(Editor's Note: Picture at Bottom)

My Beautiful Family,

Oh, how I love you! :) I must admit that my thoughts have been with you a great deal this week and Micail's homecoming. I know I need to focus and keep my thoughts here in Brazil, but I think the Lord understands.  I can only imagine how excited you all must be for tomorrow! What a happy, beautiful day it will be. :) Dad, Mom, Luke, please give Micail all my love and hug her so hard until her eyes bulge out. Tell her I love her for me. Tell her thank you for me. My heart aches knowing I won't be there to welcome her home, but my soul rejoices knowing I am in the work of the Lord and I am where I need to be. When she left, I never would have guessed that I would be missing her homecoming, but the Lord had a better plan. :) 

And PLEASE send me pictures. I need to see my family all together. I need to see your happy, lovely faces. I feel so awfully out of the loop and far away from you all. Ha ha :)

Well, here's a run down of my week:

- There are no crabs here like in Tahiti, but there are TONS of butterflies. I think I am in butterfly heaven! It's so beautiful. There are thousands of butterflies just floating down the road. Just another reminder that Heavenly Father loves me. :)

- Sister B. Sousa is awesome. I am learning so much with her. I noticed the other day that she is starting to say the same things I say and use the same examples I use in lessons and all the sudden I felt a lot of pressure to be a better missionary.  She learns most through our practices and by example. It makes me really have to watch what I do and what I say, because she really is looking to me.

- I have been blessed with the ridiculous high, no ladder, top bunk in our bedroom and rather than complaining, I have now made it a tradition to climb up on to my bed a different way every single night. Ex. rolling up another mattress to make a spring board and leaping onto my bed, attempted pole vaulting, withouth arms, and while playing the harmonica. It helps to shake stuff up sometimes. :)

- We had a new family move into the ward and they are SO great!  We passed by to meet them and ended up shelling beans with them for a while and talking to them. It was awesome. The mom is less-active and we have been working with her. It is so great to see how the gospel changes people. :)

- Sister Campos got the dreaded, mosquito carried disease, Dengue, this week! This includes an itchy rash over your whole body, a fever, not being able to taste, aching all over, and being crazy tired. Sister B. Sousa and I bought her the BEST get-well-soon gift: an electric, mosquito zapping racket!!! It looks like a tennis racket but the net part is electric. It has been so much fun at our house. Take that, Dengue!

- I shook stuff up and instead of inviting someone to get baptized, I invited someone to get married this week! Whoohoo! :) I have never done that before.  We have been working with an AWESOME family, but the mom and dad aren't legally married.... yet. :) I talked about my lovely parents and how marriage has blessed our family. Thanks for the example, Mom and Dad! :)

Well, I am afraid that is all I have time for. I am think of you and sending all my love to you! I hope tomorrow is wonderful! I will be there in spirit, rejoicing with you! I love you all so, so very much.

All my love love love love love love love,

Sister Mann