Hey everyone!
So this week was a week of landmarks. My 22nd birthday, my 9 month mark coming up in only 2 days, and transfers are tomorrow!! So I can´t believe my mission is already halfway over. It seems like just a few weeks ago I said goodbye to you guys in the airport...And now begins the downhill slope! You guys were a little premature in your half-way mark wishes at 8 months;) But...I can´t believe how fast it´s going. It´s passing like a dream, and I´m going to have to work my hardest to make sure I actually get something done before it´s over!
So, it was a good week! Although, those 3 baptisms we so hoped to finish the transfer with didn´t happen:( As for Souza, his date was marked for Saturday. We had been prepping him, he was all ready, and seeming more normal than ever. So we took the Bishop and one of the counselors there to meet him on Wednesday...but when we walked in, as soon as I looked at him I knew something was wrong. He had totally been drinking - this time it was obvious even to us. Four days before his baptism. The enemy works so hard to keep people from entering in on the right path. So, he wasn´t baptized this week:( And Joice and Jessica weren´t either, because they´re still in the middle of kind of a custody battle thing, and we want to wait til it´s smoothed out and Vanusa really has custody of them. So...I was really hoping to finish out the transfer on a high note with S. Draut....but these people will still be baptized, all in due time.
So my birthday was a good day, despite the lack of baptisms. We had a normal but good day of work, then came home and had a pizza, brownies and grape Fanta party! Sister Draut got me batteries and my favorite chocolate (here):) It was good, but a little strange - the first birthday I´ve ever spent without you guys! But also the only, so that´s good:)
And then...transfer meeting was today, and we found out what´s going to happen!! A few interesting developments. So, as for me....I´m staying! Like President said in the interview, I have this transfer to finish up my work in Camobi. But, Sister Draut is leaving:( In her place will be coming Sister Lopes, a Brasilian sister with two transfers. She was with S. Pinkston, who´s amazing, so she got really well trained. I´m super excited to work with her! But S. Draut is going to Santo Angelo, kind of out in the middle of nowhere, to work in trio, with two brasilian sisters who only have one more transfer than her! So three semi-newbies all together, it should be really cool. Also in cool developments....both of the elders are leaving Camobi! And in their place are coming....two more sisters! Our ward will now have four sisters. And the ones who are coming are awesome, S. Nogueira, one of the best sisters in the mission, and S. de Oliveira from my MTC group.
So I´m super excited for this next transfer! It´s only a 5 week one, so it will be fast, and I have to work super hard to get everything done here I need to do. That´s really all the time I have for today...but I´m happy, healthy, and super excited to work hard this next transfer! Thanks so much for all your support, guys. I love you all so much, and hope you have an amazing week. Mom and Dad, are you guys home from Ireland yet?? How was it? I love you all, pray for you always, and send lots of big hugs and kisses your way, especially for Caroline. Love you!!
Til next week,
Sister Madsen
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Last week of this transfer!
Hey everyone!!
How are you doing? Oh my goodness, I loved the pictures and video of Caroline - she´s getting HUGE! I can´t believe she has teeth and everything now! She´s more beautiful than ever, and so super adorable with her backpack and sunglasses! I hope you guys are still showing her my picture. And start working on teaching her to say "Heather"!
For us, this week has been pretty interesting! Remember last week when I said a woman came up while I was writing and said she had known other sisters, and asked us to go to her house? Ok, so when she was talking to us, I kind of thought from her accent and her address that she might be a gypsy, but was confused because she was wearing jeans (they always wear long, colorful dresses). So we couldn´t come that day, but made an appointment with her for Tuesday. So we went home and found her sheet in the area book (a big book where we keep records of everyone who´s been taught) and sure enough, the sisters from June-july-ish had a sheet for her. And sure enough, she and her family are gypsies!
So when we went there Tuesday, we walked up to this huge house, still under construction, with like 4 cars out front. (I don´t know how, but gypsies here are super rich!) So I was a little wary because we had totally been to that house before knocking doors, and it was the one where I could see them sitting in the living room and they just waved a hand dismissively and yelled something. So I was worried they didn´t like missionaries...But when we walked up, a few girls were washing the sidewalk, and when one saw me, she said, "HEY! Come in! Bianca´s not here, but she told us to wait for you. Come in, come in! Come sit down!" Very happy and cheerful.
So we went and sat down, and it was a very gypsy house! All open on the inside, one huge room, all tile, with one part that was covered in oriental rugs and a bunch of sofas. This house was more normal and didn´t look like a furniture store like the last one, just like a living room with more sofas than normal. So we sat down there and started talking to Maria, Bianca´s aunt. So when I asked how she was, I could see how affected they were by the death in the family - she said they had spent these days crying and praying a lot. She explained that Fabio, her nephew and Bianca´s cousin, had been in a car accident 38 days before. He and his wife were in the car, and he was killed insantly, while she survived and was in the hospital "all broken". They were in serious grieving over his death, and Maria started to ask lots of questions.
"Where is he now?" We explained about the Plan of Salvation, and that at this point he was in the spirit world, learning about Christ and waiting to be ressurrected. She didn´t appear comforted at all. "What, so he´s not with God? THe other religions say he´s with God." We explained that not yet, he had to wait there for a bit. She just stayed with the same bitter, sad look on her face.
It was much better to talk with Bianca once she got home. Let me describe her - 27, my height, long dark hair, definitely russian-ish soudning accent in portuguese. She´s not married yet, which is why she can wear jeans:) Very open, sweet and loving, always listens to us with rapt attention. We talked to her, her mom and her two sisters in law. Her mom started to ask more interesting questions, "Why would God take someone good and leave someone bad? Fabio was good and kind, he never hurt anybody. But his wife, she´s bad! She wishes bad to other people." So Sister Draut explained that sometimes people die because it´s their time, and sometimes they´re affected by the bad choices of others.
At this they all kind of looked at each other like "I knew it!" and started whispering. Then they explained that Fabio´s mother in law, his wife´s mom, had cursed him at New Year´s. I´m not sure exactly what that means, but they were really worried about it! They asked where people go if God didn´t call them and if they died as a result of a curse. We explained that regardless, he was safe in the spirit world, learning and growing and still existing with the same spirit he had on earth.
For Bianca, this was a great comfort. She started smiling and tears rolled down her face as she listened to us, and she even started to glow a little bit. It was amazing to watch her. She said it brought great comfort to know that he was ok. It was so interesting to talk to them - they have such different superstitions! They really believe in curses and "witches" and just have some beliefs I´ve never even thought of. But it was super interesting - they love us and want us to come back every day. We´re trying to help them out of this hard time! Oh yeah, another tradition - they´re in actual mourning, for a period of so many days, they took the TV out of the house and couldn´t listen to us sing a hymn, etc. Veeery different.
But it´s been so interesting - we went there 3 times this week. Bianca and Simone are the most interested in our actual message, reading the Book of Mormon and the pamphlets we leave - the older women just want us to pray to keep bad influences away from them. But....talk about awesome experiences and people that I´ll never forget!
The rest of the week was pretty normal, and I have to go soon! I´m safe and happy and well, having amazing experiences here. I´m so glad we have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, that we lived with God before this life and that our spirit will never die, just goes to a different world for a bit, to await ressurrection and the chance to live with God forever in a state of never ending happiness. I know without a shadow of a doubt that it´s true. I love you all so much, and pray for you always. Keep up all your amazing work that you do in your lives, and have a great time in Ireland, Mom and Dad! I love you all sooo much. Until next week!
Heather :D
How are you doing? Oh my goodness, I loved the pictures and video of Caroline - she´s getting HUGE! I can´t believe she has teeth and everything now! She´s more beautiful than ever, and so super adorable with her backpack and sunglasses! I hope you guys are still showing her my picture. And start working on teaching her to say "Heather"!
For us, this week has been pretty interesting! Remember last week when I said a woman came up while I was writing and said she had known other sisters, and asked us to go to her house? Ok, so when she was talking to us, I kind of thought from her accent and her address that she might be a gypsy, but was confused because she was wearing jeans (they always wear long, colorful dresses). So we couldn´t come that day, but made an appointment with her for Tuesday. So we went home and found her sheet in the area book (a big book where we keep records of everyone who´s been taught) and sure enough, the sisters from June-july-ish had a sheet for her. And sure enough, she and her family are gypsies!
So when we went there Tuesday, we walked up to this huge house, still under construction, with like 4 cars out front. (I don´t know how, but gypsies here are super rich!) So I was a little wary because we had totally been to that house before knocking doors, and it was the one where I could see them sitting in the living room and they just waved a hand dismissively and yelled something. So I was worried they didn´t like missionaries...But when we walked up, a few girls were washing the sidewalk, and when one saw me, she said, "HEY! Come in! Bianca´s not here, but she told us to wait for you. Come in, come in! Come sit down!" Very happy and cheerful.
So we went and sat down, and it was a very gypsy house! All open on the inside, one huge room, all tile, with one part that was covered in oriental rugs and a bunch of sofas. This house was more normal and didn´t look like a furniture store like the last one, just like a living room with more sofas than normal. So we sat down there and started talking to Maria, Bianca´s aunt. So when I asked how she was, I could see how affected they were by the death in the family - she said they had spent these days crying and praying a lot. She explained that Fabio, her nephew and Bianca´s cousin, had been in a car accident 38 days before. He and his wife were in the car, and he was killed insantly, while she survived and was in the hospital "all broken". They were in serious grieving over his death, and Maria started to ask lots of questions.
"Where is he now?" We explained about the Plan of Salvation, and that at this point he was in the spirit world, learning about Christ and waiting to be ressurrected. She didn´t appear comforted at all. "What, so he´s not with God? THe other religions say he´s with God." We explained that not yet, he had to wait there for a bit. She just stayed with the same bitter, sad look on her face.
It was much better to talk with Bianca once she got home. Let me describe her - 27, my height, long dark hair, definitely russian-ish soudning accent in portuguese. She´s not married yet, which is why she can wear jeans:) Very open, sweet and loving, always listens to us with rapt attention. We talked to her, her mom and her two sisters in law. Her mom started to ask more interesting questions, "Why would God take someone good and leave someone bad? Fabio was good and kind, he never hurt anybody. But his wife, she´s bad! She wishes bad to other people." So Sister Draut explained that sometimes people die because it´s their time, and sometimes they´re affected by the bad choices of others.
At this they all kind of looked at each other like "I knew it!" and started whispering. Then they explained that Fabio´s mother in law, his wife´s mom, had cursed him at New Year´s. I´m not sure exactly what that means, but they were really worried about it! They asked where people go if God didn´t call them and if they died as a result of a curse. We explained that regardless, he was safe in the spirit world, learning and growing and still existing with the same spirit he had on earth.
For Bianca, this was a great comfort. She started smiling and tears rolled down her face as she listened to us, and she even started to glow a little bit. It was amazing to watch her. She said it brought great comfort to know that he was ok. It was so interesting to talk to them - they have such different superstitions! They really believe in curses and "witches" and just have some beliefs I´ve never even thought of. But it was super interesting - they love us and want us to come back every day. We´re trying to help them out of this hard time! Oh yeah, another tradition - they´re in actual mourning, for a period of so many days, they took the TV out of the house and couldn´t listen to us sing a hymn, etc. Veeery different.
But it´s been so interesting - we went there 3 times this week. Bianca and Simone are the most interested in our actual message, reading the Book of Mormon and the pamphlets we leave - the older women just want us to pray to keep bad influences away from them. But....talk about awesome experiences and people that I´ll never forget!
The rest of the week was pretty normal, and I have to go soon! I´m safe and happy and well, having amazing experiences here. I´m so glad we have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, that we lived with God before this life and that our spirit will never die, just goes to a different world for a bit, to await ressurrection and the chance to live with God forever in a state of never ending happiness. I know without a shadow of a doubt that it´s true. I love you all so much, and pray for you always. Keep up all your amazing work that you do in your lives, and have a great time in Ireland, Mom and Dad! I love you all sooo much. Until next week!
Heather :D
Monday, March 29, 2010
This week in Camobi
Hey everyone! :)
Right now it´s 10:30 in the morning, the summer weather is trying to turn into fall (evidenced by the fact that we´re not sweating yet) and I´m sitting in the little internet cafe by our house, listening to two very tiny little girls behind me, hanging out apparently all by themselves at the internet cafe, describing their Little Mermaid computer game. It´s still really cute for me to hear little kids speaking Portuguese - I always realize how much better they speak than I do:) But I´m having trouble coming up with stories about this week! It was a really average week in the life of a missionary, so I´ll try to tell you a little bit about the people in our life right now.
So, we have the famous Souza. Updates on him - this week our Zone Leaders went there to talk to him, and gave him a little mini baptismal interview. He of course swore again that he hadn´t had anything to drink since that time we caught him in the bar. So the Zone Leaders think we should believe him and go ahead with his baptism! So he´ll be baptised on my birthday if all goes according to plan:)
Wow! Crazy, I was writing just now and heard, "Are you girls from the Mormon church?" I looked up and said yes, and a woman said she had known other sisters in the past, and she had tried to call but the phone was disconnected. She asked if we could go there to pray for them because they had lost someone in the family:( But it´s so crazy how people recognize us all over and the Lord always puts us in the path of people who are in need:)
So who else is there? The others who might be baptized on my birthday are Joice and Jessica, the neices of Gilmar and Vanusa, this amazing couple who were baptised by the elders in January. They´re so great, about 40, and have 5 boys. Their house is always crazy, always someone laughing, someone else crying, painting, yelling, chasing the bunny...they´re such a great family. In the prayers they say in our lessons, they always pray for us to be safe and for our families too, so know you´re being prayed for:) But they´re so great - when we showed up yesterday, Gilmar was in a lawn chair out front reading the Book of Mormon and the Gospel Principles manual. It´s so great when you catch people by surprise and they´re doing stuff like that:) Anyway, Joice and Jessica are their neices, 9 and 11, who they want to get custody of because apparently things are bad with their mom, she´s really irresponsible or something. So, wanting to be parents to everyone, they want to adopt them. But Joice and Jessica are great, love going to church, and if they do get custody of them, will also be baptised soon.
Bah, my time is running short! Sorry, I would love to write huge long letters to you guys, but there´s just never time. I love you all so much and am always praying for you! Tell Leyla I´m praying for her dad as well. Thank Aly for that sweet letter she sent me, and Clyde and Jan as well! And Greg and Cheryl, I got that package you sent to me! Thank you so much! Thank you everyone for your love and support on my mission. I love you all, and you´re all in my prayers. This week the time will continue to fly by as we continue to try to help as many people as possible gain the blessings of the gospel. I´m excited, but the time is slipping through my fingers! I´ll try to make the most of it. I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
Til next time!
Heather
Right now it´s 10:30 in the morning, the summer weather is trying to turn into fall (evidenced by the fact that we´re not sweating yet) and I´m sitting in the little internet cafe by our house, listening to two very tiny little girls behind me, hanging out apparently all by themselves at the internet cafe, describing their Little Mermaid computer game. It´s still really cute for me to hear little kids speaking Portuguese - I always realize how much better they speak than I do:) But I´m having trouble coming up with stories about this week! It was a really average week in the life of a missionary, so I´ll try to tell you a little bit about the people in our life right now.
So, we have the famous Souza. Updates on him - this week our Zone Leaders went there to talk to him, and gave him a little mini baptismal interview. He of course swore again that he hadn´t had anything to drink since that time we caught him in the bar. So the Zone Leaders think we should believe him and go ahead with his baptism! So he´ll be baptised on my birthday if all goes according to plan:)
Wow! Crazy, I was writing just now and heard, "Are you girls from the Mormon church?" I looked up and said yes, and a woman said she had known other sisters in the past, and she had tried to call but the phone was disconnected. She asked if we could go there to pray for them because they had lost someone in the family:( But it´s so crazy how people recognize us all over and the Lord always puts us in the path of people who are in need:)
So who else is there? The others who might be baptized on my birthday are Joice and Jessica, the neices of Gilmar and Vanusa, this amazing couple who were baptised by the elders in January. They´re so great, about 40, and have 5 boys. Their house is always crazy, always someone laughing, someone else crying, painting, yelling, chasing the bunny...they´re such a great family. In the prayers they say in our lessons, they always pray for us to be safe and for our families too, so know you´re being prayed for:) But they´re so great - when we showed up yesterday, Gilmar was in a lawn chair out front reading the Book of Mormon and the Gospel Principles manual. It´s so great when you catch people by surprise and they´re doing stuff like that:) Anyway, Joice and Jessica are their neices, 9 and 11, who they want to get custody of because apparently things are bad with their mom, she´s really irresponsible or something. So, wanting to be parents to everyone, they want to adopt them. But Joice and Jessica are great, love going to church, and if they do get custody of them, will also be baptised soon.
Bah, my time is running short! Sorry, I would love to write huge long letters to you guys, but there´s just never time. I love you all so much and am always praying for you! Tell Leyla I´m praying for her dad as well. Thank Aly for that sweet letter she sent me, and Clyde and Jan as well! And Greg and Cheryl, I got that package you sent to me! Thank you so much! Thank you everyone for your love and support on my mission. I love you all, and you´re all in my prayers. This week the time will continue to fly by as we continue to try to help as many people as possible gain the blessings of the gospel. I´m excited, but the time is slipping through my fingers! I´ll try to make the most of it. I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
Til next time!
Heather
Monday, March 8, 2010
Week 3 of this transfer!
Hey everyone!
I have to be quick, my time is almost up. I loved reading all your emails, thanks! But to sum up this week....let´s see.
So updates on Souza, the "sober" guy from last week. So we´ve been visiting every day, and every day he claims that no, he hasn´t had anything to drink. One time we caught him by surprise at an unusual time, and he was smelling a bit like something, but he was like, "No no, I ate a bergamot just now, that´s what you´re smelling." And S. Draut and I...were starting to believe him! We were thinking he was just kind of unusual by nature, maybe taking medication, as he says he does, and that´s the reason for the slight "impairment" he seems to have. We had some more hilarious conversations with him: we´ve tried several times now to explain the Restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith. But when I asked this week if he remembered who Joseph Smith was: "Hmmmmm.....you´ve got me there. I have no idea." So we went through the whole thing again, how he restored the gospel, and then asked, "So what does it mean when people say he restored the gospel?"
Souza: "Hmm.....I don´t know."
So, explained the whole thing again, then asked, "So what´s the only true church of Jesus Christ on the earth right now?"
Souza, after a pause: "Assembly of God."
*silence as Sister Madsen and S. Draut sigh*
Souza: "Ahhh ha ha, I got you! Your church!"
So he´s really funny, and when he knows what´s going on has a great sense of humor. But we had kind of a sad night Saturday, when we passed by at night, unusual for us. But his mom said he wasn´t home, so we talked to her for a bit. I asked her right out if he had been drinking, and she said "Oh yes." She said he spends most nights at a bar close to there, and we could probably catch him there then. So we went there and sure enough, he was sitting right there in the door. He saw that we saw him, came out and said hello and everything, and when we asked what he was doing there, said he was hanging out with his friends like always. He said that he always goes there and orders a Coke float, but tonight and tonight only, the first time in 15 years or so, he had given in to the tempation of drinking, but only a little bit. So we asked him which he wanted more, baptism or cachassa, and he said kind of desperately "Oh, baptism". He really does have this deep desire to be baptized - it´s his fondest dream. But it looks like he´s seriously addicted. When I asked his mom before if he had ever tried to stop, she said yes, several times, but that he gets really sick and thinks there are bugs crawling all over the room and hallucinates and stuff. So....I got really sad about him, especially when he left the bar and we went back and talked to him at his house - he was so sad and ashamed, and wants to be baptized so bad. I can´t believe what alcohol does to some people - it made me really sad, and I felt so sorry for him. But he went to church the next morning, so....we´ll see if he can do it.
In other interesting news, we got permission to watch Amanda defend her thesis, and it was awesome! She did great, although the assesor people gave her a rough time. But she passed! Then Friday we went to her house with an apple pie we had made and had a fun night with her! She had always wanted to try apple pie, so we threw one together - it didn´t turn out half bad. So it was really fun to be with her, she´s a really great person. And is starting to get really interested in the gospel! She couldn´t come to church Sunday, so that was too bad, but next Sunday hopefully she´ll come again.
So to sum up everything else....as S. Draut said during weekly planning this week, "Huh...there seem to be a lot of people who like us all of a sudden!" Souza found us in the street wanting to be baptized....Amanda, when we met her for the first time, said, "No, don´t open the door! I have to open it, because you have to come back." (Gaucho tradition). Also, we met the brother of Vilmar, a recent convert, at his house. Vilmar is 40-ish and Eloir, his brother, 50-ish. Eloir invited us over to his house before we could even be pesky missionaries and ask him, and when we went and taught them, he said after, "I adored you guys. Seriously." And invited us to lunch to meet his other son and said he wished we could stay in Brasil forever. So there are a lot of people who like us recently! It´s been really great, and I love them all so much, actually in kind of an over the top way. It feels kind of "creepy" to love people so much that I hardly know, but I really do - I´m being blessed with that love missionaries always talk about for the people they teach. But I really do love them all.
And I love you all too, but my time is way past for this week! I hope you all have amazing weeks, and I´ll keep collecting stories and interesting facts for you for next letter. Thanks for your love and support, and I can´t wait to hear from you again! I love you all, and I want you all to know that I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true and living church on the face of the earth. I know it was restored by Joseph SMith, an that he saw God and Jesus Christ and was called as a prophet. I love you all, and I want all of you to have the happiness that the true gospel brings in life. Have an awesome week, and write back soon! :)
Love always,
Heather
I have to be quick, my time is almost up. I loved reading all your emails, thanks! But to sum up this week....let´s see.
So updates on Souza, the "sober" guy from last week. So we´ve been visiting every day, and every day he claims that no, he hasn´t had anything to drink. One time we caught him by surprise at an unusual time, and he was smelling a bit like something, but he was like, "No no, I ate a bergamot just now, that´s what you´re smelling." And S. Draut and I...were starting to believe him! We were thinking he was just kind of unusual by nature, maybe taking medication, as he says he does, and that´s the reason for the slight "impairment" he seems to have. We had some more hilarious conversations with him: we´ve tried several times now to explain the Restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith. But when I asked this week if he remembered who Joseph Smith was: "Hmmmmm.....you´ve got me there. I have no idea." So we went through the whole thing again, how he restored the gospel, and then asked, "So what does it mean when people say he restored the gospel?"
Souza: "Hmm.....I don´t know."
So, explained the whole thing again, then asked, "So what´s the only true church of Jesus Christ on the earth right now?"
Souza, after a pause: "Assembly of God."
*silence as Sister Madsen and S. Draut sigh*
Souza: "Ahhh ha ha, I got you! Your church!"
So he´s really funny, and when he knows what´s going on has a great sense of humor. But we had kind of a sad night Saturday, when we passed by at night, unusual for us. But his mom said he wasn´t home, so we talked to her for a bit. I asked her right out if he had been drinking, and she said "Oh yes." She said he spends most nights at a bar close to there, and we could probably catch him there then. So we went there and sure enough, he was sitting right there in the door. He saw that we saw him, came out and said hello and everything, and when we asked what he was doing there, said he was hanging out with his friends like always. He said that he always goes there and orders a Coke float, but tonight and tonight only, the first time in 15 years or so, he had given in to the tempation of drinking, but only a little bit. So we asked him which he wanted more, baptism or cachassa, and he said kind of desperately "Oh, baptism". He really does have this deep desire to be baptized - it´s his fondest dream. But it looks like he´s seriously addicted. When I asked his mom before if he had ever tried to stop, she said yes, several times, but that he gets really sick and thinks there are bugs crawling all over the room and hallucinates and stuff. So....I got really sad about him, especially when he left the bar and we went back and talked to him at his house - he was so sad and ashamed, and wants to be baptized so bad. I can´t believe what alcohol does to some people - it made me really sad, and I felt so sorry for him. But he went to church the next morning, so....we´ll see if he can do it.
In other interesting news, we got permission to watch Amanda defend her thesis, and it was awesome! She did great, although the assesor people gave her a rough time. But she passed! Then Friday we went to her house with an apple pie we had made and had a fun night with her! She had always wanted to try apple pie, so we threw one together - it didn´t turn out half bad. So it was really fun to be with her, she´s a really great person. And is starting to get really interested in the gospel! She couldn´t come to church Sunday, so that was too bad, but next Sunday hopefully she´ll come again.
So to sum up everything else....as S. Draut said during weekly planning this week, "Huh...there seem to be a lot of people who like us all of a sudden!" Souza found us in the street wanting to be baptized....Amanda, when we met her for the first time, said, "No, don´t open the door! I have to open it, because you have to come back." (Gaucho tradition). Also, we met the brother of Vilmar, a recent convert, at his house. Vilmar is 40-ish and Eloir, his brother, 50-ish. Eloir invited us over to his house before we could even be pesky missionaries and ask him, and when we went and taught them, he said after, "I adored you guys. Seriously." And invited us to lunch to meet his other son and said he wished we could stay in Brasil forever. So there are a lot of people who like us recently! It´s been really great, and I love them all so much, actually in kind of an over the top way. It feels kind of "creepy" to love people so much that I hardly know, but I really do - I´m being blessed with that love missionaries always talk about for the people they teach. But I really do love them all.
And I love you all too, but my time is way past for this week! I hope you all have amazing weeks, and I´ll keep collecting stories and interesting facts for you for next letter. Thanks for your love and support, and I can´t wait to hear from you again! I love you all, and I want you all to know that I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true and living church on the face of the earth. I know it was restored by Joseph SMith, an that he saw God and Jesus Christ and was called as a prophet. I love you all, and I want all of you to have the happiness that the true gospel brings in life. Have an awesome week, and write back soon! :)
Love always,
Heather
Monday, March 1, 2010
8 Months!
Hey everyone!!
How are you all? Thanks so much for the pictures, videos and letters. Also, I let Mom know already about the unfortunate package incident - just remember to put something vague like "missionary supplies" where it asks you to declare, so it doesn´t get taxed. But thanks so much - I love hearing from you all :)
So to sum up this week! First of all, I´m fine, obviously - I didn´t even hear about the earthquake in Chile until a few days later. So we´re all fine, no worries! But it was an interesting week. We met a lot of cool people, so I´ll tell you about some of them!
Probably the funniest experience of the week has been meeting Souza. I´m going to tell you all this story, but don´t freak out and worry about me teaching weird people - they´re all weird, and it´s fine, don´t worry! I wouldn´t teach him if I thought he was dangerous or something - he´s just funny weird. So, with that disclaimer, here we go:
So Tuesday night, Sister Draut and I were walking down the street, about to turn the corner, when a man carrying a few plastic bags almost runs into Sister Draut. We look at each other and after recognizing me, he bursts out, "Where have you been?? I want to be baptized!!" So, that phrase is music to our ears, obviously. But the slightly slurred tone of voice was a little strange....who was interesting character?
Turns out it was Souza, a man about in his 50s who I had already met back in December when the Elders were teaching him. The Elders had told me the story of when they met him, and it was basically the same thing. They were just walking along when he stopped them in the street and said he wanted to be baptized. So after talking to him for a bit, they said the first thing he needed to stop drinking immediately. They said that they would come by with us, the sisters, a few days later, and if he was sober we could teach him the first lesson. I´m not sure why us - I think because he lives closer to us. So this was all back in December. But Sister Velasquez and I went by with the elders, and after talking with him Elder Arruda determined he wasn´t sober enough for the agreement they had made, and we left, despite him swearing he was completely sober.
So....this was the person we met in the street Tuesday night. He was exactly the same, slurred speech and saying the same thing over and over. I asked him if he was sober and he said, "Of course, ever since those boys told me I had to stop!" But he reaffirmed his desire to be baptized and said, "Ok, Thursday come by my house and we´ll see how soon I can be baptized. Ok? Ok. I´ll wait for you Thursday." So...for some reason, this man has a burning desire to be baptized! Which is great, I wish everyone did, but I just wonder where he got it. I´m still not sure - I never get a straight answer from him.
But so, when we went to his house Thursday, we sat down with him and he said, "Alright. First thing, I want a prayer from her *points to Sister Draut*". So he basically started directing the conversation, asking what he had to do to be baptized and everything. I told him he had to stop drinking, and he claimed again that he was sober since December. And....really, guys, I have no idea if he´s telling the truth or not. To me he seems obviously drunk, slurred speech, red eyes, just acting....totally drunk. But he doesn´t really smell like alcohol, and he always swears he´s sober, so....could it be that years of drinking have just made him permanently like that? I don´t know. But this is about the gist of our conversation:
Souza: "Ok. Saturday, you guys are coming by in the afternoon. Sunday, I´ll be at church at 8:30. *getting sad and shaking his head* I went to church in shorts last time! I was so embarrassed. Sorry my hands are so dirty. Last time, someone there in that class [at church] drew a picture of a spider on the board. He drew a spider, and that really stuck with me, you know? So, Saturday you guys are coming by, and Sunday I´m going to church. I went to church in shorts!"
He just started the same loop over a few times. It was hilarious - I can´t convey it in writing. But S. Draut almost lost it a few times. Oh, and also a hilarious part was that his cousin was sitting there with us! Since we couldn´t be alone with him, we made him get his cousin. His cousin just sat there, mostly quiet and nodding along. Afterwards, we were saying how much they reminded us of a movie duo. And then we realized who: Souza is like a drunk Michael, and Eloir, his cousin, is Mose! They´re *so* funny. But I really did feel like Pam talking to Michael - being super firm, making him understand the rules. I made him take a questionable picture off his wall, and looked in his fridge to see if there was alcohol in there (there wasn´t - could it be he really is sober?)
So...S. Draut and I have been quoting Souza all week - "Sorry my hands are like this. I went to church in shorts!" And...that´s the funniest part of the week! He´s so interesting - I really want to find out how he came to know about the church and got this burning desire to be baptized. I´ll let you know when I find out!
Another awesome part of the week was meeting Amanda Post. She´s a reference from the elders, who said they had talked to a girl named Amanda Post, and we should go there and say, "We´re American and we want to talk to Amanda". I thought she must be American, but no! We went there, and shés definitely Brazilian, but she´s finishing her Master´s in language aquisition, and speaks english fluently. So we went there, she came down and answered, we went up to her apartment, and talked to her for almost two hours! She´s amazing - I really like her and feel like I know her really well already. At the end of our conversation I felt like we were all the best of friends - she invited us back on Friday and said she would make us all kinds of Brazilian desserts, and we said we´d do our best to bring an apple pie! The conversation we had was so great - all about what she believes, who she is....it was amazing, and so different, because it was in English! :) So we shared a scriptures and our testimonies with her, and invited her to church.
So when we went to go get her Sunday morning, we buzzed her apartment and sat there crossing our fingers.....but she came right down! She said she had been up all night finishing her thesis, "but I really wanted to go with you this morning", and she would be ready to go in just a minute! So....she´s pretty incredible. She loved church, and we´re going back on Friday after she defends her thesis to have dinner and teach her more. So she was my favorite part of the week. I can´t wait to see how she progresses.
So I´ve spent all my tme telling you crazy stories!! I hope you liked them. I hope you guys are all happy and healthy and everything - I´m always praying for you, every night. I love you all so much and love to hear about how you´re doing. I love being here and doign this work - I´m the luckiest person in the world to be able to bear my testimony and help people all day every day. Thank you so much for your love and support. I love you all and can´t wait to hear from you again soon! Have an amazing week!!! :)
Til next week,
Heather
How are you all? Thanks so much for the pictures, videos and letters. Also, I let Mom know already about the unfortunate package incident - just remember to put something vague like "missionary supplies" where it asks you to declare, so it doesn´t get taxed. But thanks so much - I love hearing from you all :)
So to sum up this week! First of all, I´m fine, obviously - I didn´t even hear about the earthquake in Chile until a few days later. So we´re all fine, no worries! But it was an interesting week. We met a lot of cool people, so I´ll tell you about some of them!
Probably the funniest experience of the week has been meeting Souza. I´m going to tell you all this story, but don´t freak out and worry about me teaching weird people - they´re all weird, and it´s fine, don´t worry! I wouldn´t teach him if I thought he was dangerous or something - he´s just funny weird. So, with that disclaimer, here we go:
So Tuesday night, Sister Draut and I were walking down the street, about to turn the corner, when a man carrying a few plastic bags almost runs into Sister Draut. We look at each other and after recognizing me, he bursts out, "Where have you been?? I want to be baptized!!" So, that phrase is music to our ears, obviously. But the slightly slurred tone of voice was a little strange....who was interesting character?
Turns out it was Souza, a man about in his 50s who I had already met back in December when the Elders were teaching him. The Elders had told me the story of when they met him, and it was basically the same thing. They were just walking along when he stopped them in the street and said he wanted to be baptized. So after talking to him for a bit, they said the first thing he needed to stop drinking immediately. They said that they would come by with us, the sisters, a few days later, and if he was sober we could teach him the first lesson. I´m not sure why us - I think because he lives closer to us. So this was all back in December. But Sister Velasquez and I went by with the elders, and after talking with him Elder Arruda determined he wasn´t sober enough for the agreement they had made, and we left, despite him swearing he was completely sober.
So....this was the person we met in the street Tuesday night. He was exactly the same, slurred speech and saying the same thing over and over. I asked him if he was sober and he said, "Of course, ever since those boys told me I had to stop!" But he reaffirmed his desire to be baptized and said, "Ok, Thursday come by my house and we´ll see how soon I can be baptized. Ok? Ok. I´ll wait for you Thursday." So...for some reason, this man has a burning desire to be baptized! Which is great, I wish everyone did, but I just wonder where he got it. I´m still not sure - I never get a straight answer from him.
But so, when we went to his house Thursday, we sat down with him and he said, "Alright. First thing, I want a prayer from her *points to Sister Draut*". So he basically started directing the conversation, asking what he had to do to be baptized and everything. I told him he had to stop drinking, and he claimed again that he was sober since December. And....really, guys, I have no idea if he´s telling the truth or not. To me he seems obviously drunk, slurred speech, red eyes, just acting....totally drunk. But he doesn´t really smell like alcohol, and he always swears he´s sober, so....could it be that years of drinking have just made him permanently like that? I don´t know. But this is about the gist of our conversation:
Souza: "Ok. Saturday, you guys are coming by in the afternoon. Sunday, I´ll be at church at 8:30. *getting sad and shaking his head* I went to church in shorts last time! I was so embarrassed. Sorry my hands are so dirty. Last time, someone there in that class [at church] drew a picture of a spider on the board. He drew a spider, and that really stuck with me, you know? So, Saturday you guys are coming by, and Sunday I´m going to church. I went to church in shorts!"
He just started the same loop over a few times. It was hilarious - I can´t convey it in writing. But S. Draut almost lost it a few times. Oh, and also a hilarious part was that his cousin was sitting there with us! Since we couldn´t be alone with him, we made him get his cousin. His cousin just sat there, mostly quiet and nodding along. Afterwards, we were saying how much they reminded us of a movie duo. And then we realized who: Souza is like a drunk Michael, and Eloir, his cousin, is Mose! They´re *so* funny. But I really did feel like Pam talking to Michael - being super firm, making him understand the rules. I made him take a questionable picture off his wall, and looked in his fridge to see if there was alcohol in there (there wasn´t - could it be he really is sober?)
So...S. Draut and I have been quoting Souza all week - "Sorry my hands are like this. I went to church in shorts!" And...that´s the funniest part of the week! He´s so interesting - I really want to find out how he came to know about the church and got this burning desire to be baptized. I´ll let you know when I find out!
Another awesome part of the week was meeting Amanda Post. She´s a reference from the elders, who said they had talked to a girl named Amanda Post, and we should go there and say, "We´re American and we want to talk to Amanda". I thought she must be American, but no! We went there, and shés definitely Brazilian, but she´s finishing her Master´s in language aquisition, and speaks english fluently. So we went there, she came down and answered, we went up to her apartment, and talked to her for almost two hours! She´s amazing - I really like her and feel like I know her really well already. At the end of our conversation I felt like we were all the best of friends - she invited us back on Friday and said she would make us all kinds of Brazilian desserts, and we said we´d do our best to bring an apple pie! The conversation we had was so great - all about what she believes, who she is....it was amazing, and so different, because it was in English! :) So we shared a scriptures and our testimonies with her, and invited her to church.
So when we went to go get her Sunday morning, we buzzed her apartment and sat there crossing our fingers.....but she came right down! She said she had been up all night finishing her thesis, "but I really wanted to go with you this morning", and she would be ready to go in just a minute! So....she´s pretty incredible. She loved church, and we´re going back on Friday after she defends her thesis to have dinner and teach her more. So she was my favorite part of the week. I can´t wait to see how she progresses.
So I´ve spent all my tme telling you crazy stories!! I hope you liked them. I hope you guys are all happy and healthy and everything - I´m always praying for you, every night. I love you all so much and love to hear about how you´re doing. I love being here and doign this work - I´m the luckiest person in the world to be able to bear my testimony and help people all day every day. Thank you so much for your love and support. I love you all and can´t wait to hear from you again soon! Have an amazing week!!! :)
Til next week,
Heather
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