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