Gratitude For The Power of Fasting

So transfers have happened for a few people and others are still waiting...I´m one of the waiting.anyone.

I´ve been fasting and praying a lot this week so I could know what I needed to do to help the Lord´s work move forward. We have a lot of investigators, but only a few of them are progressing and the majority of them aren´t coming to church. We pass by on average 5 houses every Sunday before church, but out of these 5 houses, only one person ends up coming with us. I know that both the Lord and Presidente Prieto are trusting in me to help train these 2 sisters and I´m working super hard to have results. We´ve made goals (personal and in our trio) every week and we´re teaching with boldness, but last week I was (what´s the word in English) discouraged. I decided to fast until I received the inspiration I needed. There was no lightning bolt moment, but while we were teaching one of our investigators (Poliana) about the tree of life vision (yes I used the cut outs you sent) I applied what I said. We all have times of trials (mists of darkness) and it doesn´t necessarily mean that we´re doing anything wrong; what it means is that we´re being tested to see if we will keep holding on to the iron rod. It takes faith to keep going even when you don´t know what´s coming up ahead. Anyone can just give up, but the Lord doesn´t bless just anyone; he blesses those that prove themselves worthy of the blessing. Well...I´ve just kept going this past week and our investigator Poliana scheduled her baptismal interview for this upcoming Friday! Please pray that everything goes smoothly with her interview and with her baptism which is scheduled for 3:30 saturday!

I´m greatful for the power of fasting. It really does bless our lives and the lives of others.

The work is still going and I still love Rio Verde. I feel like my time here in this city is coming to a close, but at the same time I feel like I could stay here forever. It doesn´t matter where I´m
serving, what matters is that I´m doing the Lord´s work. I really love being a missionary!

We made chocolate lollipops for the elders in our zone and wrote their names

on each lollipop. It's my new favorite treat to make. . .
chocolate lollipops.

From last week's hike. . . we filled our bottles in a little stream. . .
no worries because my water bottle has a filter!

So apparently coconut water hydrates super fast but
too bad it tastes like moldy water.

Rescuing O-W-L

Today's p-day was full of adventures! First of all when we woke up there was an owl outside of our front door (first picture) we tried to scare it away, but realized pretty fast that something was wrong with her. She would fly only a few feet and then fall back to the ground. We decided that she was just a baby and that she fell from one of the trees that are neighboring our house....so we did a capture and release (film).

The first try was not successful...nor the 2nd. But the third time we managed to catch her using my mosquito net :) and we stuck her in a box. We called animal control but today is a holiday (dia das crian's...day of the children) and it turns out that it doesn't matter what your job is, everyone takes the day off. They told us that no one could come and pick her up until Wednesday. They gave us a plan B...send her to the animal shelter via Moto-taxi. Here they have taxis with cars and taxis with motorcycles. We decided to go with plan B, because we don't know how to take care of owls but on the way to the Moto-taxi station, we ran into a police car. We told them the situation and they agreed to take the owl to animal control for us. Let's just say that I lived out my dream of playing Crocodile Hunter today!

We also broke the day today by hiking to a church that's about 1 1/2 hours away from our house...

1 So to get to the top of the catholic church they have the custom that you need to climb on your knees to show repentance. There were 86 steps and we only stopped to take the picture on our knees :)

2 We made it! With the group that went with us.

3 Inside the little chapel...the religion of Brasil...but we´re working to change that :)

4 There was a little natural pool with this water fountain. The rest of our group went swimming...minus the missionaries who just wet our feet.

5 This is an area where you pay to go fishing...there were little man made lakes all next to eachother. We didn´t have time to go fishing so we just took some pictures.

This week we really got working...but Satan was working too. So many of our investigators weren't at home during the hour that we marked with them. We're struggling a bit to find the Lord's elect, but we know that they are out there.

. . . One of these golden couples is Wanderlucia and Jeronimo. Wanderlucia read the chapter we marked for her 3 times because she wanted to understand what was being taught. She told us that before she read each time, she started with a prayer so that the Holy Ghost could help her understand the chapter. She's started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning and is already in Chapter 5 of 1st Nephi. This is huge because she struggles with reading and the Book of Mormon doesn't use language that's easy to understand. But she asked us questions about the chapters and all of them showed that she understood what was going on in the story.

Friday we found a 16 year old boy who had been talking to his older sisters how he wanted to start going to church again and how he wanted to be baptized. Thirty minutes later we showed up to teach his sisters a spur of the moment lesson...he listened and this past Sunday came to church. I'm greatful for the Holy Ghost and know that I need to pay more attention to his promptings. I'm so set on making and following plans that I'd getting caught up on doing things my way instead of the Lord's way. I know that it's a humbling experience that we're passing through here in Rio Verde.

OBEDIENCE

Everyone who understands English better than Portuguese (the Americans) got to watch conference in an English only room...que chic!

I hope that everyone enjoyed conference weekend as much as I did!

My sisters and I have some great investigators...but Satan is working super hard to keep them from progressing. Between Sunday commitments and marriages that are too expensive to afford, our investigators are having trouble keeping their commitments so that they can be baptized. We marked with 11 investigators to bring them to church to watch a session of conference, but only one came through with her commitment. Needless to say, we were disappointed, but we know that perserverence is the key. We are going to be changing a few things in the way we work, and I know that trial and error will eventually bring success! This upcoming week we are going to be going on various splits with members (some less actives!) so that we can double our work and get more results...plus we´ll be fortifying the members. This will be good for each of us to take turns working with the members. Being in a trio is good, but nothing is better than a regular companionship with 2 people.

So elections took place yesterday and this is what the street looked like outside of one of the voting areas. The candidates pay people to throw advertisments with the numbers of the candidates. Sis. Silvera says that most people just pick up one of these papers before they enter the voting area and vote for whatever person is on the paper.

One of our investigators runs a gas company (all the ovens and stoves here run on gas). We helped her paint magnets that she gives to potential clients. On the magnets she writes the name of the company and the telephone number, so that the client can put the magnet on the fridge and have quick access to the phone number.

I decided to use the mosquito net! First time! I don´t know what it is but there are tons of bugs @ night all over the place! Our bunk bed is only for 2...so I sleep with my matress on the floor. I didn´t want to wake up in the middle of the night to something crawling on my, so I put up the net. But...the putting up part was interesting. I used our clothes rack as the base and balanced a broom handle over it. I attached the broom handle to the net so that it hung over my bed. It didn´t fall on me, so I consider it a success :)

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