10-28-13

Hi mom!!!! welp this week was a .....growing one for us. This transfer has been a rough one for us. We worked and worked and worked this week and the people we were working with didnt even go to church. We had to cut a lota people too so it was a lil rough this week! But I know the Lord is just testing us...grrr! But transfers are today and we are staying here :) Sis Stewart is finishing her misison here. gosh I love that girl! 

 

We did an activity yesterday, it was so sweet! It was the dream of Lehi. We put rope in jacira´s (first time in a while I used an apostrophe!) how weird!!)  backyard and we were playing the good angel and bad angel. It was really fun!!! I really love the people here.  There are so many good people here but they just dont see the importance of church. Actualy whats hard here is that everyone, EVERYONE that was already baptized in another church dont see the need to be baptised again. Even when they are...turned away from the church. I have really learned here the importance of the priesthood and authority. Its really incredible!

 

I gave a talk on Sunday about the root of the Christian doctrine...I didn’t have the slightest clue what it was! but man I loved that talk. Talks about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! not just the atonement, but the sacrifice that he did for us! Thats the root of our doctrine! The sacrifice of Christ! in helaman 5:9 says that its thru the atoning blood of Christ we are saved, not the atonement, not resurrection, but the sacrifice that He did for us!!! Without the sacrifice, there would have been no resurrection, there would have been no perdão, forgiveness! I am super thankful for Christ and what He did for me.

 

I was reading the conf ensign of 2011 and mama as I was just sifting thru trying to find a talk, I was just hit so strong with the spirit. These men really are called of God. They lead our church and I am so thankful that we have the priesthood restored on the earth! I remember during conference when they show the general authority, I didnt really see anyone new. I was so comforted to know that our leadership doesnt change that often and that these are all honest men of God!!!!

 

I still havent got your package you sent me! I’m still waitin...and waitin..and waitin lol its startin to get hot here again. I’m getting tan again haha and my hair mama, omylanta its this weird shade of blonde/orange/corn...sei lá! 

 

This week didn’t have much to report on the area, its...going haha slow and steady! But I love you so much, tell everyone that I love them too!! give a special shoutout for the ellsworths :) tell them I miss going over there just to chat..."time in grade" ;) brother ellsworth'll know what I’m talking about :)

 

love love love love love you!

sis benedict

10-22-13

 Man this week i dont even remember what happened. it was a long week for us. our baptisms fell thru.

 

i realy dont have much to say for this week. almost all of our visits fell thru, We had a few investigators at church Sunday including this guy that we think is going to be the first branch president :) hes perfect!!! his name is kleber and is suuuper interested in the church!

 

oyah theres this old..er guy in santo estevão who doesnt have any problem saying what he thinks. wel he gets up to give his talk and starts off by saying that he didnt even wana talk today and started calling everyone to repentance....jhahahaha i lvoe bahia!!!!

 

but i love you all and so grateful for everytihg! i am so grateful to be a missionary:)

beijos

sister benedict

ps...did i mention that i am DYING to go to the temple!!!

 

10-14-13

 

oh mama!!!! can i just say how much i love you!!!! this week was a rough one for me. your email just filled me with hope haha! idk what it was about this week but man, it was a growing week for me and my companion.  We were having no luck with the area and it was just a poopy week!!! but we found a realy promising family on Saturday. and both Sis Stewart and I feel really good about them! We think he’s going to be the 1st branch pres here haha. We have 20 members an we need 60 before we can open a branch here. mama I want nothing more than to open a branch here!!! I want to be able to stay here until the end of my mission, but who knows. The area is rough...im starting to see the impact members really have on a persons life!!! I cant imagine not being a part of this church because everywhere we moved, we always had our lil "church family". Here in santo estevão...its growing! I am so blessed to be a part of this gospel!!!

I dont really know what to say in this letter, we went to santo antonio de jesus, about 3hrs away an did divisons there. I realy like the area and the people there too!

I am sooo thankful to have a family like ours. The Lord is so smart haha people here dont have the same family values like in the church! We spent 30 min outside a house listening to a man complain about his wife. We always hear that the husband is doing this and this wrong and the wife doesnt do what the husband wants la bla bla! I just think man...how different your life would be with the gospel!!! The gospel really changes lives!!!!

oh I have a challenge for the youth there...an actually everyone who reads this letter!! But here one of the wards, the youth decided that everyone take a picture with the Book of Mormon and put it as your profile pic on facebook. I’ve heard some neat stories with that. Its a great way to show that you are a normal person and a mormon haha. I really liked that idea!

give everyone my love!!!

love you sooooo sooo much

beijos
sister benedita

 

 

ps...l love the pic of the temple...idk y but this week I have been feeling soooooooo much fault of the temple!!!....er that was horrible english..I have been missing so much the temple!

10-7-13

    omylanta I dont even know where to start this letter! My week has been soooo busy! We got to work 1 day in our area this week and we were able to baptize. the Lord really is looking out for us! We were in another area doing divisions with oher sisters, and then Thursday we had a leadership council meeting! It was suuuper good!!! Sis and Pres Hart...l love them to death!

   They did a training and used the analogy with the movie miracle. It was really what I needed to hear. The coach said that he wasnt looking for the best players, but the right players. He watched and studied these boys for a looong time and knew them all so well that he didnt need any help picking his team. They said that the same thing with the Lord and us. We are here because the Lord picked us to be here! We arent the best missionaries, but we are the right ones. I really liked that! and I thought of tiesh the whole time cuz I remember we watched miracle on a Sunday night cuz it was still Sunday we were making gospel connections the whole way thru haha its tieshas fault we watched it on Sunday..shes older and I was a young impressionable kid at the time :) hahaha jk

We watched conf in english! We were at the house of jacira and they watched it on the big screen in portuguese and we were in the other room listening in english! conference wassooo good! I went with a list of a few questions and claro...er of course they were all answered! It was a really good conference! I loved what Pres Monson said that it was one of the most inspirational conferences that he’s been at. Wow! But its true..today I’ve felt so inspired I wrote about 6 pages today talking about who knows what!

  I know that Thomas S Monson is a true prophet.I feel the spirit SO strong when he talks. I am so grateful that we have a prophet to lead and guide us today. Alan, our baptism, was saying that if we didnt have a prophet, how would the church be. He really was prepared!!! haha

   I love you all sooo much and know that this gospel is true!!! I know the Lord knows each and every one of us. One thing that really touched me is the story about the grandma who was going to visit her grandson in prison an she prayed an asked why am I going thru this, why is he doing this when I have tried to be so good, and the answer came that the Lord gave him to her because she would and could love him no matter what he did. that really struck me. kids really are chosen to be with the parents that would love them no matter what.

Give everyone a HUGE hug for me!!!

Sister Benedita

 

ps did I tell you we met this guy, his nickname is pool and he as a cemetary at his house that he built with dolls haha hes sooo funny! He watched conference with us and I really wana baptize him hahaha

 

oyah its also getting hot here so its kinda funny I wake up not knowing what color my hairs guna be or shade of tan ill be hahah its kinda funny!

 

 

9-30-13

I am here in santo estevão! and acually we dont hardly stay in our area! This week were working only 1 day here because of conference! We have splits tomorrow and the next day and then Thursday we have our leadership mtg. so just Friday we have to work cuz Sat and Sunday is conference! 

We had a baptism of Eric on Saturday. Do you remember the lil kid that I just love here, who cant walk right...well he was baptized on Saturday! and also we have been working with this kid binho! He was taking the lessons from the sisters before but never had the desire to be batized...well he was baptized Saturday too!!! I was so excited! Erica and I sang and played guitar for them! 

I am sooooooooo tired alllll the time! We had zone conference and we did splits in feira. The same area that I passed before haha I love being able to stay in the areas that I passed. I feel so blessed. I will have spent 1yr in the same stake, the same zone!!! haha kinda cool huh!

Not much has happened this week. Its super corrido and the time is just flying by!!!

I love this church, I love this gospel. I am so grateful to have had the examle of a great family! Thank you all so much

bjs

sis benedita

 

ps....word to the women in the house...don’t cook when your extremely tired! I burnt rice, popcorn and cookies hahaha its so sad when your tired and just wana sleep but hungry and so you try to cook, affff! 

 

 

9-23-13

One thing I’ve learned here, that sometimes the Lord has a plan for us that we just dont understand. We just need to have faith that the Lord knows what He is      doing...even if we dont like it at the time!!!

      The correios...umm post office! The post office is on strike here, actually the banks are too! how cool right........GAH! but anyways I havent got the package yet, and dont even bother to send one for Christmas haha I probably wont even get it till like January or Feb! its crazy to think that Christmas is coming up...again! I havent even really thought about it till today! the mission is just flyin by..dont like it one bit!

   Im in santo estevão..and actually its an area I already passed with a companion I already had :) sister stewart...shes the 1st American companion I had, shes from cedar city! I’m sure I already sent pics of her! We were in feira 1 going to santa estevão because had a few members there. Well its cool that I’m back there and in santa estevão right now!  Theres about 20 members in this city, we have our meetings in a house and the neighbors like to blast their music on Sunday morning! but its good! The hardest thing there is that nobody goes to church Sunday! They are reading, praying, they know its true, but when Sunday rolls around...nada!  also we only spend 5 days there! We travel Tuesday and Wednesday!

Sister leader is basically doing divisions with the other sisters! We have about 12 areas that we do divisions! so I get to sit on an on a bus forever every week....im soooooo loving it (NOT!) but I do like to visit the other areas! I feel truly blessed for the areas that I passed thru! also ima spend 1yr in the same stake and the same zone! how crazy is that hahhaha

I’ love yall so much and I’m so grateful to represent the Savior Jesus Christ! We were watching finding faith in Christ and it just touched me so much! everything that He went thru..for what end. Everything He did, He did because He loves us. I want to have that kind of love and preocupação for people!!!

love you all soooo much

bjs
sister benedita

 

 

ps did i mention in my area that all we have are Baptists, hardcore TJ and catholics....its reallly fun to do contacts............

 

 

9-16-13

 

 

so this week is super short...transfer days! Im geting transfered...but I already knew that. Ever since I picked Sis Mann up at the airport I knew I wasnt going to finish her training! But Im going to santa estevão...another area I had already visited a lot! Im going to be in the same stake..still haha but Im stoked. Im super sad to leave, I loooove serrinha. but I feel like Ima return here! I want to at least!! But I love you all.

 

This week was so filled with miracles. We had a less active that we’ve been workin with for 5 months to go to church...well he came Sunday! I cried! We had 105 people at church!!! I was tickled I was sooo happy!!! that’s a lot of people for us!

love you so much!

 

bjs

sis benedita

 

ps did I mention Im going to be a sister leader trainer and Im going to be with sis Stewart!! We were already companions and I love her to death!!!