Thank you so much for all your prayers and fasts and everything. things are really a lot better. And We might have a baptism here in a few weeks!!!
Our baptismal dates are three young kids named Johny, Casio, and Eugenia. They are from a very mixed family. There is three families of just kids that live with this aunt and one single mom. Their house is crazy. The elders before us were teaching them, but we started teaching them. At first I was a little skeptic with them being so young, but one thing I am learning on the mission is that God works through the young people in this world because they are more open and sensitive to the spirit. Joseph Smith was only 14 and Mormon was what 10 and we have 18,19,and 21 year old people out preaching the gospel. The Lord works through small and simple things. Anyways, Johny has 15 years and Cascio 12 and Eugenia 10. They are understanding everything we are teaching and have stopped drinking coffee, which is a huge thing. They have a little 4 year old sister that was drinking a huge mug of coffee when we first taught. They have come to church the past 2 weeks and they are reading the Book of Mormon and learning how to recognize the spirit. It feels so good to actually have investigators that are progressing. If everything goes well they will be baptized the 7th of April.
Also this week we started having activities that will be every Wednesday. This past week we had a great turn out and did minutet-to-win-it games and ended it with good ol´ American chocolate cookies. we had 32 people there and everyone loved it. We are hoping it will spark some interest in the youth so that they can start bringing their friends and start teaching their families.
There is a member here - the president of relief society and she is such a good example of what a member should be. She really understands what the gospel means, and the covenants she made with Heavenly Father. She does visits with us two times a week. She is 64 or something but she is walking up and down hills with us without a complaint. Her whole life is devoted to building up the kingdom. She never speaks bad things about anyone.She was the one that brought the church to this city. Before, she was paying 50 bucks every week to go to church that was in a city 3 hours away. The mission president finally send missionaries here and they started a branch. She told us some pretty awesome stories about here life and the gospel, this one I think mom would really like. One day she was walking to lunch to a friend's house and an old newspaper hit her leg and she brushed it off. She went and ate lunch and was coming back home when the same old yellowed newspaper hit her leg because of the wind. She finally picked it up and looked at it and noticed it had the names of the very first people that established the city here. She took it home and recorded the information and planned to take it to the temple. When she went to the temple she randomly found one of the descendents of this family who was looking for these names. And they were able to do the work for them. Yay for family history!
Life is good, the sun is hot, the mosquitos are back in full force, and the church is true!
Love you all, hope all is well with everyone and everyone is healthy and happy!
sister p
Monday, March 26, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Kylie's letter 3/19/2012
So this week. This week we had zone conference it was so good and just what I needed. Zone conferences are so much better when you can actually understand them. Presidente talked about how it is us that needs to change when we want our life to change. And there were a lot of other things said that were so great. But I felt so much better. We also ate at a real Brazilian churrasco and it was so good. Like Tucanas but authentic. Guys brought us meat on swords and we ate so much! It was so good!
And I have fallen in love with Minas. I love this place. I have fallen in love with all the rolling green hills, the people, the cheese, everything about Minas. It is so different than Vitoria. we can actually see the stars and the milky way at night. The people here are so humble and have so little. This is the Brazil I thought of when I got my call.
We marked 3 baptismal dates this week with some kids in a huge mixed family. we want to baptize the whole family, so hopefully things will work out with them.
Life is good and I am happy!
Ky
And I have fallen in love with Minas. I love this place. I have fallen in love with all the rolling green hills, the people, the cheese, everything about Minas. It is so different than Vitoria. we can actually see the stars and the milky way at night. The people here are so humble and have so little. This is the Brazil I thought of when I got my call.
We marked 3 baptismal dates this week with some kids in a huge mixed family. we want to baptize the whole family, so hopefully things will work out with them.
Life is good and I am happy!
Ky
Monday, March 12, 2012
Kylie's letter 3/12/12
So transfers came and went and I am in the state of Minas. Our mission includes three states. The whole state of Espirito Santo, and parts of Minis Gerais, e Rio de Janeiro. So I traveled 12 hours by bus to Minas. And it is soooo different from Espirito Santo. I stayed with Sister Johnson. I have a feeling that we might be here together for one more transfer. Which would be 6 months together.
This area is great. We are the first sisters that have been here for about 15 years. The members had been asking for sisters and were ecstatic to receive us. We are in a little branch with about 180 members but only 30 or so that are active. You know you are serving in a South American country when everyday you find a less active member of the church in the streets. So our plan for this zone is to reactivate all the members that had testimonies at one point.
Minas is gorgeous, it is so green with lots and lots of hills. And it is hot. And when I say hills it is like a 30 min walk straight up and up and up. And then you descend the other side only to go up another. I don't know why they just don't plow the roads right through it. It looks like Southern Utah here with lots and lots of red earth but green too. Green palm trees and grass and everything. So gorgeous and there are lots of farms. The people here are a lot poorer. And live in little teeny tiny houses with everyone in their extended family. And the people here are sooo short. They are my height when I am sitting down. Minas is famous for their cheese. and oh my goodness they should be. The cheese is great here. Pão de Quejo - cheese bread is to die for. And the members here are super duper faithful and willing to do everything for the Lord.
Our biggest challenge right now is just getting to know the area and finding where everyone lives. It is hard to open an area. But I am excited to work with the members here and to teach the small people of Minas.
Hope everyone is doing well. I hope for more sun for those who are ready for spring and more snow in the mountains for dad.
Thanks for your prayers, love and support!
Ky
This area is great. We are the first sisters that have been here for about 15 years. The members had been asking for sisters and were ecstatic to receive us. We are in a little branch with about 180 members but only 30 or so that are active. You know you are serving in a South American country when everyday you find a less active member of the church in the streets. So our plan for this zone is to reactivate all the members that had testimonies at one point.
Minas is gorgeous, it is so green with lots and lots of hills. And it is hot. And when I say hills it is like a 30 min walk straight up and up and up. And then you descend the other side only to go up another. I don't know why they just don't plow the roads right through it. It looks like Southern Utah here with lots and lots of red earth but green too. Green palm trees and grass and everything. So gorgeous and there are lots of farms. The people here are a lot poorer. And live in little teeny tiny houses with everyone in their extended family. And the people here are sooo short. They are my height when I am sitting down. Minas is famous for their cheese. and oh my goodness they should be. The cheese is great here. Pão de Quejo - cheese bread is to die for. And the members here are super duper faithful and willing to do everything for the Lord.
Our biggest challenge right now is just getting to know the area and finding where everyone lives. It is hard to open an area. But I am excited to work with the members here and to teach the small people of Minas.
Hope everyone is doing well. I hope for more sun for those who are ready for spring and more snow in the mountains for dad.
Thanks for your prayers, love and support!
Ky
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Kylie's letter 3/5/2012
You know its hot when you eat a Popsicle in the street and before you get two bites in your mouth its all over you hands and feet in sticky splatters. March is supposed to be the worst month. All of my skirts are fading and hair is so blond, and everyone tells me about five million times that I need to use sun screen. Even after I say, I do.
Ta bom- first off transfers is tomorrow. And it is for certain, I am getting transferred. Don't know where and with whom I will be serving.
Second off I wanted to share a few miracles in the life of Sister P
1- When I first came here we taught a less active member and I remember not understanding her, and she didn't understand me. But the other day I sat with her and and had about a 1/2 hour conversation with her and we understood each other. The language is getting so much better. And she is preparing to go to the temple! Love her so much! She barely has enough money to take the bus to church but she is there every Sunday and I love listening to her pray because she is really talking to God.
2- Fabiano and Tais. So Fabiano was that psycho guy that has been in prison several times and killed someone. He also gave us the reference of his girlfriend. Well their whole story is really random but so cool. Fabiano is on the road to repentance. He talked to the bishop got a blessing and will talk to the stake president . He will have to spend 12 years in prison and get the signature of pres Monson before he can be baptized but he is starting to make that journey. Tais is his girlfriend. When I asked her how she felt about her baptismal date she said she was only feeling happiness! Her baptism will be next month and I hope the elders that end up here will finish teaching her and baptize her!! Thanks for all your prayers in her behalf.
3- This miracle is random too. Mom gave me a talk to read called the dormant spirit by Enzio Busche. And she gave it to me several years ago and I have always kept it in a stack of things to read but never read it. While packing for the mission I saw it on my desk and thought what the heck, and threw it in the suitcase but never touched it until last week. Last week I was having a really hard time, I was struggling with some things and I was really angry. For two days I was like a little dark rain cloud. My Portuguese plummeted I wasn't understanding anything and I wasn't speaking very well. Randomly I decided to read this talk. And it was just what I needed. It talked about awaking the dormant spirit that we all have; the gift of the spirit. Our main goal is to always be striving to feel the spirit--always. When we feel the spirit we are happy and we feel the light of Christ in our lives and we feel that happiness and joy and peace that the spirit brings. There were several things that stuck out to me that when the spirit leaves us it is because we don't have a desire to repent or a desire to forgive. And it was just that. I had no desire whatsoever to forgive. But, when I read that and starting repenting and trying to forgive, it was like light was touching all the dark places in my soul that hadn't seen the light of day for a while. All that annoyance and anger that had built up these past months left and I started feeling the spirit again. My Portuguese came back or rather the gift of tongues came back. And I am happy. So thanks mom for giving me that talk forever ago. I read it right when I needed it most.
I included some pictures of the street kids, Arnoldo and Stellita, and I cant remember what the other one I attached. But sure love you all!
beijos!
kylie
Ta bom- first off transfers is tomorrow. And it is for certain, I am getting transferred. Don't know where and with whom I will be serving.
Second off I wanted to share a few miracles in the life of Sister P
1- When I first came here we taught a less active member and I remember not understanding her, and she didn't understand me. But the other day I sat with her and and had about a 1/2 hour conversation with her and we understood each other. The language is getting so much better. And she is preparing to go to the temple! Love her so much! She barely has enough money to take the bus to church but she is there every Sunday and I love listening to her pray because she is really talking to God.
2- Fabiano and Tais. So Fabiano was that psycho guy that has been in prison several times and killed someone. He also gave us the reference of his girlfriend. Well their whole story is really random but so cool. Fabiano is on the road to repentance. He talked to the bishop got a blessing and will talk to the stake president . He will have to spend 12 years in prison and get the signature of pres Monson before he can be baptized but he is starting to make that journey. Tais is his girlfriend. When I asked her how she felt about her baptismal date she said she was only feeling happiness! Her baptism will be next month and I hope the elders that end up here will finish teaching her and baptize her!! Thanks for all your prayers in her behalf.
3- This miracle is random too. Mom gave me a talk to read called the dormant spirit by Enzio Busche. And she gave it to me several years ago and I have always kept it in a stack of things to read but never read it. While packing for the mission I saw it on my desk and thought what the heck, and threw it in the suitcase but never touched it until last week. Last week I was having a really hard time, I was struggling with some things and I was really angry. For two days I was like a little dark rain cloud. My Portuguese plummeted I wasn't understanding anything and I wasn't speaking very well. Randomly I decided to read this talk. And it was just what I needed. It talked about awaking the dormant spirit that we all have; the gift of the spirit. Our main goal is to always be striving to feel the spirit--always. When we feel the spirit we are happy and we feel the light of Christ in our lives and we feel that happiness and joy and peace that the spirit brings. There were several things that stuck out to me that when the spirit leaves us it is because we don't have a desire to repent or a desire to forgive. And it was just that. I had no desire whatsoever to forgive. But, when I read that and starting repenting and trying to forgive, it was like light was touching all the dark places in my soul that hadn't seen the light of day for a while. All that annoyance and anger that had built up these past months left and I started feeling the spirit again. My Portuguese came back or rather the gift of tongues came back. And I am happy. So thanks mom for giving me that talk forever ago. I read it right when I needed it most.
I included some pictures of the street kids, Arnoldo and Stellita, and I cant remember what the other one I attached. But sure love you all!
beijos!
kylie
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