Brazil - Week 46

Monday- So when we got home we spent the rest of the night washing clothes. :/ But we managed to wash them all!!! But then it started raining...... :( SO my brilliant companion grabbed our plastic bags and we cut them open and made a tarp to put over the clothes so they could dry!!!!! Haha it worked!! :)

Tuesday- So it kept raining today so I grabbed my rain boots and coat and off we went to lunch!! It was a brilliant idea on my part! The road was SUPER muddy! But then after lunch we ran home grabbed an over night bag and got on a bus for Cuiabá!! We got there about 6pm and went to the mission office and stayed there until 8pm when Sisters Carbalho and Ribero got there and then we all got in a member's car and went to another sister's house in Morada da Serra (that's in cuiabá). 8 sisters ended up sleeping there!!! Haha and only 1 bathroom!! Then 2 sisters took showers and then we ran out of water!! :( So I took a bath using water in a bucket!! Haha! It was an adventure!!!

Wednesday- We had our sister conference, it was really cool!! :) All of the sisters in the North got together in Cuiabá and had like a district meeting. We had trainings and then lunch. :) After that we got to ride with President and Sister Reber in their car to Cáceres! :) It was fun. 

Thursday- So we had our interviews with President Reber....I just feel so re-energized after talking to him! :) Then after lunch we went to our appointment but when we got there she said that something came up and she didn't have time today... :/ Then we had seminary and then we went and visited with Rubens.....

Friday- So after lunch we tried to find a house of a new investigator BUT she didn't know the address.....just directions.....we couldn't find it... :/ we even called her but she didn't answer. :( So we went to the church and had our weekly planning....and then I started sneezing a lot and feeling sick....so we went home after. And all night I was SO HOT but Sister Huayhuas said that my body was cold.....it was really strange...I felt so hot that even with the air conditioner on I had to have a fan blowing on me so I could sleep.

Saturday- I spent all day in bed sleeping and drinking lots of water!! But that night the elders had a baptism so I got up my strength and we went...its good that we did because it was a last minute baptism and no one of the members knew.....just the branch pres. and one of his counselors!!! But the walk from our house to the church (15/30 minutes) at night I was SO tired afterwards and sweating like I ran!!! It was sad. :( But we went home afterwards and I went back to sleep!!

Sunday- I felt SO much better!! We went to church and then after lunch we had an address from the branch of a member that is inactive but no one knows if she was still living there so off we went on the search......the address doesn't exist! :( But we managed to do a few contacts and mark 2 baptismal dates!! :D So it wasn't a wasted day!! Then the elders called and said that we have to go to Cuiabá Monday afternoon for a Zone meeting Tuesday! :/

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Sister Emma Marion

 

Emma has a new friend!

 

Fog Togs poncho and rubber boots are the new style for sister missionaries in Brazil!

(see Tuesday entry)

The Tuiuiu bird

 

Week 45 - Brasil

Monday- So we spent p-day with the elders today. We went to Subway for lunch and then got ice cream and took lots of pictures by the river!! IT was really fun!! Then we went to Jussara's house and had a family night and made chili!!! Everyone LOVED it!!! Haha!! I'm bringing Texas to Brazil!! :)

Tuesday- We had a division and I went with Sister Grimes. We did a lot of contacts....we were really tired when we got home!! Haha!! And then we went with the other sisters and elders to have pizza with Geovan and Gisselle. 

Wednesday- After lunch with Jussara we visited with Elton's mom, Margarita! She hasn't been coming to church and we have been worried about her. Turns out that she is relying solely on Elton to bring her to church. BUT he also has to bring Jussara and his daughters to church and he only has a motor....so its complicated....

Thursday- So we had our weekly planning today. Then we taught seminary and then visited with Geovan to talk about the commandments with him and help him prepare for his baptism Saturday!!!! :D We are really excited!!

Friday- So we tried to visit a referral that we got but the house numbers are all wrong so we spent our day walking up and down the really long road trying to find her house!!! We never found it.... :( Then we got on the bus and went to seminary!! 

Saturday- Geovan got baptized!!!!!!!!! :D It was the greatest thing ever!!!! BUT we had to spend ALL day at the church to fill the font. :/ It took about 5 hours!!!!  

Sunday- Geovan was confirmed today!! And then we all went to Gisselle's uncles house for lunch!! (He is a chef!!) It was really good!!!! Then we started walking the hour walk to the church but then Elder Pacheco did a hitchhiker sign and someone stopped and gave us a ride!!! It was kinda funny!!!! But we did a contact with the guy too!!! Haha! Then Sister Huayhuas and I tried to visit a few people that we found in some old registers but 1 wasn't home, the 2nd moved, and the third....died 2 yrs. ago......it was really sad. :( 

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Sister Emma Marion

 

Geovan's baptism (see Saturday entry)

Sister Huayhuas & Sister Marion at the Rio Paraguai (Paraguay River) in Caceres 

Sister Huayhuas & Sister Marion on P-day

 

We LOVE Brazil!!

 

 

 

Week 44 - Cáceres, Brazil

Monday- So this week was a bit more.....relaxed haha. Today we visited with our baptism, Jadelson. And gave him a Book of Mormon and explained it to him. He promised to read it. :)

Tuesday-  So today Jussara called and asked us to go to her school so I could speak English to her students. So we went and I talked in English (which was a bit difficult....haha) and talked about the church too!! It was really cool! :) The students were so amazed haha AMERICAN 8o Also Sister Huayhuas got to talk to the students learning Spanish. :)

Wednesday- Today we had our district meeting and the ZLs came to talk to us....and they brought me my Christmas package form the Relief Society haha! Thanks!!! :) And then we all went and had lunch together at Jussara's :) 

Thursday- So today we visited with Geovan!!! It went really well! We just talked to him about why he didn't want to accept a baptismal date and what we could do to help him and talked about the blessing he will recieve because of being baptized....in the end he promised to pray about being baptized on March 8th. :)

Friday- So today we had to look at prices for a new washing machine so that took all day looking in all of the stores to find the cheapest.....but then we taught seminary. :) 

Saturday- So we were looking through some papers we found and we found a phone number to a girl that wasn't ever baptized but her parents are members. So we called and her dad, Walter, answered and told us that she doesn't live with him anymore and we started talking and he said that he lives in a city that doesn't have the church. But that he really wants missionaries there so that they can have the gospel. He told us that he just knows that if President Reber would let missionaries there just for 1 day that they would find a lot of people to teach. He also told us that on the 11th and 12th he will be here in Cáceres and asked if we could give him some Book of Mormons to give away! So we are going to try and meet with him and give him some and also the Restoration video and Finding Faith in Christ and Joy to the World. :) And I called President and talked to him about this city and he wants to talk to Walter!! :) 

Sunday- Geovan told us that he accepts our invite to be baptized on the 8th!!!!! :D We are SUPER HAPPY!!!!  :D He has a girlfriend who is a member and so she is really happy too!! Everyone is happy!!! Woo hoo!!! :D Geovan has a strong spirit and I know that this is going to be a HUGE blessing to LOTS of people!!!! (He also is mission age!!! ...Well below the limit!!) 

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Sister Emma Marion

 

 

 

 

Ruth & Diego: getting married in the States. Diego will be going to BYU-I!

District Leaders and Zone Leaders

 

Cáceres, Brazil - Week 43

Monday- So Sister Martinez left at 1:30pm and Clary (a YW in the branch) stayed the night with me. :) It was fun! haha We called people that I don't know but that were saved in the phone! It worked out great!!! haha!! We got a new investigator out of it!! :D

Tuesday- So Sister Huayhuas was suppose to get here at 10:30am but her bus from Lucas was delayed because of the rain and so she missed her bus here so Clary stayed longer with me and Sister Huayhuas got here at 3:30 BUTTTTTT here we have 2 bus stations....... 1) is in the middle of nowhere and far from our house and dangerous and 2) 5 minutes from our house and in the city......guess which one she got off at. Yup! You got it, the 1st one!!! So we called one of the few members with a car and he went and got her and brought her home!! I was stressing OUT!  BUT all went well!!

Wednesday- Not much happened because we had lunch with Jussara and now she lives like 1hr away.....but after lunch we went and taught seminary and then we went BACK to her house for a family night! It was really great! :) Then we got a ride home!! :D

Thursday- When we were leaving lunch it started raining and we were walking on a dirt, well muddy, road. And as we were walking we passed this car that had a tire stuck in one of those sidewalk drains with out a lid. We slowed down and the owner walked out of a nearby house with a big piece of wood. So we stopped and asked if he needed help. He told us that he didn't want us to get wet, but we quickly put down our umbrellas put our bags in them and went to help. After lots of work, and the help of 2 other men that stopped to help, we manage to raise the tire enough that the car started to roll right out of the hole! When it was done the man was so grateful and we started talking to him and we said that we were missionaries and he said "I just knew that you were people of God because only true followers would have stopped to help me." It was a really great when he said that! :) Then he and his niece offered to give us a ride to the church and then they gave us corn!! :D But when we got to the church and he left we realized that Wednesday night we left the keys to the church IN the church......

Friday- After lunch we went to the church and I helped Jussrara practice her English. It was fun! :) Then we had seminary and then we went and visited a girl that we called Monday named Thais....but she doesn't really want anything with the church.....just friends.....This happens a lot. :/

Saturday- SO we went to wait for the bus to go to lunch......and it never came.....then we called Luciane to let her know why we were late and she told us that the bus doesn't run on Saturday......so we started walking....then it started RAINING like someone dumped a swimming pool on our heads!!!! It was HORRIBLE! It was raining so hard we could barely see ANYTHING! So when we finally got to her house we were SOAKED.....also because 2 cars passed us by and sprayed us down :( So she gave us clothes. :) I got a blue and white polka dot dress and Sister got a black shirt and a skirt. :) 

Sunday- After lunch we tried to do contacts but Sunday is HORRIBLE to find people at home.....or sober...... :/ So we went to Jussara's because it was her birthday!! We got her chocolate and we have another special something but we can only get it today.....hehe ;) She's gonna love it!! :)

 

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Sister Emma Marion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sister Marion and Sister Huayhuas  (she is from Peru)

 

Corn for a good deed!

 

Emma's solution to getting their keys from the church building!! (see Thursday entry)

 

 

 

 

Week 42 - Cáceres, Brazil

This will be short because time is really short today!!!! Read after the Sunday entry for why.....

Monday- We had to wash clothes...... :/ That was our day.....

Tuesday- We had lunch with Ruth and Diego! It was fun!!! We talked a lot with them, hearing their mission stories! It was great!! But then it started raining a lot and we had to run home to get our clothes out of the rain!!! It was a crazy time!!!

Wednesday- Today we spent all day with Jussara helping her start to move to a bigger house close to her mom. It really took ALL day!!! 

Thursday- We finished helping Jussara move and helped organized her house.

Friday- We did our weekly planning and organized some stuff and called a few ex-investigators we found in the area book.

Saturday- Today was mission wide pre-transfer cleaning day!! So we stayed home all day and cleaned.....then we went and had pizza with the elders again...it was suppose to be with a new member (Grisele) and her boyfriend (Geovan- our investigator) and aunt (Tate- who is also a new member) but last minute Grisele and Geovan got in a fight and he didn't want to go and then Tate and Grisele couldn't make it....so it was just us 4..... :/ But it was fun. :)

Sunday- We had lunch with an inactive member, Cristiana. It was realllyyyy good!! It was a bar-b-que!! And one thing that they have sometimes that is REALLY yummy is grilled pineapple with cinnamon!!! ITS SO GOOD!!! You open the pineapple (just cut off the outter layer, it will be kind of a pentagon shape) and put cinnamon on all the sides and then up it over the fire like roasting marshmellows then when its hot you take it and cut it up how you want and EAT!!  <3 After that we went and visited a few new members and then had a metting at the church. 

TRANSFERS: I will be staying here with a sister from Peru, Sister Huayhuas. And Sister Martinez will be going to Lucas do Rio Verde here in Mato Grosso. She will be leaving today at 1:20pm and I will get my new companion tomorrow morning so I will be with Clary, a young woman in the branch, and she will stay the night with me.... SLEEP OVER!!! ;) But I really will miss Sister Martinez!!!!!!!!! :( </3 

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Sister Emma Marion

 

Caceres district

Sister Marion, Jussara, Sister Martinez

 

Week 41

Monday- We were invited to dinner at Jussara's. :)

Tuesday- After lunch we went with Ruth (she is an american who is here to get her fiance and return to the states with him to get married....her brother served there...Elder Turner from Washington state....) to do some visits. First we visited a referral from Cristiana (an inactive member) named Rosalina. It went well but she doesn't like to leave her house so she won't go to church.....so we testified and gave her a Book of Mormon. Then we left and went to Cristana's house (she lives next door to this lady haha) and talked a bit with her and then we dropped Ruth off at her house and then we went and taught Seminary!! Haha yeah we are the seminary teachers until they can't call someone haha but its better because their Seminary is at night! 

Wednesday- So today we worked on our area book and then we went to visit with Margarida (Elton's mom) to teach her before her baptism Saturday!! :) Then she made us dinner!! :D

Thursday- We visited with a referral form a member named Jaqualine...she is 7. But her mom said they already have a religion. It was kind of sad because this girl was begging her mom to let her go to church. :( But after we went and visited a few new members and then we went to the church to teach seminary again. :) 

Friday- After lunch we had to go to the church and clean the baptismal font for the baptism Saturday.  Then when all was done we had seminary. But after seminary our district went out for pizza!!

Saturday- BAPTISM!!! Well first we taught seminary because we couldn't on Wednesday. I really like teaching seminary! Its cool!! It was sooo great!!! It was so awesome to see a son baptize his mom!! After the baptism we visited with José, a recent member. It was all in all a good day! :)

Sunday- So today was a bit different! We only had sacrament meeting today because the members needed to get home earlier to eat lunch so they could get back before 12pm to get on the bus to go to the temple!! I'm really jealous!! I wanna go too!!!! :´( But here I will stay....working!! :)  Then we went to Jussara's house and had dinner with them and Elder Duncan and I helped her prepare to teach her English class by translating a lot of stuff!!! It gave me a headache!!!! :/

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Sister Emma Marion

 

In the jungle (Pantanal) of Brazil

suntan feet - Marion (R) Martinez (L)

Teaching seminary

Wet roads - no wonder her shoes broke

 

40 Weeks in Brazil!!!

Monday- So tonight Sister Gonçalves and Sister Grimes came to Cáceres to do a division. They will be staying here until Wednesday night.

Tuesday- So today I was with Sister Grimes. It was cool...she was the sister here before me...and she took my place in Várzea Grande. We did a lot of contacts today and then we had a meeting with the ward mission leader, who was the Branch president, Adalto. We then met with the lady names Ana Lucia. Ana agreed to be baptized!! It was really great!! Then we got ice cream and went home!! 

Wednesday- I was with Sister Gonçalves. Haha. It was strange being her companion again but in a different place...but it was good!! We visited an inactive member, Cristiana. Then we did some contacts and then we went to visit Geovan! But when we were visiting him he told us that he doesn't feel ready to be baptized yet....but he wants to....it was a very spiritual when this happened. So we will work more with him to help him be ready to be baptized! Then we went home so the sisters could get ready to leave at 2am. Then we went to sleep for a bit.....

Thursday- So at 4am Sister Gonçalves woke everyone up freaking out because they missed the bus. Haha but then we went back to sleep and then at 7am she called Elder Leão(ex. sec.) and he marked a bus at 8am for them. Then we had our weekly planning and then we had mutual at night. We made a cake and talked about virtue. It was cool. Then we played MASH with them haha.

Friday- We had a district meeting then we went to lunch really far away and stayed in that neighborhood and visited with a woman named Vanilza. She really wants to learn about the chuch!! So we taught her about the Book of Mormon and she promised to read it and pray. :)

Saturday- So we visited witht his lady named Maria that sister gonçalves and I found. But she really isn't too interessed so then we went and tried to visit this lady, Marilene, that Sister Grimes and I found but she wasn't home so we went to a family night :)

Sunday- Geovan came to church!! :D And also Elton's mom who isn't a member. So after church we had lunch at Ruben's (a recent member) where we had to cook because he doesn't know how......then we tried to visit this investigator that lives far away but when we got there they weren't there. :( So we ended up going to Jussara's house haha. While we were there we got a call from the President's assistnet who said that they had to call an emergency transfer and so Sister Martinez will be going to Campo Grande. :( Then President called me and told me about my new companion and how they needed my help with her. But then after like 10 minutes he called again and told us not to do anything until he calls us again.......then we got a call from Elder Leão awho said that they are going to try something else out first.....so we will be staying together longer now!!! Haha crazy right!!!! ;)

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Sister Emma Marion

 

Cooking for a new member

Sister Martinez trying to cross a mud hill.