Brazil - Week 35

Tuesday- First off I taught Sister Gonçalves "Christmas Eve Gift." Hehe ;) Then the Relief Society president invited us and the Elders over to her house for a Christmas Eve family home evening and dinner! It was really great! President had opened the night (if we were with members and had a ride home) so we didn't have a bed time!! Woo hoo!! ;) Yeah we stayed with them until 12am......we were really tired. :( But it was really fun! 

Wednesday- CHRISTMAS!!!! We had lunch far away but then we went to Iolanda's house(relief society pres) and Sister Gançalves called her family then we went to Kelson's house and used Skype!!! :D But I had such a headache afterwards so we went home and SLEPT!!!! Haha that was our Christmas!! ;)

(I asked Emma why she had a headache after talking to us. She said because she had to concentrate so much on speaking English! - Cindy)

Thursday- We had weekly planning then we visited the mom of a member, Inêz. She was really excited that there is Sisters here again but she "doesn't have time" to go to church.....but she is really nice. and we planned a service project at her house for Saturday!

Friday- We had a district meeting it was fun! We had to find chocolate! Haha!! Then after lunch all of our appointments fell through and Sister Gonçalves felt like we should visit with Luci-mar because she wasn't at church again.....so we went and helped out there and talked to her and she said that she will come to church Sunday!!

Saturday- We visited with this really nice family, Jonie, Rosie, Talita, Talis, and Thaigo. They are really great. Only problem is Jonie likes to drink and doesn't think there is a reason for him to stop. But they made us dinner and we talked and he said that he would go to church if we went to his......ugh. We explained that we didn't want to and now I don't think he will come....

Sunday- So we gave a last minute lesson at church....Kelson told us to teach what we have been studying....welllll we have been studying the Law of Moses.....so we taught that!! Haha! And Luci-mar and Jeanny came to church!! It was really great!! :) After church we spent all night doing contacts with Erika, she is preparing to serve a mission!! :D

Monday- We got my package!!!! :D Thanks everyone soooo much!! I loved it!! <3 Y'all are the best!!! :)

--

Sister Emma Marion

 

Bookmark given to the missionaries from President & Sister Reber for Christmas

Christmas decorations made of bottles, in the local park

Emma titled this "Christmas present to ME"

 

Brazil - Week 34

Monday- We practiced our skit. Its going to be great!!! :)

Tuesday- CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE!!! :D It was soo much fun!! We started out with a short training about using the Book of Mormon and the importance of our investigators having a testimony of the BoM. Then we recited our scriptures(I read D&C 121:7 in Portuguese it reads "Meu filho, paz seja tua alma. Teu adversidade e teus aflições não durão mais de que um momento." in English "My son, peace be unto your soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment.") after that we gave the pictures of our baptisms and they put them on the wall and then we did our skits! It was super fun!! After that we went to the restaurant next door and had lunch! When we finally got home it was late so we updated our area book. 

Wednesday- We had a split today. Sister Gonçalves went to Coxipo with Sister Carvalho and I stayed here with Sister Clark(she is from Idaho). It was great! We taught this lady who owns an ice cream shop (yes I bought ice cream too ;) ). Her name is Demaris. It was an awesome lesson!! We previously gave her a Book of Mormon and she said that she tried to read but she needs glasses but her husband is reading it!! We are really excited!! 

Thursday- We did our weekly planning and then we visited a new investigator and we met her "husband" (I use " " because they really aren't married legally....) and her friend who lives there and her "husband". It was cool but she works at a grocery store called Bom Jesus and with Christmas her hours are crazy so its going to be hard to visit with her....but she seems interested....then when we got home Edilaine gave us a chocolate chip Panetone!! ITS SO GOOD!! :)

Friday- 9 MONTHS!!!!! :D We celebrated by doing contacts!!! It was actually really awesome! We found this family (who are legally married!!!!!) and they are pretty interested in learning!! So we just talked with them and answered their questions and we will go back later and actually teach them!! Their names are Jairo and Kélyce (Kelsey) and they have two daughters! We also got a referral a from the Stake President whose name is Maria das Dores (or Dora) so we went and visited her and she is super awesome and already loves the church and the book of mormon but she isn't baptized yet because her husband needs some help accepting the church. So we've got some work to do!! 

Saturday- So I had a bit of a cold today so we actually spent most of the day at home so I could sleep. But that night (after taking cold medicine and sleeping all day) I felt a lot better so we went to the ward christmas dinner! It was really fun!! They started out with a christmas spiritual message and then we ate!

Sunday- So after church we spent just about all day at home studying and finishing this "puppet show" to teach the plan of slavation to the children that were recently baptzed! But then we had an appointment with a new investigator and ended up using it for her! It was cute!! :) I'll send pictures of it next week!!

Monday- I FINISHED THE BOOK OF MORMON AGAIN!!! This book really is the BEST book I have EVER read!!!! And as everyone knows I LOVE to read!! :) 

--

Sister Emma Marion

 

 

 

 

First present

First present = yummy loaf of chocolate bread

 

Brazil - Week 33

Monday- we went to the stake center to practice our skit. It is going to be AWESOME!! I will try and get a video of it!! buuuuttttt......it will all be in Portuguese.....haha! I just think it is SO cool that I speak a second language!! Its crazy!! BUT we then went back home and did a service project for the members in front. Its a good thing mom and dad had me wrap presents so much at Christmas time because I used that talent and I also helped make origami paper boxes to use! ;)

Tuesday- So today we went in search of inactive mission age/almost mission age young men. We weren't able to talk with any but we will try again later. Then at 5:30we made an appointment with Marcelo and Rafael (2 members) at our old house for them to take apart our closets and bring them to our new house and put them back together! They ACTUALLY showed up at like 7:30/8......it was sad and wasted our day. BUT now we have closets and I can stop living in my suitcase!! haha! 

Wednesday- We went to another neighborhood in search of these young men and found a woman named Dalva. She is super awesome and agreed to be baptized!! :D But we have some work to do with her because she doesn't want to be baptized without her husband but he is never home.... :/ So we're prayin' and doing all we can! 

Thursday- We did another service project for the members in front.....it was coloring so no biggie there!! XD But after luch we went back home and did weekly planning!! We then got Railson (13yr old member here...he's already preparing for a mission haha) to do contacts with is. It was great!! He loved it! He was so excited!! :) 

Friday- So we tried to have lessons today but on one was home!!! :( But we found 1 inactive young man named Eduardo. It was good to visit with him, I hope he comes back. He needs the good influence of the church....he has already been to juvie....but after that we went to visit Luci-mar and Jeanny and we ended up staying there for a while and washed her dishes so Jeanny could take care of the baby and Luci-mar take care of them both. But we did get 8 contacts in today! :D

Saturday-We went to the end of the world today.... xP To walk there its like 3 hours. The neighborhood is called Unipark. But it was longer today because we went to another place first adn didn't know how to get there so logically we got lost and went the long way....but we finally found it!! But most of our day was walking. 

Sunday- So we visited with this new investigator named Rita today and her 2 kids. It was great! Thye really want to learn and visit the church. Rita needs to get married first but she wants to be baptized. THat is actually the biggest problem here.....no one get married. They just live 50 yrs together and call it marriage! But it is actually expencive to get married. Its like R$248.....($107.18) and the day you pay it all you have to wait 35 days and then you can get married on the first friday or saturday. 0.o Its crazy here! 

-- 

Sister Emma Marion

Brazil - Week 32

Monday- So we went to the stake center with our zone and we ate pizza and planned what we will do for the Christmas Conference talent show. It was great we decided on doing a "play" about 2 elders at Christmas time having a hard time and then in the end the dress up like Santa and sneak into their investigators house and leave them Christmas presents! Its going to be REALLY funny!!! :) Then when we got back to work we did contacts and we found this kid named Elder. 0.o But he's really cool and they want to learn about the church!!! 

Tuesday- We met a new family, Alexandra and Jonny! They have 2 daughters and a son! They are super awesome!! We actually stayed talking to them for 2 hours......but it turned out to be a great blessing because they already trust us and we know better what they need and how to work with them! We are so excited to visit with them again!! :) We then went to do contacts with a member and that turned out to be a waste of time....because she was scared to talk and she brought her boyfriend with her....who is leaving soon for a mission.....it was complicated...

Wednesday- So we marked an appointment but it fell through so we went to visit with Luci-mar and Jeanny and we ended up staying there all day helping out with the household chores because Jeanny still can't do much and Luci-mar is just as tired as Jeanny because she gets up at night to help with the baby so we helped her do laundry, wash dishes, and iron clothes. It was an all day thing but it was great!!

Thursday- So we had our mission tour today!!! It was GREAT!! I learned a lot and it was fun! Elder Gavarret was the area 70 there! He's awesome! We didn't get a chance to take pictures because a lot of people had to catch the bus but Sister Reber took pictures of every one's zone so she should post them on her blog one of these days.... :)

Friday- So we did our weekly planning today because of the mission tour Thursday. But then that night there was a church dance that they wanted us to help with so we went and got a new investigator out of it!! :D Her name is Josiane and she has a daughter named Clara! They are really sweet and Josiane told us that her door is always open to us...lets just hope that her heart is too!! ;)

Saturday- We went to the end of our area today to visit with an inactive member who's husband recently had surgery. It was good to talk to her and we are hoping that we can help her get back to church!! She has been inactive for 8 months. :( We then went to the church for a baby shower. We actually were in charge of the activity....so we drew little people and hid them in the church and had the ladies find them and who ever found the family that matched Eliliane's family (only a mom, dad and a baby) won. So we made little certificates that said "Worlds Greatest Mom for finding an eternal family" (but if they weren't a mom yet we gave her on that said in the future). And we read Alma 56:47 with them;

"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the 

liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their 

mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them."

It was really great! :) There was one lady that cried!! :D Haha you know its a great lesson when someone starts crying!! 

Sunday- So when we got to church we hung up a poster that had a picture of our baptisms in the ward and we wrote "Referrals bring baptisms" and then under the picture we wrote out

D&C 84:110 "Also the body hath need of every member, that all may be edified together, 

that the system may be kept perfect." and we left a space where they can write their referrals. We are hoping that this will bring some results..... :/ We then went back home and finished our weekly planning and had personal study!! 

-- 

Sister Emma Marion

 

Brazil - Week 31

Tuesday- So today we visited with Danilo and then Eunezi. The only problem with Danilo now is we are thinking that he is using again. Its really sad. 

Wednesday- So today we got this member, Erica(who is preparing to serve a mission), and we went to this place.....its like a park but there isn't really any grass or toys for kids to play on.....BUT we went there and we did contacts and passed out BoMs and pamphlets about the restoration and Gospel of Christ and the plan of salvation. We left with 12 addresses and 7 lessons!! 

Thursday- We did weekly planning and then visited with this new investigator, Isabel, and her family. Turns out that she has a daughter who lives in Spain and found the Elders there but never had time to visit with them because she was coming here. At the same time in Brazil her mom told us to come back the next week because her daughter would be here!! It was so destiny for her to talk with the missionaries!! So we taught her the 1st lesson and we will teach her as much as we can before she goes back to Spain and then we will let the elders there know where to find her and what is need to get baptized!! :)

Friday- So today we had one of the best lessons!! We found this lady Wednesday and she really wanted us to visit and so we did today and turns out she is like Joseph Smith!!! Really confused about which church to join!! So when we were teaching her we focused more on Joseph and compared him to her. It was so spiritual that Sister Gonçalves cried....and then Luciana did too!! 

Saturday- We visited with an inactive member, Palmira. It actually took us a little over an hour to find this lady's road. It was SUPER frustrating!!! We almost quit but we were so mad that the anger actually gave us the determination to find the road. Then it started raining. And we left our umbrellas at home. So we were angry, tired, and wet. BUT then we found it!! So we talked with her and then left for our other appointment....which fell through...so we went with plan B. His name is Paulo and he is a pastor....BUT he was sleeping because he prayed all night long....so we talked with his "friend" who is a missionary for ANOTHER church but is staying with Paulo. So we talked with him and gave him a BoM. It was actually good. He really liked when we quoted the bible and I knew the reference correctly. ;) Thank you seminary!! 

Sunday- We helped Luci-Mar work on her family tree on familysearch it was great!! I really love family history!! We then had a ward council meeting and then we were doing contacts after and we met this kid named Elder.....yeah seriously his name is legally Elder and no he isn't a member...yet. ;) But him and his family are super great!! We are really excited to teach them!! They already agreed to go to church Sunday!! We then needed one more lesson with a member so we went home and called an ex-investigator, Adrielle. And we just talked a bit with her and then we passed the phone to João Pedro(he is a member of another ward but his girlfriend lives in the house in front of ours) and he started talking a bit with her and then he just marked her to be baptized this next Sunday!!!! :o So lets see next week what will happen!! :)

 

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Sister Emma Marion