Highs and Lows.

This week was full of a lot of rough spots but a lot of great ones as well.  It seems at times to consist of a lot of really highs, a lot of really lows and not a lot of "in betweens." 😏

One of our investigators was not baptized this past week as scheduled. It seemed that everything was going well leading up to the baptism date, yet when Sister Linhares and I got to the church house on Sunday we got a phone call;  I picked up the phone and its our investigator. She tells me she doesn't want to be baptized. We rush to her house to talk to her personally and she says that she spoke with her mom and she told her she had already been baptized and she didn't have to be baptized again if she really didn't want to. We did everything to try and help her understand. We explained about priesthood authority and reviewed aspects of what we had previously taught her, and bore our testimonies, yet nothing seemed to change her mind. I hope that things will progress soon; in the Lord's due time.

Patricia was able to be baptized this week! She is an awesome young lady! It's so cool to feel so much love for someone you barely even know. She was baptized and stepped out of the font with a big smile! I asked her how she feels. She said she felt so light and happy with a bright smile on her face! This week we are going to a family night with her and have a little bit of fun playing the card game UNO© and maybe a little bit of soccer too. 😃

(Left to Right ) Sister Linhares, Patricia, Sister Smart

This week we had another investigator who had another concern come up. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration. He was so close to feeling not just knowing the truthfulness of what he read in his mind and in his heart. He said he knows its true but we are trying to help him feel it in his heart as well. We hope that this issue can be overcome and he will soon be baptized.

This week we had a Festival of Dance for the youth at one of the church buildings. It was a ton of fun! We were able to watch the youth dance a bunch of dances from different films like High School Musical, The Greatest Showman, Glee and Grease. All of the wards prepared and participated.  I loved the show and I love the youth here a ton.

Sister Linhares, Sister Smart and youth at Festival of Dance

This week we don't have p-day or preparation day because we are going to the temple tomorrow so that will be good! I hope all the missionaries are able to stay awake. I know I am exhausted and know most if not all are so..so..so exhausted with all of the things we do. We need to be ready by 5:00 AM at the temple. Wish us all luck! Have an awesome week!

Sister Linhares and Sister Smart

Your Heavenly Father loves you - each of you. That love never changes. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.

- Thomas S. Monson

The Gospel is Joy!

I hope that everyone had a fantastic week!

Two weeks ago was kind of crazy with a rush of emotions and activities. We had a baptism for a teenage boy named Felipe who is thirteen years old. Another awesome baptism! I am happy for Felipe! We went to his house two Sunday's ago, in the morning, to take him to church for his baptism. We knocked and called his name for about thirty minutes straight and nobody came out. We thought all was lost, but he ended up making it to sacrament meeting; which is the last meeting of the block of meetings, and was able to be baptized! He is super hilarious and a great young man.

Also, we had six investigators come to church these past two weeks and I hope that we can continue to teach each of them. I hope they can also be baptized because they are amazing people!

Two weeks ago we had transfers and I am now with Sister Linhares here in the same area, Cursino! I am grateful for the time I had with Sister Lara.

It feels like it has been forever since I have written because of so many things that have happened! It was an awesome couple of weeks. I was able to joke and have fun with our investigators, play soccer with the kids, and just have fun! We definitely work hard as missionaries and have fun too. Yet, this past week was super busy and tiring since I am now supposed to be the expert in the Cursino area.

Carini will be baptized this week and is super ready! She is sixteen years old and reminds me a lot of someone back home that is a friend of mine. I have thought that people always talk about the elect of God and she is definitely one of them! She never doubted the things we taught her, she just believed. She said she loves going to church and that she feels the Spirit incredibly strong when she prays and reads the Book of Mormon each day. She also has a boyfriend that has been to church a few times with us and is very respectful of Carini's decision. We are teaching him as well - hope he too will be baptized!

We also are teaching Patricia. She might be baptized this week if things work out. She reminds me a lot of myself. She is twenty years old and lives with her brother that is a less active member. Her brother was able to go to church with us this past Sunday and is excited for soccer at the church house because there is a futsal field there.

We are also teaching Alexandre who is twenty-two years old. He is extremely kind-hearted and super smart. He told us that he has been to lots of churches and said that there was something he found at these other churches that he didn't like and something that was still missing. We told him that we have the answers to his questions and as I explained and bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and that it is another testament of Jesus Christ, he suddenly says, "I want one!" We have a goal to baptize four people this month which is a lot because our area can be difficult. Yet, I know that with faith and hard work, God will always help us missionaries accomplish our goals.

It is hard being the senior companion and trying to figure out everything, but my District Leader Gonçalves has always been willing to  help me a ton with the things I don't know how to do - even though he is very busy.

A little while ago we were able to do a service project painting a local school house. I think I ended up with more paint on me than on the walls of the school house but that's part of the fun, yeah? 😃

A service project helping to paint a school.

I know that God has a plan for each of us. I know that He loves each one of us and that only through service and love can we come to know more about our Saviour. I love this Gospel it changes lives and brings more happiness than anything else on earth!

Rain and Abundant Blessings

This past Sunday marks five months that I have been in Brazil, crazy right?!

This week in Brazil there was a ton of rain and I mean a TON! It made me think of the Mormon message about blessings. God is always showering blessings on us like rain but sometimes as imperfect human beings we use our umbrellas that block us from seeing the blessings that are constantly pouring down. I have gained a testimony that God's hand is always in our lives we just need to have the courage to let everything else go and recognize the blessings. "To look at the future we should be filled with faith and hope remembering that Jesus Christ, the creator of the world, the architect of our salvation, and the head of this church is in control. He will not let His work fail. He overcomes all of the darkness and all of the pain."

São Paulo Brazil skyline in the evening

I did not get to the email at the scheduled time for this past week, a day late because we had a service project with our entire zone. The service project consisted of cleaning the top level or fourth floor of an LDS church building here in São Paulo. When the church was built the top level was left unfinished. President Acosta wants to turn the top floor into a mission office and a "Bazzar" or a marketplace that missionaries can go to get clothes and shoes when they need them. All items are free of charge and have been donated (it is funny that I can't remember these words in English anymore 😃). Because the top level was left unfinished, over time it has collected a ton of trash, wood, furniture, paper, that "yellow stuff" that goes in the wall (forgot the name again 😃) and other miscellaneous items. As a zone, we had the job to clear it all out and mop the cement floor; all while wearing masks and gloves as it was very dusty. Since it was on the fourth floor, we loaded it all onto the elevators and sent it down as we made a huge pile of trash. The large piles then were loaded onto the trucks. Needless to say between the loading and unloading and cleaning it took almost the whole day. I was covered in dust and dirt from head to toe. I am a little sore from the lifting, because its been a while since I have done heavy exercise. Sister Larsen, one of the sister missionaries in our zone had so much dirt in her hair that it was a completely different color! It was hard work and took our whole p-day, but I really enjoyed it!

This week we found a family that are members of the religion, Congregação Cristã; I don't remember the translation in English but their church has some strict guidelines or rules; derived from their religion's doctrine that they believe has some rules that are extremely rigid. For example, one needs to be "liberated" from almost everything that is not of the bible or related to their church. For example, they can't cut their hair because they believe that it takes away their virtue; they believe that women should not wear pants and that television is of the world and should not ever be watched. It was an interesting learning experience for me; as well, for me to explain and testify of the things we believe as latter-day saints.

This past week we visited a member Juliana with her cute little son Dexter. As we were leaving the house she said he pointed to the door and said, "Je Je!" Which he only does when he sees a picture of Jesus. I was having a hard day and asked for Christ to be by my side and know that He is. God definitely answered my prayer that Christ is watching over me. I know that He loves and watches over each one of us.

Remember Mario, he was not able to go to church with us so he will not be able to be baptized this coming week which is super sad. I am hopeful he will continue to progress and we will pray hard that he will someday be ready to be baptized. I learned this week that even with a small, small testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel it still, in the end is ones choice whether to accept Jesus Christ or not. We are working super hard but sadly we didn't have a baptism to plan this past week.

This is the last week before transfers this coming Sunday. Sister Lara has been in Cursino seven months so she might be transferred. My District Leader thinks that it's possible I will train a new Sister this transfer here in Cursino, although I don't think I am ready or will do this 😃. We will see what happens and know this coming Sunday. Sister Acosta also wants me to help her with some things related to healthcare here on the mission because of my background in nursing so I might be working with her a few days a week.

Have a great week!