2nd Week with Sister Almeida- Jaú, Brazil

"Bi-Polar States" 

So São Paulo just decided to become Utah out of no where and my missionary wardrobe is just glaring at me for not coming out here just a little more prepared. The last three days have been absolutely freezing with rain and strong wind, so I'm not sure where Brazil went, but I can't complain because I was complaining about the impressive heat before that.

But anyway, it was a pretty good week.

Tuesday we had a Bible study at the house of a member to celebrate his birthday and we invited an investigator, Vinicius. When we asked him what he thought of the activity, he told us that he loved it because he felt like when he spoke the others understood and where always welcoming to his point of view. We've actually invited him to be baptized - We've taught him the Restoration and invited him to pray about the truth of what we said - but he said he doesn't feel prepared. In fact, he told us that he didn't do the prayer he said he'd do because he said he doesn't actually feel prepared for the answer (guys, I think he already knows, but is afraid to have it confirmed by God Himself). So we're still working with him on this...

We started teaching a very large source of part member families Wednesday. Arruda is a member, his kids are all inactive members, and none of his grandchildren are baptized. So we've been trying to teach them and help them develop a desire to make this covenant, but my heaven, his grandkids are a shy bunch. They're warming up - his little granddaughters love us - but still. They've got hesitation towards invitations to church and for baptism, so it's a slow process, but it's moving

Friday was kind of a funky day. We started it out with one expectation and ended it completely different. We walked to a pretty far neighborhood - not the farthest, trust me - did a few visits, then stopped to visit a recent convert in the area. He gave us nearly a 1 1/2 hour rant about how the members are close minded to hymns from other religions, how it's deceptive to have an electric piano that sounds like and organ, and that we should make out bible study more like a sacrament meeting, etc. Anyways, when he was done he decided to give is a ride to our next visit. We told him to drop us off at a supermarket so we could do a phone call, which went well. After the call we started some language study and out of no where this guy came up to us and began talking to us. The conversation didn't go anywhere, but we left him a book of Mormon and he went on his way. At this point it was pretty dark, so we decided to head closer to home. On the way, we passed a group of people eating Churrasco (Brazilian barbecue). As we passed, guy out of nowhere said, "Hi, Sisters."

Now that's funky, because "Sister" isn't a word used outside the church in Brazil. We kept walking, then Sister Almeida decided to go back. We discovered that he was an inactive member. We talked to him for a bit and he ended up buying us Churrasco.

So nothing went how we planned, but it was a good time.

Sunday I gave a talk, and for the first time in my life I did it without reading the entire thing. It was really scary, and it wasn't very long, but I did it. Everything worked out. Thank goodness the people in this branch are nice.

Well, that's all I've got. For this week.

Keep Vinicius in your prayers. He really needs an answer.

Goodbye Sister Santos -Hello Sister Almeida- Jaú, Brazil

(Miriam and Sis. Santos)

 

So this week was chaotic. Sister Santos went home a couple days before transfer day, then we were informed that my new companion wouldn't be arriving until Saturday, one day after transfers. So I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with Sister Harwood and Sister Santana trying to work in both my area and their area: I helped them with their phone calls and lessons, and they helped me with mine. 

I also passed the 7 months mark with them so they bought me a cake and required me to write in my journal that celebrated 7 months with them and NOT Sister Santos because she left that day.

So that's what I did.

It was quite entertaining to see how different the two of them are. Sister Harwood is so American and Sister Santana is so...not the same. I don't even know how to describe her. So I'll just attach a picture that pretty much sums up their companionship.

Saturday my new companion - Sister Almeida - arrived. She's super cute, and a lot quieter (is that a word? I don't even know anymore) than my past three companions. It's interesting to see just how many different personalities there are in the world, specifically here in my mission just among the Sisters. I'm excited to see how this transfer goes. 

Sunday we had a pretty good lesson about the Restoration. We started out by asking them the basic first contact question of what would you ask Jesus if you could speak with Him.

All three of them wanted to know which of the many churches was the Kingdom of God, the true church, because they had bounced around lots of different ones, but they said they felt lost because each church understood the same passage of scripture so differently.

Now doesn't that sound familiar?

Sister Almeida and I just sitting there like, "Well, isn't that interesting. Allow us to tell you a story..."

When we finished, one woman, Agata, asked us where our church was, and all of them want to visit now. So if you all could pray that nothing gets in the way of them coming to church on Sunday, it would be much appreciated.

We had a little miracle with prayer on Sunday.

So usually I bring a snack with me in my bag in case I get hungry, especially on Sundays when I can't buy anything. But yesterday I forgot, and our lunch was very far from home. Also, for some reason, I kept needing to use the bathroom. 

So during our visits, I really needed the bathroom and both of us were really hungry. During our visits I said a little prayer that we could find food and a bathroom, or at least that could survive the next three hours until we got home.

And we continued with our visits.

We passed one house and the lady's husband let us in. We started talking, and the conversation didn't really go anywhere spiritually speaking. Eventually I asked to use the bathroom: first miracle achieved. When I returned, the lady insisted on giving us dinner.

Look at that. Guys, God answers prayers.

I asked and He delivered. Prayer works.

😂

Week 6 with Sis. Santos - Jaú, Brazil - "I spent too much time awake."

 Missionary life is filled with experiences, that's for sure. Little things happen every day that don't usually happen to people, and the best part is it's all your free will and choice.

As I sit on the couch in our house - usually after a long hot day in the sun talking with crazy religious people or people more baked than a cake - making phone calls with people I've never met who've solicited contact with us then hang up on us the moment we say who we are, insult or swear at us then hang up, or pretend they can't hear and then hang up, I think to myself, "Somehow this was my decision. How did it ever come to this?"

We had interviews this week, which is most interesting considering that I feel like this transfer started last week, but there you go.

We also did a mini zone conference on Friday that just about killed everyone in our house. Our young mission leaders wanted to do it in person in a city called São Manuel. Our problem was the following: we had one bus option to and from; one at 6:00 AM going, and the other at 6:40 PM returning. This meant we would wake up at 5:30 AM and spend the entire day in São Manuel. Which is fine and all, until our leaders informed us that we needn't worry; the zone conference would only be 2 hours.

Ô GLORIA.

So we arrived in São Manuel at 7:45 AM, did our studies until noon when everyone else arrived and ate lunch, then did our little zone conference, after which we tried to stay in the chapel to at least do phone calls, but the Elders kicked us out because they had to leave, so we waited another several hours at the bus station trying to do phone calls while some crazy man walked around shouting incoherent things at the security guard following him around.

To add to this very long day, when we finally reached home and I tried to take a bath, I noticed water leaking from the shower handle. "That's different," I thought. And I tried to turn it off again, and the handle proceeded to fall off and water began gushing from the wall. Now, everyone was extremely tired at this moment after such a day, so the other sisters ended up trying to call the elder in charge of the houses while the bathroom rapidly flooded.

Fortunately the solution for the time being was to simply but the handle back in the wall and everything was fine.

That's pretty much the most exciting thing that happened this week.

Everything else was pretty normal.

We had a churrasco Sunday, lunch with a woman who thinks she's real cool Saturday after walking nearly two hours in red sand (I've got a pretty pic of my feet after this trip), and lots and lots of phone calls with crazy people.

Here's my thought for the week:

Mosiah 2: 19

And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!

Gratitude goes a long way. How have you all shown gratitude for your Heavenly King this week? After all, none of us would have anything if it weren't for Him.

Happy Birthday, Chandler!

22 years ago- I held this boy in my arms for the very first time... and now... HIS arms could chuck me 30 ft across the room (In fact, last time I tackled him, that's pretty much how it went down). Let's face it, kids are more fun the older they get.  My life would be boring without him. Chandler makes me laugh every single day. I'm so grateful for the relationship we have! He's such a good young man! He has a passion to defend what he loves: freedom, family, and religion. I'm so proud of him!
Fun fact:
He's been working as a drafter for an architect since he was 16 and he writes music as a hobby. 

Check out his Tunes!
https://youtube.com/@insubordinatesound

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6kUU0veYAjidptpRcVU5m9

Miriam's current mission companion, Sister Santos, saw a photo of Chandler and said, 

"Oh Gloria! What a blessing!"😂

Week 5 with Sis. Santos - Jaú, Brazil

 

So this was a week. I lack a better adjective than the empty space 😁

Two weeks ago, we thought what we found was a golden investigator. He was an old reference of the system, and he, out of no where, sent us a message telling us that he wanted to hear our message because he needed help from God.

Naturally, we happily started to teach him. We were teaching him nearly every day, and he always responded to our messages with enthusiasm. When we invited him to come to church on Sunday, he informed us that of course he would go, and he would be 30 minutes early.

Then one night, we called him and he was obviously very drunk. We did the best we could then ended asking if we could call the next day and talk a little more. He said yes, of course, and we hung up. When we woke up in the morning, he had sent us a message apologizing for the state he was in the other night. That night, when we called him again, he was drunk, yet again. Nevertheless and notwithstanding, Sister Santos felt impressed to invite him to be baptized. He didn't turn it down, but he didn't accept either.

The next morning, we found that he had sent us a bunch of messages and then deleted them. This happened after every single lesson we had with him until one night he told us that he actually didn't need to change anything and that our message was flawed. Then, after a minute, he asked us if he could call us back at another time because he didn't want to say something he would regret. So we hung up.

When we woke up in the morning, we had nearly 25 messages from him that he had sent, then deleted. Later that day, he sent us several voice messages and videos that we didn't listen to.

So, anyway, our "golden investigator " is now under the category "do not contact" in area Book.

What else happened this week?

Our genius district leader decided to do a district council in person in the city of Barra Bonita. We had to take a bus there, then walk 30 or so minutes to a river. Our district leader ended up being late, by the way.

But we had our meeting and then, instead of taking the bus back, we arranged to have a member come pick us up because he promised that it would be faster. 

LIAR.

He took an extra 2 hours to come get us, then Sister Santos and I nearly threw up in the back of his car where I was sitting on Sister Santana's lap because there wasn't enough space for the four sisters.

We resolved to never do an in-person district council again.

And then our zone leaders dropped a bomb on us telling us that we would be doing a mini zone conference in São Manuel which is further than Barra Bonita. This conference would be without President Card, we would have to pay for the bus, and our own lunch and dinner because there's only one bus option for a return trip.

I don't know if these Elders will survive the wrath of Sister Santos...

My scripture thought:

This week in Come, follow me we're studying Romans.

This particular verse stood out to me:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.

(Romans 1:16)

If there's any time in the history of the world that we shouldn't be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, it's now. We should all stand out as disciples of Christ and not be ashamed to bear the name of the Almight God.

- Miriam

Ground Owls

Cats and Dogs...

Week 4 with Sis. Santos - Jaú, Brazil - "I'm not mature enough for this."

 Well, here's my email for the week.

It's not super long, but here it is for you guys.

After a family night with André, Cléo and Ana, we got an Uber to return home. I put in the address to our house, and soon after, it arrived and we hopped in. After a little while of talking, Sister Santos looked around, then asked, "Sister, did you put in the right address?" I was pretty certain that I had, but we looked anyway to just to make sure. Unfortunately, I had in fact put in the wrong address, and we were headed away from home. 

We quickly got it corrected, however, the price jumped a little, and that little jump jumped out of the range of the money we had with us. Sooo we just  laughed the whole way home, wondering why Sister Santos let me put the address by myself when I don't know the names of roads here. I wasn't my fault! The app had a "home" option for the address, so I just clicked that assuming that after using Uber all this time someone had made sure the address was right.

We had a lesson the other day over the phone that could have been a disaster if we hadn't been able to get ourselves under control. Everything was going just fine - we were teaching keeping the Sabbath Day holy and all that jazz. During a specific moment, he was going on about something that I don't remember, then, all of the sudden, Sister Santos began to laugh - in a muffled, barely controlled kind of way - at something he said. By extention, I began to laugh as well, though I managed to continue talking, sort of. Once Sister Santos got control, I handed the phone to her. Three seconds after, she lost control again and hung up. She then ran out of the room and into the kitchen to call him back because seeing me was only making her laugh worse. When he answer, I heard him say, "I think the phone call fell." If only he knew...

Everything worked out in the end, and he really liked our message.

I don't know how the Lord is fulfilling His work with a bunch of teenagers, but he's doing it.

I don't have many other things to write about, so I included a few pictures and this scripture:

1 Nephi 21:16

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.