week 3 transfer 4

This week was awesome!!!! we had mission tour and Elder Massagaurdi (im pretty sure I just slaughtered his name) our Area authority was the speaker. I didnt understand totaly of what he said, but i got a lot of inspiration for what I need to do in this area of my mission and this time in my life as a missionary. We finally have someone with a marked date for baptism, a gal named Raquel, a friend of one of our recent converts, debra and edwardo. I love Debra, she reminds me of Hayley in some ways.
So I have a story to share:
The Miracle of the Map

One day two missionaries were working in the City of Cuiaba, bairro Jardim Cuiaba, a fair distance from the rest of the missionaries area. The senior companion had finally decided to let the jr. companion be the map carrier, for she had proven herself capable of finding the places they wanted to go. After placing in mind where to head to next to visit a less active member, the junior companion put the map in the side pocket of her backpack, one without a zipper. Easily accesable, she thought. Not certain it was a secure location, but not wanting to change its place, she chose instead to check every few mins to see if it would move. After doing this a dozen times, she deemed it secure. half a mile later, the junior companion decied to check the map again. To her chagrin, the map was not there. THE ONE AND ONLY MAP THAT AREA VERDÃO OWNS, WAS GONE!
quickly retracing their steps and praying for success, the dupla stopped at the last place the junuior companion remembered checking for the map. Nothing was there. the wind surely had blown the map to a place they´d never find. But in the mind of the junior companion was a place just a little bit futher up the rua, she said to her disgruntled companion, um pouco mais! um pouco mais, there in a pothole in the side walk was the map, in perfect condition.
MIRACLES happen, ya´ll. God answers your prayers, even when it comes down to as simple as a map.
and yes, i was the careless junior companion.
Other crazy thing, I think im starting to forget my english. I contacted a man in the street and we got to talking, he´d lived in florida for 5 years and so he was trying his english out on me. I had to think about my response to respond in enlglish, it wasnt automatic to say something in english. Not that my portuges is great, its kinda like being a baby not knowing how to speak at all.... but hey, its progress. And president said to get me ready to really know this area, im probably going to be training next transfer. yikes!
love ya´ll,
s. smith