August 1, 2015

August 18 will be 1 year on the mission!  It's going way too fast!

Sister Romrell with Lucinete Rodrigues

Youth activity in the Praca da Juventude

A group of youth in the Sorriso branch

Brilliant flowers at the side of the road on the way to Feliz Natal

Milho (corn) ready for harvest

Mato and road beside corn field

Close-up of the dry ears of corn, ready for harvest

Group of English students, part of Exploring Idiomas English School in Feliz Natal

Delicious food served at Brother Crispin's home

Fun parakeets in Feliz Natal

More English Students in Feliz Natal

Beautiful sunset, returning from Feliz Natal

Poinsettia tree in Sao Paulo

Good friends Eduardo and Ana Maria at favorite pizzeria in Sao Paulo

Good friend, Rondena, in Sao Paulo, just before a wonderful dinner served by Regina and Ana Maria, including a great heart of palm soup, salad, and bread.

Flowers at the side of the Sao Paulo temple

With the Harris's and Wheelers at a Chinese restaurant in Liberdade, a suburb of Sao Paulo

Young Brazilian at Sinop airport, returning from Mexico where he was an exchange student

Church buddies at Sorriso branch.

Futesol girls game.  Four members of the Sorriso team are attending our branch.  

Volkswagen Gol I am using while our Corolla is in the body shop for repairs

Sisters Clarisse, Teresa, Lucinette, Romrell, Shirlei, Dircelia, and Grasielle in the Sorriso Branch

Saying good-bye to Elder Havila of Curitiba.

Elders and Sisters at impromptu almoco in our home on Pioneer Day, July 24

Festa Juninha in Ponta Pora, next door to Paraguay

My make-shift stand-up work-station.  (I hate sitting for long periods)

Young women participating in a Gaucho culture competition in Sorriso.  

Man at above referenced event wearing a University of Utah shirt he purchased in Sao Paulo.  He had no idea about its significance for us.

Same event

These green oranges make excellent orange juice.

Sister Caline arriving with her two young sons for Church.

Wonderful gift to Lou Ellen from our good friend, Jessica.

We are having this same painting painted for us by the artist, Vera Aguyer

Ralf Heder, a great German friend at the Acadamia (fitness center).

Parrot at Crispin's home

Festa Juninha in Ponta Pora ward.

WE LOVE THE SORRISO DISTRICT

The land of year round flowers

Francivaldo and Grasiele

All decorated for the 4th of July, courtesy of a package from Evan and Emily

Pretty house in Cuiaba

Two elders from Maranhão

With Elder Andereson from St. George

Opening our Mother's and Father's Day package from Evan and Emily.

Cotton crop growing reside Sinop airport

Jantando na casa de Crispin

Flowering tree in Cuiaba

Youth acitivity in Praca da Juventude

Crispin's house

Another flowering bush in Sorriso

Sisters and young women

In the home of an artist.

In front of Sinop chape

Eating Acai on Brazilian Valentine's Day, June 12 (dia dos namorados)

We drive into this driveway to turn around and were greeted by non-barking dogs just staring at us.  This is an unusual occurance.  Usually dogs would be barking at us.

Below:  Festa Junina at the branch.  Festa Junina (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈfɛstɐ ʒuˈnĩnɐ], June Festival), also known as festa de São João for their part in celebrating the nativity of St. John the Baptist, are the annual Brazilian celebrations historically related to European Midsummer that take place in the beginning of the Brazilian winter. These festivities, which were introduced by the Portuguese during the colonial period (1500-1822), are celebrated during the month of June nationwide both in Brazil and Portugal. The feast is mainly celebrated on the eves of the Catholic solemnities of Saint Anthony, Saint John the Baptist, and Saint Peter.

As Northeastern Brazil is largely arid or semi-arid these popular festivals not only coincide with the end of the rainy seasons of most states in He northeast but they also provide the people with an opportunity to give thanks to Saint John for the rain. They also celebrate rural life and feature typical clothing, food, dance (particularly quadrilha, which is similar to square dancing). Like Midsummer and Saint John's Day in Portugal and Scandinavian countries, São João celebrates marital union. The "quadrilha" features couple formations around a mock wedding whose bride and groom are the central attraction of the dancing.

An arraial in Rio Branco, Acre

The celebrations usually take place in an arraial, a huge tent made of raw material (with a thatched roof) that was reserved for special parties in old rural areas. Men dress up as farm boys with large straw hats and women wear pigtails, freckles, painted gap teeth and red-checkered dresses, all in a loving tribute to the origins of Brazilian country music, and of themselves, some of whom are recent immigrants from the countryside to cities such as Olinda, Recife, Maceió and Salvador, and some of whom return to the rural areas during that season to visit family. However, nowadays, São João festivities are extremely popular in all urban areas and among all social classes. In the Northeast, they are as popular as Carnival. Like during Carnival, these festivities involve costume-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Like the original European Midsummer celebrations, during the two-week June festivities in Brazil, bonfires are lit. They can be seen everywhere in northeastern cities. Two northeastern towns in particular have competed with each other for the title of "Biggest São João Festival in the World", namely Caruaru (in the state of Pernambuco), and Campina Grande,in Paraíba state. In fact, Caruaru features in the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the biggest outdoor country festival.

BRAZILIAN COLOR
Pine nuts in Mercado DelMoro in Sorriso.  Very different from Utah pine nuts.  They are very delicious when cooked correctly.  We tried cooking some and they turned out mushy.  But now we know better.

Map of Brazil showing the states and some of the major cities.  We are in Mato Grosso, about 6 hours north of Cuiaba by car.

This group of photos and videos was taken in a preserve in Sinop, Mato Grosso on a P-Day with the Harrises and the Davises.

Yes, they are alive and posing for the photo!

We had great weekend with our couple missionary companions for a weekend when they visited us in Sorriso.  Here we are having hamburgers, etc at Bob's in Sinop.  We really love these couples (the Davises and the Harrises).  

The Locatelli family.  Great friends who bring us fresh fruits and vegetables from their farm and take great care of our "kitchenette" for his brother/owner who lives in Paraguay.  

Long-time member, Irma Clarisse, invited us to join the Sisters (Vilhena from Portugal and Borges from Sao Paulo) for lunch.

New subdivision on the outskirts of Sorriso.

P-Day and zone meetings for the elders and sisters from Sinop, Lucas, and Sorris.  A few of them shown here.

Elder Loskowski from Rio Grande do Sol preparing Churasco.

With the teachers of the Wizard English school who invited us to converse with their advanced English students.

Three of the English students invited us to attend a rehearsal of their Gaucho dance class.  Most of the early immigrants to Sorriso 29 years ago came from the south of Brazil--many from Rio Grande do Sul (the home of the Gaucho).  They established a center of Gaucho culture in Sorriso where this rehearsal took place.  Here they are only in their practice clothing.  We plan to attend a big competition of Gaucho dancing, singing and poetry on June 27-28 here, where all the contestants will be dressed in their full traditional costumes.  

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 Our branch president's son, Enos, was recently baptized.  Here he is with this father, Moacir and his mother, Dircelia.

On Mother's Day a car full of young men hit us from behind.  We were taking a couple of young women home from church and were slowing to allow the car in front of us to turn.  The driver behind was going too fast to stop.  I think there are lots of accidents in this city, especially involving "motos."

Taken from our apartment window on our last trip to Sao Paulo.  We love the temple.

While the rodeo was going on we visited the extra bulls.  They are all very friendly animals.

Sister Romrell with Sisters Vilhena, Borges, and Oliveira (short term member missionary)

Family home evening in the home of Anderson and Liticia

Elders Avila, Kaiser and Richins having lunch with us.