God looks on the Inside!!

EDSON'S BAPTISM DAY!!

This week has been awesome and not at the same time. That is the mission for you! Anyway. Last Monday we had a P-DAY in Votorantim. I loved it. Because my awesome companion also served in Votorantim it all worked out. Richelle picked us up with her sister who served a mission in Brasil and was able to speak Portuguese with Sis O and had a yummy American lunch. Then we went to Simone and Juarez. I baptized them with Sister Knudsen and it was so fun to see them, and to talk with them. I love them so much they are my family. Thursday was a holiday. I`m pretty sure Brasil has at least two Holidays per month. They like to get there party on. It was fun. It was Kids Day. So Holidays are hard on the mission becasue no one is home but becasue I`m in Brasil there is always cool stuff and food in the street so that was fun. We are in spring. So what does that mean. April flowers bring may flowers right? So lots of rain. Rain is cool when your not on the mission. On the mission without a car takes a lot of mental work. Do I really want to leave the house to find people not in there house and get completly soaking wet? Luckily we bought these umbrellas one day before it started raining really hard. So the third day we are walking in the rain and I am completly wet on the upper half of my body and not the lower half. We were laughing so hard. At least we were laughing right? Turns out there were holes in my umbrella. So the moral of the story is don`t buy cheap umbrellas. Our cellphone fell into a cup of milk. Opps. And then it started acting all kinds of crazy, opps. We will see what happens with that. The other day after a hard hard day of all of our appointments falling through we were walking on the bike path and it was about eight at night these men without shirts run behind us and well needless to say our day got a whole lot better. Saturday we got our money so we tried to do shopping in the morning. It was still raining. We needed a mirror. Ok grocery shopping is already a pain imange without a car and in the rain. So we left and we left in flip flops I left thinking that was a good idea but it wasn`t. We came back and I threw on my tennis shoes it was crazy. I was losing my flip flops all over the place. We bought some fresh bread from the bakery and were walking out and my flip flop flipped off and went into the gutter and started runnng down the hill with the water. We were screaming and laughing and crying without umbrellas in the rain with hot bread in our hands for my flip flop to come back. Once we got the flip flop back the day got a little better. Do you want to know why? WE BAPTIZED EDSON!!!!! That is right, the hardest person I have ever taught was baptized saturday night. It was awesome! He is so funny. He cracks me up. He acted like he was drowning when he went under the first time so we had to do it again but it was awesome. Then after we went out to dinner with the Elders that are in the area next to us. It was a really good week.

Powerhouse Scripture of the Week

1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, becasue I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for the man looketh on the outward apperance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Let us think of this little verse the next time we judge someone for whatever they have on the outside. I thought the Edson wouldn`t except the gospel because he was an ex drug addict and looks pretty homely but...

Ate Mais, boa semana...

Rain and other stories

This week was awesome. And it flew by like crazy. So many random things to say let`s see if I can fit it all in. I had my first dream in Port. They say when you have your first dream in Port it`s all good, so I`m pretty excited. Last Tuesday we had a family night with a member and Kimberly. It was good unitl the members mom came and was going on about how the blacks don`t have power becasue of the church and (Kimberly and I are black.. this woman is not) and was like it`s ok though becasue you girls are still daughers of God... I was just sitting there with my jaw on the floor. Thank goodness for my companion who took over the day and threw down the most powerful testimony I`ve ever seen in my life and the lady shut up real quick it was awesome. And super funny. So Rafelas kids she has four raging in ages 3 to 7. And they are super funny and crazy. The only way to keep them quiet when we are teaching is to let them "do our hair" so one who was sitting behind me was like did you use shampoo today? I said no, then he grabbed a cup that I was drinking from and was like ok well I`m going to wash your hair.. but just as he was putting his hands in my hair his mom screamed NO. There was still juice in the cup that was now in my huge giant hair. It happens. We all laughed pretty hard. So there is this problem we have with members. They are always giving us references but these references are people that really don`t want to here from us. So we went to this lady Ladymar three times she was never home. Everytime the member would be like what happen she was waiting for you with cake tal tal tal (the Brasilian way to say blah blah blah) anyway we go there the fourth time and she is crazy and was like I was hiding from you these last three times you guys passed by tal tal tal. And was super rude. We were like ok cool you don`t want to talk with us but you don`t have to be a bruxa about it. So I bought us some icecream becasue we were feeling pretty rundown. But the next day was awesome. We found this ex-investiagtor from the Elders. She moved but her dad said were to find her. We went to the house and it was heaven. Her grandma has a clothing store on the main avenue. And she has all these black aunts that do hair and are super funny. It was like being in the movie "Beauty Shop" but in Port it was so much fun I loved it. We are working on getting them all baptized hair and all... So Sao Paulo has weather really wierd. It`s spring right now but flippin hot and then it will just start raining in the middle of the street. It is crazy. And our umbrellas broke.. opps. It was fun. Somewhat like singing in the rain.. but not. This week was awesome. I love my companion and I love working with her she is a powerhouse but we laugh a lot. It is so much fun. The days are flying by.

Powerhouse Scripture of the Week

Matthew 11:28-30

29. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

30. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meak and lowly in heart. And ye shall find rest unto your souls.

31. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

In the PORT Bible they use the word suave for easy. So when we take the name of Christ upon us our burdens become suave through him because after all it was he who suffered for all our burdens in the Garden of Gesthame. Remember that this week... Your burdens to him are suave and light...

Have a great week gente, te amo.

Us in the crazy rain without umbrellas and yes that is a yellow leaf in my hair that wasn`t noticed until after the picture

Me and Aryssa a super cute baby of a member

We played with Richelle today and her sister was in town who served a mission in Brasil

Conference Power

Let me just talk about Conference power. Sister Martins who is the Mission Presidents wife was like you cannot watch conference in englih without your companion. But my companion doesn`t speak english. So how will that work? She was like these are the sacrifices you have to make on the mission. You have the rest of your life to watch Conference in english. I was like ok ok. So Sis O and I said some fat prayers for me to be able to understand. Saturday was pretty good. But Sunday was a miracle. There was all this comotion when Conference started. Then this blonde lady was like hey do you want to watch Conference with me in english? I was out of my seat before she could finish her sentence. So Sis O stayed with her mom and me and Dannile went and watch with the Elders. She went to BYU so it really was a blessing. You know what else is a blessing teaching after you watch conference. You have this amazing drive. Like I just saw the living prohphet of God speak. The power was amazing. Sis O and I had a really moving lesson with Roseli and her husband Roubins who she wants the gospel in her life but he dosen`t. But she dosen`t want to go to the church alone. She was crying and the spirit was so strong. And we were throwing scriptures left and right and testifying like never before, and he wouldn`t move. I was like well you have your agency. But we spoke our peace. It was nice. 

Friday we had this awesome Zone Conference for all the missionaries here in the interior. And I`m sure I already mention that our mission president is AMAZING. He spoke on Jesus Christ and when he walked on water. And when his apostles were lost at sea with the tempest raising and winds very strong. Peter called out to him and was like let me walk on water like you. And Jesus said take me my hand. And Peter started to walk but then looked down and saw the strong stormy sea and began to fall. He said save me Lord. Jesus replied how can you have you little faith, and Peter regained his faith and walked again on water. My beloved brothers and sisters. We can all walk on water like Chirst. But we need to focus on Christ at all times and in all things and all places. We can not get distracted by the stormy seas of life that distract us from the our Redeemer Jesus Chirst. Anything and everything is possible with our eyes fixed on him. I stand in holy places and I will not move unitl the Captian comes and says well done he is the hope I hold onto... Penso em isso este semana gente. O evangelho de Jesus Cristo è verdadeira gente, segui ele!!!