Pictures from Brazil

My special Power:

When I was in California I was having dinner with a family where they talked about how one missionary from forever ago was long and lanky and more than slightly awkward. The wife said that he started to start a new conversation but didn't know where to start so he raised his hands and started pressing his fingers together, kind of like Mr Burns from the simpsons, and ask "So... if you could have any super power, what would it be... and Why?" --you can picture it can1t you...

Well we had a good laugh and then actually did ask the question. I decided that the coolest power would be to be able to walk up to someone and talk to them in their own language no matter what it was. -being in California where we walked into and talked to someone from a different place everyday and maybe 25% of whom were Americans, this was a cool thought. Well now I'm in Brazil and my desire hasn't changed. But a cool story happened yesterday. We were at a member's home for lunch and they had a brother who was deaf. Sister Przybyla lived in that same area of California as I said and there is a lot of deaf there. She spent her high school language credits on American Sign but it had been years since she had used it. Well she started trying to talk to him and his other deaf friend out of a Brazilian sign book. She had them teach her a few things and she was able to remember a lot of it and talk the them. They had been in the other room and hadn't come out before she had tried. The brother left normal school when he was young because he was embarrassed that he couldn't hear or talk. then he went to another special school but because it wasn't very good or something  and had left school after the 4th year. He couldn't read. Really he only spoke sign from this region of Brazil. So really he only had a small group of people that he could even talk to. They had never been taught about missionaries and our work and we were able to set up a time to teach them more. They brought out their computer and Google Translator. I spoke to them through the translator and the friend was able to read it and tell it to the brother as well. The brother was really excited and started saying "wow, we can all talk now!" It was really cool. We had English, Portuguese, and Portuguese sign all in one room. I love technology. I know that that is one of the biggest reasons that during this time we have so much to help us spread the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. :)

Love to you all!

Chelsea 

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