So this week I got to go to Belo Horizonte to renew my visa papers. We had to wake up at 4 in the morning to get on the bus and spent the morning with the APs at the police stations. It was like a fun field trip! Its still odd sometimes that I am in Brazil. But I am here and I am here to stay!
We taught a lot this week, okay well, we teach a lot. I just wish more people would understand the importance of our message. Everybody accepts it, just about everybody has a concept of God or Jesus but nobody cares to act on their faith. What is faith without works? Thats right, its nothing. Its not faith.
The names here are fun, and a challenge, but luckily just about every single women is named Maria. No I am not exaggerating. One day we taught 5 Marias. FIVE! Maria and Antonia. One time we taught 3 older women, you guessed it, all named Maria. I sing the Maria song from West Side Story pretty frequently..
I got to go on splits with the Sister Training leaders this week. It was otimo de mais! (Really awesome.) The Sister Training leaders basically spend half the week in their area and the rest of the time going on splits with Sisters. Its a crazy life, but they are amazing teachers and great examples!
I dont remember if I mentioned Geraldo in my letter last week. Geraldo, is a saint. He is about 60 years old,(with beautiful teeth) and is just a ball of sunshine. We ran into him on the street a week ago, mentioned something about prophets, and the next day he came to church! Let me tell you-this is unheard of. The next day we taught him the first lesson, I extended my very first baptism invitation and he accepted! Que sorte! (What luck) However, the days after that he explained he believes and wants to be baptized but his kids dont want him to, and he doesnt want to go against the will of his kids. Huge bummer. But he came to church yesterday. Dressed in a white button down shirt and white dress slacks with white shoes, he looked ready to enter the font. So I am really just praying a miracle will happen and his kids will get the picture.
Finally, Edil and Marina-the people we have taught so many times yet just wont get up and do anything about their faith. We decided to teach them one last time Saturday and invite them to church and baptism(again). They said they have faith in everything we have taught, I know they felt the spirit, but just dont have motivation to leave their house and get baptized. So Sister Silveira had Edil pray, right then and there if he needed to be baptized. Then she said I will pick a random page in the Book of Mormon and we will read it. She fell upon 3 Nephi 28 and he picked his favorite number, 11. The scripture talked about how the Holy Spirit testifies of the father and of the son. Right after we taught he needs to follow the Son and the promptings of the Holy Ghost. He was speechless. I was too. Seriously, the church is true. Nevertheless, they did not go to church the next day. They need a miracle too.
After that, I got to have a chocolate muffin from the best bakery in Itauna. Which really, is a high compliment, there are probably 100 bakeries here. That was a special moment! Okay not really, but the muffins are really good.
We have a few other great potential investigators. Hoping things will all come together and I am excited to see what happens with transfers this week!
Love,
Sister Holmes
We taught a lot this week, okay well, we teach a lot. I just wish more people would understand the importance of our message. Everybody accepts it, just about everybody has a concept of God or Jesus but nobody cares to act on their faith. What is faith without works? Thats right, its nothing. Its not faith.
The names here are fun, and a challenge, but luckily just about every single women is named Maria. No I am not exaggerating. One day we taught 5 Marias. FIVE! Maria and Antonia. One time we taught 3 older women, you guessed it, all named Maria. I sing the Maria song from West Side Story pretty frequently..
I got to go on splits with the Sister Training leaders this week. It was otimo de mais! (Really awesome.) The Sister Training leaders basically spend half the week in their area and the rest of the time going on splits with Sisters. Its a crazy life, but they are amazing teachers and great examples!
I dont remember if I mentioned Geraldo in my letter last week. Geraldo, is a saint. He is about 60 years old,(with beautiful teeth) and is just a ball of sunshine. We ran into him on the street a week ago, mentioned something about prophets, and the next day he came to church! Let me tell you-this is unheard of. The next day we taught him the first lesson, I extended my very first baptism invitation and he accepted! Que sorte! (What luck) However, the days after that he explained he believes and wants to be baptized but his kids dont want him to, and he doesnt want to go against the will of his kids. Huge bummer. But he came to church yesterday. Dressed in a white button down shirt and white dress slacks with white shoes, he looked ready to enter the font. So I am really just praying a miracle will happen and his kids will get the picture.
Finally, Edil and Marina-the people we have taught so many times yet just wont get up and do anything about their faith. We decided to teach them one last time Saturday and invite them to church and baptism(again). They said they have faith in everything we have taught, I know they felt the spirit, but just dont have motivation to leave their house and get baptized. So Sister Silveira had Edil pray, right then and there if he needed to be baptized. Then she said I will pick a random page in the Book of Mormon and we will read it. She fell upon 3 Nephi 28 and he picked his favorite number, 11. The scripture talked about how the Holy Spirit testifies of the father and of the son. Right after we taught he needs to follow the Son and the promptings of the Holy Ghost. He was speechless. I was too. Seriously, the church is true. Nevertheless, they did not go to church the next day. They need a miracle too.
After that, I got to have a chocolate muffin from the best bakery in Itauna. Which really, is a high compliment, there are probably 100 bakeries here. That was a special moment! Okay not really, but the muffins are really good.
We have a few other great potential investigators. Hoping things will all come together and I am excited to see what happens with transfers this week!
Love,
Sister Holmes