Hello Again!

Well, it has been an awesome week!!!

 

The work here is going sooooo well!!!

I never want to leave Araras!!!

 

Last week was a little challenging.... Each week we have a goal of having 15 lessons with a member present. BUT, last week was hard because it is the beginning of school holidays. So the people we marked to teach with us bailed for various reasons, people who normally help us a TON were traveling or out of town, and we couldnt find ANYONE who could teach with us.

As of Saturday night, we still needed 11 lessons with a member and we had no idea how we could get that..... we were praying pretty hard.

Sunday, was a day of miracles!!!  When we got to church, one of the girls who wanted to help us was back in town. She talked with us about working with us this week and said she was free anyday.... So we asked her "well, can you go today?" And she was like "sure!!! and let me ask Lorena to come with us too!!" SO, we ended up having two girls to help us Sunday afternoon, so we were able to split and knock doors on each side of the road and get all our lessons for the week!! Amazing.

 

Also. Huge miracle of sunday...... We, once again, had TEN investigators in church!!!!! WOOOOO. Only this week, it was even better, because 9 of them were OUR investigators that we are actually teaching!!!!! Super cool!

For our gospel principles class, there were so many investigators and recent converts there that we couldnt fit in our class room!! We usually have a class of about 5-9 people.... but sunday we had about 20-25!!! We had to move into the chapel to have enough space!!! It was AMAZING.

 

And last miracle from sunday..... We have a couple investigators that ask us a lot of questions that we dont understand, or they dont understand us when we try to respond. One man, José was a missionary for his church and has always studied the bible a LOT. He has a ton of specific, obscure questions for us and wants to understand EVERYTHING completely. We leave every lesson with him with many of his questions unanswered.... But, sunday we were able to take a  couple in our ward to the lesson with us. Irmão Zezinho and Irmã Aparecida. Irmão Zezinho knows SO much about the gospel and studied a lot when he was learning about the church and before and after he was baptized. He had many of the same questions, and so he was able to help José with all of the questions that he has been asking us, and answer them in a way that he could understand. It was AWESOME.

 

Anyways. We are having a LOT of miracles here and our investigators are progressing so much!!!! It makes me so happy to see them at church, to see them making friends with the members and to see the members helping out so much!!

This week, we have members with us at lessons EVERY day!!! Crazy!!! They are getting so involved and helping us so much!! It is great!!

 

Funny story from the week:

We had one lunch in particular when I just made a fool of myself..... The Irmã who was giving us lunch was finishing up cooking, so I asked her if she needed any help. She said no, so I just sat at the table and was talking with her...... APPARENTLY, I really cant understand everything people say though, because  afterwards Sister Pedersen told me that as she was putting noodles into a different pot she said "oh sister, you can help me now..."... But, I didnt realize that is what she said. So I just stayed sitting there and did nothing. Woops.

At that same lunch, I also somehow dropped shredded cheese into her cup of soda...... GREAT. hahaha.

 

AND, I think the story of my incident when Irmão Bene asked me to say the prayer and not use the word "coisas" (things) and I accidently blessed the food to be BAD for our bodies, has been traveling around our ward here in Araras..... Several people have teased me about saying the word "coisas".... hahaha. They all seem to think it is hilarious. Sister Pedersen included.

 

Well.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

 

Love you all!!!

 

Sister Ward