Miriam's 2nd Week in Pirassununga - Sister Rodriguez

 I feel like a lot of stuff happened this week while at the same time I feel like nothing happened this week.

But I'll write an email all the same.

I met a family of three rambunctious girls: Iris, Luna, and Natacha. They're super cute with too much energy for their mother. Luna reminds me of me, especially when she's hungry and impatient for food.

We had exchanges this week, and since we live with our Sister Trainer Leaders, it made things much simpler. I spent the day with Sister Harwood. She spoke English with me pretty much the whole day, but it was fun because I got to know her better (she was a little rebel before her mission, apparently). We also placed a Book of Mormon during lunch because a few people got interested in what language we were speaking.

This week we started teaching a girl named Nayara. We've left her a Book of Mormon when we first met her and invited to read it and meet with us again. When we met again, we taught her the Restoration, and she was riveted. She even told us that her prayer about the Book of Mormon seemed to have driven away nightmares she had been having recently. However, when we visited once more and invited her to church, she was a little apprehensive to accept because of something that happened to her in the Catholic church. This experience had led her to be a tad suspicious of churches in general, so she wasn't exactly jumping at the opportunity to visit us. So we made a comprise, inviting to simply get to know the church building itself, not on a Sunday. To this invitation, she agreed. When Friday night rolled around, she showed up with her older sister, Katlyn (that may or may not be how you spell her name). We introduced them to the classrooms and other jazz, and when we visited the chapel and showed them the Sacrament table. We explained what the Sacrament is and why we do it, then explained a little about baptism. When we finished, we asked how they were feeling. Katlyn said she felt something different when we talked about the Sacrament and baptism. She had listened to lots of pastors talk about baptism before, but she said when we talked about it, we seemed to actually know what we were talking about, and that she could see in our eyes that we actually believed it. 

They weren't able to make it to church this Sunday, but Nayara informed us that her sister really wants to next week. Yee Haw! We're hoping and praying that nothing gets in their way.

Yesterday, after lunch, we were starting out our day and a strong wind kicked up out of no where, and a heavy rain was on its way. We were trying to find a system referral, but his wife said that he was sleeping and wasn't all that interested in waking up. So we were just about ready to keep going when someone called out, "Sisters!"

Now, when someone calls you "sister" in Brazil, that means they know exactly who you are. Standing in the garage of the neighboring house was a man, and he was calling us over. We walked over to him, and he said, "Come in! Come in! Don't worry, I'm a member, and my girlfriend is here, so you can come in."

His name is Yuri, and it turns out, he's been inactive for about 10 years and recently felt the strong desire to return. He invited us in to let us a share a message with his non member girlfriend and wait out the rain. We asked him to say the opening prayer, and he thanked God for sending the rain so that he would open his garage at that moment when we were on the road. He said it was the best decision he's made in the last two weeks.

Thus was yet another proof that God has His own plans, and if we let those plans guide us, we'll end up with a better result. He knew where we needed to be and when we needed to be there to find Yuri when he was most needing us.

Well that was my week.