it's been a year

(fresh off the 14 hour plane ride from Brazil. My eyes are red from crying, and my skin is burnt from the hot Brazilian sun, but it was still a very special day)

While I was talking to my friend on Saturday I realized that, as of today, I have been home from Brazil for a year. That is just plain crazy. Part of me feels like I came home last month, and other times it feels like it never even happened. Yesterday I sat and looked through all of my mission pictures and became super homesick for Brazil, missing so many aspects of my time there.

I miss the people. Seriously the most warm and loving people I have ever met. So welcoming and generous. We were always welcomed into homes with smiles and hugs, even if we hadn't met them before.

I miss my companions. Every single one was Brazilian, and every single one was incredible. The taught me so much, helped me become "Almost Brazilian", and made me laugh. Very much some of my best friends and my sisters.

I miss the culture, which is incredibly rich where I was. There were constantly holidays or events where the people would dress in costumes (the women in dresses like these) and dance and sing. It was so much fun to see. I felt like Anne of Green Gables in this dress!

While I don't miss the cobblestone streets (ouch!) I do miss the beauty of the land there. The green fields and the fireflies. So pretty.

And most of all, I miss teaching people about Christ. I miss watching their lives change. It was an experience that changed my life and who I am. I will forever be grateful for the Brazilian people, and will always be proud that I am considered "almost Brazilian".