BOO-tiful!

     Our grandchildren at Witch's Fest in Utah.  Batman aka Jacob Bair, Zorro aka Eli Taylor, Wonder Woman aka Addy Bair and Harry Potter aka Nate Taylor.  Happy Halloween!

Faces of Brazil

     This handsome little guy is the grandson of Vagner and Evone of our Tatui Branch.  His name is Bryan and he is four years old.  He loves watermelon.  His hands are not naturally green!  He was playing with green colored clay just before he dove into the watermelon.

Paozinho de Canela or Cinnamon Rolls

     Sister Gamarano wanted to learn how to cook some American food, what could be better than Cinnamon Rolls!  Sister Kapp and Sister Gamarano did a great job and they were delicious.

District Meeting

     Our District now includes Boituva, Cerquilho and Tatui.  Left to right, Sister Barrus, Sister Gamarano, Sister Kapp, Sister Sierra (from Guatamala) Sister Azevedo (from the Amazon), Elder Vargas and Elder Dantas. This is in front of the Church in Boituva.

Baptism

          We had the wonderful blessing of welcoming a new member to the Tatui Branch, Esther.  She is 13 years old.  Her mother was baptized by Elder Barrus just two weeks ago and Sunday, Otober 29, he had the blessing of baptizing Esther.  Top Picture: Sister Gamarano and Sister Kapp who have been teaching this family, Luciana's daughter Livia, Luciana, Esther, Luciana's daughter Maria and Elder Barrus.  Bottom: Esther with Elder Barrus and Sister Barrus.

Loving this Picture!

     Our grandsons Nathan and Eli are admiring this very large Praying Mantis.  They are much braver than Grandma would be!

Brazilians Know How to Party!

     We had a District Relief Society Party October 21.  The theme was fashions, fads, bands and dances of the different decades, 50's through the 90's.  Tatui Branch was the 50's and they kicked up their heels to 50's music. Left to right, Debora, Gil, Dalva, Yngrid, Rafaely and Angelica.  A slide show was presented for each decade, featuring the fashions and music.  Many of the songs were American, but the whole audience knew all the words whether they were in English or Portuguese.
They were up out of their chairs dancing to the music and clapping.  They have a good time.  A clip was shown of the famous Brazilian soccer player, Pele, making a goal.  You would have thought they were watching it live and it just happened!  Fun, fun, fun!

Our Sister Missionaries!

     Elder Langford and Elder Lima were transferred to Sao Paulo and now we are blessed to have these beautiful sister missionaries serving in Tatui.  Sister Kapp is from Draper, Utah and Sister Gamarano is from Rio de Janeiro.  That is Bryan with them, Presidente Vagner's grandson. We had almoco with Presidente Vagner and Evone. They are wonderful missionaries and we are loving having the opportunity to work with them.

Cleaning the Elders' Apartment and McDonalds!

     Elder Langford and Elder Lima were transferred to Sao Paulo.  Elder Langford worked very hard while he was assigned here, we will miss him.  Although the Elders told us their apartment was clean, Elder Barrus and I went over and spent three hours cleaning to prepare it for the Sister missionaries who are now in Tatui.  We took a break and went to lunch at the McDonalds that just opened here a few weeks ago.  We never go to McDonalds in the States, but it was a treat for us here in Tatui.

Faces of Brazil

     This little cutie came to Church with her aunt who is investigating the Church.  I tried so hard to get her to smile.  As soon as I put the camera down, she gave me a big smile!  She is one of the truly beautiful children here. Her name is Lorraine, but here it is pronounced Loh-high-knee.

Baptism

     On the same day that Luciana was baptized, Savio, who was baptized just a few weeks ago, baptize his best friend, Gustavo.  Left to right:  Gustavo's mother, Gustavo, Savio, Elder Langford, and Elder Lima.

Baptism

     Sunday, October 15, 2017, Luciana was baptized by Elder Barrus. Back, Elder Langford, Luciana, her three daughters, Elder Barrus and in front Elder Lima.  Luciana really loves the Church and she was confirmed last Sunday, October 22, by Elder Barrus.

Two Days in Sao Paulo

     Gloria and Antonio, members of the Tatui Branch, invited us to go to Sao Paulo.  It was a whirlwind of activities that we thoroughly enjoyed.   We arrived in Sao Paulo the night of Wednesday, October 11.  We stayed with their daughter Jo and her husband Ricardo in their beautiful home.  They were the ultimate hosts.  Top Picture:  Jo took us on a tour of Sao Paulo Thursday morning.  She wanted to show us the Governor's Mansion but it was closed so we took a picture outside the gates.  Beautiful building.
     We went to a park that was huge and very lush and beautiful.  Most everyone in Brazil has a dog or more, parked at the side of the street in the park was a van that was a mobile pet wash and groomer.  That is service!
     After arriving at Jo and Ricardo's we went to the Sao Paulo Temple and went through an endowment session.  The Sao Paulo Temple is elegant, elegant.  The wood is a luxurious dark cherry color. There is a wonderful story that goes with the type of wood that was used.  There are beautiful stained glass murals as you come in. 
     Picture 4:  Antonio, Jo, Gloria, Kathy and Al.  We are standing in front of the Theatro Municipal.  It is a beautiful, elegant theatre.  It reminded me of the Pantages in Los Angeles.  We saw ballet that was called the Ballet of the Blind.  All the dancers were either blind, deaf or handicapped in some way.  It was heartwarming and inspiring to see how they had overcome their challenges so beautifully in their ballet performances.
     Pictures 5 and 6:  We went to the Mercado, a huge, huge market.  Booths are set up by individuals selling fruits, vegetables, gifts, cheeses, anything you can think of.  Upstairs were restaurants where we had lunch.  They are famous for their 'Dagwood' sandwiches. 
     Pictures 7, 8 and 9:  Jo and I at another park.  Orchids just grow wild in Brazil, eye candy.
     Pictures 10 and 11:  At the Mercado we bought some fruit. The fruit guy was quite the salesman, he kept slicing off these different fruits to try.  After a while you felt obligated to buy something.  The fruits above are Pitaya Amarela (Dragon Fruit), Dekopon, Granadilla and Kiwi Gold.  The Dragon Fruit is delicious, sweet and smooth.  Fruit in Brazil is very inexpensive so we didn't ask how much the Dragon Fruit was, we should have!  When we went to pay for it all, the Dragon Fruit was about $12 American dollars apiece! Good thing it was so good!

Tatui Branch Relief Society Presidency

     What a blessing to work with these fabulous sisters.  Sister Barrus serving as 2nd Counselor, President Gloria, 1st Counselor Gil with her precious baby Mayra and Angelica is the secretary. 

Family Home Evening

     October 2 we had a get together for Family Home Evening at the home of Cintia and Sandro Silva.  Cintia has the stripe sweater on.  We have been scheduling Family Home Evenings with several families and it always turns out to be a fun party! Back row: Gil and Mayra, Debora, Angelica, Dalva, Cintia, Sandro, Marissa, Al and Kathy.  In Front, Edsen, Presidente Edvivaldo, Breno and Melissa.

Fonte da Juventude

     A few blocks from our apartment in the middle of a park is the Fountain of Youth!  Who knew we would find it in Tatui, Brazil!  We'll try it just before we leave.