Thursday, January 16, 2014

January 15, 2013

Querida Família!!!  EU ESTOU VIVA NÃO SE PREOCUPE!!!

But really, Brasilians in general are insane about health.  You get a sniffle and they send you straight to the hospital.  I AM FINE.  I will explain everything, but first, this week was very huge.  And yes, every 6 weeks is transfers so the next will be the end of February and I will write Wednesday instead of Monday.

I have some pictures this week!  It was an awesome week :)
 
We had a baptism!
Sister Seal, Sister Moore, and Sister Hick's (Hannah's New Companion)

 
And I´m still in my same area with my same cool Zone Leaders, Elder Georgianna and Elder Herrera.  Haha I just really love this picture. Zona Rangel

So where do I even start?  With the baptism I guess.  Antonio (haha yes, another Antonio) was taught by Sister Seal when she arrived here in Brasil.  He was a very heavy smoker but he wanted to change and get baptized.  The first time he was taught, his brother in law yelled at them and told them they could never come back.  Apparently that opinion changed because we talked to Antonio again, who really wanted to be taught again, and so we did this time without any trouble from that guy. We brought a member to give him a blessing to help him stop smoking which was SUPER effective and he just stopped that day.  He also is trying to learn to read for the first time in his life and so we´re helping him read the Book of Mormon.  He is a super genuine guy who really wanted to be clean and change his life.  His baptism was really sweet and he is just so happy and says he feels free.  The story of Alma the younger´s suffering and joy touched his heart, and I just know he´s truly repentant.  Great guy.  He also has a really crazy sister who likes to sing and dance to American 80´s music while we´re there. hahah not quite Whitney Houston but getting there :)

I was starting to think maybe Alcicleia didn´t want our message after all because we had a whole week where she was super flakey and hard to find at home.  After she didn´t go to church I thought she would just fall through the cracks will all the rest of the people who don´t keep commitments.  But instead, I called her one more time to set up an appointment because I wasn´t ready to give up.  She answered the phone crying. Turns out she wasn´t at church because someone killed her brother and she was visiting her mom to help comfort her.  She accepted an appointment for us to pass by Sunday night.  We got there and she immediately broke down, her four kids playing rambunctiously around her.  We went outside and she just told us how she wanted to know her purpose in life.  Her life has been tragedy after tragedy, and her mom is suffering even more than she is and she doesn´t know how to help her.  After that conversation, she thanked us for listening and we returned the next day after prayer and study to teach her the plan of salvation. And what a lesson.  For the first time I feel I´ve found an investigator who was waiting for me, and who God had to prepare ME to teach.  Everything applied directly to her, the spirit was delivering every word to her.  In the end she said the prayer and it is very clear she wants to follow a religion and change her story.  This Sunday she´ll tell us if she´ll be baptized on the 26th, which would be with two of her older daughters too.  I LOVE HER.  

That lesson was yesterday right before learning about transfers, and man did I want to stay after that.  Sister Seal has always been craving change, and she got it this time.  She´s going to Mamanguape!!   I know she´s going to rock it there and it´s gonna give her tons of energy for the work.  I didn´t even know how to react to the news.  We both got what we wanted, but I will be so lost without her, and the other way around too.  It seems like we only know how to work with each other.  I was also really expecting to be senior companion or train this transfer because that´s what all my leaders were saying, but instead I´m with one of the Sister Leader Trainers.  Sister Hicks studied dance, is the youngest in the family with four older brothers and is from Virginia (doesn´t know Melecia)  Her old companion arrived with me and is now training, along with Sister Christofferson from the CTM.  My prideful side keeps making me think a mission is like a casting call, but I know it´s not.  I know I´m capable of training, but with Sister Hicks, I will learn SO many things.  She is one of the only MISSIONARIES,  not just of the Sisters, but including everyone, who baptizes every week. She´s a powerhouse.  I know it´s going to awesome, she´s awesome and super sweet, I just need to swallow my pride and be junior for a little while more.  I´m going to miss Sister Seal, I trust her with my life and no one will replace her for me.  Jaqueline is devastated.  But oh well, transfers are always weird at first, but this transfer really is going to blow them all out of the water.  Sister Hicks and I are an unstoppable combination, I´ve already done divisions with her.  So I´m still in good hands, the best we´ve got here in fact :) And the other two Brasilians still live with us.   

And now you guys probably want to know what happened with my health this week.  Yes, I had a fever, yes, I spent a lot of time resting at home.  I went to the hospital twice (yay free healthcare) and I wish I had the sketchy photos that make it look like I´m dying.  No matter how sick you are here, they ALWAYS give you medicine through an IV and they give you oxygen.  Just cause they can?  I don´t know but I´ve had FOUR IV´s in my arm this week. The first time I almost panicked but the second time some members went with us and they were a lot more helpful.  My fever is finally gone, it was just a virus, not dengue or any kind of infection, and it just had to pass through my system.  The ward took really good care of me, so did the other Sisters and Presidente and Sister Nogueira also.  Right now all I have is a cough.  

Well that´s about it this week!!  I love you all and I can´t believe my hour's already up!  Until Monday!

Muito amor,

Sister Moore
 

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