What are the horrors of missions in Brazil? Number one: The Spiritism. I had spent three months in Brazil in the past and had yet to see anyone performing rituals and sacrifices at intersections. Within the first week, we witnessed two of them with people wearing red capes, lighting candles, and beheading a chicken…creepy. Number two: The Government Paperwork. We first went to the Federal Police just to be told to go to City Hall, just to be told to go to the Licensing Department, just to be told to go two hours south to the American Consulate, just to realize that we needed to go back to the Federal Police. Number three: The Wildlife. After being warned about the snakes and spiders of Brazil (which we were assured were primarily a threat in the Amazon Jungle) my father-in-law came within inches of a venomous pit viper called a Jararaca! I also narrowly escaped putting my pants on with a poisonous spider making its home in my pant leg! It’s been a blast!
All of this to say, our time in Brazil has already been incredibly productive, eventful, and a truly exciting time in our lives.