35 New Investigators!!

So...we found the hippies and bought earings!

This week we found 35 new investigators (thanks to the family of 10 we found during the week...cousins, siblings, uncles, all living in the same house.) What we´re having to sort out is how to turn these new investigators into progressing investigators and eventually into baptisms. We as missionaries love the gospel and now we need to help others love the gospel too!

. . . We found some investigators this week that we feel will really progress well in the gospel! Two of our investigators that I started teaching with Sis. Santos are Polyana and Ana Paula. They are sisters that both work and study in the medical field. I´ve been visiting them once a week for over 2 months, but for some reason didn´t feel that we should stop visiting. Well...patience and listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost pay off! Last Sunday Polyana went to church and this Sunday Ana Paula came! They both want to attend the General Conference sessions next week! I know that the Holy Ghost will testify to them that the Thomas S. Monson and the other leaders in the church are called of God to lead the church.

I´m greatful the experiences that I´m having here in the field...and I´m constantly reminded that everything depends on obedience. Even if I don´t understand why I have to do something a specific way or why a certain rule is important, the thing that matters is that I put my faith in the rule of obedience...that when we obey we can receive the blessings!

I think I already told you this, but the members have a hard time with my name, so the majority of them call me Sister Sorriso, which translates into Sister Smile. It was perfect when we found a toothpaste brand with this name!

A Wonderful Trio!!

I think you can imagine, but this week has been exhausting! I´m worried about my "novinhas", our investigators, our recent converts, our less actives, our weekly branch activities...wow! I´m learning a lot about prioritizing, always keeping things (especially my study desk) organized, and even things are rough keeping a smile on my face. Nobody wants to talk to a missionary that lets the stress show.

This past week Sis. Chipman and I went to pick up the newest sister in the mission...Sister Silvera! Pres. Prieto told us that we are going to be training the future leaders in the mission. A lot of the powerful missionaries are finishing up their missions and returning home...it´s time to get a new generation going. It´s a big responsablility, but I know that I´m up to the challenge!

I´m super impressed with the work of Sister Silvera. She has less than 1 week in the field, but she is hard worker! All I can say is that I was a little nervous to be the senior in a trio with 2 new sisters, but it´s proving to work out great! I love my sistas!

We had a bummer week in regards to numbers. Our golden investigator had to travel emergency out of the city and with general conference next week she now has to wait 3 more weeks before she can be baptized...gah!

One thing that I think is funny...when I first arrived in the field I HATED knocking on doors...but now, I LOVE it! You get to teach right then and there and you know exactly where your investigator lives. We spend a lot of time looking for the addresses of people only to find out that the address doesn´t exist, or they moved. It´s more effective for us to knock doors...so we´re going to be doing more door contacts!

My companions have such a great attitude about doing the Lord´s work and we get along really well! I´m really loving training and serving with such special sisters! I really do love this gospel and I love helping other people find the answers they are looking for. The gospel answers ALL the questions our investigators have and the Holy Ghost confirms that what we´re teaching is true.

Sis. Chipman had to fix her eyeglasses, so while
she was waiting, Sis. Silvera and I took advantage of
the situation. So stylish!

Where we spend most of our days--on the streets
of Rio Verde.

Novinha!!

An apartment complex named after Erika!!!!

I bet you´re just dying to know how transfers went. Well...like President Prieto said, I was suprised...and more than just a little. I got a phone call this morning from our Zone leader and he said that no one was going to be transfered from our zone. I´m staying in Rio Verde with Sister Chipman! He then added that Sis. Chipman and I need to catch a bus to Goiânia tomorrow so I can pick up my “novinha.” Yup... I´m going to be training again!!!! I was super suprised and still can´t believe it. This puts a TON of pressure on me because I´m going to be in the field with the 2 newest sisters in the mission. We´re going to be a trio instead of a companionship and I know I´m going to learn a lot. Just when I think that I´ve dealt with the hardest part of the mission (training an American) the Lord throws me a curveball and now I´m training an American and a novinha! I´m really greatful for the opportunities I´m having here on the mission to learn and grow and I know that I´m going to give it my all; President Prieto is really trusting in me to turn these sisters into powerful missionaries. It really is a little overwhelming, but I know with the Lord´s help I´ll be able to live up to the expectations of both President Prieto and Heavenly Father. (Keep me in your prayers!)

But I´m super excited to be staying in Rio Verde! We have a few people that are progressing SUPER well and for sure will be baptized this transfer. The members here are amazing and I love all of them! Sis. Silvera is going to love it here...oh my novinha is Sis. Silvera and I think she´s from São Paulo...we´ll find out quarta-feira (Wednesday).

This past Sunday we had 6 investigators at church. The best part was that 3 of them came on their own and the other 3 were brought by members. Nuria brought one of her friends that is deaf. But she had to leave after the sacrament was passed...which meant I was left to “interpret” for her friend. Ya. Maybe it´s a good thing that I talk a lot with my hands, and it´s even better that he knows how to read. I wrote down key phrases the speakers were saying and showed it to him. It was going pretty well until one speaker told a story about how geese fly in a “V.” How do you describe geese? I don´t know that word in Portuguese and I didn´t understand what word the speaker was using. Oh well. I think he got the gist of the talks and liked the fact that at least I was trying to help him out. But super great that Nuria is sharing the gospel with others!

Take note that I´m getting over my fear of bugs. After killing 5 cockroaches last week, I think I´m getting the hand of living in Brazil. I learned that you need to kill them on the first try...kill them before they run or fly, because they run/fly super fast

The girl in this photo is my twin. We were born on the same day in the same year! She got her mission call to Curitiba and is reporting the CTM this week. She liked my jumper (Note: Erika made her jumper) so much that she borrowed it and had an Irmã in the ward sew one for her...twinners!

Visit By Elder Godoy

This week is transfers and everything is up in the air. We have 2 baptisms marked for the weekend after transfers and I am hoping that I can stay long enough to see our 2 investigators baptized

Last week we had the priviledge...priveledge...privelidge (I´m forgetting english...all these words are suddenly super hard to spell)...last week we were blessed to listen to Elder Godoy. He´s a member of the first quorum of the 70 and is part of the presidency for the area of Brazil. He spoke about some of the changes that are happening in ALL the missions in the entire world. . . . that missionaries will be staying in their areas for longer periods of time. The average missionary will stay in one are anywhere from 6-8 months. I asked Pres. Prieto if this means I can stay one more transfer in Rio Verde and his response left me super curious. He said that there is going to be one sister arriving in the field, so there is going to be an odd number of sisters and that he has a surprise that I´m going to find out about before 15 de September. GAH!!! I´m not good with these kind of suspense/surprises!

The conference was great and I took a bunch of notes about what he said. I love listening to servants of the Lord speak, because you can feel the spirit testify about everything they say. During the meeting I was the music director. They originally asked me to play the piano...but I quickly shot that idea down, and they settled to let me conduct.

We had lunch after the conference and then they announced that there were going to be a few missionaries who would be interviewed. They called my name and the name of my zone leader. I thought...yes! I can ask Pres. Prieto more about this surprise he´s preparing...but I was surprised when I entered the room to be interviewed and there was Elder Godoy!

Water balloons on Preparation Day

Cristus at the bus stop