Service Brings Love and Eternal Happiness

                                                                                                                    July 25, 2016

Hi Family!! 

 

So, I wanted to save more time to write you all in general this week!! 

 

My new companion, Sis. Hall

Sister Hall is an answer to my prayers!!

 

I had been praying that I could receive a companion this transfer who would really work well with me, and would be really obedient, and would really help strengthen me spiritually here in a difficult area.

 

Heavenly Father does more than just answer prayers because he not only gives us what we need, but teaches us why we need certain things in our lives. 

 

Enjoying pizza with Sister Hall

We have, as a companionship, decided to focus on serving more in this area. We are going around asking a lot of the Irmãs in the ward if we can serve them by helping around the house or any other service project they would like us to do for them. (except taking care of children haha)

 

They have actually been taken by surprise when we´ve asked them. Some of them I think were a bit offended because they generally take care of everything in their lives as moms and home-makers, but we decided to invite them to think of something that we can do for them to help them progress in their lives. Something that they don´t have time to take care of in their lives that they have been pushing off to the side.

 

We are in the middle of creating a calendar of service for the month of August, and we are going to show it to all of the Irmãs in Relief Society this Sunday. 

What I love about Sister Hall is that she talks with EVERYONE about the Gospel. She´s always finding an opportunity to teach about our Savior or the miracle of the restoration of the Church in a contact, and we made it a goal to really teach people on the streets (to slow down a little bit more in our contacts on the streets) and try to understand what their needs are. We have actually been able to find more people who live in our area, and we have been able to mark more commitments with them during the week because of that. This is pretty huge because we normally don´t have a lot of commitments planned during the week in this area. Everyone is generally in a rush, but they stop to listen to us when we stop to talk with them about the pure love of Jesus Christ, and they generally stop to talk to us when they recognize that we are servants of the Lord.

 

We have been a lot happier and a lot more successful this week as we have focused on serving more people. Simply just asking someone if they need help carrying groceries on the street helps someone gain more trust in us. Just hand-washing someone´s dishes during the day really makes the world of a difference in someone´s perspective of us as representatives of Jesus Christ. It´s amazing how Jesus Christ came to this Earth to serve. There really wasn´t any other motive to come, but to serve each one of us, and serve our Father in Heaven. 

Yesterday, a young man who has been less inactive for a long time named Cawei came to Church. We haven´t been able to find him in his house, but one Saturday night when we worked with a young man named Nicholas (a member of the ward), a miracle occurred, and we entered into his home, and found his uncle (who isn´t a member) and him in his house. Cawei really didn´t want to let us in because I think he was tired of the Church, but his Uncle named Marcos shouted out to us from inside of his house, ´´Vocês gostariam de fazer uma oração para a minha família? Estamos precisando de oração´´ He wanted us to pray in his house, so we walked in, and found his parents (who live in another area of the mission) and Marcos, and we taught them about the Atonement of Jesus Christ that night. Cawei participated, and he said that to him, the Atonement of Jesus Christ represented a ressurrection for each one of us.

 

We testified of the Atonement, and closed our message, inviting them to learn of the Restoration of the Gospel in another visit, and Nicholas offered to walk to church with Cawei the next morning. Marcos had to work yesterday, but this next Sunday he gets the day off, so hopefully everything works out alright. 

We have been having a lot more success in this area just from focusing on serving others. When we serve, we find love. When we find love, we find an eternal happiness.

Yesterday in Church I learned from another mission president that true conversion comes from living the Gospel, and not just talking about it. 

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

 

Have a wonderful week!!!

 

You Can Pray to Overcome Temptation

                                                                                                              July 18, 2016

Hi family!! So I quickly wanted to write you all to tell you I love each and every one of you!!

This past week, Vilma marked a visit with us, and we taught her about how to recognize the Spirit. Satan is really testing and trying her faith, and trying to convince her not to read the Book of Mormon, so we told her that she can pray to overcome temptation. She loved our message of the Restoration so much that afterwards, she put the front cover of a pamphlet we left her (The Savior with a lamb in his arms) up on her wall in her house. She says that every time she looks at it, she feels peace and comfort. She asked for two more of our pamphlets with the picture of Christ on it just because she needed to find more peace in her life. She is the sweetest lady, and she just wants to stay in one secure place in her life.


So, yesterday was our transfer call day, and there have been some changes in the mission!! Sister Oldroyd has been called to train a new sister in the mission, and she will be serving in a more rural area called Caucaia. The people there are super humble. Hopefully one day I get to serve there :).





My companion, Sister Oldroyd is in yellow on the left 

I will be staying in Ferreira as a Sister Training Leader with Sister Hall. From what I have heard, now there is only one Sister Training Leader per set of missionaries, so I think I´m still a Sister Training Leader? I´m not really sure, but from now on there are only going to be 4 sister training leaders in the entire mission instead of 8. 

LOVE YOU ALL!! Have a fantastic week!!



We must listen with love, to discern by the Spirit

                                                                                                               July 11, 2016

Hi family!!!! How are you all doing??

As missionaries we often get to participate in service opportunities.
Below is a picture of us helping Irma Eduarda and her daughters with a service project.

A service project with Irma Eduardo and her girls.

So, this past week, a miracle happened. On Tuesday night, a woman named Vilma stopped by the chapel before our English Class, and told us that she had woken up that morning and decided she would visit the Church. I had talked to her several times on the street before that day, but I had vaguely remembered her. I just remember that every time I talked to her on the street, she said, you already talked to me about the Church, smiled politely, and walked away in a rush. She said that it was because of our persistence to talk to her, that she decided to visit the Church, and she said, that it wasn´t for a cause or by chance that we had talked with her several times about the English Class on Tuesday night and church meetings Sunday mornings.

So, on Tuesday night, she couldn´t stay to participate in our English class, but directly asked us about baptism and what our Church´s stance is on it. I then told her that we choose to be baptized when we have a desire to become like Christ, and that as missionaries, we teach some lessons and invite others to come closer to Jesus Christ by making some changes in their lives to become like Him. I said, that generally, the greater the desire we have to come unto Christ, the more of a desire we have to be baptized like He was, by someone who holds Heavenly Father´s authority to baptize us. Baptism is a natural step in Heavenly Father´s plan for each one of His children.

 

We then made an appointment to visit her the following morning when she had more time, and so on Wednesday morning we taught her of the Restoration and the Book of Mormon, and invited her to be baptized, but she was a bit hesitant to accept our invitation because she thinks that every church just wants to gain another ´´number´´ in their congregation. We instead told her of our true purpose to help her increase her faith in Jesus Christ and become like Him.

This Wednesday morning we are going to return and see if she read the Book of Mormon and prayed to know it is true. Unfortunately, she wasn´t able to come to Church this past Sunday, but I have faith that she will this next Sunday. Persistence really pays off here in the area, and the Lord truly blessed us with one of his elects.

 

Speaking of Sunday, yesterday Sister Oldroyd and I sang Read Ponder and Pray in Portuguese and in English. The Spirit was so strong in the meeting and it was wonderful!.




We often get invited to brunch with families from the Ward. The pictures below are with the Jefferson family who sent the pictures to our families. 

Sweet treats for brunch

We can't wait to dive in!!

We love visiting with the Jefferson family!

Also, this past Saturday, we had the opportunity to BRUNCH with another Brasilian family, and they served us homemade waffles with nutella, whipped cream, and strawberries, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, scrambled eggs, and other sweet treats. It reminded me of dad's yummy breakfasts and I couldn´t help but think how much I want to eat dad´s homemade waffles with maple syrup when I get home.

Afterwards, I shared the message, and for some reason that morning I was thinking about their family, and a general conference talk from April came into my mind to share with them about a pattern of peace.

To prepare for the brunch message, I decided to study it in my personal study, and I learned that when we think of Jesus Christ, read about his life, learn of him, and walk in his footsteps, we don´t need to fear in this life. That we can really have more peace in our lives if we just stop to think about Jesus. I shared with Irmã Fabiana and her husband this message from the general conference, and suddenly Fabiana began to cry until she left the room. Her husband then told us that Fabiana´s dad had past away that week.

 

I remember feeling the Spirit so strongly in their home. Fabiana then returned to the room, and I decided to share with her a scripture of how the Sting of death is swallowed up in Christ, and I know that Heavenly Father had guided my personal study by the Spirit to help touch Fabiana´s heart. The Spirit is the teacher, and we are simply instruments in Heavenly Father´s hands to bring the Spirit to the hearts of His children.

 

I love feeling the Spirit testify to me of the gospel truths that I am teaching--when it confirms to me that what I am teaching is true, I know that am teaching in the way that Heavenly Father would have me teach his children. I have recently better understood that when I listen with love, I can better discern by the Spirit what Heavenly Father would have me teach. 

 

I love you all so much!! Have a wonderful week!! And know that Heavenly Father prepares miracles. Like humble President Thomas always says, His will is greater than our will. 2 years or 1 and a half is a small amount of time to sacrifice our will to His.

 

Amor, Sister Harris

Welcoming our new Mission President

                                                                                                                   July 4, 2016

 

So, I really don´t have a lot of time to talk to you all, but I just wanted to express my love for each one of you. You are all role models because you are all so Christ-like, and everyone strives to be like Christ.

I just want to tell you all that we received a new President, President Thomas this week, and his sweet wife, Sister Thomas, who is from Hawaii, and their 17-year-old daughter as well, named Emily.


 

 

Gathering as Sister Training Leaders to welcome Pres. and Sister Thomas to the mission.
 

 





We sang a welcome song to President and Sister Thomas

  

It was a bitter sweet experience saying goodbye to Pres. Del Guerso. Let´s just say I cried a lot.

But as for the New President, because he lives in our area, we have been getting to know him and his wife and daughter real well, and I´ve had to translate a lot for Sister Thomas. It´s been really difficult to speak in English, but I´m adjusting. 

 

I´ll write more next week!! LOVE YOU!!!

We Must Choose to Have Faith and Hope!

Oi Family!!!                                                                                     June 27, 2016

First off, I just want to tell you all how grateful I am to be here in the mission. How grateful I am to be in this area, where I am learning so much about faith.

Without faith, we don´t have hope. And without hope in life, we can´t move forward or progress.

Without faith in my Heavenly Father to help me serve in this area, I would get discouraged because sometimes it's very difficult to see the results or the effects of our work here in Ferreira.

We need to choose to have faith and hope TODAY because the sooner we do so, the sooner we see the Lord´s hand in all aspects of our lives!! 

I forgot to tell you all last week of an investigator that came to church, named Silvia. She is an architect, and a college architect teacher, and is super smart. I unfortunately haven´t taught her yet because the last time my companion and I taught her, we went on splits, and I helped another sister out in Macedonia. But she is super sweet and wise, and she loves reading. Last Sunday we gave her a Book of Mormon, and she said she was going to read it, and this week we are going to visit her with a member of the ward who is a lot like her.

 

She unfortunately didn´t go to church yesterday, but she came to a Ward Activity Saturday afternoon with her husband called "Festa de Junina," (June Party) which is a traditional party in Brasil that happens before school gets out in June.

 

I´m not really sure how to explain it in English, but the activity was really cool. We ate a lot of different types of cake, and rice pudding/another type of pudding with corn in it. What I really liked about the activity was watching Silvia, and her husband, Eduardo, smile and dance the night away. This week, we are going to try to mark Silvia for baptism.
 

Elvira, a super cute lady in our Ward 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying churrasco, a seasoned grilled meat at the Festa Junina

 

I want to tell you all a quick story...

 

Yesterday, we ate lunch with an Irmã  of the Church who looks a LOT like Sister Israelsen (from Young Womens), and her husband and two kids. Her name is Rosangela, and her husband´s name is Sydney. Rosangela had prepared lunch for us late after the activity on Saturday night, and early Sunday morning so that everything could be just about ready to eat after church Sunday afternoon. Rosangela was just frying pre-prepared chicken and heating up sauce for our noodles before lunch when her husband caught her by surprise, and told her that Antonio, an inactive member who he was talking to that day by text message, told him that he and his family would just buy lunch in a restaurant that day because they didn´t have food in their home to make on Sunday. Sydney immediately invited him to eat lunch in their home with us that day, and told his wife to prepare more food for Antonio and his two kids. Rosangela, without one word of complaint, immediately began to prepare more noodles and chicken for Antonio´s kids, and we helped her out in the kitchen. She and her husband fully welcomed Antonio and his kids into their home, and helped him feel really important. He had recently separated from his wife, and fell away from the Church because of this.

 

At the end of the visit, we shared a message about Christ´s atonement, and shared the video, Because of Him, with him and his family. Rosangela and Sydney bore their testimonies of how, because of him, we can choose to begin to change now. We don´t have to wait for tomorrow to arrive. We can turn our lives around at any time or in any circumstance of our lives, and He will help us progress throughout every step of the way. Rosangela was baptized 4 years ago, but she has a stronger testimony of the gospel than many people who have grown up in the Gospel. She bore her testimony with the Spirit that Christ gave us an infinite amount of opportunities to change. I got emotional at the end of the message as I too bore my testimony of how we don´t need to suffer in this life because we have a Savior. We can choose his teachings, His counsel, His example, and we can find happiness. We don´t have to wait for tomorrow to change. 

 

This morning I read a general conference talk about how we need to choose now to help our brothers and sisters come unto Christ. We can´t delay because circumstances can get worse. We have to help out and serve our brothers and sisters without thinking about ourselves.

 

Yesterday, I learned of a valuable lesson from Rosangela and Sydney. They immediately went to the rescue when a friend was struggling in his testimony of the gospel. Without complaint, without thinking about their own needs or if they had enough food to put on the table, they served their dear brother in need. And, by the way, at the end, there was a ton of food left over, and so Rosangela sent us home with pasta. Rosangela and Sydney allowed the love of Christ, charity, enter into their hearts, and helped someone rekindle their testimony of the gospel.

 

I´m so grateful for the examples of the members here in this area. They have some fear to invite others to church or to activities, but they absolutely do not have fear to serve.

 

I love you all so much!! Have a wonderful week!! You are each in my prayers!! Remember that Christ loves you all!! 

P.S. Theo, there is a member in my ward who is a professional surfer, who is exactly LIKE YOU. I´m not even joking. He makes the same jokes as you, looks like you, and laughs like you. And he´s an adventure-man like you. He also has the same kindness about him like you. :)

We Value Teaching!!

                                                                                                             June 20, 2016

HELLO FAMILY!!!

 

So, I spent way too much time sending pictures, but today I had the opportunity to go to a super cheap market that sells a ton of cool stuff, called the vinte-cinco de Marco (25 de Março), and I returned pretty late. Last p-day,

I had the opportunity to cut Sister Oldroyd´s hair in layers (it was SUPER long), and that was fun. But I just love being with Sister Oldroyd. She´s a ball full of energy, and is always helping me have hope and joy in this mission.







 

 

I want to share a few pictures of the beauty of Sao Paulo...




 Also, we have had the opportunity
to teach English to a group of students every Tuesday night.




















Here is one of our best students.

This area in Ferreira is pretty hard because we are still trying to enter into homes during most of the day, and we only get about one chance to teach someone per day if we are lucky.

This area has really helped me value little things like teaching. This past week, I went to another area in the mission to help another dupla of sisters out as a Sister Training Leader, and we had a ton of opportunities to teach in her area.

I really found so much love for the other sister I helped out in her area. 

I have to go! But know I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

From Portuguese to English

                                                                                                         June 13, 2016

Hello Family,

I just want to tell you all that I love you and that I'm settling into my new area...

Here are a few pictures from the church site with the Sister Training Leaders. 

When I was being picked up from the church office to my new area in Ferreira, an American Irmã picked me up, named Bridget, and she doesn´t speak a lot of Portuguese, so I had to speak English the entire time. It´s really interesting because here in this part of Brasil, in our Ward, there are a lot of American families and they use headsets to hear the translation of the sacrament meeting in English. We had dinner with Bridget one night, and we taught her and her family a message about the Book of Mormon in English. It´s really strange to revert to English, and to force myself to talk in English. It´s funny because Bridget told me that I have a British accent in English....oh no, what is Portuguese doing to me? 

 

Also, when I arrived in her house to eat dinner with her family, I had a lot of trouble remembering to speak English, and a lot of her kids whispered to each other, ´´Is she American?´´. 

Haha, wow, it´s difficult to speak English, but I´m really working on it!

Another funny experience: Saturday afternoon, I received a call from the secretary of the Ward, and he asked me to give a talk in Church. This has never happened to me yet in the mission, so I was taken by surprise. So, yesterday, I gave a 15-minute talk in Portuguese about repentance. I trusted in the Lord with my Portuguese, and was able to feel the Spirit as I testified of the importance to repent every day in order to free ourselves of sorrow, and to use the grace of the Lord. Soon afterwards, in Gospel Principles Class, the teacher asked me to teach everyone about the steps of repentance because he had known I had studied up on it for my talk. Lets just say I feel REAL welcome here in Ferreira haha.

 

And, it´s really difficult to find new investigators here in this area because it is really upper class, and basically only has buildings with security in the front.



But on Saturday, we worked in a neighborhood that is the farthest neighborhood in our area, that is full of houses, and is a poorer part of the city, and ended up finding an eleita!! Her name is Claudia, and her two sisters are already members of the Church, and her nephew is serving a mission right now. She came up to us because of our mission tags, and began telling us that some of her family was part of the Church. She already had a Book of Mormon, and we shared a scripture with her from the Book of Mormon, and testified of its truthfulness. She is going to read more of it, and pray to know it is true. We taught her of baptism in the first visit, and she didn´t accept a date yet, but she said basically that if it is the will of the Lord to join the Church, she will. She is super Methodist, but has a huge desire to follow Heavenly Father´s will. A desire is all it takes to change.

 

I love you all, Please pray that this week we can be led to find some of Heavenly Father´s elect. In a really difficult area, we are going to rely a lot on the powers of Heaven. HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!!!

Transfer and New Calling

                                                                                                    June 6, 2016

Hello family!!! 

 

So, last night was one stressful night because it was the night of the transfer calls, and so every missionary waits anxiously to find out what will happen with them. You literally have to teach someone in order to not focus on the cell phone in your bag. Everyone was telling me how I would be transferred for Ferreira to be a Sister Training Leader, and I really doubted it. Normally, when Presidente Del Guerso is calling a Sister to be a Sister Training Leader, he calls early in the day (about 4:30 or 5 oclock in the afternoon).

 

However, he hadn´t called, so I relaxed, and said to myself, phew, I won´t have a hard calling this transfer. It´s all good. However, the President´s Assistant later called us, and asked me if the President had already talked to me. I then said no, hung up the phone, and began to be nervous. It was almost 7 oclock at night, and the assistant called again, telling us that the President had called us earlier in the day several times, but we weren´t attending his calls. We then told the assistant that we hadn´t received any phone calls from the President. 

 

Later, the President called from the mission office, calling me to be Sister Training Leader, and to tell me that he was in an area that didn´t have any service when he tried to call me. What a crazy night. 

So, I was transferred to Ferreira, which is closer to the São Paulo Temple, and my new companion is Sister Oldroyd, from Utah. My companion, and practically everyone else in the mission, guessed right. I was the only one who tried to deny this reality. 

 

Apparently, from what I´ve heard, almost everyone in Ferreira speaks English. It also has a Mr. Cheney´s cookie shop! WAHOO! #BLESSED. I hope I don´t have a hard time continuing to learn Portuguese in that area. 

Also, my companion, Sister de Oliveira, will continue working in Casa Verde with an American Sister, Sister Lockheart, who is wonderful, SUPER sweet, and I´m sure they will continue the work seeing and many miracles in this area. 

 

Yesterday, Isabella told us she was excited for her baptism June 19th, and so I´m sure she will be baptized on this day.

She is a young woman who only wants to do the Lord´s will, and she told us yesterday that she posted on her facebook the quote, ``Com fé no Pai, o inimigo Cae´´ --with faith in the Father, the enemy falls. 

She holds true to her standards, and she has a super strong testimony of having courage and trusting in the Lord.

 

Farewell to President/ Wonderful news of Baptism

                                                                                                             May 30, 2016

Hello Family,

I forgot to tell you all that at the end of June, I will receive a new President in the mission. I will
miss President and Sister Del Guerso and love them dearly.  

Sister Oliveira and I visiting the Temple

This past week we had a mission meeting, and afterwards, we were able to go the temple once again.
We were able to unite with Sister Del Guerso and President Del Guerso at the end of the session, and it was really a spiritual experience...

 

This morning, we had a farewell party for the two of them, and I remember feeling the spirit so strong

while singing our mission hymn to him with our entire mission for the last time.

I feel so much love for the humble man that President Del Guerso is. He has helped me so much in the times when I really needed to be reminded of Heavenly Father´s love for me, and has been like a father to each one of us. We celebrated with farewell videos from each zone in the mission, salgados, and cake.

 It was so fun to be with my entire mission, and see my old companions and friends. 
 

So fun to see Sister Cellurale and other great sisters!

 

Sister Covey and I have not been companions,
but have served together and come to be good friends.  
 





 How I love these great sisters!!

It was wonderful to see Sis. Caleira!

 

I will never forget my trainer Sis. Bezerra!

Sister Bezerra, my trainer and ´mom in the mission, will leave for Rio de Janeiro in one week, and we just cried together in the temple, telling each other how much we had learned in two transfers together in the mission. It was a sweet farewell.´

My companion, Sis. Oliveira!

We also had the chance to Skype the new mission president as an entire mission, and he seems like such a humble, caring man. He lives with his wife in California, and his name is President Thomas. His wife was super cute because she didn´t know how to speak a lot of Portuguese, but she and her husband almost cried as the entire mission sang the mission hymn to them, and we welcomed them to our mission. They are going to officially come to Brasil at the end of June, so I will have a new Mission President at the end of June.

 

Also, I'm happy to tell you that Esther was baptized this week!!!

She was baptized in warm water, and Sister Cellurale was able to attend her baptism.

 

The first time she went under the water, she slipped, but the second, she gained stability, and was completely baptized in the water. She then, like a child, doggy paddled a little bit in the water to make us laugh. She is 80 years old, but was baptized because she became like a child, and had softened her heart to Heavenly Father´s will. While receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday, the Bishop gave her a sweet blessing. He said that it is never too late to come to know the Savior in this life, and promissed her that she would be an example for her friends and family in the Church. 

The smile on Esther´s face after her baptism was priceless. 

Esther and Leticia both newly baptized 

Not too many people were able to attend her baptism because we held it early on Saturday morning, and this worried me a little bit, but an elderly woman, a member of the Church who became Esther´s friend, bore her testimony in Esther´s baptism, and said that angels were celebrating her special day round about her. The Spirit then touched my heart, and comforted me, telling me that a lot of friends attended Esther´s baptism, though I wasn´t able to physically see them. Angels on the other side of the veil are always looking out for us, and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are always celebrating with us when we choose to do what is right, and make sacred covenants with God.

Yesterday, because it was the fifth Sunday of the month, the Bishop taught the quorum and relief society together, and he spoke to us about three things we can do to receive blessings in this life.

1. Be EXACTLY obedient to Heavenly Father´s commandments. At times, for example, we are obeying the word of wisdom because we are abstaining from using drugs, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or black tea, but we are not exercising daily, or we are not eating foods that are healthy for our body. There are little details that are part of a commandment that we aren´t obeying, and this can cause us to lose out on blessings that Heavenly Father is willing to give us.

2. Pray Fervently--we need to pray fervently to overcome the natural man, and become, instead, a spiritual man. When we feel as though we shouldn´t pray, we need to pray. Prayer is a commandment in order to overcome temptation, and overcome our challenges.

3. Receive the Grace of Jesus Christ in our lives--Mosiah 3:19--we need to become like a little child in order to receive this power from on high . 

The bishop also spoke of how the most common promise that is given to us in the Bible is: ask, and you shall receive. We need to ask for blessings, believing that we will receive them with faith, and Heavenly Father, in in His own time and will, by Christ´s grace, will bless us. 

Have a wonderful week family!! LOVE YOU!!!!

Feeling Much Joy in the Mission!!

                                                                                                          May 23, 2016

 

Oi família!!! How are you all doing!! Can you believe it´s almost the end of May! Crazy how fast time flies in the mission! 

 

This past Saturday night Matheus was baptized!!  As we walked into the baptismal room, we saw a huge smile on his face, and he gave me a HUGE hug. I have never seen a young boy as happy as he was on the day of his baptism.

 

His mom, who is a member, gave the opening prayer, and his teenage sister, who has withdrawn from the church for quite some time, attended the baptism, and is being more and more receptive to returning to the Church.

 

  Whenever we teach Matheus in his house, she is always listening in another room and at times, responds to some of the questions we ask Matheus when he doesn´t know the answer. His sister´s name is Aline, and she has made huge progress, because in the past, when Sister Cellurale and I had arrived in the area, she didn´t even want to talk to us.

 

Now, she gives us hugs, and talks with us as if we´ve known her forever. I love being a part of the reactivation of members! 

Back to the baptism of Matheus: unfortunately, the gas of the baptismal font hasn´t been working, so Matheus was baptized in ice cold water. He had practiced bending his knees a lot with the member who baptized him (irmao renan), so he was an expert by the time he was actually baptized in the water. After he was baptized, he shivered a lot in the water, and Irmao Renan gave him a great bear hug in order to warm him up. It was the sweetest experience ever. I don´t know if I´ve ever been happier to see a child get baptized! The primary president bore her testimony to Matheus, and the Bishop told Matheus´ mom, who has struggled in the past to remain active, that her son was choosing to be baptized because of her decision to recently go to church every sunday.

 

Before Matheus´ baptism, he had interviewed Matheus and asked him what was the cause of his decision to be baptized. He told the Bishop that it was because of his neighbors (instructors of the MTC) who invited him to a family night, and taught him the importance of baptism; two young women, named Vanessa and Danielle, invited him to receive the missionary lessons from the Sisters. They had opened the heart of Matheus to being baptized again (remember that he had almost been baptized in the past, but had a lot of fear of water, and he had been baptized by his brother, who wasn´t able to support his weight). I know that without the members and their friendship and service, missionary work wouldn´t be possible. At the end of the baptismal service, we ate cake and brigadeiro, and celebrated Matheus´decision to be baptized. 

What happened before the baptism was a funny story. A member of the bishopric, who had planned to bring food at the end of the baptism, wasn´t able to make it to the baptism because he needed to travel for his job. He left money for us as missionaries to buy the food/supply everything, and we ended up knowing about this situation about 3 hours before the baptism. We then had to leave behind our plans for the day to proseltye, and go shopping for cake, plates, cups, utensils, napkins, soda, and anything else we could think of. We ended up buying cake, and making a frosting to put over it, and we ended up making brigadeiro as well (a sweet treat here in brasil). We almost arrived in the baptism really late because we received the news with short notice that we would need to organize the food/drink after the baptism. It was a bit stressful, but everything turned out alright. 

I forgot to tell you all that after a lot of persistence and a lot of faith, Donna Esther is going to be baptized this Saturday morning (the grandmother of Letícia). This month of may has been the month of consecration, meaning we are dedicating more of our time to missionary work as missionaries and members. We asked the members to participate in a 40-day fast. This basically involves one family per day that fasts for the purpose of missionary work, but 40 days in total of many different families fasting for the same purpose--that the work of the Lord can progress with ease. We have seen a lot of miracles in our area from the faith of the members, including the decision of Donna Esther to be baptized after 3 months of trying to convince her of the goodness of baptism.

Yesterday I was thinking a lot about faith, and we had learned about faith in the Gospel Principles class, but I realized that miracles only come from faith and sacrifice. Faith without works is dead. We can´t just hope we are going to receive a blessing from Heavenly Father or reach a goal in our lives without working towards it, and sacrificing another choice in its place. We can´t hope to obtain forgiveness without exercising faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and believing that He will wipe away our sin, and doing all we can do to never commit the same mistake again or avoid the bad habit. We have to have faith in Jesus Christ in order for His ´´sacrifice´´ to be valid. Faith always comes with sacrifice, and produces miracles. 

I love you all!! Have a wonderful week, and know I pray for you each and every day!!