Things get interesting

Hi Family!

I hope all is well! No, Jenna, I will never get tired of the pictures of the girls. They are getting so big! But I probably don´t need ´Spin art of myself´. :P I can´t believe you´re saying things like, when Ellee walks in. I still can´t see that little bean curd walking!!! I loved the story of Lynlee singing...totally remember her made up songs. I love them! Ugh! I miss them so much, but, moving on.
Dad, air conditioning in our apartment? Hahahahahaha. No. We have one fan (like the old kind that you set on the floor or a desk and it turns slowly back and forth and you can do a Darth Vader voice, yeah, that kind) We only have one outlet in our room and its by my bed so the chord goes under my mattress to the fan right next to me and if I move AT ALL it turns off, then I´ll move again and it turns on. Its really funny. But its better than our last fan that I had to hit to get it to start spinning. Oh, Brazil. Its such an adventure!
So, this week was rough. I´m not going to lie and I´m not going to leave anything out. Are you ready?
Everything went normal, we just couldn´t get anyone to talk to us - but that happens sometimes, I wasn´t discouraged. Until Friday. We went and visited Phelipe my first baptism. He hasn´t come to church since he was confirmed. He´s back to breaking the commandments and living at his girlfriends house and he´s really unhappy. He was telling us all his doubts he has about the church. He read Mormon 8 to us how our churches shouldn´t be rich and lifted up and pride and then he printed off pictures of rooms in the Temple and said, ´Look. That doesn´t look rich? Everything is gold.´ Me and Sister Powell are pretty sure he´s looking at Anti-Mormon stuff online because he was reading the BoM from the beginning and to suddenly decide to read Mormon 8 is really random, and then to print off pictures of the temple and then he said he wants to visit the other Mormon (reformed) churches. So, I couldn´t hold back the tears, I started crying right in the middle of the lesson because a lot of things have happened with him that I know he is supposed to be a very influential person in the church, but because of the choices he is making right now he´s not on the right track. It just shows how twisted Satan is because Phelipe is basically trying to use the Book Of Mormon to disprove the church...there isn´t a chapter about that in Preach My Gospel. All we could do was telling him that Satan was working on him and if he wanted to know the church was true he needed to read the Book of Mormon and pray. His main problem is looking at other people in the church and their weaknesses and not his own. But he´s a member of the church now so its ours and the members responisbility to love him and help him any way we can.
Then Saturday. The day of Julia´s baptism. You think would´ve gone swell. Well, it was about 2 hours before her baptism and we were on the opposite side of town looking for a reference from a member. Sister Nicáscio was REALLY angry and frustrated that we couldn´t find this street. Me and Sister Powell were using it as an opportunity to do contacts. But, Sister Nicáscio´s anger boiled to a point where she was being really rude and angry and we just did not have the Spirit and Sister Powell had had enough and sat on the curb and just started crying. Then they started fighting, because when one thing goes wrong everything that has ever happened in the past comes up. So my companions were yelling at each other in the street and crying. All the while I was smiling and laughing to myslef because a 5 year old little boy on a bike was coming closer and closer to us to listen. He ended up so close that I could have reached out and touched him. I finally got Sister Powell up (who had been at the point of bawling that I had to tell her to take deep breaths like mom always told me) and we started making our journey to the chapel that was an hour away. Also in this moment I learned how much Português I know, because I had two companions with arms folded, not speaking, and me talking to people about which bus we should take and calling members (up until this point I haven´t used the phone because its really hard to understand people on the phone ESPECIALLY in Português), but the Lord helped me through it all and by the time we got to the Chapel Sister Powell and SIster Nicascio had resolved their problem. ***I will talk about the baptism last*** So, then yesterday we had transfers. About 9:30 Elder Espinosa called and said I will stay here and so will Sister Nicàscio. The first thing beloved Sister Nicàscio said was, ´I don´t want to stay here with you.´ So that was a big confidence boost. And that Sister Powell will be transfered. Needless to say, this next transfer will be the greatest learning experiences of my life. I know I have a lot to learn about patience and charity with Sister Nicàscio and I´ll be needing your prayers. Sorry, this email is kind of heavy, I´m just trying to be real. Do Elders have these problems?
***But, the baptism!!!!!!!! The Baptism was perfect!!! I actually cried. The first baptism I´ve cried at, but it was possibly a mixture of a lot of other things too. I got to help Julia change after she got baptized which I think is the best priviledge ever because you get to be the first person to hear how they feel. She was telling me how happy she was and it was strange because she felt really light. I loved hearing that. I told her she will never forget that feeling because I still remember how I felt! When we returned Carol (who was baptized last week) was bearing her testimony about how the gospel has already helped her so much and that the Lord sent 3 angles to her house (I´m one!) to teach her the truth. She also said she remembered how light she felt after her baptism. It is so amazing everyday to have your testimony strengthened of the gospel and how true it is. Then, Isabella got up to bear her testimony. That´s when I started crying. Isabella too. She talked about how happy the gospel had made her and she´d never felt such love among a group of people and that she knows this is the Lord´s church. It is so interesting to see Phelipe and how angry and unhappy he is and then see Isabella and her family is getting baptized and how happy she is. Who would you rather be?
Isabella even spoke yesterday in church. She talks and sounds like she´s been a member for years. Her family is truly a special family to the Lord. We were over there the other day and she was saying something about being a member of the church of Jesus Christ and her 6 year old son Lorenzo was at the fridge and he turned and said, with a cute little lisp, ´Dos Santos Dos Ùltimos Dias´ (of Latter Day Saints) It was adorable!

Oh! My birthday! I think Isabella tried to send you a video and pictures. We went over to her house Monday night for Julias Baptismal Interview with Elder Maxwell and Espinosa. I was the last to climb the stairs and as I entered the kitchen Isabella had a cake and everyone began singing Parabéns (Happy Birthday) and jumping. I started to cry because it was so nice to know that even though my family is so far away, I have other family here that loves me and cares about me. And that´s definitely Isabella! Then, Tuesday, my actual birthday, my comps relit my candles and sang to me as I was exercising and they filled my desk with treats and breakfast. It was really different to be away from home, but it was good. :D

So, today is a Super P Day because our Zone had the most baptisms so we get to watch Rio (in Português)!!!!! I´M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its gonna be awesome! Also, I get to stay in this perfect area and keep working with my other ward family to preach the gospel!!! My job rocks!

How are all of you? Grandma and Grandpa Johnson? Grandma Deen? Jenna, are you pregnant? Is Dallin doing his Mission Papers yet? How´s my mommy? My nieces? Nephew, Jerônimo? :D I hope all is well. I love you all SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!!!!!!
Com amor,
Sister Kelsi Kate Johnson

P.S. Jenna, we have a couple here that have two of their grandkids here from the US. They´ve only been
here for 2 months and are speaking fluent Português. I can teach your kids if you want!