Sister Monteiro chose an early date for the "Missão Conferencia Natál" because everything is cheaper in Novermber than in December. It was two days before our Thanksgiving--course, Thanksgiving doesn't mean anything in Brazil. The 12-hour Conference started a.m. with talks and testimonies from the leaving Elders and Sisters. President Monteiro called us up out of the group of 240+ to bear our testimonies. I wish he'd quit doing that! Maybe I'll prepare for next time. Then we enjoyed REALLY beautiful choral music. One number was performed by each zone, accompanied by piano, flute, violin and/or bass viola. Our song was "No Ordinary Man" or "Sem Egual." Everyone else had practiced for several weeks, when they were at zone conferences, to which we are never invited. We were finally asked to join the last practice. We had to learn our parts and the words in Portuguese in one practice. The invite helped us feel more a part of it all.
It was Sister Monteiro's birthday, so every missionary brought a single red rose and put it into a large basket. That's a lot of red roses! President Monteiro presented her a large framed family crest, and one of the sister missionaries presented her with a framed pencil sketch of her. She was so excited that she led her own Happy Birthday song, "Para bems a você!" with clapping (palmas).
| Everyone had been asked to wear red dresses, blouses or ties. We were given Santa hats and dress/shirt favors taped to the walls. The noise in the cultural hall was deafening, with talking, laughing, former companions linking up, slapping hands in a HARD handshakes and big long hugs (braços), and everyone getting re-acquainted and meeting new people. And FLIRTING, CHECKING OUT OPTIONS. ;) We spent some time getting to know Pres. and Sister Monteiro's teenage son and daughter (of course, I've forgotten their names already). It is still hard for me to join in on conversations in Portuguese. Dennis carries all conversations with ease. |
We were fed a wonderful meal, with several choices of meats, side dishes and accompaniments. And we were indulged with an unbelievable display of brincadeiras and doces (bite-sized sweets), including boxes of sweet breads and boxes of chocolate candy bars. This is very much a Brazilian thing to do, but this seemed way over the top. Sister Monteiro was so excited and proud that the layout was so beautiful. I was--and still am--amazed at the amount of sugar consumed with those desserts. Not long ago, Dennis and I found an article on the internet that claimed that Brazil consumes more sugar per capita than any other country. Yep, that sounds about right. I asked Dennis to take a picture of all the kinds of doces they had. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it.
After an extended visiting time, there were skits from each of the zones. Lots hoots and whistles, hollers, cheers, "palmas" (clapping), etc. | Following the skits and more snacking on the sweets, everyone lined up on a huge circle for the gift exchange. All the big curtains were drawn to include the chapel for standing room. We rotated gifts, then opened them. Most gifts were small trinkets, but it was fun. About 8:00 p.m., the party wound down and missionaries, in groups of 2,4 or more left building to catch their busses or rides home. |
| It was a good day to celebrate Christmas while we are in Brazil! Uh...Now what? What will we do in December?! |