Boa Tarde!

Hello everyone!

Another week has come and gone! Man...its passing by soooo fast! And today I found out that instead of staying an extra 3 weeks longer that 18 months like Sisters usually do, it has been changed and I will probably be coming home a couple weeks shorter than 18 months. CRAZY. I´m already almost at 6 months on the mission! I have SO much to learn still...but I think that is how you always feel out here and in life in general. My perspective on life has changed a lot already.

Okay so the most exciting adventure of the past week was Sao Paulo! I had to go into the capital to do my fingerprinting with my visa stuff. All of us americans who came from the provo MTC and all the missionaries from the MTC down here came into the office on Thursday night to be up and at the office by 6 AM! We stayed the night with the sisters that are close by and had a big sleep over! There were 6 of us. Sister Winters and I, Sister Steinbeigle (who I met in the MTC) and her companion Sister de Souza (who was Sister Winter´s comp before she came to be mine) and then the 2 sisters that live there, Sister Abreu and Sister Lopes. Sister Steinbeigle and I woke up at 4:30 to get down there by 6 and then we got to see all of our Elders from the MTC and ride to the Federal Police office with all of them! It was so much fun to see everyone and talk to them. I got to know Sister Steinbeigle better and I absolutely love her, and I finally got to see Elder Teichert who said he is serving in the Time Square of Sao Paulo that is even worse and louder than NY!! He said it is CRAZY! He is loving it though! Him, Elder Lew, and Elder Edlund are all doing well though! I had a lot of fun catching up with them! I got to teach a lesson with Elder Lew to this cute family that was there too. They had a little girl who has CP and they are from Colombia (I think...) so they were doing visa stuff too. I gave them a restoration pamphlet. I totally froze up not having a companion though, so I forgot to ask them if they wanted missionaries to pass by their house and to get their address....oops. Like I said...I still have SO much to learn!!!

After we got everything finished, we went back to the office and I finally got to pull out all the stuff I need from my other suitcase! I dont know if I ever told you guys that, but I left one there and took one with me to Sorocaba. I had to repack the stuff I wanted to take really fast so there was a bunch of stuff I forgot! Now its all good though and I got everything I need and took some stuff back that I wasnt using too! It was good!

THEN...Sister Winters and I headed to the Distribution store on the side of the Temple with another set of Elders who were going to help guide us back home to Sorocaba after we bought a few things. As we passed by the beautiful Sao Paulo Temple and chapel next door we saw a bunch of old men in Suits standing a few feet away from the gate. We looked a little closer and as some of them turned we realized it was Elder Nelson and Elder Holland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They saw us and walked over to shake our hands and see how the work is going!! They were also there with Elder Carlos Codoy (or something to that effect) and some other members of the seventy and I think one from the presiding bishopric! We shook all of their hands and Sister Winters hinted at a taking a picture with them, but they didnt really say yes so we just talked to them for a second and then went on our way. It was AMAZING!

The crazy part is that as I was walking past the Temple there were some other people passing in the street too and its a busy street so there were lots of cars too, so I was thinking about how strange it is that so many people pass a sacred temple of God and dont even realize what it is. Then we met Apostles of God and it was magnified. They were just strolling past these men who they had NO idea were, all caught up in the other tasks in their lives. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that the church of Jesus Christ is restored on the earth with a Prophet and 12 Apostles who have the authority to act in the name of Jesus Christ through the priesthood. As I shook their hands I could feel the Spirit and the power of their position and devotion to our loving Heavenly Father. I testify to anyohe who may be reading this, that these are men of God. That the truth is here. That all people everywhere can know that these things are true if they pray to God and ask him with a sincere heart. Anyone who prays to know something, with real intent (intent to act on the answer whatever it may be) will receive a witness that this church is true and that they can be apart of the fold of Christ through baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost through confirmation. There are men on earth with the authority to do God´s work and they are found only in His church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It was an amazing experience.

We had a fun adventure finding a bus home too...Lets just say it was pouring and at one part we had to walk against traffic on the side of a freeway....don´t worry...I´m still alive. And very grateful that I am!

I love you all so much and I hope you are doing well!! I know I say this every week but Ill try to send picture next week. This computer isnt working with them. :(

Sister Knudsen