MIRACLES!!!!!!

AND then there were miracles....

Ok, first things first:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON BLAKE ELIASON!!!!!! I can´t believe you´re 12 and have the priesthood! (and to quote grandpa, "more power than the pope")

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELDER TYLER JORDAN ELIASON!!!!!!!! Congrats on 21!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD! 22 years is a feat!

Ok, this week was AMAZING!!! We had 2 baptisms!!! Let me tell you about them:

1. The first man´s name is Geova. He almost was baptized last week, but flaked and drank coffee. But he kept all his commitments this week and told us that he was super excited and felt more prepared. He was baptized Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. He says that he is really happy. YAY!

2. Renan (pronounced Hu-nuh) is 16 and is the boyfriend of a recent convert. She brought him to church the 2 weeks before, and we made an appointment where we thought he would be there, but it turns out he was at school (the hours of public school are super weird here in Brazil.) But he came to church again the next week, so we tried harder to get in contact with him. Well we finally had a lesson on tuesday, and it was, hands-down, the best lesson I´ve had. At the beginning, we asked him what he wanted or expected from the church/missionaries, and he said that he wanted to know it´s true and also to be baptized. HE ACTUALLY SAID THAT!!!!!! THIS IS MY MISSIONARY DREAM COME TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Well we taught him the restoration and about Joseph Smith, and when Sister Solis began to invite him to be baptized, he responded with YES!!! before she could even finish the question. He then gave the closing prayer, so powerful, almost everyone was in tears. We then asked how he felt, and he said "happy- so extremely happy." I testify to all of you right now, that this gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way we will feel pure happiness! (Also, you should read in "Jesus the Christ" chapter 17 note number 2- it talks about happiness.) Anyways, for the rest of the week, we accompanied him, and then was baptized on Saturday by one of the priests in the ward who is his friend. 

When Renan was confirmed on Sunday and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, he was also blessed that he would serve a full time mission. I am sooooo happy! I am so grateful that I can be an instrument in the hands of the Lord and help His work grow. 

We also taught a girl who was invited to church and went one time. We taught her once (the word of wisdom and the law of chastity) and invited her to pray about our message. Well we went back this week and asked her if she prayed and how she felt. She said that she felt really good-like this is the pathway for her. She said that when she prayed, she asked God that if this really is His will for her, she would have no more desire to drink coffee. Well we came 2 days later, and she said that during this time, NOT ONCE did she have a desire to drink coffee!!!!!! MIRACLES happen when we have faith!!!!!!!!

Really- I am so happy right now- not just this moment, but in this work. I know that no matter what, I have helped others come unto Christ. 

 The baptismal service of Renan and Geova was super complicated to organize! I think we used almost all of our credits on our phones to call people and organize everything, but it was worth it by far! Hey all you at home, do me a favor and help out the missionaries in their baptismal services!!!

I want to tell all of you that I know this is the Lord's work. It is hard, and yes lots and lots and lots of work, but it is SO worth it. Heavenly Father really loves all of his children. He loves me. He loves you. This I know.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Sister Eliason

P.S. You should study Preach My Gospel for Family Home Evening.

A Sister in the ward tells me that I look like Tinker Bell, so I took this photo and I think I´ll give it to her

Baptism of Geova

Baptism of Renan

zone!

Rejoice! He is Risen!

YAY! EASTER!!!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! People here are kind of crazy and eat a TONNNNNNN of chocolate! We, as missionaries, were given a couple of chocolate eggs (huge- the size of coconuts) and a ton of sweets! I don´t know if I´ve ever eaten so much chocolate in my life... haha

Well this week was good and a little disappointing. We worked all week with one of our investigators who had a baptismal date marked for yesterday. Butttttt he partook of coffee on Saturday (claiming that he didn´t) and so that was frustrating that he lied to us. And then his family visited him for the holidays and are heavily frequenting a different religion, and I´m pretty sure they persuaded him to not come to church because he didn´t come yesterday. But then after church, we visited him with the ward mission leader and have another date marked for this next sunday.

AHHH!! Out of time. ok, real quick:

-I gave a talk in church yesterday. It wasn´t my best talk, but then again, it was in Portuguese, so I´m at least a little proud of myself...

-We got a call from the assistants this week who challenged us to get 100 references this week. (crazy because normally our goal is around 70) And it was going pretty slow. On Friday, it STORMED LIKE CRAZY!!!! and so we got almost none! But yesterday, we slammed the books and hit the pavement working, because we ended up with 101 for the week!!! This is really a miracle because normally on sundays and holidays, nobody is in the street. But really, when we do our part, the Lord blesses us.

I love you all! I´m so grateful for our savior and that because of him and his resurrection, we shall live again!

Love,

Sister Eliason

 

WWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

chocolate eggs for Easter!!!

I found the ugliest dog in my life.

we hit 101 references this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

lalala

I just learned that my cousin, Elder Ayer got his visa to Brazil!!!! YAYAYA so excited for him! 

OK, this week was a little crazy- as I stated in my last email, I´m now in a trio with the other sisters. THEY ARE SO GREATT!!!!!! They have attitudes super positive, and I am really happy in our work. Unfortunately, no baptism this week (again) but we are seriously working as best as we know how. (and trying to cover my area and their area is plenty of work too...) 

So story I forgot to tell last week: Last week we were teaching and I started feeling sick. Well you know the spiritual mountain in lessons, and when you are at the top, you invite the investigator to be baptized, right? Well... we got to the top, the spirit was strong, and right as my companion was about to invite our investigator to be baptized, I stood up and ran to the bathroom to throw up. I RUINED THE MOMENT! oh well, she´s not married and is living with someone else, so she has time to prepare for baptism. (aka, she has to get married first.)  

But with me sick, our president´s wife made me go to the 24 hour clinic. And OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!! PLEASE NEVER NEVER NEVER get sick here in Brazil because the hospitals are terrible!!! We were there for like 6 hours waiting, and finally they hooked me up to some sodío. but after I got half of my fill they took the needle out. And then they realized I needed more, so they pricked me 3 more times until they could find a good vein. NOT FUN.

But this week was fun! Found a bunch of new investigators, and had 4 new investigators in church yesterday, so this is good. And testimony meeting was SUPER spiritual! It was a place where you could really feel the spirit of the Lord. THIS CHURCH IS TRUE!!!!!!! If you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, please please please listen to the missionaries and learn more! It really is the church of Jesus Christ re-established today!

Out of time!

Love you all!

Sister Eliason

 

 

photos!! yeah I know it´s a lot...

sorry- no time to explain, just enjoy! :)

Switching it up!!

Hey everyone!!! Sorry I don´t have a lot of time- we have emergency transfers today, and what do you know, my companion is being transferred! after 4 months of 24/7, Sister Finlinson and I are being separated!!!!! AHHHHHH! :( not cool. (we only have a little time before she needs to go.) But guess what, nobody is coming to take her place, so I will be in a trio with the other sisters here in Sarandi. It will be interesting to learn from them, and also to not have anybody next to me to translate. Also, I´ve never been in a trio. 

Anyways, CONFERÉNCIA GERAL DE PODER!!!!!!!!  (trans: General Conference of Power!! Meaning- it pretty much was the best thing ever.) All those who don´t know, General Conference is a meeting transmitted all around the world where we get to listen to a PROPHET  and Apostles of God to us.) Yeah, well it was being transmitted to the stake center in Maringá (Sarandi is a suburb of the city Maringá) but our ride Saturday morning got a flat tire, so we ended up being half and hour late. And do you know who we missed listening to? Elder Jeffery R. Holland. I think I will try to print out his talk here in a bit, because I was obviously disappointed I missed it. Anyways, we watched the first session with everyone in Portuguese, but after it ended, some other American missionaries found us and asked why we didn´t listen to it in English with them in the other room. 

So all the other sessions we watched in English, which was fabulous because I could actually understand everything. Não verdade, I actually understood more than I thought I would in Portuguese, but it´s not the same. 

It was also really cool because the other Sisters had a baptism inbetween the sessions on Saturday. And do you know who spoke last in the morning session on Saturday? Elder Henry B. Eyring, who spoke about the magnificence of baptism. All the doubts of this investigator were calmed right before he was baptized. It is really amazing to see the tender mercies of the Lord.  

I know the Heavenly Father really loves us. He lives, and so does his son, Jesus Christ. I think sometimes the most powerful testimonies are simple. They are testimonies of the pure doctrine of Christ. I absolutely loved Elder D. Todd Christofferson´s talk, because to me, it was a 15 minute testimony of Jesus Christ. Ah, I love it! Please, this week, share your testimony of Jesus Christ with someone. He is what matters most. He should be what we think about all the time, because without him, life is pointless. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior.

I love you all!!

Much love, 

Sister Eliason