12-31-12

oh mainha!!!!

       When we skyped i was at a lan house. where they have a room and a bunch of computers! but so much has happened this week! tipo..its so hard to work durning the holdiays! nobodys at home or theyre getting ready for the holiday! sorry my english is realy bad! and it was super hard to speak english no Natal...er christmas! so sorry for that haha i didnt know what to say! but it was so good to talk to you!!!

      we had another baptism no domingo..er sunday! antonio marcos. we were trying to talk to him for over a month and finally got to and he was baptized sunday. but he wasnt at church sunday and has been avoiding us a little bit. this week sis namura and i are going to foucus on strengthening the new members and recent converts and menos ativos! im realy lookin forward to this because i remember what prez porter said in my setting apart!

       oh so yesterday i think i experienced every type of emotion i could have! we have been working with a boy, lucas for about as long as ive been here ( 2months n a little) and finaly was going to baptize him sunday! same sunday i am giving my first talk(freakin out right!) so we were preppin him all week and hes good to go right...sunday rollsa round..noshow! fala serio!!! so we went in a room to pray. mama, i was humbled during that prayer. it was a spritual experience for both of us! but after we find a corona(person with a car basically) and drive to his house n talk to him. his mom didnt authorize it, hes only 16 n his dads a pastor! so we were way bummed n talked wit him a bit but we had to return to give our talks! it was great, i was doin the whole hand gesture thing that people do when they dont speak the language very well, so you can probably imagine what i looked like haha but it was good talked for 25 min! after we taught this kid who was at church sunday with members, William is his name. we met him friday at out christmas ward party! but he was there sunday, and mama talk about a golden contact! he was all talkin on friday about how the church he went to was super repetitive and they taught fastly and yelled! n he didnt want to go to church. but he was there! and talkin with him he realy liked church, he said people taught slow and asked questions and he understood and realy felt the spirit. he wants to be baptized this next week!!! we were so elated!!! so were going to work with him this week, tricky because he lives a hr away but he will be here during the week!

      um i dont realy think much else happened! just that the Lord realy hears our prayers. Its amazing to see the effect the gospel has on a persons life. to see their face light up when we teach them! last week was hard, but the same time, we have seen miracles and have so much to be thankful for!

      I feel like i have my Sister side. and then i have my Me side...i want to put the sides together! i want to feel like i am myself when i teach and talk to people,im learning, i feel WAY more serious in portugese than i do in english.

thank you for EVERYTHING!!!

beijos e abraços!!

sister benedict

 

12-17-12

Hi Mama,

   We taught some people and they accepted baptism, but nobody was at church on sunday. oh saturday i was so sick i couldnt even leave the house. we fasted friday after lunch to saturday and i think that was the cincher. i think i was a lil dehydrated before that n then fasting i dont think i drank enough water. ohman that is something i dont want anyone to experience!!! i was so weak i coulndt even bring myself to stand up or keep my eyes open, it was the worst. so yah...not a fun day. whats worse is we couldnt go out and teach, that really bothered me. but sis namura was so good to me. she made me food and was super sympathetic!i felt bad bc i couldnt eat. i still am not 100 percent but i can work atleast! its still hard to eat, i think i have a bug still but hey the plus side...i lost some weight haha also i got a blessing, oman mama..i am SO glad we have the priesthood on the Earth again!!! seriously, its something spiritual that turns physical. i dont know of any other way to explain it. i cant wait to have the priesthood in home again after the mission!!!

 

sis namra and i have the goal to baptize 3 people this week so i realy hope we work hard enough to do this.

 

its sad to hear about what happened at that school with that kid shooting people. i just cant begin to imagine what he was thinking. it reminds me of the story about alma and the people of anti-nephi-lehi (I think!!!) and how they covenanted to not fight the lamanites and thousands of them died by the hand of the lamanites before they stopped, and more lamanites were converted that day than were killed! but a verse in particular says that they werent worried about the people that died bcause they knew that they were pure and would inherit the celestial kingdom!! i know those little kids are saved and that theyare in a better place! they'll be waiting for their families!!!

 

 

Its sad but i forget that christmas is almost here, its just not the same when youre sweating in december haha i forget!!!

 

The mission is everything but yourself!!! everything we do is for other people and sometimes its hard. but mama, when i start to think about myself or do something for myself, i feel bad! like saturday, i felt sooo bad bc i felt like i was having a pity party for myself! but what we do as missionaries is try to teach people about Christ and its up to them to accept the message or not. it is so important to have a testimony of Christ.

He really is the only way. i felt like i had a realy strong testimony before i left, noway mama! i cant believe that people who have been members only 1 year serve missions!nossa!! its incredible! i dont know if iwould have that much faith to serve.

 

There is a kid here we are teaching, Lucas, and he is 17 and super duper intelligent! hes a well rounded kid. hes been to church the past 5 sundays and weve taught him basically everything and he is keeping all the commandments, but he wont be baptized yet. he doesnt feel like hes received a testimony.he wont really read the book of mormon or pray sincerely about it. he wants to know its true, and he knows!!! or else he wouldnt be goin to church or following the commandments. i really believe that the only way we can gain a testimony is to read the book of mormon and ask if its true!! we hear that our whole lives, but its that simple! we are the only people who can gain a testimony! nobody else can make us have a testimony!!!

 

 

what people say is true, a mission is the hardest thing you will EVER do! not hard in the way of i cant walk another step, but hard emotionally as well, but i will say this is the happiest ive ever been!

 

we had choir last night and we saw vanessa(sis oliveira/old companion) and she told me i look different,  look more angelic or more spiritual. i know that the Lord is in the very details of our lives. as hard as a mision is, i know that this is the happiest ive been, the most tired ive been, the most ive gone through every emotion every day ive been, the most tan ive been, the most dissapointed ive been, the most ive missed y'all but the most grateful ive been for making the decision to serve a mission!!! i truly am grateful for the Savior, without Him we would have NO way of returning to our Heavenly Father, this life literally would be for nothing without Christ.

 

His is the ultimate example of service, He gave His life for us. pres james e faust said that hope is the anchor of the soul!!! the savior is our hope, our anchor! i know that if we literally put our lives in His hands,we can be the instrument to play the sweet saving melody to help others.dont be afraid to give yourself over to the Lord,  look at the example of Christ, not what He said but what He did! what He still does for us! he changed my life! shucks im so filled with gratitude right now!its kinda funny im writing at the Lan house all cryin n all and people are lookin at me, owell! they should be used to it by now haha ok mama i love you! icant wait to talk to you on christmas!

 

sorry this letter is long!

love sis benedict

ps

ilove you cant wait to talk to you soon!!!!!

ps im doin a solo tomorrow! i love singin!!!

 

 

 

12-11-12

 

transfers are today but sis namura and i are staying here!! yay im stoked for this! sis oliveira left. she ended her corto prazo(dont know how to say this in english sorry) but she was a missionary only for a short time! so she left and we took her home(she lived 30 min away from us) so its going to be an ajustment with just 2 of us!!! we get mail sometimes there sometimes here, but i always know ill get a letter from you daddy! i look forward to it so much! oh as of next week pday is on monday! so just a heads up! um this week really wasn’t eventful! we are working with a few people but they aren’t really progressing. i still feel like we can work harder :/ but im learning patience!

its hotter than normal here!! im all sweaty and sticky before we even leave the house! the water acabou again last night! we didnt have any water to take a shower. so we had to heat up the little water we had in the fridge and take a ragbath...as much as i LOVE ragbaths i am so grateful we only have them hardly ever!!! its crazy its almost christmas...it realy doesnt feel like it here! i think this will be the first christmas ill have a tan for haha.  i really do feel blessed to be here. transfers were hard. elders left that i didnt want to. you really do become a family here! the language is still hard but a neat experience, i was writing a letter to...sister oliveira thats right! i wrote her a lilttle letter and i think it was in portenglish! and as i was writing i hadnt realized that i was mixing portuguese with english lol i had to read over the letter to see what language i was writing! so its kinda cool to see that progress! also we were in the car with members and they were listening to music..well i guess we were too we were in the car! but it was like 5min before i realized that it was in english! i had to ask haha i realy do believe in the gift of tongues! i learn so much every day and i know one day ill be able to communicate without any help from my comp! i pray for that day!!! i know that miracles happen! i know that we need to show our faith before miracles happen!! O Senhor me ama! he loves us and He wants us happy! miracles happen and we are blessed in so many ways. many times i feel like i dont deserve these blessings or miracles! but i know that the lord wants us happy!!!

 thank you so much for all of your support! thank you for teaching me in the gospel! thank you for your letters!!! thank you for loving me!!!

i love you sooooosososososo much!!!

love sister benedict

12-6-12

oh mama!!! its so good to hear from you! this week was by far the hardest week of my life! idont remember if i told you but last week one of my comp really wanted to go home. shes just a corto prazo(3month long mission) and had a really hard time last week! so we didnt get out and work all that much. and i feel like we break rules left and right and there is nothing i can do about it. like right now...were emailing today because we didnt have time on p day and i feel bad about it! y´kno things that you think you will have a hard time with and things you think you are good at are completely opposite here for me! ive discovered that i like to follow the rules! following rules really makes me happy. so few experiences this week i want to share:

1. my bed broke while i was sleeping!!!! my bed is held up by a bunch of 2x4s and during the night like 5 of them fell haha so i basically slept in a recliner! the mattress was elevated on both ends..que legal!

2. i tried to pray in english the other day...não consegui!!! i cant do it. it was so hard to pray in english. i think my companions can pray in english better than me haha tá bom!

3. sunday we didnt have anyone set for lunch and i really hate making food em casa so porque they take FOREVER to make and eat lunch. i just sit there thinking...we could be teaching someone right now or doing something productive! but thats not my story! during church i had a thought that we needed to visit this family before we went home and made lunch. i told my companions and they werent really excited with the idea of visiting this family before lunch but i was persistent and on the way to their house we met up with a member who takes care of us! por exemplo..lunches! he always asks where lunch is and wont let us eat em casa. well we met up with him irmão maikon and told us he was going to feed us! it was a miracle we met up with him bc he doesnt even live anywhere close to the family we went to visit(who ended up not even being home)!

4.i climbed a mountain on pday!!! we went to bomfim (2hrs away) and it was BEAUTIFUL!! i took so many pics. i really felt like i was in brasil haha but i ate the best bananas ever in my life! seriously..pluck off a tree and eat! they were the size of my palm and they were so good! a lady who lived in the boonies gave us water and her bannaas! omylanta! o and i let sis. oliveira wear my shoes..i think ive gone soft.. haha this mission has done a number on me!

shoot i want to tell you everything..i really cant wait to talk to you on christmas!! nossa! thats soon!!!

the work hasnt gone really well, were working with a couple people, the hard thing is just finding time to visit everyone. they are all home at the same time and our area is big and we(my comps) walk slow!! but people here are really receptive!!

one thing i learned this week that hard work doesnt always mean physical. exíste a citaçaõ que fala siguinte: "99% of problems on the mission can be solved by hard work" i was thinking about that quote and thinking man i havent been working hard enough, we dont walk fast enough or visit that many people tal tal tal..but i was thinking that the hard work im lacking on is my attitude, my study, my compassion, my patience! i realy have to work on those things here. so im trying to change my attitude from negative to positive. instead of saying were late and leaving super late from the house instead im trying to say great! more time to study!!!..im trying my hardest!!!

hopefuly we have a baptism this week! i think that will help all of us out! next pday is transfers, i bet sis namura and i will stay here, but only the Lord knows that! time here really does fly by. i look back on the transfer and say nossa!  I really should have been working harder!

i love you so much and pray for yáll every day! tell everyone i say oí and miss them bunches!

love you soooo much

sister benedict

ps they call spongebob here boby sponge haha love ya dad!

11-27-12

 

hopefuly you get this pic...far left is the bishop. girl next to me is dani she was baptized before i got there shes the daughter of enilda and the brother of daniel(far right) who we baptized semana pasada who is also the son of enilda!!! love this family so much!

  im so glad to see yall still celebrated thanksgiving there! i forgot that it was even november haha im sad because thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!!!

 

 

we had a baptism this week!!!! irmã Enilda! she is the mom of 13 kids!!! talk about a handful! MÁS! shes the mom of the kid we baptized last week, daniel! they realy are a special family. they seriously have nothing. they live in a little shack basicaly. it really has been humbling to see the living quarters of some of these people out here. it sure makes you appreciative of the things you have. speaking of...we didnt have any water lastnight!!! sis oliveira was able to take a shower, but after that..acabo! we didnt have any water so i used the ice water in the fridge and a hand towel for a bath....yay brasil!!! lol im so glad i dont have to do that every night!!! oh speaking of no water..back to enilda! so its the morning of sunday, Bday(baptism day) and we get to church and find out that there isnt enough water to fill the font to have a baptism!!...your joking right...que bom! so we freak out, naturally aha. but turned out a member has a pool!...oyah we baptized in the pool! the elder who baptized her was super elated..i got pictures! lol a lil group of us missionaries sang at the baptism. its become a tradition that i always sing a solo in english lol i really dont mind it! i love singing!!!

 

i am sooo tired! the past 3 mornings we had to get up at 0500 to take sis oliveira to the church(25-30min walk) so she could catch a ride to take a test to get into college. it was a 3day thing and o man im soooo tired!!!but its good..im a missionary lol i have extra help! oh so yesterday we lost sis oliveira!! we dropped her off for her test and usually she comes back around 1pm...well 330-4 rolls around...5pm. we were in casa doing our weekly planning and still shes not here! so we decided to call the district leader and called her friend she was with and nobodys seen her. they end up coming to get us and we go to the faculdade about a 35 min car drive and shes nowhere. we get back and decided to walk to a members house down the street..seriously down the street...and she was there! shes been waiting there since 230pm!!!!! she got on the wrong onibus and by the time she got in town she decided to just wait. she didnt have our number to call. idk why she didnt even stop by the house..its beyond me lol it was funny but man i dont want to have to do that again!!!

 

ive been trying to study more the christlike attributes and i want to show more love and charity, i want to be more humble and patient. thats realy been my biggest trial here i think. i have to be so patient in every aspect!!! especially when my comp says were going to leave at a certain time and we actually dont leave until an hour later...i was never one for sititng around! so i decided that every time i wait, im going ot read my scriptures...let me tell you, i have a lot read haha

 

i love you so much!

im trying to send pics!!!!

love love love love love love love

sister benedict!!!
ps cant wait to talk to you next month gaaaah!
pss i am in love with the sky out here! its absolutely beautiful!!!! and the moon! omylanta i love it!!! i love the nights here!

11-21-12

     oh mama!!!! wow! i just looked at the pics you sent of the dedication...ohman! that is so awesome!!!!! i am so glad you had the opportunidade to be a part of it! i cant imagine what it was like being there with the prophet and elder bednar! that is so aweosme! and lucy, man i am so jealous of her right now haha she lived my dream. ive always wanted to meet the prophet! i just want him to know my name! this last week was, another roller coaster, but it was a great rollercoaster!! we had 4 baptisms! 2 on saturday and 2 on sunday!  saturday night was mazio and marlicleide, they got legally married the weekend before (which is rare here)!!! they have been coming to church for a year and had lots of missionaries but they werent married! also sunday was daniel, 16 yr old and he has a heart burning with the testimony! his sister dani, is 14 and always comes with us to teach and she is such a sweetheart. she was baptized like 2 months ago, her and her lil sister anapaula..shes 12 i think! so daniel has family that is memers!! also eleneide who is 20 something has such a firm testimony too!! the Lord really knows who is prepared! she really loves the idea of eternal families! we met her cunadas and one of them came to church sunday! so were going to hopefully meet with her this week!     
     i think i got 3 shades darker this week the sun was so hot! the sun being this hot is great for the mosquitoes...they love heat! soooo now i have even more friends! i counted over 15 bites on my right elbow, i think i accidently slept with that elbow out of my sheets one night!!!
     OH! a cool story, i braided my hair the other day(yes my hair is that long now!!!!!) but i did my hair and sis oliveira wanted hers so i did hers too. we went to a lady that sews and her n her daughter n grandaughter wanted their hair braided tooo so naturally, i inclined!! the sewer had the LONGEST hair ever!!! i loved it! the whole time i was thinking man...mom would be proud of me right now!   
haha sadly i didnt get pitures though, my camera was out of juice :/ the one time i dont hbave my camera and something cool happens haha every time! anyways this week was better.
     im starting to get a little more confident with myself. im trying to work on my confidence here!! i decided im lacking majorly in that department! i was studying the 1st lesson the other day and a phrase in there really caught my eye falou sobre Jesus Cristo e sua expiação. it said something to the effect of "Jesus Christ fulfilled all that His father sent Him here to do". i really  have been thinking about that the past few days, i really want to be able to say that i have done everything that my father in heaven has sent me here to do. i want to terminar my mission saying that and i want to end my life being able to say that. i know i havent been doing everything that i can. i get frustrated with myself and my companions.  im really working on service this week too! serving my companions!! serving them and really thinking about our pesquisadors!
      i know that the lord is modling me and shaping me! i realy am so grateful that yall write me. i just love it you have no idea! i am so blessed to have family like you. sometimes i dont feel like i deserve it! but i know that the lord really truly wants us to be happy, thats why we have families! sorry im just kinda rambling on now!
     we have some potentials for baptisms this week so cross your fingers and pray that we will know how to prepare them!!!  i love everyone that reads these letters and has helped me in any way, knowing or unknowingly i am truly grateful! my heart has turned to mush here! i cry about everyihting(especially mailtime haha) my heart is just so full. i now that this gospel is true with every thing i have in me. the lord has already put some special people in my life here in brasil. i know this is where the Lord not only wants me but needs me. i need to remember thsi!

i love you so much! i love this gospel so much! i love knowing that i will get to the point where i will make a difference in peoples lives! i know that none of us would be where we are without the Lord and without the Atonement. I am forever grateful for what Our Brother did for us....all because He loves us. what other reason does He need. I want to get to that point where i will do everything i can to help ohters, all because i love them! i really want to strive for this!

ok gota go!!! love you love you loveyou

beijos e abraços!

sister benedict

ok 5 min left..i forget when thanksgiving is but if you havent already had it, tell everyone i am thankful for families and thankful that we can all be together forever.

tell them i am thankful for my savior and the sacrafice that he did for us. tell them i am thankful that we can repent every single week and i am thiankful for the life that i have as hard as it is.

 thank you and i love you! happy thanksgiving!

Nov 13,2012

 i cant believe the dedication is here! omylanta im so stoked!!! things here are, better!! i still have a big problem with the mosquitos but i found a pair of pants here at the apt. and i wear those at night with 3 fans haha they still seem to find my flesh, though!! today on my list of things to buy is mosquito repelente, a mosquito net, and some leggings that arent so hot! i am definently learning patience here. i still feel like i am not working as hard as i can be, so its a little frustrating! but i am learning to just love people, my trainer sis namura is really teaching me about focusing on people. i reall respect her for that! as far as the language, well its coming. its stil frustrating because i feel like i cant communicate how i really want to, but i know that will come with time! i also realized that when i read my scriptures first in the morning, especially in portugese, i can understand more and speak a little better! so thats my goal this week, read the scriptures in portuguese first thing every morning!!!

sooooo, we have 4 people set for baptism this week! we thought we were going to have 2 last week, but they decided this week and i am soooo beyond stoked!!! the Lord truly prepares people. one kid, daniel, is 16 years old and his sister was baptized a few weeks ago (dani i love her!) he came to church with her last sunday and is already living the gospel basically!

also elineide (istill dont know how to spell her name) but she really wants an eternal family so its been really sweet to teach her. i just love her too. i still feel like theres a huge language barrier, but she is such a sweetheart and just so receptive!!!

also a couple that just got legally married after a loooong time (which is rare in brasil!) other missionaries have worked with them forever! so they are all set for sat! im so stoked gah!!!

its hot here, but i really dont mind it. i feel the most energy and the happiest when im walking in the heat and actually doing work! i know that prayers are heard, i know that the Lord is always watching over us. one of my favorite pictures is the Savior holding the lamb. there is so much symbolism in this pic, but i feel like that lamb being held in the Saviors arms, and quite frankly, there is nowhere else i would rather be than the arms of the Savior. I have been tested and tried so much already, but i know the lord is shaping me and i know the lord is strengthening me in every single step! the people here are prepared, that goes without saying! i just need to have more faith in people and more faith in myself!

thank you for all of your support!!! i love you so much!!!

sister benedict

oh ps it rained here last week! 1st time in a year its rained!!!!! it was a downpour. seriously we were sooo soaked, i didnt have a dry spot on me to wipe off my glasses haha and we had to hike our skirts up to cross the road!!! they even let out schoool because it was raining haha i loved it! it was so much fun!!!!

love sis be

 

 

Nov 7,2012

I love it here! its the furthest and hottest and dryest place i could have gotten sent to...and i did!!! haha but i love it! the people are so awesome!! i have learned a TON already, and its only been a week! We had a zone pday and took a bus about 35 minutes to downtown then walked another 20 min to the stake cr! there we had a waterballoon fight and threw the football around! there were kids playin soccer but...im a sister haha it was fun! after we went bowling and that was a blast!!! i havent entirely lost my game!

Im really used to being punctual/early to places and well frankly my companions arent lol we only went and visited one person yesterday and i was really frustrated!! but, im praying for patience!! i know thats one thing i have struggled with all my life, well nows my chance to learn it iguess (i hope i learn it fast!!!!) also yesterday we saw one of our investigators, daniel! on the rua and he told us he didnt want to be baptized anymore, so were going to go visit him today! im starting to kinda understand people a little more! only the ones that talk slow enough haha

so it is a blessing to have 2 native companions, but at the same time it is realllly hard for me! when we walk its hard to talk with them cuz they´re all goin off in portuguese talking. haha i love them though. i have so much respect for minha mae! she really cares about people and takes planning seriously and what each person needs. i realy admire that about her! that and shes hilarious!!!

 It was a rough week for sure, but im confident this week will be better! i look for miracles every single day!! that and just trying to stay positive! the people here really are wonderful! everyone is so nice and most people will listen to us! im starting to get my boundaries a little too which i think helps!
overall, i love it! there are little things here and there that have been challenges for me, but i really cant complain! i cant imagine being anywhere else!! frankly right now, i dont think id want to be anywhere else! i love it here, minus all of my mosquito bites, i seriously look like i have the chicken pox!
oh cool story! we were at this girls house following up on baptism and there were literally like 10 kids there! well we were out in front talking to her and i started talking to these kids! they were asking where i was from and things like that. well i taught all 10 of these kids to say i am a child of God in english haha they are fascinated with english! thats happened a couple times! people always ask me to say stuff in english haha

i love you!
i love petrolina and i love being a missionary!!!

love sister benedict

Tabis first letter from the mission field oct 31,2012

mama! so longest day so far!! we woke up at 3am tues mornin and got into salvador about 930. prez and sis hart are so amazing!!! they are sooo nice! we had lunch and hung out at their place for a while. the mission office is actually in the salvadaor sul boundaries, its safer!!

 our trainers came later that night and prez hart didnt even know who our trainers were going to be until later. we left the mission office bout 6pm, 45 min drive to the bus station where we sat until 1030 pm and got on a fancy duplex bus for an 8hr bus ride to petrolina!! which is a different state entirely from bahia!!! it hasnt rained here for over a year! its my first day but man its so hard!!!!...

oyah im in a trio! sis olivera who is Bahiana e sis namara who is mozambique...mama it is sooo tough!!! icant speak the language!! sis olivera is a firefly and just talks and talks and talks lol i love her! i pray i learn the language fast!

anyways we took naps this morning when we got in..which was 7am! took an hr nap n then got ready and walked 30 min to a house that was supposed to feed us lunch! i dont think she was there i dont really know i couldnt understand her haha but we walked to another house and she fed us rice n beans n some pasta! it was pretty good. man its hot here!!! definently! pretty sure i already have a sweet tanline!! mama please pray that i learn the language, so far thats the most discouraging thing. its worse than the heat and all the flies and mosquitos here. not being able to communicate is SO hard!!

 i havent had a whole lot happen to tell you about!! this day is sorta weird and diff then others will be i think (i hope)! from what i understand from my comps, their are a lot of inactive families here so i knowim supposed to be here. i want to do everything i possibly can to be the best missionary i can be. i already had a breakdown here!!! i offered the prayer! i think im just extremely overwhelmed with everything...that and the 3hrs of sleep the past 2 days probably doesnt help either haha please say an extra prayer for me! im not going to complain about anything i love it here, mas it is difficult!! i knew it would be! i cant wait for the next 18 months :) 

 oh tambem theres another address that yall can write to, i wont get mail until every 2-3 weeks depending. so write me as much as you want!! they help!! ill get you the address next week. oh and pday is tuesdays!!!
i love you, i love this work! i know the Lord has something in store for me!! hes really humbling me and i feel like im going to eat a lot of humble pie these next little while! i love you so much!!! tell everyone i love them!
love sister benedict

Sister Benedict arrived in Salvador Oct 30,2012

hey so rapigino!!!! im in salvador, no big deal!!! woke up at 0300 left ctm at 0450. plane left at 0745 and landed in salvador about 0945! we had to set our clocks back because they dont have daylight savings time!! so i have no idea what time it is over yonder in the U.S!!! but its BEAUTIFUL here!!! so many trees and life! prez n sis hart are so superly duperly amazing!! I am already so blessed they are my mish president. sis hart always has the hugest grin on her face!!! I still don't know who my trainer is, and neither does prez hart, but he said we will have them tonight!!! one of us might be on a 12 hr bus ride...pray its not me  haha anyways were in the salvador sul mission boundaries. They have the mission office here, its safer!!! but i love yall so much!! i have not been happier and I cant wait to start working!!! Im safe, Im happy Im loving life!! love lots

sister beneidct

Oct 24, 2012

omylanta I have so much to say!!!

first off! love you! second..I’m so jealous about the temple!!! I keep telling everyone here y'all involved with it!

um this week we did our first proselyting thing...it was soo interesting haha sis king n I actually could understand a lot and I found it was easier to talk to people than I thought!!! there was a drunk guy who went on about joseph smith and stole my ldm and was preaching to someone else about it haha then he pretended to strangle me and pretended to put chains around my wrist haha just a typical day as a missionary!!! the last guy we talked to, Hobson, was definitely the best. come to find out he’s inactive and I asked him how he felt when he was baptized and he was talking about the fire in your heart and felt the spirit!! I was just thinking it IS real!!! I’m not the only one who feels these types of things! and I did learn something in the mtc haha but I made him pinki promise that he would go to church Sunday. It was awkward at first cuz I stuck my pinki out and said pinki promise and he just looked at me like...what the junk are you doing haha it was so funny! but he pinki promised and he said he would go, i really hope he does!!!

I’m so stoked to go to Salvador!!! 6days!! aaaah I’m sooooo excited!!!! um couple things that happened this week. I had my hair down one day and curly...naturally it was frizzy and big right, well we were sitting with brazilians and one looks at me and as serious as a person could be he says in english..with his thick brazillian accent "what..happened...to your hair!!!" it was soo funny! I died laughing lol so that’s our little joke now between us!! also my hair felt long 1 day last week!! idk what it was but it felt so long..I was freaking out lol granted its still short but were making progress haha also....dangt I forgot what I was going to say! I love yall! it’s hard being here, can’t wait to leave the mtc but at the same time I don’t want to leave!

Oxborrows wrote me, that was so nice of them! I love yall so much! OH I remember! for one person we contacted, it was in a tiny lil halloween store and before we left I just felt like we needed to sing so sis king n I sang nearer my god to thee in portugese and I could really feel the spirit! that n the store had amazing acoustics!! also we sang last night for devotional, we sang our saviors love! another quartet. I love to sing but I get sooo nervous when I do!! ok gota go

love you so much

sister benedict

ps got a free lakers hat the other day!! check me out haha

love ya

 

 

Oct 12,2012

This week was uneventful as well! but a couple thoughts I have....1st off i heard kobe bryant is retiring!!! dad is this true...please tell me its not!!!! let me know!          

also, OH!! my shoe broke! the ones with the strap, the nice ones that were from the store that were supposed to last! yeah they didn’t last a lap of granny walking on the track haha it broke! i need to fix it today! umm o que mais!

Our melhor amigos left têrca-feira and it was so sad! but before they left a few days before we promised irmao raphael that we would speak só portuguese!! So all of that on top of my week was hard! I can’t tell you how freaked out I was to promise to only speak Portuguese!!! I felt like I was completely out of my comfort zone! I slipped up here and there with my Portuguese, but its way better!!! haha I feel like I can communicate!!! miracles do happen!!

I was just sitting there and thought, I should get a blessing..and then elder grigg popped into my head! (I have a pic of him! I love this elder!!) but he left Tuesday and he was in the other district in our zone.  I asked him to help me and he gave me a blessing and it was like night and day difference! I felt sooo much better after that! He said a lot of things I needed to hear! idk why but it’s so hard for me to ask for blessings. I love blessings sooo much! every single time! I needed it and I am so grateful for the priesthood! I hope anybody who holds the priesthood realizes the power that they have if they use it correctly. I have such a deep respect for priesthood holders! I can’t wait to marry one haha.

Being spiritually and self-reliant. Well I can tell you that it doesn’t matter how much faith your companion has, if you don’t have any. Your out of luck! we just had a really good devotional (area 70 came!) and he talked about faith and conversion! I was reading in alma 14 and I don’t know how this pertains to faith, but i really like alma 14. alma and amulek were treated SO bad by the ammonites believe! They were imprisoned and all these things, but they held their peace and didn’t strike back or anything. then at the end of the chapter, the Lord delivered them, the prison collapsed and everyone died except for them! I like how the last verse says that the people were scared like goats running away from two lions! I just read a talk(I forget who) but he said that the Lord will give you courage to be bold like lions!! I just really liked that! also another scripture alma 56:47-48..strippling warriors and their mothers! mama, I want to be like these mothers!!! they had so much faith to teach their sons that their sons didn’t doubt them and none of them fell away! none of them were killed! heck you know the story of the strippling warriors!!! i just really want to be like that.

i love you so much!

beijos e abrazos!!!

sister benedicta

 

October 10,2012

te amo! so this week was nuts. conference was soooo exciting! i love conference. i wrote down 6 questions and seriously..every single one of them was directly answered!!

It’s funny that you ask about my experiences with Christ like attributes because my comp n I read that section every day and pick a trait to work on!!! We read moroni 7.45 cada dia and pick something to work on! I picked kindness, :) as far as experiences...I don’t really know if I have one in particular. I have been studying on charity and love and trying to love everyone here. It has made an impact on me. I notice that I am so much happier. The gospel is a happy thing!!!

I was at the temple this morning and the person I was going through the whole time during the session I just felt her presence. I felt her excitement to go through the temple for the first time! I was so excited for this deceased person I was going through the temple for!!!! 

Tell your young women girls that as soon as I heard the announcement for sisters to go on a mission at 19 I immediately thought of them! If I was there you know I would be talking in everyone’s ear to go! it’s such a great opportunity for them! I’ve been here 6 weeks and I have already learned leaps and bounds! Tell them to be exactly obedient!!! If we are, then we become one with God. Charity has been one way I feel the spirit the most. Have you ever tried to love like Christ does, it’s hard!!!! I strive for that every day!

Sis king and I had a really good talk yesterday about obedience. I have been feeling the spirit so much here!!!

oh I leave 30 Oct then I will be in Salvador!! woooot woooot! idk where my first area is but I’ll be sure to let you know when I do go! Last night for devotional we did a number after! elder olson, grigg! sis king and I sang if you could hie to kolob, elder hatch played the piano..I just love that song!!

Life here is normal...getting hotter, but we all knew that!!! I’m still alive, I eat like 18 apples a day thanks to elder grigg...he is so nice to leave the cores on my desk. He’s in the other district in our branch that’s leaving next week. I don’t wana talk about that! all of my brasileros left this week and it was rough. You get so attached to people then they walk out of your life forever!!! that’s going to be every 6 weeks for me for the next 18-24 months! They might extend sister missionary times too while I’m out...who knows! here’s to hoping!!!!

Prayers were answered!!!! Everything I had questions about in my soul were answered! the Lord hears our prayers!! Tell your young women girls they need to take EVERYTHING up with the lord! don’t you dare ever say that the Lord doesn’t hear our prayers, because I testify that He does. If we submit ourselves to our Father in Heaven, He can and will work miracles through you! I am an example of this. I was nothing before I received that inspiration to serve. I’m here. I trusted in God and told Him I would do whatever he needed me to do! I know that the Lord knows me better than I know myself! In alma 5 he talks about having His image in your countenance! I think about that every day. I want to be able to walk the streets in Bahia and express the same love that Christ did!!! I love this gospel so much! I love being a missionary. Am I perfect?  No way!!! But am I trying?  You bet I am! Humble yourself before the Lord! Give your life to Him and watch what He does with it! Pres. Degn said this "The lord will shape your back to bear the burden placed upon it!!!" we are the violin in the masters hands!!! I am so grateful I was a tattered, torn violin! I know the master is fixing my strings and tuning me up!! I am so grateful to Him and His sacrifice!!! I would be nowhere without this gospel!!!

I love you so much

Sister benedict

ps good luck with the dedication! I wish I was there!! I’m sooo stoked for y'all and slightly jealous tell pres monson i said hi and he needs to come visit me because I missed him at the dedication!!!

 

 

October 3.2012

life is great!!!

 This week was kinda rough for sis king n I. when I was having a good day, she wasn’t and visa versa!!! We went to the temple today, and it was sooooo gooood!!! I was just so..happy! sis king and I spent over 20 min in the celestial room! I couldn’t stop smiling. I know that the Lord hears our prayers! it really is amazing all of the experiences I’ve had here, just little ones that let me know that the Lord is listening!

I sang a duet with elder olson(in my district) and his voice is so amazing! we sang all creatures of our god and king (my favoritest song ever!!!) and we did it before our big devotional tues nite. I prayed that I could sing like an angel and invite the spirit and I really feel like we did!!! I loved it! we sang in portuguese too..no big deal lol jk I love to sing, though. I feel like it really invites the spirit.

We had our halfway mark interviews and br. Bingham told me that the next 4 weeks is not for me to learn the language, but for me to figure out how to invite the spirit into my life and how to use the companionship of the spirit! so I’m going to really strive for that. our brasilian companions left Tuesday. They got up at 230am to leave at 5am....guess who didn’t get any sleep...yupp! yours truly!!! it really is amazing though, remember how I told you that I asked for a blessing for my sleep and ear. well seriously since that blessing, I’ve felt so much better. I haven’t slept any longer or any better, but it really is amazing that I don’t feel tired. I do but I have energy to do the things I need to, so if I feel like this every day, then I will be alright!

irmao viana, one of our teachers is hilarious! he likes to joke around; well, remember how my companion is sister king? when I have my hair down and curly (frizzy cuz wer in brasil) its really poofy. irmao viana puts us next to each other and says guess what movie!!!!........haha yupp. lion king! it’s actually pretty funny! also, he was trying to call me a little girl. like a lil cute girl and he called me fofina! the way he explained it, though was chubby! it was so funny. he basically called me a cute chubby little girl lol he also has an Idaho potato tie!!! I love it!

The language is...coming along. I still somehow manage to mess up things I say! and it’s not just a little bit, they always somehow are inappropriate haha i try to talk to my teachers and they end up laughing at me because of how inappropriate they are!! oopsie!

The fruit here is awesome! it’s starting to get warmer and they have abaxai and mango and meloncia!!! i loooove fruit!!!!! I can’t wait. I keep hearing that salvador, has lots of seafood and coconut and carnival!!! I really can’t wait to go! we leave this month, that is sooo crazy to me! the time has been flying by!  I feel like I don’t know enough to leave this month, it really does scare me!!! gah! I’m so excited though!!!

 I can’t wait for conference!! I feel like I’ve grown so much these past 4 weeks. I really do feel closer to the spirit. I’ve been trying to show charity and love! I decided to pick a Christ like attribute each week to improve. This week is charity and love!!!! I love you guys so much! I love this gospel. I love the scriptures and I love the people here at the mtc. Thank you for your support.

Tell everyone I love them! I wish I could write to everyone to say thank you. My heart gets so full thinking about all of the support and friends back home! i lovelovelove you!! eu amo vocês!!!!

com amor

sister benedict

 

Sept 26,2012

 

  I love you!!!!

My week has been interesting...it was a hard one for sure! i learned sooo much about teaching and the gospel, my sweet companion, sister king, is soo patient with me! When we do companionship practice teaching i always ask why we need to do this or why that is important lol it really helps when you are teaching!!!

I’ve learned that I know the gospel is true, but explaining it...a little different haha

I wrote a letter, but i think mail will be slow for a while; the post office is on strike! o yah, when you write letters. don’t forget to put the zip code!! i did get 3 at one time hahah so you never know how long it will take!!!

I really am blessed to be here. I have seen the district grow so fast! there’s an elder here, elder morris, who couldn’t even read out of the portuguese book of mormon when we got here, and now when we read he can read it really well, but he can go line for line and translate it! it really is amazing to see the Lord shaping and molding us!

We had a devotional last night and watched a talk from elder neal a. anderson to the provo mtc and one thing he said I really liked. He was talking to missionaries and said that the Lord will shape your back to be able to bear the burden placed upon it! I know that the Lord is shaping me to withstand the trials and the successes I will have on my mission!

oh! Sunday was my 1st day conducting and we have a brasilera sister get up and share her conversion story and someone to translate. Well I asked my roomie if she would share her story and I would translate....omylanta! it was sooo bad!! We get up and I’m trying to translate, I understood about a half of it haha I couldn’t do it. I’m so glad there’s a brasilera sister there who can speak english too so she helped me out a lot! I still have a lot to go with the language. But it’s coming!

This gospel is true, it is hard, but it’s worth it!! vale a pena!!!

Tell everyone thanks for the prayers and support. I love you all so much. I’m on a mission for you guys!!! I want you to know that. I love you so much

Love sister benedict

 

Sept 19,2012

oi!! this weeks been so good!

 

I dream in portuguese!!! i just wake up n dont understand anything!!! haha we went to the police station this last week to become official here! We were there for like 1.5 hrs! but there was a strike goin on when we were there! people all had on the same shirts and were taking pictures and had black and yellow balloons! i wanted a balloon but they left before I could get one!!

Everyone here i tell that im going to salvador say two things 1) the food is way good there and 2) its super hot there!!! So hopefully i dont sweat myself to a puddle haha.

We celebrated chile´s independent day yesterday. It was cool cuz for lunch they had it all decorated and the cooks dressed up! the chile flag was hanging up too. We had dulce de leite for a present!!! omylanta dulce de leite is soooo goood! muito bom! and they had popcorn for dessert too. We dont usually get stuff like that, so i got to have some caramel popcorn!!! my favorite! idk why but being here I just crave sweets hahah

Couple cool experiences, I was studying the scriptures the other day and they just came alive to me. idk why in particular, but I remember reading and just..understanding them! it was so cool! legal! But now when I read I understand who people are and what they´re doing. I'm able to cross reference! I'm not that good, but I'm getting there. It's realy neat!

oh!! so every  week we have to prepare a talk for Sunday because we dont know whos speaking in our district. Well I was having a  hard time figuring out what I wanted to talk about and try to translate. I wrote like 3 diff ones, tried to translate but I wasnt feelin it. Sunday morning I rewrote one just in portuguese but still dint feel confident with it. I just knew I was going to get called because I didnt feel prepared....yah guess who got called to speak Sunday!!! yupp sure was me! I did as much portuguese as I could. I did about half portuguese-half english so it wasnt too bad! I dont even remember what I said haha I asked them why they´re here and their purpose as a missionary basically! It was good tho. The 2nd counselor in the branch presidency kept saying how surprised he was that I was speaking that much portuguese and how much I was trying!

oh another thing..The mission presidents wife, Sis Degn, cornered me in the lunchroom yesterday and asked me to be the new sister coordinator! So basically I meet all the new sisters and write them notes and host the Sunday evening meetings!! I dont know portuguese well enough to do that!! I dont feel qualified enough to do that. It's a small little thing, but im freaking out about it! I know the Lord wil help me though!!!

 oh we got brasilera roomies!! I'm so stoked! they speak no english, but surprisingly Sis King and I understand a lot and can communicate with them so its neat to see that our portuguese isn't that bad haha my journal is halfway filled already and I'm not even halfway throuhg the mtc yet lol I shoulda bought like 18 journals!!!

Sis King and I click so well, we get along really well which is nice! We went to the temple this morning and did initiatories!!! It was so cool. They did it in portuguese (of course!) but I got an english cheat card to look on. It was cool to do that because of the promises the Lord makes to us as we keep our covenants! I had forgotten most of that stuff when I went through the first time! I was sitting in the celestial room and the lighs went off!!! All the lights in the temple went off haha it was kinda funny! I dont think I'll ever have that experience again!

 One more story... when we eat we come in and grab a tray then our food. Well the other morning as I was going to grab a tray I saw on another tray a cocaroach!! It was smushed on top of a tray hahah it was all twitchin n stuff! Welcome to brasil!!!!

I love you guys!! I pray for y'all every night! The days are getting better! I forget how much I love and miss singing until we sing in choir!! I love this gospel, I love the temple! ! I love this gospel, I love where I'm at!!!

a´te mais!!

Sister Benedict

ps we get out every pday to go shoppin and walk around :)

 

Sep 12, 2012

Wed, Sep 12, 2012

oh mai!!! it’s so great here! It has been hard; we are sitting in a room for 8 hrs a day! so it’s hard to keep the motivation sometimes!!! i keep sticky notes in my planner of things to tell you so here goes!

We had sorbete 7sept cuz it was Brazilian Independence Day!! best lunch EVER!!!! omylanta it was such good sorbete! ummmm Sis king n i had a fast from English Friday, and it was kinda hard but good for us! I want to learn it so bad n it’s not coming like I want it to. But it’s coming! I sit with Brasileros as much as I can and developed some really good relationships with them! we had a group of Brasileros leave on Tuesday. It was hard because they were my volleyball buddies! They taught me how to say bom trabalho!! So every time we played everyone said it haha!

 My teachers are way cool. One is from Salvador, irmao viana! He’s so funny! In class we learned numbers and if you say a number in class and it’s not in Portuguese the elders have to do 15 pushups n sisters do 15 backpack lifts! Well I got in trouble n said the time in English and he made me get up to do 15 backpack lifts like a bicept curl. Well as I was doing it, one of the times my skirt totally flew up haha my backpack caught my skirt and took it with it!!! haha it was pretty funny! irmao viana said I didn’t have to do anymore!! hehe whoops!

I had a neat experience the other day. We were learning how to introduce the book of mormon and to invite someone to be baptized. Sis king was my investigator and I had irmao raphael help me (he was our teacher in the morning cuz irmao ramos didn’t come..fubeca!!) but he was helpin get me started then I was able to bear my testimony about the book of mormon(em Portuguese) and I just had such conviction that I know the book of mormon is true. I know that the church is true! I really do mom n dad. I know with everything in me that Jesus Christ died for my sins so I could be here. I am so grateful for that!

oh I’ve been sick like the past week!! An elder in our district was sick the 1st week and its spread! So I’ve been blowing my nose a lot!! I was going to sing for devotional(solo) on tues but I was still sick gosh dangit!!!!!

 Sunday was a really good day for me. It was very spiritual which is what I needed! They had the movie 17 miracles playing and I balled my eyes out the whole movie!

Our devotional tues night was about heroes and I just kept thinking about dad. Even sitting here makes me kinda emotional. Dad, you're my hero. I think about everything you've done for me and all of the support you've given me and the things you did so I could have the best opportunity in life. Thank you dad. I am deeply grateful for you. I could always come to you with problems or any gospel question and you knew what to say! Mom, I miss you that’s just a given!!! I love you guys so much!!!

The temple was amazing as always. I had a hard time gettin through the veil, though. the temple worker spoke very good Portuguese and well...you know how great my hearing is!! haha I made it though, that’s all that matters!!!

what else....oh maracacha!!! such a good drink. it’s like a passion fruit type drink! sooo good!! and patatas dulce! it’s a green potato but its sweet. so good!

We have trc every week which is like a recording of teaching. So we teach another district who are pesquisadors and they record us! it’s so scary and I don’t like it but we do it each week!!! nossa senora!!! Its good tho!

ummm what else, nothing really exciting! just my life as a missionary! I love my district. they are so funny. We have running jokes like every single day!!! they crack me up!!! I love it here. i don’t feel like I’m in Brazil still. Our window faces the courtyard and so do the classroom windows!!! We got lucky. The elders in our district were nice enough to take pictures of the city at sunrise and sunset for us...arent they so nice! (grrrrrrr!)

              I love you guys so much!!! i got the letter from tiesh. seriously made my stinkin day!!!!! gosh I love my family!  Days really do feel like months and the weeks are getting shorter! i hope I’m preparing enough and staying focused!! I love you guys so much. Give the family my love

kisses

Sister benedict

eu sei que deus vive. eu sei que o livro de mormon e verdadiero. estou muito grata pela opportunidade estar aqui e server um missao em salvador! sou muito grata pela expiação! gah eu amo este igreja muito mucho!!!

te amo, te extrena

Translation:

I know that God lives. I know that the book of mormon and verdadiero. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be here and serve a mission in salvador! I am very grateful for the Atonement! gah I love this church very mucho!!!  I love you, te extrena

 

 

 

First impression of Brazil and the MTC

mom! omygoodness i have 27 min to tell you my last week! its amazing here. i sent you a letter with some funny things that happened. i love it here. its been hard! but we get up at 0630 n study basically all day. we have native teachers and they are hilarious. we get to practice teaching in portuguese and english. im surprised how well i can understand and speak portuguese already and its been only 1 week! before i forget my fav scripture is 2ne22.2 sorry i dont know how to do a colon sign on the keyboard. ps i cant even speak english anymore haha my brain is thinking portuguese! um my companion sis king i just love her! she wants to work and she wants to learn so im so blessed to have her as my companion! oh so the first night i was so stoked to take a shower right...so funny story. i strip down and am in the bathroom..well i open the shower to jump in..theres 4 knobs!!! 2 higher and 2 lower! i have no idea whats what so i just started turning them haha the water was freezing so i tried turning the shower off...i could not firgure it out!!! after like 20 min i had to have sis king help me figure out how to turn it off...mind you im in a towel still and this is our first night together haha it was so funy! oh ps..she has an addiction to peanut butter too!!! and we get apples and banans every meal! im in heaven! (id type a smiley face but idk how to) but its good here. one of the first things we learned how to do was bear our testimonies in portuguese and pray. so sunday was fast sunday and we did testimony meeting with our branch and i got up and shared most of mine in portuguese!!! we practice our testimonies in portuguese in class with our disctrict-we have 11 people in ours. 2sets of sisters and 3 sets of elders...1 trio! i love those guys. but anyways when anybody bears their testimony thats when i feel the spirit the most. i just love it here. the food is amazing!!! its all chewy, or soupy...nothings realy crunchy here so iv managed to spill on myself every meal haha.  went to the temple today! it was amazing the temple is so beautiful. when we got to the veil the temple worker said everything in portutugese and so i figured i had to. so i said everything in port. it was kinda cool. the celestial room is beautiful too...almost as beautiful as brighma city! um so i forgot so much things...like umbrellas. the lang is kinda hard to learn cuz everyone speaks a dif dialect kinda like the us and their accents. but im learning that i need to rely on the lord. i miss you guys, but there is not a doubt in my mind this is where i need to be. thank you so much for loving me and supporting me on my mission. im going to sing a solo next tues nite devotional. we sang come thou fount in portuguese for choir..its my alltime absolute favorite song! i love you!! i know the gospel is true. eu sei que deus e um filho de deus. seu muito grato para a expiasao. eu sei que jesus christo murreo para meus pecados...i love this gospel! i love sao paulo! its beautiful!!

ate mais

love love love

sister benedict!!!!

 

Welcome Letter From Brazil MTC

Dear Parents,

We are happy to send the good news that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil MTC.  What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they come through the front door of the MTC for the first time. We promise to take good care of your missionary.

They now have companions and are settled into their rooms.  They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.  The branch presidents and their wives, will soon give them a second greeting.  These couples are rewarded in their callings through the love they always develop as they embrace and watch over the missionaries.

The MTC has a full time live-in physician to care for their health needs.  He is assisted by his able wife. We are also happy to report that the Cafeteria food is abundant and very good.

Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple.  This will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on individual assignments.

Your very important young person is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of others.  We hope you will be encouraged and comforted by this quote by President Lorenzo Snow: “ There is no mortal man that is as interested in the success of an Elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord's children".

Please accept our love,

President Ralph Degn and Sister Mary Ann Degn

ADDITIONAL  information . . .  

DO not send packages to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving, not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC and it arrives after your missionary has left for the field, please understand that the package cannot be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you.

WE Strongly eNCOURAGE sENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers.  The cost to get this type of correspondence is exorbitant.

 IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.