Surprise Visits, Um Campo Branco, Feminine Ties - SEMANA SETE!
Olá, meus lindos amigos e família maravilhosa!!
These past couple days have been CRAZY!! Hope you enjoy reading this one, it's a doozy!
Also Happy Birthday to Cassie!
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This was a super weird Pday. Our instructor who usualmente takes us out wasn't there, so we had to take our excursion in the smack dab middle of the Pday time (13:00-17:00) we went at 2:30. That meant I barley had time to talk who I wanted to before I headed out to the Field on Wednesday (did I spell it correctly Garrett?) So sorry about that, I love and miss you all but I promise I am alive and well. (Knock on wood bc I write these sections as they come haha)
Anyways, got my açai so I was feliz.
It was also raining so it was a bom dia.
Saturday
EVENTFUL DAY
-SURPRISE VISIT by our MISSION PRESIDENTS!!
The CTM is within the mission borders, so President and Sister Hunt decided to come visit us hahah. I'm glad I took the time to shower and shave (because it was raining PhysAct was cancelled so I had more time, rather than the night before sunday). They are SO incredibly chill and nice, they make me so excited to be in the field, but they were sure to remind us that it was still super difficult. so yay! Also, everyone says first impressions matter, but this one shouldn't count. We are gonna meet them for real on Wednesday. (I was the first to shake his hand but gave him the most awkward man hug in my life, hope he forgets about that hahaha)
-PORTUGUESE TEST!
During our language class we had to take a speaking test! Its scored 0-10 but the instructors want us to get a 3. Our instructor who is fluent got a 7, soo. All we do is hear phrases and have to repeat them back. Some were super long. We also have a couple of spoken-response questions. Anyway, it was very difficult and I ended with a 4.2! Ain't too bad haha
-INVESTIGATOR BAPTISM!
The investigator my companions and I have been teaching agreed to schedule a time to be baptized!! We had an amazing lesson talking about how Jesus was baptized, the blessings and covenant of baptism, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. All in Portuguese! All of our visits led up to this so we are so so happy! Can't wait to feel this way in the field to real people hahah.
-Also the humidity makes it feel super cold, but it was 9-11°C today
Sunday
I didn't speak today in Sacrament meeting so I went all of CTM not speaking in church! too bad lol
Super spiritual Elders Quorom meeting, where we talked about our experiences with the Spirit. We got Elder Kelly to cry!!
Farewell Devotional
Presidente Silva talked to all the missionaries who leave this week. Here are some points:
- Don't Relax, be obedient until the last second
-Forget about yourself
-Meet all the Leaders in the Ward... good impression and the members will respect and help us more
-Give spiritual experiences to each family you visit, set the table, do the dishes, etc
-Leviticus 5:1 warning about companionsand how their actions affect you as well
Nightly Devotional
Irmã Silva talked about:
-Nothing happens in missionary work until you find someone to teach
-planning is an act of faith
-If you are flexible, you are happy
Presidente Silva talked about:
- The Holy Ghost: Testifies of HF, JC, and the truth, has size and dimension, his power and influence is everywhere, he is always with us after we are baptized and confirmed, He is the greatest gift a MORTAL person can enjoy, He is a teacher and Revelator
-When you have the HG, you have the company of a God.
-If a thought is good, it is of God, so DO IT
ótimo último domingo no CTM
Monday
Boring, had goodbye devotional
Tuesday
Last day at CTM. Boring. Reg classes lol. Packed all the way up
Wednesday
Left around 7am and arrived at the most beautiful apartment complex I've ever seen. Presidente and Sister Hunt live on the top floor (25th) and their home is gorgeous. Anyways, we met up with them and had breakfast while we waited for the Provo kids.
After they arrived, we all went to the capela next to the São Paulo temple, and we got assigned our companheiros!!
I got the best trainer, Elder Silva, a Brazilian who don't speak too much English, but we are helping each other learn our languages! He's super funny, loves music, can play the ukulele and works very hard!!
My zone is Cotia, and my first area is Caucaia, living in Caucaia do Alto! Half jungle half town, it's crazy here!
Got to our apartment, I unpacked and we went shopping for the week. We also invited some people in the parque to church! Mutio tranquilo (chill).
Thursday
Thursday was sooo long. We walk EVERYWHERE.
In the morning Elder Silva an I ran about 2 kilometers to another Companionship to bring them medicine at 6:45 in the morning. Nights and mornings are really cold. Especially in the shade. Humidity is weird.
Anyway, we contacted in the park for a while, inviting people to church.
My first lesson was to Gabi! It was so funny bc the two men who lived with her, who we aren't teaching, decided to come listen to our lesson, bc a new American missionary was gonna try and speak, their language lol. Taught about the order of prayer and its importance. Gave Sergio e Lucas (the two men) a Book of Mormon each and invited them to read and pray about it! Success!
Talked with Irmã Fatima for far too long and she had fun making fun of me and insulting me about my language bc I couldn't really speak back, but I knew about every other word she was saying about me, and how much she didn't like Norte Americanos haha. She loves to quilt, sew, and stitch, reminded me of Grandma Barnes (in only that aspect lol). She also made fun of my blue and green flower tie, saying it was gay and feminine hahah. No more flower ties I guess.
Talked to another ‘almost’ member, she's super nice and we'll probably ask her the baptismal interview questions tomorrow! Saw a toucan while talking to her!
Friday
Woke up and ran for about half an hour.
Walked all the way up to the Chapel for my companion's English class. WiFi didn't work so we couldn't do it anyways.
Spent some time in the park contacting.
Went on a bus to activate my church card, and on the way back Elder Silva gave a Book of Mormon presentation on the bus. Super cool!
Went to some contacted people's houses, but most didn't answer. We walked ALL day.
Stopped by a super nice old lady's house with an older Down Syndrome gentleman who is awesome. Super nice, muito inteligente, and loves to laugh. We gave them both priesthood blessings.
Clapped a couple more doors as we climbed Monte Verde but nobody answered.
On the way back down we visited Dina, the ‘almost’ member, waited for her to arrive for almost an hour and a half, until it got dark, we just talked with the neighborhood kids. She finally got home and we talked with her for another hour and a half and ended with giving her the baptismal questions! She's almost there!
Near our place, there was a street with a bunch of vendors so we grabbed some caldo de cana com passionfruit, and morango and about 5 girls came up to us bc I was American and they wanted to show off the English they've been learning in school haha. Elder Silva said it was Ch14 But he's just jealous they wanted to talk to me not him
Finished the day by inviting a couple of people in the parque to church on Sunday.
Elder Silva and I play a game where every time we see a blue Volkswagen bug, the first person to see it punches the other. The first time we both saw one we were so in sync that we reacted so quickly that we punched each other's fists, giving us a massive fistbump hahah
Saturday
Woke up and ran
Attended seminary with about 6 other kids of different ages. Talked about the armor of God and the title of liberty in Alma 43-48.
Spent a lot of time going over Novo Missionário things
For lunch we went to Pix, as usual if we don't have a member lunch. Anyways, I accidentally ordered a whole liter(litre) of Coke, instead of a can(lata). Problem is, the restaurant needs the glass bottle of the coke back, and my companion doesn't drink soda. I had to drink the whole thing by myself.
Walked an hour to a member's house, who brought a nonmember for us to speak with. We ended up giving her a lesson about prayer, the scriptures, and church, gave her a Book of Mormon, and gave her a priesthood blessing for the sick.
Contacted people as we walked the hour back, and went shopping for things before Sunday.
Met up with a member family in the parque and gave the father a blessing of comfort and his daughter a priesthood blessing. Using up all our consecrated oil!
Roasted marshmallows on our stovetop until bedtime hahah
Sunday
We woke up and had to get ready fast because the other missionaries needed the baptismal font clothing that we had for a baptism they were holding!
Spent a couple hours at the church studying before it started.
After church we got home then hustled to lunch with a member family. She stuffed us full, gave us each 3 Texas Burgers, abacaxi juice, and four cups of jello with leite condensado. YUM. Elder Silva made me share a message with them after, so I just stuttered through my mission scripture (Alma 26:12) and gave my testimony. I can't wait to learn more of the language so I can actually tell people what I know and what I want to tell them.
Afterwards, we hustled to Gabi's house but she wasn’t there.
We then had to book it to the bus stop to attend Sister Hunt's “Encontre Cristo” meeting, where us missionaries sang a bunch of songs and testimonies were given by newly converted members. It's beautiful. Got to see Elder Kelly, who is in my Zone, and Elder Brady, who is not. Elder Brady is in my same shoes: interesting living space, a trainer with no English, etc. Kelly on the other hand, has an American trainer, and is living with another companionship. It's super interesting to see, haha. We all walk A TON
Got home after a stressful car ride (it's always stressful in a car or bus, it's a 50/50 change we hit something lol)
Had the biggest nosebleed of my life in the shower, which was annoying. I need to be careful blowing my nose in the shower lol
Monday
Woke up, ran, studied
We went to the store to buy ingredients for Chicken Stroganoff, apparently I'm naive and you don't just want water to boil your rice, you have to make it taste good haha. We added carrots, onions, and garlic. To the chicken we put it with onions, creme de leite, a ton of mustard, and a ton of ketchup. Sooo good!!
Walked to go visit Gabi and we had a good conversation with her, (we meaning her and Elder Silva) about her experience praying aND reading the LdM!! She prayed and read, she felt peace after the prayer, and we let her know that was the Holy Ghost! Read Moroni 10:3-5 with her and invited her to continue reading in 1 Nephi 8!
After returning home, we baked a cake (bolo) for our next appointment! Cakes are weird here. Kind of gelatinous.
Before we took the cake to Irmã Fatima we walked about half an hour to ainvestigators's bar, we're we ended up teaching about 6 people, one of whom was very drunk haha. I had the opportunity to share my testimony and I think they liked it!
On the way back, Elder Silva talked about all the different folktales in his home country, on the coast of Brazil. Crazy stuff! A gigantic snake called Baitatá that sets itself on fire and eats people, a horse with fire for a head, mermaids, Amazonian pink dolphins that turn into humans at night, go to the bar, get ladies pregnant and go back to the water lol.
We got home, and right before we left for Irmã Fatima, we received TWO online references!! We started praying for them this past Saturday, and there is no eay we got TWO so quickly!! MILAGRES
While we were leaving the house, a seemingly homeless man called out us us from the other side of the street. “Elders!” Turns out he was a member of the church, but had become addicted and drank. He had his arm in a sling, and it looked dislocated. We talked for a bit, and he asked for a Book or Mormon. I had one in my bag, so I gave it to him. He flipped through it, like he knew every chapter. Elder Silva and I decided to go to the store across the street and buy him a drink and snacks. We did, but when we came back outside, he was nowhere to be found.
Irmã Fatima… man that was terrible. We baked her a tres leites cake, and I was doing well understanding her questions. However, I pronounced one word wrong and it all went sour. She made me read Mosiah 4:9-13 and everytime I mispronounced a word, she made me restart the verse. After, she had me sing solos out of the Portuguese Hino book. She enjoyed my voice, just not how I pronounced the words. I challenge you to try to sing “Count your many blessings” in Portuguese. Do it. She ridiculed me all night, I was so stressed that I couldn't finish the prayer, so she took over and berated Elder Silva about not teaching me to pray. I had a hard time, because I understood what she was saying, but I don't know how to respond to her questions. This is hard. So hard. I felt helpless and frustrated.
We left, and when we got to the door of the little stairs leading to our small apartment, a weak voice called out, “elders!”. The injured homeless man was across the street, sleeping in the corner of a shop. I still had the drink and snacks we bought for him so we went over. He was covered in recent vomit, and the ground around him was swimming in it. We felt so bad for him. We gave him the food, invited him to church, so he could find help
Spiritual Thought
For my Spiritual Thought, I want to share an excerpt from "Jesus the Christ" by Talmage. This chapter is very intriguing, as I have been more susceptible to seeing the miracles of God all around me. As I marvel of the faith of the members and investigators I see throughout my day, both poor, poorer, and well off, my definition of miracles has changed drastically. I urge each one of you to change your definition of "miracles" from a drastic and unexplainable phenomenon, to simple things seen everyday that protect us, help us, teach us, and so on! Seek to find miracles daily.
Chapter 11 - "From Judea to Galilee", last two paragraphs in "Miracles in General" before the Notes of Chapter 11. If you want better context, read the "Miracles in General" section.
"In the contemplation of the miracles wrought by Christ, we must of necessity recognize the operation of a power transcending our present human understanding. In this field, science has not yet advanced far enough to analyze and explain. To deny the actuality of miracles on the ground that, because we cannot comprehend the means, the reported results are fictitious, is to arrogate to the human mind the attribute of omniscience, by implying that what man cannot comprehend cannot be, and that therefore he is able to comprehend all that is. The miracles of record in the Gospels are as fully supported by evidence as are many of the historical events which call forth neither protest nor demand for further proof. To the believer in the divinity of Christ, the miracles are sufficiently attested; to the unbeliever they appear but as myths and fables. To comprehend the works of Christ, one must know Him as the Son of God; to the man who has not yet learned to know, to the honest soul who would inquire after the Lord, the invitation is ready; let him “Come and see.”"
I also highly recommend reading Note 7
I love you guys. It's very difficult here, where I can't express my love for the people and for the Savior in a language I don't know. I will learn, in God's time, with rigorous study and prayer. I promise I'm working hard!
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