We had zone conference this week! Woo! It was awesome. Sister Torrez and I receieved answers to prayers, it was really neat. The overarching theme was to just believe. Miracles wont happen if you dont believe that they will, and you will always find what you search for. They said to always remember the time you are currently living, because you never will again. Mission, being a young parent, being a grandparent, you only get to experience the day to day of this period in time once, so stop thinking about how happy you will be in the future and be happy NOW!
We are working a lot with Luis's family, considering he has 3 inactive siblings and his parents are baptized, there is much to do. But in the last two years since the kids have been baptized the missionaries spend lots of time there, so the whole family has had lots of exposure with the church. Leo, the oldest has started going with us to teaching appointments and bears really great testimony! He has a lip piercing and tattoos but bears a really sincere testimony about how the church has changed his life and has started talking about how he wants a family in the future and is considering a mission! We are really excited for him. He, and Luis are helping me lose my American accent, I am determined to lose it as quickly as possible!
I am learning more everyday how true it is that Brazil is second only to Italy in the amount of Catholics, its quite ridiculous and I have heard some very scary stories about the extremists. There are cities here that the Area Seventies have basically condemned and missionaries are not allowed to work because of the sketchy things that happen. But my area isnt like that, there is just lots of drugs. Lots and lots of drugs. Its a big city, but there is nothing to do and so drugs are extremely prevalant. Also the word for Saturday and Sabbath are the same in português, so just imagine how fun that situation presents itself while we are reading the Bible and trying to explain that in our day, the Sabbath is Sunday.
After the branch cleaned the church Saturday, (we helped) George-the one who looks ridiculously like Gru, barbequed for the people who helped clean, and it was fantastic. He barbequed a píneapple at the request of my companion and I and well, brasilians sure know how to barbeque.
But best of all we are baptized our cute little friends Kaua and Stefane Saturday! WOO!! We are so excited for them!! We love the letters they write us, the youngest Kaue who is 7 drew a picture of us together and I have glasses. Its all precious really. We are working really hard to help their mom have the confidence to move out and start a new fresh life. I think when we have lived in a bad situation for a long time we forget that change is possible. But really it all comes down to agency, we always have the power to chose to be happy and to change our situation.
Te amo!
Sister Holmes
We are working a lot with Luis's family, considering he has 3 inactive siblings and his parents are baptized, there is much to do. But in the last two years since the kids have been baptized the missionaries spend lots of time there, so the whole family has had lots of exposure with the church. Leo, the oldest has started going with us to teaching appointments and bears really great testimony! He has a lip piercing and tattoos but bears a really sincere testimony about how the church has changed his life and has started talking about how he wants a family in the future and is considering a mission! We are really excited for him. He, and Luis are helping me lose my American accent, I am determined to lose it as quickly as possible!
I am learning more everyday how true it is that Brazil is second only to Italy in the amount of Catholics, its quite ridiculous and I have heard some very scary stories about the extremists. There are cities here that the Area Seventies have basically condemned and missionaries are not allowed to work because of the sketchy things that happen. But my area isnt like that, there is just lots of drugs. Lots and lots of drugs. Its a big city, but there is nothing to do and so drugs are extremely prevalant. Also the word for Saturday and Sabbath are the same in português, so just imagine how fun that situation presents itself while we are reading the Bible and trying to explain that in our day, the Sabbath is Sunday.
After the branch cleaned the church Saturday, (we helped) George-the one who looks ridiculously like Gru, barbequed for the people who helped clean, and it was fantastic. He barbequed a píneapple at the request of my companion and I and well, brasilians sure know how to barbeque.
But best of all we are baptized our cute little friends Kaua and Stefane Saturday! WOO!! We are so excited for them!! We love the letters they write us, the youngest Kaue who is 7 drew a picture of us together and I have glasses. Its all precious really. We are working really hard to help their mom have the confidence to move out and start a new fresh life. I think when we have lived in a bad situation for a long time we forget that change is possible. But really it all comes down to agency, we always have the power to chose to be happy and to change our situation.
Te amo!
Sister Holmes