[Happy Halloween (Does Brazil even celebrate it?) from your loving and devoted MUMMY ;)]
They don’t celebrate Halloween, but they have a memorial day for soldiers; that’s what Dicea has said... hey, you wanna be her friend? Wait, I forgot you don’t know how to speak Portuguese. She knows a little English. She lived 11 years in Florida, and her daughter married an American and is living there. She is an investigator who isn’t really progressing, and I sometimes get a bit frustrated with her. She LOVES her American “daughters” or “meninas” or “moças.” It’s difficult to keep the line with her. She is very interesting hahahaha... she has always wanted to have an answer from God and always is engrossed with our personal experiences, such as when the Spirit told us something or we felt love from God. She listens to the Christian radio and prays with them at night and is reading the Book of Mormon—about 4 chapters every night. She wants an answer from God—ANY answer—but a spiritual experience nonetheless. She LOVES the story of Joseph Smith.
Her life is a bit sad. She has a high-maintenance dog, but she’s home alone most of the time. Even when her husband is home, he’s usually working with his buddies on a sales trade from Brazil to the Americas. She says she is searching for God in her life. I think she’s searching for love. She misses her daughter and has never seen her granddaughter or hugged her granddaughter. That’s why I don’t want to give up on her. She’s looking for love, and I want to show her that it’s closer than she thinks; love is eternal. It is priceless and accessible through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Baptisms
Ebert and Aline got married on Saturday, and he was baptized last Wednesday! They lived in separate houses until they were married because Aline’s dad wanted her to marry a member, ahhaha. We’re working with Vangela and Jackson to get married and baptized on the 10th of November… Sister Diller’s final baptism.
They don’t celebrate Halloween, but they have a memorial day for soldiers; that’s what Dicea has said... hey, you wanna be her friend? Wait, I forgot you don’t know how to speak Portuguese. She knows a little English. She lived 11 years in Florida, and her daughter married an American and is living there. She is an investigator who isn’t really progressing, and I sometimes get a bit frustrated with her. She LOVES her American “daughters” or “meninas” or “moças.” It’s difficult to keep the line with her. She is very interesting hahahaha... she has always wanted to have an answer from God and always is engrossed with our personal experiences, such as when the Spirit told us something or we felt love from God. She listens to the Christian radio and prays with them at night and is reading the Book of Mormon—about 4 chapters every night. She wants an answer from God—ANY answer—but a spiritual experience nonetheless. She LOVES the story of Joseph Smith.
Her life is a bit sad. She has a high-maintenance dog, but she’s home alone most of the time. Even when her husband is home, he’s usually working with his buddies on a sales trade from Brazil to the Americas. She says she is searching for God in her life. I think she’s searching for love. She misses her daughter and has never seen her granddaughter or hugged her granddaughter. That’s why I don’t want to give up on her. She’s looking for love, and I want to show her that it’s closer than she thinks; love is eternal. It is priceless and accessible through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Baptisms
Ebert and Aline got married on Saturday, and he was baptized last Wednesday! They lived in separate houses until they were married because Aline’s dad wanted her to marry a member, ahhaha. We’re working with Vangela and Jackson to get married and baptized on the 10th of November… Sister Diller’s final baptism.
Junior—who is the cutest, most spiritual 8-year-old I know—will be baptized on Thursday. He calls us “Tia” and always expresses his thanks for the things we give him. He has read EVERYTHING we give him and rereads some parts with pride for us when we come over. He is a grandson of Irmã Francisca 100% (“100%” is a nickname because she is really something! When she was younger, she was a legit capoeira... [What?] not sure how to spell it.)
When Junior officially announced to his father about his baptism (he sat him down on the couch in front of us), his father was happy to know he is in the right path… and almost looked sad that he wasn’t baptized first to be an example for his son and to be able to baptize him. He will be our next baptism, and we will reactivate his girlfriend. It’s only a matter of time, muahahah, hehe, jk.
What a pain in the box
[Regarding your package… the best I can determine is that the online tracking ONLY says it was posted in Cabo Frio on October 2nd. That’s all.]
The other day, I strolled into the post store...?—What’s it called?—to send some letters; and the lady stopped, looked at me, and said, “Did you send a little package a few weeks ago?” and PULLED IT OUT FROM UNDER HER CUBICLE!!! Good heavens, the thing that was bringing me more stress on the mission than anything else was still here chillin’ in the correio [mail]. She said that she didn’t notice it was going to AMERICA and thought my address was the destination... oh, so THAT’S why it was only $R14. She said she wanted to try to get a hold of me; but there was no information on the box, no number to call, and she kept waiting for me to come back. OR she thought she’d see me on the street, but no, so she kept it. She totally could have sent it to the mission office (duh), but I’m glad she DIDN’T because I wouldn’t have gotten it until this week for interviews; and I would have felt super stupid... or actually really confused. So, I saw just how much this precious baby SHOULD have cost, and... well... $R75 AND the risk of it not getting home put mailing this tiny trinket in the “NOT WORTH IT” pile. Thankfully, Sister Diller talked me out of my desire to get the pictures to you asap and said she’d take it home and mail it in 2 weeks (duh). I thought to open the package and email you the pics, but I wanted to show you just how much I tape-jobbed this sucker. Also, don’t forget that I wrote on the inner side of the double-wrapped brown paper, so cut carefully, hehe.
[I guarantee you are going to LOVE this one! A statement was posted last Tuesday, October 23, on the official LDS media outlet.
“As Church leaders had anticipated when the change was announced, the number of individuals who have begun the missionary application process has increased significantly. Typically approximately 700 new applications are started each week. The last two weeks that number has increased to approximately 4,000 per week. Slightly more than half of the applicants are women.”]
DUDE, I got goosebumps when I read the stats! ARMY OF HELAMAN! Biggest pep rally! EVER! So, just like I was the “Mascot of All Things Musical,” I am the “Mascot of All Things Spiritual.” Yes, I shouted for joy when I heard about the Plan of Salvation, when I found out that our Heavenly Father was going to build an earth for us to live on, and that we’d get bodies of flesh and bone, just like Him. I’m sure I spread the word and got everyone all excited to organize into families; and—I must say—I organized the most diversified family, perfectly mixed with fun people, talented people, CRAZY people, spiritual people, sporty people, adventurous people, loving people, and imperfect people so we could all learn and grow together. I KNOW that the family is the most central unit of God’s plan. Why else would we be sent to the earth—all of us—with at least a mother and a father? He knows everything that we need. He sure does.
Scripture of the Week: Mosiah 4:9-10
Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.
I love this scripture because it reminds us of what is most important. God knows all, so if we have faith in Him, we will be more willing to do His will because that is the easiest path, actually, rather than trying to rely on our own knowledge and making decisions alone. AAAAND even if we do already know these things, we must remember to DO THEM! We must go to church, we must pray, we must have good relationships with our families, and we must put our spiritual needs before our physical wants.
I thought I’d start a SHOUT-OUT to those people I have been thinking of. I think I’ll do 2 or 3 a week, because—well, let’s admit it—I have a ton of wonderful friends :)
ANGELICA LOVIO! I Lovie-o! Hope school is going well and that you’re finding life exciting and exhilarating. Remember, you make up your own reality, so choose a life of happiness. Choose to be happy despite whatever will happen.
NATALIE MEANY! I will always cherish the great little snacks of memories I have in high school because of you. I LOVE the title you gave me as “Mascot of All Things Musical.” I love your witty spirit and never-ending energy. Take care of my friends at home and remember to have an open mind to all good things. I love you.
Let’s play a game
So to explain about hitting my comp... we play a game when we see buggies (fuscas here). [VW bugs] We hit each other and say the color of the car. I also play Matadora de Mosquitos. My best day I killed 8, and I usually kill them with one hand. Just bragging, that’s all.
This is NOT a game
The other night, Sister Diller woke me up and said she thought she heard our door rattling like someone was trying to open it. So, she had me go down the stairs first and check all the doors, then open the downstairs bathroom door, too. So, I also act as the man of the house. :)
What a pain in the box
[Regarding your package… the best I can determine is that the online tracking ONLY says it was posted in Cabo Frio on October 2nd. That’s all.]
The other day, I strolled into the post store...?—What’s it called?—to send some letters; and the lady stopped, looked at me, and said, “Did you send a little package a few weeks ago?” and PULLED IT OUT FROM UNDER HER CUBICLE!!! Good heavens, the thing that was bringing me more stress on the mission than anything else was still here chillin’ in the correio [mail]. She said that she didn’t notice it was going to AMERICA and thought my address was the destination... oh, so THAT’S why it was only $R14. She said she wanted to try to get a hold of me; but there was no information on the box, no number to call, and she kept waiting for me to come back. OR she thought she’d see me on the street, but no, so she kept it. She totally could have sent it to the mission office (duh), but I’m glad she DIDN’T because I wouldn’t have gotten it until this week for interviews; and I would have felt super stupid... or actually really confused. So, I saw just how much this precious baby SHOULD have cost, and... well... $R75 AND the risk of it not getting home put mailing this tiny trinket in the “NOT WORTH IT” pile. Thankfully, Sister Diller talked me out of my desire to get the pictures to you asap and said she’d take it home and mail it in 2 weeks (duh). I thought to open the package and email you the pics, but I wanted to show you just how much I tape-jobbed this sucker. Also, don’t forget that I wrote on the inner side of the double-wrapped brown paper, so cut carefully, hehe.
[I guarantee you are going to LOVE this one! A statement was posted last Tuesday, October 23, on the official LDS media outlet.
“As Church leaders had anticipated when the change was announced, the number of individuals who have begun the missionary application process has increased significantly. Typically approximately 700 new applications are started each week. The last two weeks that number has increased to approximately 4,000 per week. Slightly more than half of the applicants are women.”]
DUDE, I got goosebumps when I read the stats! ARMY OF HELAMAN! Biggest pep rally! EVER! So, just like I was the “Mascot of All Things Musical,” I am the “Mascot of All Things Spiritual.” Yes, I shouted for joy when I heard about the Plan of Salvation, when I found out that our Heavenly Father was going to build an earth for us to live on, and that we’d get bodies of flesh and bone, just like Him. I’m sure I spread the word and got everyone all excited to organize into families; and—I must say—I organized the most diversified family, perfectly mixed with fun people, talented people, CRAZY people, spiritual people, sporty people, adventurous people, loving people, and imperfect people so we could all learn and grow together. I KNOW that the family is the most central unit of God’s plan. Why else would we be sent to the earth—all of us—with at least a mother and a father? He knows everything that we need. He sure does.
Scripture of the Week: Mosiah 4:9-10
Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.
I love this scripture because it reminds us of what is most important. God knows all, so if we have faith in Him, we will be more willing to do His will because that is the easiest path, actually, rather than trying to rely on our own knowledge and making decisions alone. AAAAND even if we do already know these things, we must remember to DO THEM! We must go to church, we must pray, we must have good relationships with our families, and we must put our spiritual needs before our physical wants.
I thought I’d start a SHOUT-OUT to those people I have been thinking of. I think I’ll do 2 or 3 a week, because—well, let’s admit it—I have a ton of wonderful friends :)
ANGELICA LOVIO! I Lovie-o! Hope school is going well and that you’re finding life exciting and exhilarating. Remember, you make up your own reality, so choose a life of happiness. Choose to be happy despite whatever will happen.
NATALIE MEANY! I will always cherish the great little snacks of memories I have in high school because of you. I LOVE the title you gave me as “Mascot of All Things Musical.” I love your witty spirit and never-ending energy. Take care of my friends at home and remember to have an open mind to all good things. I love you.
Let’s play a game
So to explain about hitting my comp... we play a game when we see buggies (fuscas here). [VW bugs] We hit each other and say the color of the car. I also play Matadora de Mosquitos. My best day I killed 8, and I usually kill them with one hand. Just bragging, that’s all.
This is NOT a game
The other night, Sister Diller woke me up and said she thought she heard our door rattling like someone was trying to open it. So, she had me go down the stairs first and check all the doors, then open the downstairs bathroom door, too. So, I also act as the man of the house. :)