has 5 more weeks on the mission! I told her that I will be super trunky and super poor at the end of the transfer. Because LTS´s already have to spend everything they have to visit other Sisters and go to Porto Alegre every month and buy new shoes because every single pair that you have wore out at the same exact moment, etc. But besides all of this, the only thing we want to do during the last week on the mission is everything that we never did during the rest of the mission! haha. 

We decided to at least go on a diet. Project Selena Gomez/Jennifer Lawerence/Brasilian actresses I don't know about haha. Sadly, I'm in Pelotas. Some countries have Cities of Lights and Cities of Love...Well, Brasil has a City of Sweets. Where am I? Right in the middle of the this sugary paradise.

Also, since she is leaving so soon the members here just want to do family home evenings and fatten us up. Yesterday we were planning on visiting a family of less actives and when we arrived we realized that they were having  a birthday party and just about to cut the the cake! Oh Capão what will I do with you! I could turn down the second piece of cake anyways:)

Here is the biggest Ward that I have yet served. Its super cool honestly. The sacrament meeting is full of people. Though the chapel here is really simple there is a love here that you can feel when you greet the members. I´m loving the families here. Truly it´s great to be back in Pelotas.

I feel at home. 

Im not trying to predict the future or anything but I think I will settle down here (to finish out the rest of the mission :) ) 

Anyways, with the little time that I have I want to end with my talk theme from this Sunday. I was nervous (new ward) but had decided to talk about Christ. To express in a few words. I love my Savior. I don't think I will ever be able to say how much. But every single day that I wake up and that I serve Him I show Him and everyone how grateful I am for Him. He lives. He loves me. And He is protecting me here on the mission.

Com Amor,  Sister Hemmert