Kylie's letter 4/30/2012

This week was wonderful. And you all now have a sister/daughter that has shook/shaken (my English is going down the drain) the hand of an apostle!!

Our adventure began Tuesday night when we traveled with our zone full of elders on a 10 hour bus ride to Vitoria. Pretty sure I only slept 1 or 2 hours. I kind of felt bad for the other people on the bus, and hope our elders didn't ruin the church's reputation.... we arrived in Vitoria and had several tender mercies of seeing members in my previous ward. It was really good to catch up with them. Elder Cook came and we all got to shake his hand and he talked to us about our work here. He told us it is just as important to reactive people as it is to baptize. He was involved with the creation of preach my gospel and it was cool to hear how all that came about. He also gave us an apostolic blessing that we and our families would receive many blessings because of our missions. But I think my favorite part was when he just bore a simple testimony of Jesus Christ. As an apostle, he is a special witness of Jesus Christ and every time they bear testimony about the Savior and the gospel it is always super duper packed with the spirit. It was great! After we headed back to the bus station to wait forever for our 10 hour bus ride back. We played a lot of Uno in between and I was so exhausted when we got back basically having 2 days straight with no sleep. But it was all worth it.

Also this week I ate my first chicken foot. whenever we have chicken I usually fish around for a part that looks edible always avoiding the nasty looking parts like the neck, back, and feet. But one lunch one of the irmãs she just plopped the foot on her plate and started eating it. And I thought.... what the heck, I´ve only got one life to live. So I grabbed the other foot and ate it. It was the weirdest texture. It was like eating a big chuck of skin with little tiny knuckles crunching at every bite. Yum!

Also the weather is apparently getting colder. The members are telling us to get ready for the cold season. One of the members has long garments for the winters here. They are also selling little sweat suits for kids in the stores. We asked some members what temperature it gets and she told us 20 degrees. after calculating it to Fahrenheit we discovered winter here is in the  60´s. Hahaha, I think these people would die if they  came to Utah--so I am excited for some really nice weather here.

We are also teaching a little family. Joice, Maurivaldo, Yasmine, and a little boy ...I cant remember his name. I contacted them on the street and Joice said she was looking for the true church of God. We have only taught them 2 lessons so far but I hope they will continue to progress and gain a testimony.

Johnny and Cassio are doing great. We had some struggles with them the last couple of weeks they didn't come to church but the branch is started to be a lot better with integrations and such so they are good. Love those kids.

Life is good and the church is true!

love you all sooo much

beijos

ky

Kylie's Letter 4/23/2012

So another week came and went and I have got some great news......we are going to get to listen to an apostle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Elder Cook is coming this week, which means I have 12 hours on a bus to Vitoria, a few hours of wonderful spiritual upliftment and maybe a handshake as well, a few more hours waiting at the bus stop and 12 hours back to Minas! It is going to be a long few days but so worth it. There was a little scare last week that we wouldn't be able to come because we are so far away and it is super expensive to have everyone get shipped in. but Presidente pulled some strings and we get to go!!!!


This week was pretty uneventful, I was looking in my journal to find things to write in the letter but didn't write anything this week. We cut a lot of investigators that are not progressing. but a new quorum president was called and he is super gungho about missionary work and has so many great ideas and he is just what we need to help this branch grow a little more. We made a mission plan for the branch this week with some great ideas and great goals so we have a lot of hope for this little branch these next couple of months.

Life is good, sun is hot (although everyone is telling us that it gets really cold here in the next month, they are selling coats, and little jumpsuits for kids and such, but I have my doubts. These people don't know what cold means), and the church is true. Love you all

sister p

Kylie's letter 4/16/2012

this week....

Quick Easter traditions of Brazil. They celebrate the week of Easter.  They call it the week of the saints. They have a huge fish market all week because all of the Catholics don't eat meat during this week. So we ate a lot of fish that week. Saturday they have a little party and they have a pinata of Judas. They hang him and hit him until he breaks. What a lovely Easter tradition to remember right?!.... Sunday is filled with lots and lots of chocolate. They don't have jelly beans or candies like that, just chocolate. Huge chocolate hollow eggs filled with more chocolate candies. We got a few of them from the branch and Presidente. Everyone and their brothers go to church that Sunday night. Walking home back to our apartment we just walked and listened to all the preachers yelling and preaching and speaking in languages; because literally there are churches every other building here in Brazil.

Our recent converts Johnny and Cassio are doing really well. They have so many questions and are so excited to receive the priesthood and it is so good to see this desire and hunger in their eyes for things about this gospel. After baptisms, investigators have to receive all the lessons again, in addition to a few new lessons about temples, priesthood, family history work etc. Johnny and Cassio complain when we share a message about something we have already taught, they want new stuff, and they are asking some really deep questions. Right now we are trying to integrate them into the branch better to make sure they stay there. We are also teaching their aunts and another cousin, so hopefully this next transfer will bring more baptisms.

Oh transfers are this week too. Nothing changed....i will be staying here with sister Johnson in Yeofilo Ontoni (the city in Minas that we are in...) But things are good. I feel like I have reached my avatar state as a missionary and we are working really hard. I have a lot of hope for this next transfer.

Thanks again for all your prayers and love and letters.

Love you all so much

kylie

Kylie's letter 4/9/2012

We had two wonderful baptisms this Saturday. It was wonderful. Saturday morning we had a rush trying to figure out how to first empty the font because it still had water in it from a few weeks ago and then clean it, and then we couldn't find the jumpsuits for the baptisms and we also were lacking in priesthood holders to do the ordinances but everything worked out and they were baptized Sat. and confirmed yesterday. Cassio mentioned that the water was freezing and Johnny said, "Really, I didn't even notice." Johny was so ready and so happy and excited to get baptized. He didn't smile in any of the pictures though, little stinker.

Some of their little cousins came and they said they want to get baptized too. We started talking to their parents and looks like more baptisms will follow here pretty soon. Transfers are next week, who knows if I will stay or not. I love these boys and their families, I've got my fingers crossed I will stay here.

Quick story about my scorpion (scorpion - here in the mission there are snakes and scorpions, snakes are girls that just want to flirt with the elders and scorpions are men that just want to flirt with the sisters). I have never had any real problems just a bunch of old men in bars when we walk past always comment about something. But Christiano stopped us in the street and grabbed our number and said he would go to church etc. etc. He called us several times and Sis. J answered, but he wanted to talk to me, he told me (after talking to him for like 3 minutes on the street) That I was the coolest, nicest, most humble, person he had ever met and wanted to mark a day that we could eat dinner together. Ha! I told him I couldn't but we would mark a date that we could talk about the gospel at a members house that he knows and talk more about the gospel. He hasn't called again.

 Life is good!

Love you all soooo much!

ky

Sent pics of the baptism, my area, and the boys we are teaching - they are such goof balls. love them so much

Kylie's letter 4/2/2012

Premeiro- So this week we are going to have a baptism! Two to be exact. Johnny and Cassio are all ready and the baptism will be this Saturday. It has been so amazing to watch the transformation of their testimonies especially in these young kids. Johnny especially has really developed a testimony about the restored gospel--he is the one that has 15 years. Our very first lessons started out with no one really listening and paying attention. But now they all get excited when the ´sisten´ come and they pray for us and our families during the opening and closing prayers. When we asked how they were feeling about the church and the gospel and our lessons and everything they always answered that they felt normal. But there came a day when Johnny said he felt peace. And we talked about how the spirit works and how we get answers. We read Galatians 5:22 and he wanted to know what every word meant in that scripture. He used to always say that he had doubts but didn't know how to explain and didn't want to explain. But after several more lessons and going to church and reading the assigned chapters, when we leave he says he is ready for baptism. He also had a dream in which he was in heaven and he was very happy and didn't want to leave. But God told him he had to leave because his mom was waiting for him. So he left and the next thing he remembers is being in church with Cassio. There are so many members that received their answers through dreams. They say it is because they are direct descendents of the people of Lehi. Very cool!

But this week was good - pretty normal nothing to exciting happened except.... CONFERENCE!! Always is so good to hear about missionaries and actually be one. I think I will miss that. Conference was amazing. We watched in a hot little stuffy room in the chapel. we watched it in English, live on the computer while the rest of the members here watched it by satellite. It was so good!!!!  Can't wait for the ensign to come out.

Also this week I have discovered the bible dictionary. I have been reading it straight through and it is one of the most interesting things I have ever done and provides so much more insight to how the bible and Book of Mormon work together in modern revelation. Totally would recommend it to anyone of you!

Also this week Presidente has started a new rescue program for all the inactive members. It has been really cool to see him change over the time I have been here. Before it was all about baptism and everything but now we have a goal for teaching the less actives and we get to mark how many people we rescue or reactivate. It is really good. He is such a good person. I love him so much! He will live in Salt Lake after his mission so maybe you guys will get to meet him?!!

Life is good, Brazil is hot, and the church is true.

beijos.

love you all so much!!!

ky