RIP

President Monson's passing and funeral brought several questions and concerns to the members of the Church in Brazil. 

"What do they do with the body for that long?"

"Is this normal?"

How come?"

Fortunately, Don has had some experience with funerals so he was able to put their minds at ease regarding our customs up north.  

Funeral traditions in Brazil are different. 

Brazilian custom is to get the deceased (the defunto) into the ground within 24-48 hours. Embalming is not a standard practice down here, and, being a tropical country, the body decomposes very quickly.

Brazilians believe the funeral is a time for feeling sadness and pain, not celebrating. It's common for family and friends to express their grief through wailing, loud crying, or even kissing and hugging the deceased. This is especially common among the older generation. 

(This doesn't really apply to LDS funerals. Ours are more celebratory because of our knowledge of the Plan of Salvation.)

Funerals are typically held in velórios, which are buildings that are specifically used for mourning deceased family or friends. While some of the places have concession stands nearby, in most cases, food is not welcome at funerals, because it takes the mind away from the beloved person who has been lost. (That's right - no ham, funeral potatoes, jello salads, and multiple cake choices down here!)

The cemeteries are something else. 

The North Morgan Cemetery is looking better all the time!

(Anyone who has the annual fee in arrears may lose the lot of the drawer. Avoid disorders. Regulate your urgent debts!!!)

It is not uncommon to find quotes throughout the cemetery. 

This one says:

"As soon as the man is old enough to live he is old enough to die."

A Room With a View

If those cemeteries don't impress you that much, Brazil is the home of the world’s tallest cemetery - a 32-story high rise where tombs are rented by the year and private memorial rooms go for about $105,000. Because of the hot Brazilian climate, bodies must be interred within 24 hours, so the MCE, as it’s known, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The building also contains a chapel, lagoon, peacock garden, waterfalls, an aviary full of parrots and toucans and even a small restaurant.

So, now you know!

AMEN

I love and sustain these men chosen by our Lord and Savior to lead His Church here on the earth.

Feliz Ano Novo

And, just like that, it's a brand new year!

One thing that you've gotta love about the Brazilians is that they do love a good party. 

New Year's Eve was no exception.

Curitiba's fireworks 

Our temple residents' festa was a bit less grand. 😃

Don and Presidente Oliveira made a trip across town to get the "very best" fireworks for our celebration. Don was in 7th Heaven. You just can't find this stuff in the states! 

 With those preparations made, we were then ready to "party on..."

The Freires had four of their six kids here from Moringa and the Oliveiras had one of theirs, so we had a lot of little people for New Year's Eve. We enjoyed another great program and delicious dinner.

Then...it was time...for the fireworks!

 These pictures don't do it justice. The noise was incredibly loud. I feared for Angel Moroni - but he stood his ground. He seemed to be looking down on the proceedings with a smile on his face. 

The kids had a blast. As well as some of the big ones.

Some of the fireworks had to be secured with weights.

We finally ended our party at 1:00, but you could still hear fireworks for another couple of hours after that. 

On a quieter note - Nathan's family gave us this puzzle for Christmas. We really enjoyed putting it together. Our friend Raquel came up to our apartment, saw the puzzle, said how much they enjoyed quebra-cabeças (which translated means head smashers), so we gave it to her family.

And, since we had so much fun with that puzzle, we decided to get another one. We went to the mall to find a good Brazilian puzzle. We found one of the stamps of Brazil. It wasn't until we got home that we discovered that all puzzles are not created equal! The picture on the front of the box is not of the entire puzzle - just a portion. The whole picture is found on the side as a 2x3 inch image. The box contained 1,000 semi-interlocking pieces. Honestly, who knew?!

Long story short - this is a bear to put together. Maybe one day you will see the completed puzzle. Not any time soon, however. 


And what would the Holidays be without taking in a movie.
This is what we saw.

(The Greatest Showman)

On a more solemn note, the passing of our beloved President Monson came as a surprise but not a shock. We will miss this dear man so much. 

"We thank thee, O God, for a prophet"

2018

Excited to look ahead.

Grateful for what's behind.

Thankful.

So hopeful.

New trials, opportunities, and changes await us.

May we be equal to them.

A December to Remember

Everything was quite new for us last year. The Christmas season was well underway by the time we arrived in Brazil, but not this year!

December hadn't even begun when we attended our first event. "He is the Gift" was presented by the Curitiba LDS Institute. It was spectacular, if I do say so myself! Even the mayor of Curitiba was there. (He came in his helicopter. Much easier than trying to get around the city in a car.) We were just two of the 9,000 people who saw this amazing program of song and dance. 

And what would December be without shopping the feiras (fairs) and malls - all decked out for the holiday shoppers.

Our tummies never had a chance to feel hunger. Every time we turned around, we were filling them up with something delicious.

(Still missing these two greatly!)

And a holiday in South America just wouldn't be a holiday without a panettone or two on your counter!

We were even able to take in a play during December. When we found out that Anna Hart was in her school production of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", we just had to go. It was darling - and all in English, I might add, because the kids go to the International School of Curitiba.😊

And let's not forget the temple. 

Our little apartment was festive - as well as our lobby.

We even enjoyed the Christmas Devotional all the way from SLC.

Our temple concert attracted a large audience - even the people in the nearby apartments sat on their balconies for an evening in celebration of the season.

And what's Christmas without a nativity?

Christmas Eve was a combination of good food, good friends, and a good program. Fireworks are generally set off at midnight, but this year they were cancelled due to heavy monsoon-like rains. (They will be saved for New Year's Eve.)

We enjoyed a quiet Christmas Day. Face-timing our children was, of course, the highlight of our day!

Our "treat table" is so much different down here than the ones we're used to back home. 

I can't believe that 2017 is almost over. Not only has this been a December to remember, but it has been a year to remember, as well. 

They'll be Home for Christmas!

For us it will only be in our dreams, but for Wayne and Dianne...reality!

(They really will be home for Christmas!)

It was so hard saying good-bye to the Browns six months ago. I feared for my survival in this foreign country with no one to talk to.😨

Talk about tender mercies - just as the Browns were getting ready to leave, Wayne and Dianne Mathis were transferred up from the Porto Alegre temple!

These last six months have been a grand adventure. We have done things we never would have done on our own. The following pictures can attest to that. 😊  There was always someplace new to go, another restaurant to try. We called Wayne "Elder Talk-a-Lot" because he could strike up a conversation with anyone. This was a good thing because that took the pressure off of the rest of us! 

Dianne became our calming influence. Nothing rattled her - not even Wayne! (HaHa)

Don and Wayne, for some unknown reason, got the 'spinner bug' and were constantly buying them. To their credit, they also gave a lot of them away to the kids, but still...

Not only was Wayne our "fly guy" but he and Dianne also knew a lot about birds.

I know - awe inspiring! Gotta love those little flies!

There was sooo much for us to see and do in those 261 days!

 We will treasure up these experiences in our hearts forever!

We will also miss them at the temple. They served faithfully wherever and whenever.

We are very lucky to have a new missionary couple - Dirceu and Zélia Freire from Maringa, Brazil. It's been fun getting to know them.

Two other couples will be coming in February. Then we will be fully staffed again.

So, with sad hearts, we bid farewell to Elder and Sister Mathis,

 but we just want them to know that...

We sure do love you two!!!
Thanks for the memories.