We are seeing miracles!!!

                                                                                                                            Jan. 11, 2016  

Oi Familia,

 

Yesterday we had 7 of our investigators in Sacrament meeting!! What a blessing!! Robson, Wesley, Almerinda, José (Almerinda´s husband), and a mother and her two children who were investigators in the past that decided to return to Church all of a sudden
.

We have really been seeing miracles this past week. Sister Caleira and I have been trying to contact many referrals from other missionaries, from the mission office, and from members, and these referrals certainly have potential to be baptized.

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to contact a woman named Marinalva. She didn´t know where her keys were to unlock the front gate in front of her home, but we taught her a lesson about the Atonement of Jesus Christ outside of her home, and she kept expressing how grateful she was for our visit. We originally hadn´t planned to contact her yesterday, but we changed our plans a bit, and ended up finding her. She has a son who has some drug problems and she is really concerned. But I know that the Lord has been preparing her for our visits because of this trial she is going through right now.

We are going to teach her this Saturday. The minute Sister Caleira and I walked away from her home, we could feel the spirit rush from our head to our toes while talking about her, and how she will be baptized. 

 

This past week....a surprise happened!! KLEBER RETURNED!!! Kleber accepted a date to work towards for baptism--31 of January, but unfortunately every time we invite him to go to church, he has fears of what others will think of him--especially his parents. He is 23 years old, but has some  problems which make it difficult for him to get rid of some irrational fears of his. This week we are going to testify of the Atonement with him, and we are going to find a worthy Priesthood holder to give him a blessing of comfort so that he can understand the importance of the priesthood, and see that the authority of God was restored to the Earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. He still has some fears in regard to baptism, and how great of a step it is in his life, but he always wants to do what is right, and trusts in Heavenly Father much in his life, and because of this, he has much potential to be baptized soon. 

Almerinda hasn´t been reading the Book of Mormon lately, but VALERIA has been reading and reading and reading way more than we have left behind for her! One day we found Valeria walking in her neighborhood, and we asked her if she had read the chapter we left with her about baptism. She said she did, and she said that she had read many more chapters after it. I immediately was overcome with so much joy and felt the Spirit so strongly after talking to her shortly. We taught a lesson with a member who is about her age, and now Almerinda and Valeria know of the importance of being baptized as Jesus Christ was baptized--by immersion. They both were baptized as babies in the Catholic church, but they are willing to be baptized into the Church in order to follow Christ´s example. Almerinda is the cutest (older) lady! She could only stay with her husband yesterday for Sacrament meeting, but she loves the peace that is there in the meeting, and as she departed from the meeting, she grabbed my hand for the longest time, with a huge grin on her face. 

This past week Sister Caleira and I had the opportunity to teach a neighbor of a member here in Cotia. She doesn´t know how to read very well, but she has a heart of gold. We were teaching the Restoration to her for the first time this past week, and near the end of the lesson, she said that she could feel such a warm peace in her heart. I started to cry, and said that Sister Caleira and I could feel it too, and we testified that she (Marilene) was recognizing the Spirit. 

There have been so many tender mercies this past week I can´t even count them. 

This transfer we were given a challenge to have at least 3 baptisms and 1000 contacts, and that is what Sister Caleira and I have been working towards. We know it´s not going to be easy, but we are trusting in the Lord, and relying on him for strength in everything we do, and we know that everything is possible with His help. 

I love each and every one of you!! I pray for you each day, and I look up to each one of you as faithful disciples of God!! I have been so humbled this past transfer with the huge responsibility to train, but it has truly been a blessing. Sister Caleira is seriously my best friend. And when we teach together there is always a special spirit in the room. 

Have a wonderful week Family!! You are all amazing!! TCHAU! BEIJOS!!!

Feliz Ano Novo!!!! Happy New Year!!!

Feliz Ano Novo!! Happy New Year!!                                                            Jan. 4, 2016

                                                                                                                        

So....Here´s the news you´ve all been waiting for! My companion is from Portugal. Her name is Sister Caleira, and she is absolutely the sweetest person ever!!

 

 

She has a testimony that is so sweet and pure, and she is a lot like me in the way that she wants to work as hard as possible to have at least one baptism this transfer! I can honestly say that from how hard we have been working, we are going to exceed this goal with the Lord´s help.

 

Sister Caleira speaks Portuguese, but it´s a bit different--her accent is really different (a bit more nasally) than that of brasilians´, but she is the cutest girl ever!! 

 

This past week, I was faced with a bit of a shock when I received this calling, and I was thinking about how unqualified I was for it--how young I was in the mission to have such a grand responsibility placed on my shoulders, and I can honestly tell you that what has been getting me through each and every day is personal prayer, and your prayers and fasts!

 

Thank you so much for strengthening me by turning to the Lord in my behalf. To me, there is no better way to show your love for someone than to turn first to the Lord in sincere prayer for them. 

I have literally been strengthened in this calling, and from my companion. She is truly a blessing in my life because she has such a great desire to be obedient, to work hard, and reach our goal to find those are who are truly God´s elect and are ready to enter into the waters of baptism. 

                                                                                               

Yesterday morning was such a relief for me because two of our investigators--Almerinda, and her daughter, Valeria--a new investigator-- woke up at 7:00 yesterday morning, and were waiting in front of their house at 8:30 for us to walk with them to Church. They are absolutely the sweetest people ever, and Almerinda, who is about 60 years old, always offers us some food or drink when we visit her. We are going to teach Almerinda and Valeria again this Saturday with some members that are around their age, and hopefully all will go well!! Pray that they will be able to receive an answer to their prayers that the Book of Mormon is true!! Valeria has been reading the Book of Mormon, but Almerinda still needs to read by herself, so pray that she can complete her commitment to read this week!! 

As for other investigators, we taught Wesley yesterday about the Restoration, and we think that he feels a lot of pressure from his family to be baptized in the church, but we are going to teach him this next Sunday and follow up with him about the Book of Mormon and his response. Unfortunately, he didn´t go to Church yesterday because his whole family was sick. 

As for Robson, the husband of Irma Valmiria, he went to Church yesterday, and we had a family night with him and his family recently where we played a game in which each person of the family had to draw a name from a bucket, and say something nice about that person whose name they drew. I testified about you all, and about the importance of you all in my life, and I can tell that this game strengthened their family.

 

Well, I'm out of time, but just want to say I love you and appreciate your prayers!

 

Sis. Harris

Learning and Loving My Mission!!

                                                                                                                             Dec. 28, 2015

Transfers are here and my 12 weeks of training 

with Sis. Bezerra have been completed!!  

 

I will miss her and am so grateful for all she

has taught me!!!!                                                               

 

And the BIG NEWS IS....

 

I will be staying in Cotia!!

Yesterday, I received a phone call from the Assistant to the President, and the Elder asked me if I already knew I had a calling. I automatically replied no, shocked out of my mind, and he said yes, you received a calling Sister Harris. You have been called to serve as a trainer to a new Sister Missionary. Do you accept this calling??

 

So, I will be staying in Cotia, and I will be a mom--training a new sister missionary here in the field starting tomorrow! It´s funny because this past week I finished my last week of being trained (12 weeks in total), and now, I will have to use the same training material to train a new Sister! I don´t know if she´s brasilian, american, or hispanic, but I will find out tomorrow, and let you know the next week!!

 

 

 

 

 

There have been several thoughts running through my head. Let me tell you that it was more easy to say yes to the calling out loud on the phone than it was to accept it in my heart. Yesterday before the call of the transfer, I prayed that I would be able to learn a lot in this next transfer, and that I would be able to see more miracles in this next transfer with my new companion. I prayed that the Spirit would confirm the truthfulness and importance of this next change in my life after I received the news. Before the phone call, I felt the Spirit rush from my head to my toes several times, comforting me that everything would be according to Heavenly Father´s plan for me. After the phone call as well, I received another spiritual confirmation that the Lord needs me to work even harder this next transfer, and receiving this calling will surely push me to do just that. 

 

I know that the Spirit testifies of truth. The Spirit is truly a gift from God--it is our way of knowing that Heavenly Father is always watching out for us and strengthening us. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and I know that this calling to be a trainer in the field will allow my testimony to grow and my life to change for the better. 

 

A quick update from this week:

 

We had a division one day, so I got to work with Sister Santos, another Sister missionary in Cotia. 



A member fixed us some very yummy carrot cake!

 

We had to try on her very cool wig!

 

 

We taught a simple lesson to the family who saved us in the rain about the importance of choosing to act on our faith, and using our time wisely to come closer to the Savior (José and Almerinda), but the next Sunday we plan to teach the Restoration to them.  

This past Sunday Wesley, the son of a family who are recent converts to the church, came to Church, and we taught him a lesson about the Book of Mormon, and marked a day for him to be baptized (24 of January). His family has been preparing to be sealed in the temple, so it will be really neat if he is able to be baptized soon, and if he truly commits to our invitations to read, ponder, and pray about the Book of Mormon.

Another miracle: Robson, a non-member who is the spouse of a member named Valmiria, came to church on Sunday, and their situation is a bit complicated. They are not married, but Irmã Valmiria was baptized in the past without having a complete understanding from the missionaries about the law of chastity. She really wants to be married so she has the opportunity to enter into the temple, and so Robson and Irma Valmiria had an interview with the bishop yesterday after being in the ward for a long time, and we are going to follow up with her to know how the interview went. She has a heart of gold, and we as sisters ate dinner with her and her family on Christmas Eve (churrasco that I told you about). She has been through a lot with relationships in the past, but all she wants more than ever right now is to be with her family forever. 

 

I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!!! thank you for brightening my day via skype, and thank you for being my cheerleaders to lift me up when I get down on myself. Thank you for sending the sweet pictures of you all in florida!! What a fun trip!! have a wonderful new year family!! KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS!!!!

 

Sister Harris

FELIZ NATAL!!!!!

            Oi familia!! Feliz Natal!!!!!                                                                 Dec. 21, 2015




Sis. Bezerra and I love the Santa hats!!

Thank you so much for the Christmas presents!! I absolutely loved them!!!I will try to limit myself to how many Christmas sweets I eat per day, but just know that I am so grateful for them!! Also, thank you for the sweet letters you sent attached!!  And the musical Santa Clause letter. I love it!!!! Sister Bezerra loved the stocking and treats and especially the little dog ornament.         




Sister Bezerra's mom is a seamstress and made me this beautiful makeup bag filled with surprises. Feeling blessed!!

  

Feliz Natal! A very Merry Christmas to All!!!




 

   

I have limited time to write today because I have to finish up some missionary training, but I want to let you know that you are all so amazing!!! Each day I pray for you, and I cannot wait to see your faces on Friday!!!  

The long awaited gifts of missionaries! So excited to hear from their families!! 

This past week we had such a blessing happen in the rain. I learned a lot about working together, the power of forgiveness and how the Lord blesses us to feel more adequate. Earlier, Sister Bezerra and I had a bit of a misunderstanding in which I didn´t know that I had done something to offend her. Everything is okay now, but during this time I was really feeling down and didn't know how to fix it. I wasn't sure what I had done wrong and had asked her to forgive me. She was slow to share what was bothering her and how I could change.  I started feeling quite discouraged and inadequate, but ended up having a powerful experience Saturday evening while we were standing out in the pouring rain. We were leaning against a house which had a bit of a cover, waiting for the rain to lighten up for us to continue to visit other people. I remember standing off to the side, staring at the harsh rain, and beginning to sob. I thought that I had done my part by asking for forgiveness, and I still didn´t know what I had done wrong. Our commitment had fallen through with a recent convert the night of, and we were trapped with really nowhere to go. All of a sudden a car pulled into the driveway in front of where we were standing, and a young man of about 30 years old, asked if we wanted to at least stand in the garage away from the harsh rain. We did so, and soon, his dad asked if we wanted to take shelter in his and his wife´s house temporarily away from the storm. We sat in their house and we soon found out from asking questions that they had had the elders in the past teach their family, but it has been a long time since they have had missionaries there. Only Sisters work here in this area, at this time, so it has been a long time since there were elders. The 30 year old young man named Vagner, muttered to his parents that it wasn´t by chance that Sister Bezerra and I were standing in front of his home, and that the Lord had placed us there for a reason. Vagner has been having trouble finding peace in his home (the house above his parent´s home), and he asked if we could say a prayer to protect his home, and allow the spirit to abide in it. As Sister Missionaries, we have the neat opportunity to pray and dedicate homes as a place for the Spirit to abide and the family to grow spiritually. It is one Priesthood prayer we have the opportunity to offer, and use Heavenly Father´s authority to do so. Sister Bezerra had already offered a prayer of dedicating a house unto the Lord at another time in the mission field with me before, so for the first time I had the opportunity to do this for Vagner. I was a bit nervous at first, but the Spirit put into my mind the words that I needed in the prayer when I needed them. At the end of the prayer, Vagner was crying, and was extremely grateful for our visit. I could feel the presence of the Holy Ghost in his home after the prayer. Sister Bezerra and I became closer through this experience and were able to work out our differences. As we were feeling inadequate, the Lord blessed and strengthened us to fulfill His Work. I know that we just need to trust Him, and He will allow us to perform miracles under His guidance. We later shared a Christmas message with this family, and they were super warm and generous, telling us we could come by on Christmas day if we needed a place to stay. We are going to visit them again this week.

Also, Kleber and Sandro have travelled for Christmas, so we haven´t been able to teach them lately. As for Denise and Robson, they didn´t come to church this past Sunday, but we are going to work with them this week to do so. Sara as well didn´t come to Church this past Sunday. We are going to testify of the importance of doing so this week (tomorrow) with her. 

I love testifying of Christ during this Christmas season, and I absolutely love you all!!! Thank you for your sweet examples of love and kindness. I am so excited to see you all this Friday!!! 

This past week I had the activity of the mission in Caucaia with the entire mission Sao Paulo Oeste!! I played volleyball, had the opportunity to ride on a mechanical bull, and jump on the trampoline, and of course, eat amazing food!!

   

You can all see the fun we had during the activity on the below or on our Facebook page: Missão São Paulo Oeste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feliz Natal!! A wonderful Christmas memory I will not forget!!!

 

Faith is stepping forward every time we fall!

                                                                                                              Dec. 14, 2015

Oi Familia! Feliz Natal!!

Nativity Scene in front of the Temple

This past week, wow, Sister Bezerra and I saw a ton of miracles! We found a girl named Sara who was a contact we made on the street one day, and she had been really interested in knowing about the Church, so we gave her a tour of the Chapel, and she thought it was beautiful!! She first had curiosities about the Church because of the coworkers of hers here in Cotia who are Mormon, and we answered her questions/curiosities in a lesson of the Restoration this week!! She now has a Book of Mormon, and we marked a day for her to be baptized on the 27th of December as a goal to work towards as long as she keeps her commitments with reading the Book of Mormon. 

Sisters enjoying hamburgers and french fries for lunch

Yesterday, Karina wasn´t in her house the entire day, and unfortunately she will not be able to be taught until around January because of how busy her job is, so, fingers crossed I will still be here for the next transfer (Dec. 29) so that I can teach her and prepare her for baptism!! I know everything is in the lord´s time in relation to her progress in the gospel. 



As for Sandro, he didn´t go to Church yesterday, so he is no longer progressing unfortunately. We will have to mark another day for him to be baptized, or we will have to decide, if he is not progressing at all, if we are going to have to stop teaching him. As sad as it is, it is dangerous to keep an investigator for a long time who is not progressing because this may cause missionaries to lose precious time with those who are really prepared to hear the gospel. We are going to use the gift of discernment as a companionship, and be directed by the Spirit to know what to do when we teach him tonight.

 

With regards to Kleber, he as well didn´t attend Church yesterday, but he has some really difficult problems he is working to overcome with his mental health. We are trying to help him grow by putting the Lord first in his life. We read with him in the Book of Mormon about baptism and the doctrine of Christ, and so now he understands the importance of being baptized by the proper of authority. We just need to commit him to be baptized as soon as possible, and eliminate his fears with respect to what others will think of him, or what his family will think of him. His parents are very religious, and I don´t think they like us teaching him, but he persists in meeting with us often, which is good. We taught him two lessons this past week, and during one, the thought came into my head that what is in our heart is more important than our physical limitations. God works with our weaknesses in the very moment that we need strength, and works with us as we are now, strengthening us as we humble ourselves before him. In another lesson, an impression came into my mind as we were reading about the doctrine of Christ and becoming like children and being baptized in the name of Christ (3 Nephi 11). The repentance process is when we fall and get back up again, and faith is stepping forward every time we fall. Baptism is walking in a straight path into the arms of our Heavenly Father as a child. It is a demonstration of our faith (every step we take to come closer to our Savior, and thus our Heavenly Father). Our heavenly Father will always be there for us with outstretched arms--we just need to grab on to Christ´s Atonement and mercy, and keep moving forward in faith.

This past week we found a large family of 9--7 children!! Robson is the dad (pronounced Hobson), and Denise is the Mom. Robson came to church yesterday, but his wife had fears of going to Church because the moment Sister Bezerra and I left from teaching them a lesson about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, their neighbors entered their home, and spoke bad of our religion and of our teachings. Wow, at times it is so easy to see Satan working against us in this incredible work!! Robson does not have a job right now, and their family at times go without eating, but we testifed to Robson that if he puts the Lord first in his life, everything will work out for the better, and the lord will bless him. He liked the meetings at Church yesterday, and is going to help his wife and children come next week!! 

 

I know that the Lord loves each and every one of you!! He is so eager to answer your prayers of faith!! Have a wonderful week!! Até mais!!

 

COM MUITO AMOR

Sister Harris

We must experience pain and suffering in order to experience joy and happiness!

                                                                                                                 Dec. 7, 2015
Dear Family,

 

I´m really excited to know that everything went well with the German market, and that Theo, Bekah, Reuben, and Jade will be able to reunite as a beautiful family in Wisconsin!!!

I want to tell you all that I sent Christmas gifts for each one of you with a Sister in my ward!!! BE EXCITED!!!!! Hopefully Hilary will be able to pick them up in Orem before the 18th of December so you can all have a part of Brasil with you this Christmas!!!

I want to share just a few pictures of our multi-zone activity.

 

 

 

This past week Sandro accepted Baptism!!! At the beginning of the week, we taught him a lesson about baptism, faith, and repentance, and Sister Bezerra and I knew that the Lord touched his heart because he normally bible bashes, but this one night he chose to just listen, and let the Spirit sink into his heart. He hadn´t been reading the Book of Mormon, so we read with him in 2 Nephi 31, and he thought it was beautifully written. He is preparing for baptism on the 19th of December, Natal Branco (white christmas), the day when all the missionaries are scheduling baptisms for their investigators in order to have a great huge number of people baptized for Christmas in the mission. He didn´t attend church this past Sunday unfortunately because he had to take a test for college, but pray that he will this next Sunday!! A little bit about Sandro: Sandro is an investigator who is always smiling! He has a strong desire to learn more about Jesus Christ, and knows that repentance is a gift, something that is exciting and joyful, something to be cherished, and not something that is sad and burdensome. He always makes Sister Bezerra and I smile, and I remember at the end of the lesson, Sister Bezerra and I walked back home at night, jumping up and down with a huge grin on our faces because he had finally accepted baptism, and finally accepted the Book of Mormon!

This past week we also taught Kleber about the Plan of Salvation and about the Book of Mormon. It was really cool when he re-explained to Sister Bezerra and I the importance of having a plan of salvation and happiness in this life, and seeing the gears click in his head while teaching us what the plan meant to him. During the lesson I felt the Spirit testify to me of the importance of experiencing pain and suffering in order to experience joy and happiness in this life. Kleber has some fears about what other members of his congregation will think of him if he attends The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I told him that it is more important to have a love for God than a fear of man in this life. His testimony will depend on his answer that he receives if the Book of Mormon is true, and so we are going to follow up with him this week to see if he received an answer from Heavenly Father. 

As for Karina...we finally contacted her one night because a member was able to give us a ride afterwards in Colinas. She read parts of the Book of Mormon we left for her, and she handed us the book of mormon at the end, thinking it was something that she simply borrowed. She was shocked to know it was a present, and was extremely happy to know she could keep it! We are going to teach her this next Sunday because her work schedule recently has been more busy than usual. It was meant to be that we couldn´t find a ride in Colinas at night in order to teach her these past few weeks because her work schedule had changed to go past 10 o clock recently at nights. We are going to invite her to be baptized this next Sunday. 

This past week I had a few scary rejections while making contacts on the street. One lady was cold-hearted one day, and she asked many questions just to trip me up as to why I was here in Brasil when in the united states we already have the Church there, why brasilians need an american to come to Brasil to preach to them, and so on...She said that there wouldn´t be any day that the missionaries could share a message with her and her family, and at the end of the contact, I almost cried because I was so offended by some of the things she said. I soon said a prayer in my heart, however, thanking my heavenly Father for letting me experience rejection in order to see the goodness of acception in Brasil. Many people here love Jesus Christ, and are very accepting of missionaries, and I am sure grateful right now that I have the opportunity to serve here and find God´s elect amidst a crowd of people who are searching for a Savior. 

I love each and every one of you. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve. Every time I testify of the Atonement, I feel of the reality of it. I am so grateful for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is the only sacrifice that allows us to approximate closer to our Heavenly Father--to speak to Him, to return to Him, to Remember Him. 

Know that He is always listening to the thoughts and intents of your heart, and He knows each one of you personally--your strengths, your weaknesses, your deepest feelings. He can strengthen you in times of trial, and He is always there with open arms, ready to embrace us when we have success or fall on our knees in failure. 

I LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU!!!!!! TCHAU TCHAU!!!

BOA SEMANA!!!

Sister Harris

Let the Spirit Guide Our Steps

                                                                                                       Nov. 30, 2015

 

Hello family!!! I am so grateful for you all!! Thank you for sharing with me such wonderful experiences you had in Utah and with the family for Thanksgiving and Dad´s birthday!! 

 

This past week I learned the importance of not worrying so much about rushing, and instead letting the Spirit guide my steps. One day this past week, Sister Bezerra had to go to the doctor to get her eyes checked because she has an allergy to mold and also bad eye vision, and our house practically has a tree of mold inside of it. Anyway, I was paired with another sister in our house one day from Campinas, named Sister Limiro, and she told me something while we were walking together to a commitment with an investigator of her´s one day. She said that she had learned in the mission that many things aren´t going to go according to your plans normally, but that it´s more important to remain calm to have the Spirit. It´s better to have the Spirit with you and to walk slowly to a commitment that you are going to be late for anyway than to walk really fast and lose the Spirit just to be on time. One day, I put this principle to action when I was put in a situation where I needed to be patient with my companion. Sister Bezerra really wasn´t feeling well one day, and i decided to forget about the schedule and instead worry about her. I tried to call the names of people outside of their homes so that she wouldn´t have to hurt her voice while doing so, and I helped teach a full lesson when normally Sister Bezerra leads most of the lessons. It was amazing the difference of being patient made. I was able to feel of the Spirit more, not only in lessons, but between lessons, while walking and talking with Sister Bezerra. 

This week Sister Bezerra and I made more of an effort to make contacts with at least 20 people per day on the streets, allowing us to rest more on Sunday, and instead visit more recent converts and members, and teach more lessons on Sunday, keeping the Sabbath day as holy as we could as missionaries. One day, we found a young man named Kleber who has a strong desire to learn English haha. We already taught him the first lesson, but we´re going to give him a Book of Mormon tomorrow. During our first lesson with him, I was getting frustrated with the language, and kept apologizing for speaking the language wrong. Kleber said that the language is just a tool to communicate, and the Spirit reassured me, however, during the lesson, that the Lord speaks through one language--the whisperings of the Spirit, and only this is important.

Right now Daniel and Veronica are having trouble progressing because they aren´t reading the Book of Mormon. They have a date for baptism, but it´s likely to fail, unfortunately. We´re going to work with them this week to help them better understand that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion

This past week I learned of the importance of bearing testimony of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Every time I do so, I feel of Christ´s love for the investigator or recent convert or member I am talking to. The Spirit helps me adjust my words when I bear testimony of the Atonement to other people with respect to what Heavenly Father wants them to hear at that specific moment in time. The Atonement is infinite, yet very individual. Although we don´t understand it completely, there are several moments in our lives that only require the Atonement to lift us up to higher ground. I know that Christ lives. He loves each one of you! HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!!!!

Sister Harris