Physically and Spiritually Staying in Shape

This week was all about Christmas. The branch had an afternoon at the chapel with Churrasco (barbeque type lunch) and then a big dinner. Because of the big lunch I was in no shape to eat dinner :) I passed out the candy canes you sent and everyone loved them. It´s wierd to me that these people have never heard of candy canes, but for us it´s part of the Christmas tradition. At the activity we had a tone of less active members participate. We´re trying to work with the less actives and get them excited again about the gospel.The hills here are killers. This picture doesn't

do them justice, but they are literally 90 degrees
and we always arrive at the top out of breath.

I´m looking in my daily planner to see exactly what we did this week...a lot of walking. We have the entire city and our investigators are sometimes on opposite ends of the city. When one appointment falls through it´s not such a good feeling because normally it takes a minimum of 30 minutes to arrive at the houses of our investigators. The people that live too far away to walk, we catch the bus, which is always a hot spot to make street contacts and invite people to visit the church.

This past week I finished reading all the general conference talks...from May. It took me a while because with only 1 hour of personal study time and so many things to study, I can´t read conference talks every day. But it feels good to look at my Ensign all marked up and think about all the things that I learned. We recently got the October Ensign (the special edition about temples.) I´m tearing through it, but it makes me miss going to the temple weekly. I can´t believe it´s been so long since I´ve been to visit the temple! The branch will be going on another temple trip in January because of a couple that´s going to go be sealed. It´s so great to see members that literally count down the days until they can visit the temple again. Sometimes we take advantage of the fact that the temple is so close to us when really we should remember always the blessings of going to the temple. I love hearing about the temple experiences that everyone back home has in going to the temple, especially grandma.

So, this is my new adopted daugher, Nilzielle. She wanted a Christmas tree for Christmas, so an Irmã in the ward went out and cut off a tree limb for her to decorate. We used the decorations you sent mom, so it was perfect. Nilzielle has never had a Christmas tree before and was super excited to put up all the christmas lights and decorations! Thanks for all the supplies! Oh...and she´s obsessed...i mean OBSESSED with Japan. You have no idea how much she loves me just because I´m Japanese and when she saw our family photo she was super excited to see how Japanese mom is.

This is just a clip of what rainy season tastes like here in Patos de Minas. I´ve heard that other cities are worse...yikes. I tried speaking in English, but half way through my brain tired and Portuguese came out. Sorry! Talking this Saturday should be interesting :)

2 Baptisms!

This past week we were blessed with 2 baptisms! Deise was baptized and so was Giulia! What was really great was that Deise´s sisters and mother came to her baptism and Giulia´s grandparents also came (they´re not members). It´s so great to see missionary work that happens in our own homes and families. There was good member support too…Deise is already a part of the branch and so many of the Irmãs really like her which is no surprise because she is SUPER special.

This week was super hectic. We got a phone call Tuesday from Elder Reed (the secretary in charge of finances and bus fares and transfers.)

E. Reed: Sister, President Prieto wants to interview you and Sis. Chipman.

Me: Ok

E. Reed: He wants to interview you tomorrow.

Me: Ok

E. Reed: He wants to interview you in Goiânia.

Me: WHAT?!?

Goiânia is a 10 hour bus ride from Patos de Minas! Well E. Reed was kind and offered us 2 options for our bus. We could either leave that night 9:30 pm to arrive in Goiânia a little after 7 am or we could leave 4:10 am the next morning to arrive in Goiânia a little after 2 pm. Well…since I sleep on all the buses anyways, we opted to leave that night. He told us that we wouldn´t be returning to Patos until Friday morning, so we spent the rest of our Tuesday canceling appointments and lunches.

I thought it was a little weird that Pres. would bus us out to Goiânia in the middle of the week when it would be way more cost and time efficient for him to come to Patos. That night it poured rain while we were waiting at the bus station. We got a phone call from our district leader and when he heard the noise in the background he asked us where we were. I told him we were waiting for our bus to Goiânia and he said “You too?” apparently the Sisters in Uberlândia were also going to Goiânia. This confirmed my suspicions that we weren´t going to Goiânia for interviews…

After a looooooong bus ride we arrived in Goiânia and dropped our stuff off @ the mission office. We then went to work knocking doors in Goiânia. I´m so greatful that I´m working in an area that´s a smaller city. I really don´t like the big cities and it took us a while to find a neighborhood with houses and not apartments. I can´t imagine what the work is like in São Paulo.

Well when we were finally allowed to head to the mission home, we ran into the rest of the sisters!!!!! All of us showed up @ the same time and we were told that our Christmas present was a sleep over in the mission home!!!

We ate a big dinner and then got our presents…when we opened the wrapping paper it was to find a scrap of wallpaper and a piece of cardboard. What I´ve always wanted (speaking of presents I got the rest of the packages for Christmas). Sis. Prieto led us to a table full of arts and crafts stuff and let us have at it. My creative little mind was just whirling with ideas. In the end all of the sisters made picture frames or some sort of picture…I made a baby mobile. It´s now hanging above my bed on the same string as my mosquito net.

Sis. And Pres. Prieto shared a spiritual thought and then let us have at it with the pictures. It´s the first and probably the last time that all of us will be together and so we made the most of it staying up until almost 4 am. The next morning we felt the effects when the alarm went off 6:30 am…like always and we were rushed to the bus station to catch our 8 am buses. Sis. Chipman and I spent the day working in Uberlândia with the sisters there and then caught a bus back to Patos the following morning.

Well this was our exciting week this week and I know that until Christmas things are just going to get better!

Warmth in Brazil. . . In More Ways Than One. . .

While you are all freezing in the states, here in Brasil, December and January are the hottest months of the year!

I have some fantastic news!!!! Deise was interviewed Sunday afternoon and is going to be baptized this next Saturday!!!! The branch president told everyone in our branch counsel that the branch would be receiving a real pearl...Deise. He´s already extended a calling (before her baptism!) and has challenged her to prepare for a mission...and she accepted! I really love the faith that she has and the willingness to do whatever God asks of her.

We´ve also been blessed with a surprise baptism! This past Saturday, one of the members in the branch approached me at an activity we had and told me that she wants her daughter to be baptized on her 9th birthday....which is this upcoming Saturday. Because her daughter is already turning 9 she needs to be taught all the discussions which means lots of bus rides to their neighborhood to teach her everything before Saturday. But it really is a blessing. I knew that God was preparing something wonderful after the terrible week we had 2 weeks ago.

Our goal is to baptize 4 people this transfer and we want to focus on finding a family to prepare. What´s hard about this city is that it´s a richer area. This means that everyone works, so knocking doors during the day doesn´t bring a lot of success. We spend more time inviting the house maids and babysitters to church than the actual families. But we can´t become discouraged because we don´t know who could be waiting behind the next door.

We´ve been teaching the mother who recently sent a son on a mission to São Paulo. She´s making great progress and is coming to church on her own and is bringing her grandchildren with her. It´s difficult to teach her in her house because there are always people coming and going, but I know that she needs to act with faith and the Lord will help her in making the right decision.

I´m greatful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost and as a missionary I´m learning to appreciate more this special gift. I know that I will always need his help. I always think...when I graduate from college...when I´m married in the temple...when I´m, when I´m, when I´m....but it´s the decisions that I´m making now that will help me achieve my future goals...Sis. Chipman asked me why I stopped doing theater and dancing and I simply explained that I had to make a choice. I couldn´t continue doing everything I loved; that I needed to set specific goals in my life and leave behind a few things. I know that what I want most in the world is to be a good wife and mother. ...so this past week I´ve been writing a list of all the things that I´m going to do with my talents in theater, dance, and music. The list is good :) A lot has to do with the way I raise my family and the way I can magnify my calling. I think of all the ways that I´m using my theater and music talents here in the mission...playing organ (who would have thought?) memorizing scriptures, teaching lessons creatively, being a missionary has EVERYTHING to do with theater! But I want to challenge all of you to 1. think of some decisions you´ve made or will make in your life that will require sacrifices 2. think of how you can use those sacrifices to bless the lives of others.

Rough Week . . . . .Blessings in the End

The week started out brutal...and the attached photo pretty much somes up how our work went. The elders that left the area had 2 men they were teaching and were "ready" for baptism. We´ve been trying to get a hold of them since we´ve arrived in the city but they haven´t been to church once these past 5 weeks. Well...we found out this week that one of them is in prison for the next three years and the other has moved quickly without telling anyone where he moved to. We don´t know exactly what happened and the member that informed us, just told us to forget about them and move on to the next investigator. I was super frustrated by the situation because we´ve been focusing so much of our time and efforts in teaching and baptizing these 2 men. I vented a little to our district leader but he put a new light on the situation saying he was greatful that nothing happened to us. Three years in prison isn´t just a slap on the hand...so I´m greatful too that the Lord was watching out for us.

This week the rain POURED!!! I let one of the members borrow my umbrella one day and she lost it...meaning I was left with my broken umbrella. With the wind and the rain, the broken umbrella only broke more and I decided it was useless and went running through the streets of Patos in the pouring rain without an umbrella. Needless to say I was drenched head to toe and the house we were going to didn´t even have anyone home!

Some other things went wrong during the week...but in the end, the blessing came. Deise told us that she wanted to mark a baptismal date!!! She´s going to be baptized December 11 so please pray that everything goes well. It´s amazing how the Lord works.

When we asked her how she got her answer she said that she has been praying and felt a peace that it was right. She´s a girl full of questions, but she said that the church is the only church that´s been able to answer all of her doubts. She doesn´t feel confused when she studies the gospel. It´s so true that the church is here to bless our lives. The gosepl is simple, but it´s the only truth and that´s why it feels so good to study about it´s teachings.

Investigators

We’ve really been blessed with investigators that are excellent! Most of our investigators are member references, meaning that a member sent us to teach their friends or families. This is the best way to find people to teach because the investigators already have a support system and someone they can trust to answer their questions and to visit the church.

But with all these excellent investigators we’re having trouble getting them to commit to baptism. They are all waiting for lightning bolt experiences that will serve as an answer to their prayers, but I know that the Holy Ghost answers through more delicate answers. I’m learning more and more about the power of sharing testimonies, because people can be full of questions and doubts, but when I share my testimony, they can feel the truthfulness and feelings are things people can’t ignore.

We have two young men that are going to be interviewed Friday for baptism Saturday and confirmation Sunday. The problem is that they live super far away and because there are just men in their house, we can’t visit them at home. But we have a member that’s going to help us baptize these boys this Saturday and he’s offered to let us teach at his house (which is also on the other side of the city.)

The three sisters; Deise, Natane, and Nilzielle could be baptized, but Deise is going to be out of town this weekend and Natane and Nilzielle are still minors and can’t be baptized without their mom’s signature. Their mom said that she won’t sign until she visits the church, but she doesn’t want to visit…so we are in a tight situation. Please pray that everything can go well for these 3 girls and that they can be baptized together and before the end of the year.

I know that I’m here on the mission to preach the gospel of Christ and I know that the gospel of Christ includes all the blessings and ordinances of the church. Basically, I’m here to baptize. I know that it’s not an easy work, and that Satan is working just as hard as we are, but I also know that God is going to prepare a way that the people will listen and accept these messages.

We made chocolate chip cookies (they didn't turn out very good but brasilians don't know the difference, so they liked them) Me and Nilzielle!

With Irmã Nayara and 2 of her children (Amarilis and Brenda) Yes...we are a little crazy.

Priesthood Power

So yesterday was a holiday here in Brasil...something about the declaration of the republic being signed or something like that. Well, brasilians love their holidays so they have lots of them and when they have one, everything shuts down. So basically our p-day got moved to today because non of the internet cafés were opened and neither were the grocery stores.

Last week we had our zone conference in Ubêrlandia (see the photos.) It was super great to be with other missionaries again. It´s hard being out in the middle of now where and knowing that the only other missionary in a 3 hour radius is my companion. But the fun part was that 7 of the 9 sisters in the mission are in our zone...everyone minus Rio Verde. This meant that we got to have a sleep over with all the sisters. 4 mattresses and 7 sisters led to a night of pretty much no sleep because of the lack of space, but we put all the mattresses together and had a giant sleep over! The next day we had our conference. I was really looking forward to the interviews with Pres. Prieto but because of the number of missionaries, we got put at the very end of the line. Our bus was leaving the next morning and the majority of the missionaries were going back to their areas the same day of the conference. Well...by the time our turn came around it was 9 pm and I was spent. The interview was short but good and Pres. Prieto complimented me on my leadership´skills. I´d been studying about the priesthood for a few weeks and last week felt that I needed a priesthood blessing. Because there is no better to give a blessing than the mission president, i asked for a blessing. I´m so greatful for the priesthood power and for the worthy men that hold this power. (read "the priesthood power" by Pres. Packer from his conference talk in 1996...it really helped me!)

The sisters in the zone Uberlandia (with the mission president's wife. . .Sister Prieto)

This photo has a funny sotyr. . .Borracharia - a place where you change your tires, oil, etc. Bolichi-bowling alley I switched the words and told an Irma that I wanted to find a Borracharia in the city so that on our p-day we could play there. . .

Lunch the day of conference the sisters get to eat first! PRIVILEDGED!!!

New Address

How sisters give hugs to boys...with my recent convert Samuel (who was called last week to be the Young Men´s president!)

Some banana trees in Rio Verde that makes it look that I´m out in the middle of no where

Last p-day we decided to "liven" things up, so we visited the cities cemetery! Here in Brazil, they put houses over the graves of the people. Inside the houses they have pictures of the dead person and a few of that person´s personal objects. I thought of mom when we visited the graveyard and remembered the graveyards we visited during our vacations in Tennesse and Hawaii...good times. Hide and seek in the cemetery.

This week was super hectic to say the least...new area, new members, new investigators. Patos de Minas has super great potential and the first impression of the members is super great! What with our ridiculously large area, I´ve had to cut the area map in 4 parts so that it can fit in my bag :) We´re dividing up our week according to the suburbs we will be working.

We are getting to know the members little by little, but they are super excited to have sisters in the branch. It´s been over 7 years since they last had sisters and so there are members here that have never personally known sisters. The members are excited to help us with the work and are super willing to help us in general. We´ve gained about 5 new moms here in the area...irmãs that are willing to help us with anything we need. The thing that´s going to kill us are these hills that the city has! Up and up and up and up!

New Mailing address:
Sister Erika Riggs
Rua Patrocinio, 194
Santo Antonio
38700-364 Patos de Minas-MG
Brazil