(NOTE: Received May 24, 2010)
...but it doesn't really work that well.
Oi minha querida família!!
Last Monday night, we had a fun surprise! The other two elders in our area live with two more elders, Elder Nóbrega and Elder B. Almeida. Anyway, those two aren't even in our zone, so we don't see them much, but are friends with them. Last Monday, Elder Lee Dee invited us to a noite familiar (Family Home Evening) with him and Elder Paul, and one of their investigators, and Rute and her family. So we got there, way before the Elders, and called them. They told us they were close, and to go in and wait for them with the family. So we did. Then they walked in with Elder Nóbrega and B. Almeida, instead of an investigator! That was awesome. The investigator really was going to go, but backed out last second. So we partied there and watched part of conference...that was interesting, in Portuguese.
Tuesday was district meeting, which means MAIL! I got a letter from Pops, and some letters from people I met in the CTM, who are here in Brazil. That was fun!!
Let me tell you about some of the people from this week. Regina is a niece of a recent convert, and she's always there when we go over to talk to Marcia. Regina is 17 years old, and she came to church with us yesterday, and loved it, and loved the young women too! It was awesome. She could realistically be baptized this weekend or next. Lijia and her family (husband, mother, and her own 4 daughters) are people that Sister Frame met on Thursday, with Sister Ribeiro (we had divisions, so I was in a different area). They are apparently awesome! So we went back on Saturday to follow up with how praying had gone. Only some of the family were there, and of the ones there, only one had remembered to pray. That's Bruna, who is about 11 years old. She said she prayed, and we asked her how she felt when she prayed, and she said "Jesus talked with me and told me I need to go to the Church." HALLELUJAH!!!!!! However, her family was out of town on Sunday, so she couldn't go yesterday. Next week, though! Maria Lucia is an older lady we are teaching, who had like 14 children, of whom 11 or 12 are still alive. She's great! She just needs to stop smoking and drinking coffee, and we've set a goal for her to decrease each day this week, until Friday when she will stop completely. She agreed to this. She also came to church with us yesterday! Lucia is a lady we were teaching, who is very confused about religion. She's visited like 28 million different churches, and is at the point where she thinks they are all good and teach the same thing, and doesn't want one more church. So she asked us to stop coming. That was probably the low point of the week for me....that's so sad. I wanted so badly for her to come to church this weekend, recognize the truth, and follow the Lord. I have hopes for her still. Mauro is awesome. He's 40-something, and literally a golden investigator. I now know what that term means! He accepted the gospel right away, came to church with us last week, and came on his own yesterday. He also went to a fireside last night in Ipiranga (40-minute bus ride away), with President Moreira. AND....he's getting baptized this Saturday!!!!!!! I'm so excited for this! He's awesome, and already sharing the gospel with his friends too!!! Wow.
So those are the people, at least a few of them. Random things now. I saw a horse pulling a cart up a cobblestone street last week, mixed in with cars and such. Ohhhh Brasil! Also, we get free french fries here sometimes, from a guy who has a stand at night close to our house. It's awesome. :) I also taught a lot more this week than I have yet, so that was definitely good! We taught 42 lessons! We had a fireside last night with President, about Isaiah and Revelation. That was intense...deep subject to begin with, and in Portuguese? Yeah, it was a lost cause on me! I love studying conference talks during scripture study...I've done a lot of that lately.
Divisions were this week. I was in Monumento with Sister Peterson, who has only 2 transfers more than me in the mission! We were both pretty nervous, because I don't speak well, and she thinks she doesn't, but really she does. It ended up turning out really well. It was a huge lesson for me in trusting in the Lord. He will guide us whenever we need it, if we ask and are faithful. We said so many prayers that day, and were definitely led by the Spirit in all our works. But here's a couple funny stories. First of all, a couple people thought I am Brazilian...no joke! From Santa Catarina, which I think is in the south, but I don't actually know. Anyway, apparently I look German. So therefore, I look Brazilian. It actually makes perfect sense. There's an Elder here (One of our ZL's), who I thought was American for a while. He has blond hair and blue eyes. But nope, he's Brazilian! Grandson of a German. Anyway, second funny story from divisions. Know how I always complain about dogs? Now, I have a good reason to. Three weeks, and already I have a dog story. Oy. Sister Petersen and I were looking for a less active Sister to talk to that night, and we found her house, and were approaching the door, when this HUGE dog came out of nowhere, and started barking ferociously, and then commenced to charge us. I kid you not. It was insane. We ran so fast, right off the property.
And even more, then I was back here the next day, and Sister Frame and I were looking for a less-active sister here in our area...well, you can imagine how that went. We found her house...and her FOUR dogs. And of course this was the one time someone was home when we were looking for people! So we went in...and I was scared for my life, bcause of these huge, smelly, obnoxious, loud dogs. Everyone here has one! And no one cleans up after them!
Anway, those are my funny stories for the week! As for my thought for the week, I found this quote from David O. McKay: "The rich rewards come only to the strenuous strugglers." This is so true. We have challenges in life, lots of them, but they are for our benefit and learning, as the Lord told Joseph Smith. We can learn so much through our trials, and as we struggle through them and keep pushing forward, enduring to the end, the rich reward of eternal life and exaltation will be ours. And that, I think, is worth every hard time we have here! So keep pushing forward with faith, and blessings will come. This is a promise from the Lord.
I love you! Thank you for your prayers; I know they have helped me already!
Love,
Karen
...but it doesn't really work that well.
Oi minha querida família!!
Last Monday night, we had a fun surprise! The other two elders in our area live with two more elders, Elder Nóbrega and Elder B. Almeida. Anyway, those two aren't even in our zone, so we don't see them much, but are friends with them. Last Monday, Elder Lee Dee invited us to a noite familiar (Family Home Evening) with him and Elder Paul, and one of their investigators, and Rute and her family. So we got there, way before the Elders, and called them. They told us they were close, and to go in and wait for them with the family. So we did. Then they walked in with Elder Nóbrega and B. Almeida, instead of an investigator! That was awesome. The investigator really was going to go, but backed out last second. So we partied there and watched part of conference...that was interesting, in Portuguese.
Tuesday was district meeting, which means MAIL! I got a letter from Pops, and some letters from people I met in the CTM, who are here in Brazil. That was fun!!
Let me tell you about some of the people from this week. Regina is a niece of a recent convert, and she's always there when we go over to talk to Marcia. Regina is 17 years old, and she came to church with us yesterday, and loved it, and loved the young women too! It was awesome. She could realistically be baptized this weekend or next. Lijia and her family (husband, mother, and her own 4 daughters) are people that Sister Frame met on Thursday, with Sister Ribeiro (we had divisions, so I was in a different area). They are apparently awesome! So we went back on Saturday to follow up with how praying had gone. Only some of the family were there, and of the ones there, only one had remembered to pray. That's Bruna, who is about 11 years old. She said she prayed, and we asked her how she felt when she prayed, and she said "Jesus talked with me and told me I need to go to the Church." HALLELUJAH!!!!!! However, her family was out of town on Sunday, so she couldn't go yesterday. Next week, though! Maria Lucia is an older lady we are teaching, who had like 14 children, of whom 11 or 12 are still alive. She's great! She just needs to stop smoking and drinking coffee, and we've set a goal for her to decrease each day this week, until Friday when she will stop completely. She agreed to this. She also came to church with us yesterday! Lucia is a lady we were teaching, who is very confused about religion. She's visited like 28 million different churches, and is at the point where she thinks they are all good and teach the same thing, and doesn't want one more church. So she asked us to stop coming. That was probably the low point of the week for me....that's so sad. I wanted so badly for her to come to church this weekend, recognize the truth, and follow the Lord. I have hopes for her still. Mauro is awesome. He's 40-something, and literally a golden investigator. I now know what that term means! He accepted the gospel right away, came to church with us last week, and came on his own yesterday. He also went to a fireside last night in Ipiranga (40-minute bus ride away), with President Moreira. AND....he's getting baptized this Saturday!!!!!!! I'm so excited for this! He's awesome, and already sharing the gospel with his friends too!!! Wow.
So those are the people, at least a few of them. Random things now. I saw a horse pulling a cart up a cobblestone street last week, mixed in with cars and such. Ohhhh Brasil! Also, we get free french fries here sometimes, from a guy who has a stand at night close to our house. It's awesome. :) I also taught a lot more this week than I have yet, so that was definitely good! We taught 42 lessons! We had a fireside last night with President, about Isaiah and Revelation. That was intense...deep subject to begin with, and in Portuguese? Yeah, it was a lost cause on me! I love studying conference talks during scripture study...I've done a lot of that lately.
Divisions were this week. I was in Monumento with Sister Peterson, who has only 2 transfers more than me in the mission! We were both pretty nervous, because I don't speak well, and she thinks she doesn't, but really she does. It ended up turning out really well. It was a huge lesson for me in trusting in the Lord. He will guide us whenever we need it, if we ask and are faithful. We said so many prayers that day, and were definitely led by the Spirit in all our works. But here's a couple funny stories. First of all, a couple people thought I am Brazilian...no joke! From Santa Catarina, which I think is in the south, but I don't actually know. Anyway, apparently I look German. So therefore, I look Brazilian. It actually makes perfect sense. There's an Elder here (One of our ZL's), who I thought was American for a while. He has blond hair and blue eyes. But nope, he's Brazilian! Grandson of a German. Anyway, second funny story from divisions. Know how I always complain about dogs? Now, I have a good reason to. Three weeks, and already I have a dog story. Oy. Sister Petersen and I were looking for a less active Sister to talk to that night, and we found her house, and were approaching the door, when this HUGE dog came out of nowhere, and started barking ferociously, and then commenced to charge us. I kid you not. It was insane. We ran so fast, right off the property.
And even more, then I was back here the next day, and Sister Frame and I were looking for a less-active sister here in our area...well, you can imagine how that went. We found her house...and her FOUR dogs. And of course this was the one time someone was home when we were looking for people! So we went in...and I was scared for my life, bcause of these huge, smelly, obnoxious, loud dogs. Everyone here has one! And no one cleans up after them!
Anway, those are my funny stories for the week! As for my thought for the week, I found this quote from David O. McKay: "The rich rewards come only to the strenuous strugglers." This is so true. We have challenges in life, lots of them, but they are for our benefit and learning, as the Lord told Joseph Smith. We can learn so much through our trials, and as we struggle through them and keep pushing forward, enduring to the end, the rich reward of eternal life and exaltation will be ours. And that, I think, is worth every hard time we have here! So keep pushing forward with faith, and blessings will come. This is a promise from the Lord.
I love you! Thank you for your prayers; I know they have helped me already!
Love,
Karen
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