SIX MONTHS IN!!!! (Sept. 17)

That´s right folks!!! Last friday I hit the SIX MONTH MARK on the mission!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! =]

 

some little miracles from the week:

 

Wednesday, we decided to go back past some people we had found almost two weeks previously... There was one lady--Rosangela, in particular that we had left a book of mormon with and was having some really hard troubles in her family.... When we got there this week, Rosangela was SO excited that we came by!!! She invited us in and they were in the midst of packing up everything to move to another bairro(neighborhood) that evening! She was like "I was just thinking about you two yesterday!!! And worried that you would pass by again and we would have already left!!!" CRAZY. So, we passed by at the ONLY time we could have actually caught her before they left!! MIRACLES.

AND, she had read the chapter we marked and was very interested for us to come by her new house and teach her more.... we havent had a chance to actually explain about the restoration or the book of mormon yet, so I really hope that we can actually find her new house and do that!!

 

We were able to have another lesson with Izabel (the one who owns the bakery and is getting married to an LDS american...) this past week!! I LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is AMAZING. She is planning to get baptized in the states when she goes to visit for thanksgiving.... I have to admit, I´m fairly bummed that she wont be getting baptized here, but I cant WAIT to see the pictures!!! =]

I have been worried the few times we´ve been able to teach her that her interest in the gospel was more for her future family and culture´s sake and not so much a testimony.... But this week, she blew those ideas out of the water! As we were teaching her, she kept bearing her testimony and sharing insights that literally astounded me and sis. Feistner.... At the end she was like "WAIT! I want to read some of my favorite chapters in the book of mormon with you!!" and she whips out her livro de mormon and starts reading some of the scriptures she had liked and highlighted in Alma 32... She is already reading in Alma 40 something and has been highlighting and ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDING so much the whole way!!! AMAZING. Then she turned to mosiah 4:9-10 and read it to us... it is where it says (and I´m paraphrasing and translating back into english here.... ) "believe in god, believe that he is and that he created all things....." As she was reading that, it just hit me sooooo strong. It was like an answer for all the prayers I´ve said asking for a more faith and a stronger testimony.... Go read it now! I also like the part at the end of verse ten.... "if you believe these things, try to do them". We need to actually follow through on what we believe everyday! and it isnt always easy.... It is way easier to forget and forget the moments like this when we realize so profoundly what we believe.... but we have to remember and apply these things in our lives to carry us through all the other hard times...

With Izabel, I also realized how much I LOVE and am going to miss the people here when I get tranferred!!! AHHHHHHH nOOOOO!! I had a NIGHTMARE about getting transferred last week!!! hahah. It was terrible!! But, on a happier note, Izabel´s future husband has some property out in CDA where he wants to build a house..... SO, I´m hoping that someday soon they will live in CDA and Sister F. and I can BOTH go visit her!!!!! YEAH!!! =]

 

I had another experience that was a little answer to my prayers this week.... We were teaching the first lesson about the restoration to an investigator named Nadia.... It was only the second time we had talked with her, and we hardly knew her.... USUALLY, I get SUPER NERVOUS teaching the first lesson.... Especially because Sister Feistner has a way of always switching it over to me right in time for the part about joseph smith.... which includes reciting the first vision and potentially inviting the investigator to be baptized. haha. And I get WAY nervous. But, I have been trying so hard, and praying so hard to just be braver and better about talking to EVERYONE and being confident... When I started the first vision with Nadia, it was like a switch got flipped in my head... All of a sudden I WASNT nervous!! I was just like "what are you freaking out about??!" and I just said it and invited her to be baptized!! And she said she would!! haha. IT WAS AWESOME. It is WAY more enjoyable to NOT be stressed and nervous when I´m teaching!!! haha. What do you know?!

 

ALSO--- Friday, we got to leave and work with Mariana--- one of my favorite people to work with! She used to leave with us a LOT when Sis. Pedersen was here... but afterwards she was out of town for a month and then super busy.... This week, she was finally able to leave with us again! and it was sooo fun! It is so much more enjoyable to walk and to knock doors when we have someone else with us!! and she has been studying english for the past 6 years, but has always been too embarrassed/shy to speak english with us in the past. This time, Sis. Feistner convinced her to practice and speak english with us and it was so fun! She speaks like a boss!! REALLY. I´m super jealous of how well she speaks english..... She was also telling us about how she is thinking about going on a mission... And I think she really will go! She is just deciding whether to leave school and go at the end of this year, or wait till she graduates in 2014.... Listening to her made me think of all my decision process a year ago.... hahaha. And how RIDICULOUSLY stressed out I was... hahah. Oh gosh.... glad I dont have to go through that again.

 

about brazilians speaking english again..... We also worked a little with a twelve year old that LOVES to leave with us from our ward.... Lorena. She usually asks us questions for her english homework when we work with her... but this time we all started speaking just in english... and she can speak and understand SO WELL!!! I dont know how these people do it!!! GOSH! I´m so jealous!! hahah. Portuguese is still SO HARD!!! I can never conjugate verbs right!!! ahhhhh! It doesnt help that there are about 9 different verb tenses..... ahhhhg. And then the 6 conjugations in every tense..... Probably gonna shoot myself here pretty soon.... hah.

 

 Well. thats about all that is at all interesting from my week.....

Did I mention that I am DYING because it is SO HOT!!!??? Yep. We are roasting. Its like a sauna. Everyday. Our water completely stopped working for a little while last night, and I got pretty stressed there for a second... cause there is NO WAY we could survive without our twice a day showers... haha

Apparently there are a lot of missionaries getting sick/fainting and even having to go to the hospital because of how hot it is.... And probably cause they arent eating well or drinking enough water....ha. But dont worry, I drink my water like a good little missionary.

 

Me and Sister Feistner on the bus, hot and sweaty and stinky...... Wooooo. hahaha. no wonder people dont want to talk to us! haha

 

oh, random thought... An investigator this week started telling us that the angel moroni and jesus are ALIENS..... yep. hahah. We got a little surprised over that one... but his argument was that if angels dont live on the earth, that means they are aliens.... hmmm. Dont know how I feel about that logic. haha

 

Anyways...

we are heading off to have an activity with the elders..... gonna play some futbol! hahah(soccer). and probably DIE while doing it cause it is so hot!

 

love you ALL!!! Have the BEST WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sister Ward

 

So here´s some pictures for you all............

you better appreciate them, cause my camera is on the last days of its life.... hahah.

 

parade for 7 de setembro! (brazilian independence day....) We had heard they would have a parade in the morning, but we stayed home to study like good little missionaries... But they parade came to us!! hahah. Right past our windows! It wasnt as exciting as I was expecting..... just the exercito with some drums, one trumpet and one tuba.... hahaha. But I was excited anyways.... =]

We´ve been having some problems with our bathroom the past two transfers.... Our house is very old, and the plumbing isnt so grand apparently.... Our shower hot water burned out twice (dont worry, people in the ward came and fixed it both times!) and a couple weeks ago, the water tube beneath our sink started leaking.... Then it started pouring and spewing water. It was about 10 at night, so we called the bishop and he said he would send some one over the next day. When we got up in the morning, our bathroom was basically a swimming pool!!!!!!!!! hahaha. Seriously. I pulled all the water over to the shower drain, but within  the next hour, it was a swimming pool in there again... hahah. Then, that morning Irmão Luis and his wife came over to fix it.... This picture shows all the crap that came out of the pipes when he cleaned it out to fix it. SICK. Apparently are pipes are all made of iron and there is just a lot of crap in them.... cool. Brush my teeth with that water...

Bruna´s family at the baptism!!!! WOOOOOOOO!

From left to right, her twin brothers Harrison and Harold, Bruna, her grandma, her mom Maria, and her dad Rogerio

They all came for the baptism, and then all came for her confirmation in sacrament the next day!!! YEAH! (sorry the quality is soo bad.... like i said, my camera is dying. ha)

AND, this past sunday, Bruna, her cousin, her mom and her older twin brothers all came to church again!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!! I´m so excited for them!! I hope they keep this up!!!

One of Sister Feistner´s happy drawings for me.... hahaha. We were talking about wondering what the heck is going on in the lives of all our friends back home, and this was her response..... hahah

ANDDDD my planner on my six month mark!! haha. Sister F. stole my planner while I wasnt looking and drew a ninja in it.... hahaha. It was a GREAT day.