Brazil - Week 17

SOOO
 

Tuesday- I reached 5 months on a mission!! WOO HOO!!! And we met this kid named Marlom, and we taught his the 1st lesson and it was really great, he read James 1:5 and I could just "see" him in the church reading the scriptures in Seminary or whith his family. It was really cool! 

 

Wednesday- So we got this refferal from the Elders named Jefferson and so we visited him and we taught him and he is really smart especially in gospel things. It was really awesome! And he is 19 so MISSION!! Haha! We always "plan" their lives. Like oh he can go on a mission and baptized families so they can be together forever and then he will come back and find a girl in the church and marry her and THEY will have a forever family!! Haha! :)

 

Thursday- Our Relief Society pres. went with us today to visit some inactive members and it was really good. We visited a bunch and I think it really helped them feel welcome again in the church! :) 

 

Friday- We did a service project!! Woo hoo!! We helped this 80 year old woman who just moved into the house next to a new member organized her stuff and sort her clothes and stuff. It was fun but reallllyyyyy long and I have never seen so much stuff!! Nossa!!! Boxes and boxes of clothes!! And then we went to visit Marlom again but his aunts were there and when we entered the house they started talking to us and he left to another room and didn't come back. :( But we talked about the Atonement with his aunts. We then went to the church where President Reber and the Elders trained the members on how to better welcome nonmembers into the church and also how to talk about the church with their friends. I also received a package! :) It was really super great thanks!!!!! :D S. Freitas thanks you too haha!! :) I also got a letter from Primary!!! It was really sweet!! I now have the picture from Joseph, Tori, and Primary hanging up on my wall. :)

 

Saturday- We visited with Jefferson again.....it was really kind of interesting. He said that he knows that our message about the Restoration is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, but he also believes that his Pastor has the priesthood and is a prophet called of God through a dream. Yeahhh....

 

Sunday- We had stake conference and after we just did contacts all day and we met this guy and his wife and son and we just atarted talking to them like we know them it was really cool. We will go back another day and teach them how they can be a family forever. :) 

 

Monday- we had lunch with our district and stayed home and cleaned! It was a good day! :)

And mom, you asked for spiritual experiences. Well everyday is a sporotual experience for me. Everyday my tesitmony of the gospel truths grow stronger and stronger. I meet people I think I already know but have never met before in my earth life I teach with the power of truth every day. Mommy, everyday is a spiritual experience. :)

--

Sister Emma Marion

Brasil - Week 16

Monday- We had lunch and dinner with Ana and her family and some elders. It was really fun!!

 

Tuesday- We visited inactive members and some new members. Everyone is really awesome!! I don't know why the inactive members are inactive....I think they just need friends in the ward. In PMG (Preach My Gospel) Pres.. Hinkley talkes about the importance of new members having 3 things:

 1) a friend 2) a calling or responsiblity and I don't remember 3 haha but the first two are really important and every member can help with the 1st!! 

 

Wednesday- We had a zone meeting today and it was really cool because we ended up having lunch together and it was a really good spirit builder!! We just practiced and read things in PMG. We then visited this lady Esther. She is old but we taught her about the BOM (Book of Mormon) and she reallly seems interested. she was looking at it when we gave it to her and she said "and now I need to read it because I want to know who Enos is!" Woo hoo!! haha! :)

 

Thursday- It wasn't a good work day. We only taught 2 lessons. :( BUT we were invited to go to a Family night with this new member and there I met Elder Udy and his parents!!! :D It was really cool because his mom, Julia, looked at me and saw my name and said "OH I know your mom!!" I about cried!! It was really cool too because I helped Elder Udy translate for his parents!! Woo hoo!! I can speak Portuguese!!! :D

 

Friday- Today we were invited to Ana's house to have dinner with Elder Udy and his parents! And when they arrived Julia told me "Oh Sister, I talked to your mom last night on Facebook and she told me to give you a big hug!" And then she did! :) Thanks mommy!! I about cried again. ;) But I got to translate more! I love it!! But I went home with a big headache!!!! :/

 

Saturday- We visited this guy who was a refferal from some Elders and he is interesting....he studies religions and he knows a lot about the church and asks a lot of questions!! But he has a nephew that is a member and he said that he will come to church next week!! We also visited with new members and inactive members! 

 

Sunday- I gave a talk today! It wasnt horriblçe but I wish I knew more words to express my ideas and feelings. -sigh- But then we had lunch with some members and then the wife, Cristina, went to visit inactive members with us and new members too!! She really liked it! And then her husband met us at the church to pick her up and he said "Oh sisters I did some contacts for you and here are their names!" We were really excited!!! A member doing contacts for us!! It helps A LOT!! But I think he did it because during lunch I said that I want to do contacts for the missionaries when I get back hehe ;)

 

Monday- We slept until 1!!!! :D Then had lunch and then cleaned the house and the wrote you!!! :D WOO HOO P-Day!! :)

--

Sister Emma Marion

Brasil - Week 15

Week 3 of Transfer 3

Tuesday- We had lunch with Elisangela who is from Northern Brasil and because S. Freitas is too Elisangela made northern food. It was good but it is stronger than the food here. I couldn't eat a lot at all! But S. Freitas had 2 plates full!! And after we ate we were talking and S. Freitas told me that we need to give the message and leave fast because she wasn't feeling well. So I gave the message and then Elisangela told us to relax a while and then she would drive us to our next appointment. So when we left S. Freitas told her to drop us off at Ana's house so she did and then left and S. Freitas knocked on Ana's door and when she opened it S. Frietas told her "Ana can we come in I think I will throw up." So we went in and I got a wet rag and put it on her face and Ana had a fan blowing on her and then a while later she threw up. Needless to say we didn't work that day. But its kind of funny because she is from the North and can't handle the food and I am not even from Brasil and I do just fine. I guess I have a stomach of steel. A Tori stomach! ;) haha!!

 Wednesday- We had a district meeting and after we were about to leave the church when I saw this young man looking at the church and the sign that says the visitors are welcome and the hour for church, so I'm like "Sister lets go talk to him!!" seriously though 6 missionaries and nobody is already out the door to talk to him! So I went and S. Freitas started talking to him and he told us that he passes the church often and when he woke up this morning he felt like he should go look at the church. It was total inspiration that we met him!! So we invited him to enter the church to see the inside and then we told him that tonight youth will get together and play soccer and he is welcome to come and we also got his address to visit. So later that night he came to the church for soccer and we met him there and grabbed a member and we taught him the 1 lesson and we invited him to be baptized and he agreed but started crying said that he has a lot of problems he needs to work out before baptism. And we told him that we will help. He is a good kid.

 Thursday- So we went to visit Leandro (see Wednesday) at his house and his aunt that he lives with told us that he left this morning to spend the weekend with his parents in a different city. And she isn't completely sure if he will come back. :( We then went to visit Cinta and she was at her house!! She is NEVER home!!! And her mom was home too!! So we went to their house and Cinta let us in and we started talking to her mom and Cinta went to another room and a while later came out in her school clothes grabbed her shoes and left!! :( We had no time to teach her again!! But we taught her mom!! Woo hoo! We then went to the house of a new member for a family night and we brought Maria(Cinta's mom) with us! It was really good. :)

 Friday- So today didn't really have very many interesting things that happened. But we did meet and teach this one lady who has already heard the missionary lessons. She is cool and is maybe ready to hear about the church again. :) Buuutttttt she goes to a different church where her son is an apostle......

 Saturday- So today we talked to Cinta turns out she is sick.......but she still wants to be baptized so we called our District leader and he met us at her house did her interview and she will be baptized Sunday!! Nossa. We only taught her 2 times and she is sick but the Lord definitely has a plan!! And later that night we went to a church activity where they talked about family history! It was cool...but only because I like family history.... ;)

 Sunday- Cinta was baptized today!!!!!! :D It was sooooo great and her mom bawled!! I have faith that her mom will be baptized too one day! :) Also today S. Freitas got her Patriarchal Blessing!! :) It was really cool and because I am her companion and we cant be alone I got to stay with her. But even if I could have left her alone she wanted me there because she said that your companion is the only family you have on the mission. And its so true. :)

 Monday- Close to everyone in our Zone went to this part member family's house in my area for lunch. They are really cool. The parents aren't members but the mom, Jo, treats all missionaries like her own children. :) She is really great. :) Most of the Elders call her mom. :) And she really like S.Freitas and I and always asks why we can't spend the night at her house. Haha. But we told her its because we have rules and so she called Elder Horn (he is the pres. assistant for Motto Grosso do Sul and was in Pioneiors for like 9 months so he knows everybody!) and fussed at him because he won't let us stay with her. Haha. :)
--

Sister Emma Marion

 

Month 4 in Brazil

Emma did not label her pictures, so I'm assuming these are the elders in her district.

Cinta's baptism - Pioneiros

 

Brasil - Week 14

Week 2 of Transfer 3

 

SOO 
Tuesday- We had interviews with President Reber. He is so great!! He really cares about us! He is like our "mission dad" and Sister Reber our "mission mom" They are both wonderful, caring people!!! And it was really good to talk to them!! Oh and when my companion, S. Freitas , went to talk to Sister Reber I went with her and translated!!! It was awesome!!!!!! :D
Later we were at our house and we heard someone singing in English and my comp. asked if she was singing right and I said yes and so S. Freitas said, "speak English to her!!" So I did and turns out she doesn't speak English! hehe but S. Freitas asked if we could visit her and so we did and taught the 1st lesson and she said yes for baptism!!! She is reallly great!! Her name is Cinta!
Then we went to the house of Hellen, she is 11 and really smart. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and she also said yes for baptism!! Then we went to the house of a new member and she wants us to start teaching her husband!! It was a great day!! 
 
Wednesday- We had a zone conference. My zone is really cool!! But we only have 2 sisters and a LOT of Elders..... After, we had lunch like normal and then we went with (Aidil) and Tânia (wife of Cinésio, who is prego) to do their visiting teaching haha. But it was good to meet more members and also Tânia gave us a person near by to visit! 
 
Thursday- We went with Ana (member who is 16 and wants to serve but parents aren't members and don't really want her too) and visited 2 families but they don't want to be part of the church so we had to drop them.....:(  We visited Marcia and taught her husband, who said he would read the Book of Mormon and pray!!! :D
We then went to the bus stop because I left to do a split with S. Luca in Jardim Imá!! (Emma's last area)
 
Friday- I was in Jardim Imá today!! Woo hoo!! It was good to be back. We had lunch with the Bishop and his family!! They are really great!! But the whole time I was thinking about Pioneiros!! Its amazing how fast your thoughts can change when you are held responsible for a people. But it was really good to visit, especially with S. Luca! :) I then returned that night and was really exhausted from the whole week. Yeah it was great. :)
 
Saturday- So today we had lunch with Irmã Maria who actually has 2 sons serving right now and we ended up staying at her house and talking to her until 3 (lunch started at 12...) we then caught the bus and went to the church for the baby shower of Tâina. It was really cool! They have this game (I have a pic) where they blindfold the mommy to be and then give her presents and she guesses what the present is and who brought it and if she gets it right she can open it but if not whoever gave it to her gets to draw on her with makeup.... its was funny! :) They also have some really cute snacks!! :) After that we went to visit Marcia and her husband but he left before we got there and went to a bar to drink and refused to leave. She was reallly sad. So we sang a hymn with her and read scriptures with her. Its all we really can do. :/

Sunday- So we called Cinta to go to church with us and she said, "oh and my mom wants to come to!" So logically we said no problem!! So we all went to church together and then afterward we visited them at their house and the mom(Maria) told us that she prayed during Sacrament that her boyfriend would call her because they are having problems and they haven't talked in a while and then she said that as soon as they left church he called her. It was soooo great she absolutely loves the church and Cinta(her daughter) too! And Maria was talking to us and was telling us that she has a son who lives in Teresina and so when she was going on and on about how great the church is going to be for her daughter. I told her "I have a friend who lives in Teresina and if you think it would be good for your son I can pass his address to my friend." And she was all like oh yes!!! He needs this blah blah blah. It was great!! So I got his address and passed it to Elder Lott who was in my MTC district and is serving there right now!! Woo hoo!! Eternal family!!!! Hopefully!!!! Also Hellen came to church! But she said that her mom thinks it is too soon for her to get baptised. :( BUT one day I KNOW she will!! :)
 
Monday- So all of my zone (Monte Libano) and zone (Campo Grande) met at the chapel in Bandarentes and we had a bar-b-que and I made cookies! It was really fun!! And after we leave writing you we will go get icecream!! :) Yay P-Day!!! :D -- 

 

Sister Emma Marion

 

 

 

 

Sisters helping with food for bi-zone P-day.

Emma's companion, Sister Freitas, is in the red shirt, black skirt.  

 

 

 

Bi-zone P-day Campo Grande

  These were taken by one of the Brazilian sisters, not sure why it's blurry around the edges.