Lucas and I have the wonderful opportunity to feel like missionaries again, but this time we are teaching English! We go to our students' homes and talk with them and teach them grammar and vocabulary. Usually, all of our students have a special reason to learn English, whether it is because they are going to the US soon or they need to use English at work.
I have met so many amazing people through our job. Our students have become our friends! And that has led us to being invited to eat some pretty good Brazilian barbecue ;) or to go paragliding! And some of our students have some super cute pets.
This is Malú. She just turned one years-old and she welcomes us every time we teach her owner. One time, she was so excited to see us that she peed on the floor! She has even started to learn a little bit of English too.
Teaching private English lessons has been a major blessing from Heavenly Father. Before we started this though, things were kind of tough for us. Lucas was working in two English schools that didn't pay very well. One of them didn't even pay him! We are still working on getting a lawyer to get his money. But we were worried about being able to pay for all of the things we need for our new home. For all of you married people, you know how tough it is to buy ALL the things that go into a new marriage. We had received so much help from friends and family, but we were still worried. Other job opportunities came to Lucas and they seemed better, but we felt that those jobs weren't the jobs for us. It was hard to let those go and trust in God, but now we see what God had planned for us. Once we started the private lessons, things just exploded! We got more and more students and got busier and busier. Just from our lessons, we have been able to pay for all of the things we need. Lucas is able to work and study without feeling overworked. Lucas and I spend so much time together, which I am very happy about. We are just making up for the time that we lost when we were dating.
I have been able to share my knowledge with other people. I have learned more about the English language over the past 5 months than I ever have in my years at school. I had no idea what a "phrasal verb" was until I started teaching English. (If you don't know what a phrasal verb is, it's a verb that uses a preposition and this will change the whole meaning of the verb. For example: pick up, take out, get in, hang up.) English is a tough language! I had no idea how lucky I was to be able to speak English until I started helping others learn it.
Who knew that the "th" sound would be so hard for non-native speakers haha. But I have been learning some sounds in Portuguese that sound just as weird and that I never knew were humanly possible, so I guess each language is just as hard.
Now, God has blessed us even more. I am now working for the online school Open English. They are a US-based school so I will be paid in dollars. I work from home and pick my own schedule. As we are planning to return to the US in about a year, this job is great because we can have american money already saved up for us to use when we go back. And I can continue to do this job while I am in the US. I am very excited to continue to teach English. Teaching is such a blessing.
I am very happy to be here and to be with my husband. We were finally together for Lucas' birthday a few weeks ago.
And the stake had a cultural night where each ward represented a country. We were able to bring out our "frança" side last night as we experienced the country of France.
As my dad told me on my mission, I am trying to "breathe in" everything during my time in Brazil. Sometimes I can't believe that I am actually here! I have been able to God's hand in everything, and my testimony has truly deepened. God loves His children and will guide them every step of the way. We just need to let Him.
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