Promise given to Noah

Why, may you ask, would I give a subject of an email "Promise given to Noah?"

Well.......... It is to remind myself that the rain will not cover the earth and will not last for more than 40 days, right? (well I hope not for more than 40 days...) Because this week was WET and COLD!!!!! I think the last time I was warm was Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Ok , first off, 

CONGRATULATIONS ELDER TANNER ELIASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN´T BELIEVE THAT MY VERY OWN BROTHER GOT HIS MISSION CALL TO URAGUAY!!!!!! That is actually really close to where the other Elder Eliason is! And I´m really close to him too. So it´s like this:

I´m on top. 

Elder Eliason is in the middle.

Elder Eliason is below. (Speaking Spanish...)

Oh, speaking of Spanish, please TANNER, please please please please work on your pronunciation!!!!! I remember how high school spanish was for you...

Ok this week. This week was pretty normal. but wet. Well, not normal normal, but normal for a missionary. It was hard. ok what happened:

-Our baptisms of 2 brothers fell through. (That stincks.) (Geez, my spelling is horrible- and it doesn´t help that spell check here is in Portuguese. and I´m too lazy to change it to english...)

- We had marked a baptismal date for a young man who is 15 years old. (remember the new rule that we can´t baptize any child under 16 years old unless we get special permission from the president.) well, Buno is really progressing. He´s going to church, all the activities, and even earlymorning seminary. (For someone who is not even a member, this is huge!!!) Ok, we we marked a baptismal date for this Saturday, but we visited him and his family this week. And guess what, we went there and his mom and his step-dad spent almost 45 minutes telling us what a bad child he is. Like they were seriously slamming on him and basically I´m so glad I don´t live there or I would have no self confidence. Parents, I cannot stress this enough: 

DO NOT EVER  START TELLING PEOPLE HOW BAD YOUR CHILD IS IN FRONT OF HIM/HER. Seriously, it was HORRIBLE!!!!!!! No child should ever have to endure this. I felt SO bad for him.

 And then we went there yesterday and the mother refused to sign the paper for him to be baptized. (His mother is really confusing because she loves us... but yet doesn´t like her son.) 

- The other sisters in the area had a baptism yesterday, and one of our investigators came. :) 

-I made cookies today. My companion made Mbeju (Paraguayn food) It´s really good. Really similar to the tapioca here. (also pretty good, except the time I threw it up....) 

Anyways....

I am learning so much. Little things in my personal study (i.e. this morning I learned that Moses never died, but that he was translated so that he could later appear in the Kirtland Temple.)

I´ve learned bigger things like how to have patience with myself (still working on this) and more of how the spirit works within us. How Satan tries to tempt us in our weaknesses but really that the church is PERFECT. (Members are not.) I´ve learned that our leaders are indeed inspired of God and that when we are exactly obeident, we will see miracles.  I feel like my testimony has grown tremendously and my will is more in line with the will of Heavenly Father. Of course I´m not perfect, but it´s all a process, right?

Hey I love all of you! Tanner, I am so thrilled for you! (I´ll see you in October of 2016 (ah! So far away!)) 

I testify that this church is true!!! It is the same church that Jesus Christ established!

Love ya!

Sister Eliason

 

 

Maio....

First off, HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!!!!!!!! hope everyone is super excited for Family Home Evening tonight!!!! (but really... I think you should all start using/studying Preach my Gospel for FHE.)

Ok- this week we had a tons of good lessons and met a bunch of people really interested. They all were super excited about church and the Book of Mormon and everything, and when Sunday rolled around, almost nobody came! It´s really frustrating because I WANT to trust them, but I can´t. Yet again, I´m reminded to trust 100% in the Lord (but not in man.) 

Our difficulty this week was that all our possibilities for baptism are available to be taught after 6h30 at night- so we would spend our days finding and teaching, then once 6h30 hit, we used whatever energy is left to run all around our half of Sarandi teaching our possibilities the commandments. And then we ended up cutting 2 of them- (not progressing and going to church for the wrong reasons.) 

 

Thursday we had an activity at the church- integration night! It turned out really great! We had a bunch of member, new converts, and investigators too. Basically the bishop gave a short spiritual message, then we, the missionaries, took charge with the activities (which was a little stressful because as consequeces of a life of a missionary, you have ZERO extra time.) We had a couple of games, but the best one of all was this:

 

Everyone is sitting in a circle in chairs minus 2 people who are standing. They say something and if it applies to you, you have to move. (Like everyone wearing tennis shoes) But the 2 people left standing have to go to a table and dip their faces in water then dig for candy in a plate full of flour. Everyone loved it, and then at the end, we missionaries were pressured to do it too. (I´ll send photos.)

Friday we had interviews with President Genaro! He is really great and I know he is inspired and called of God.  He gives wonderful advice and I am constantly learning about obedience. Like I know that if I do as he says, I will be blessed and also, avoid lots of harmful situations. The same thing with our Heavenly Father and his commandments.  2 Néfi 2:41

Love you all!

Sister Eliason

P.S. We are sharing something with the members here called The 21 Day Promise- by Elder Robert E. Wells of the Seventy. Look it up and DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! POR FAVOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

happy belated mother´s day!!

First off, it was absolutely WONDERFUL to talk to you, family, yesterday!!! I remember it was really great, but really, what did we talk about?  I´ve been thinking about it a lot, and I realized that you all are still the same, and you all will still be the same people when I get back. It was like a waker-upper, like RIGHT NOW is the ONLY time I have to serve a full time mission in Brazil. 

Don´t waste it. Right now is the time to be a representative of Jesus Christ. 

For all those who are reading this but didn´t talk to me yesterday, here are some highlights of my week:

- had a SUPER great Gospel principle´s class yesterday in church!!

- One recent convert is doing amazing and loves the church. He was baptized 2 months ago and was called yesterday to be the ward secretary. 

- My companion is super amazing and I am learning a little bit of Spanish and Garanine.

- Rice and beans and rice and beans and rice and beans (I thought we already covered this, but yesterday my family asked me once again what we eat.) oh, and tons of fruit.

- 6 month mark!

Day to day activities: walk and teach and walk and walk and teach and get rejected and walk some more and teach and walk and walk and walk. 

anyways, love you all!

Love,

Sister Eliason

P.S. shout out to Brydon Anderson who got a mission call to Chili!!! (It´s so awesome to have so many cousins serving!)

P.P.S. TANNER I AM SO ANXIOUS TO HEAR WHERE YOU ARE CALLED!!!!

 

don´t know why everyone loves to wear the USA flag

lots of churrasco!

made it through 6 months

 

this week!

AHHHH! so this week was pretty good- I absolutely love my companion! She is really happy all the time and is SUPER patient with everyone, and yeah, she´s the bomb. 

Ok- we found a woman totally cool: we had a name in the Area Book for an Aline on a certain street, and we decided to visit her. Well it turns out the the house doen´t exist (not rare, people lie to us all the time.) So we decided to clap at the neighbors house to see if they knew an Aline. So we clapped and a woman came to the portão (fence.) We asked if she knew an Aline, and she told us that her name is Aline! So we said, oh Aline!!! You probably talked with elders... but she told us that she never did- she had never heard of the church and moved here about one month ago. But it was totally random that her name is the same as what we had. 

Anyways, she invited us in, and we shared a message about the Book of Mormon. We went back the next day, and she read a TON!  We learned that she knew NOTHING about Jesus Christ and so we taught the lesson: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was the first time on my mission that I taught someone who knew nothing about Him. But it was really spiritual and as we expressed the love that He has for her, she cried. She accepted a baptismal date and then she said, " I knew that you were going to ask me to be baptized, and I accept." Then Sister Solis (probably was prompted to say this) explained the law of Chastity (because her boyfriend stays with her on the weekends.) And Aline said that she will kick her boyfriend out of her life if it is God´s plan and will for her. AHHH SUCH FAITH!!!!

She went with us to stake conference yesterday.  (which was super complicated to coordinate rides and get people there, because it was at 8:00 in the morning in another city.... SUPER EARLY!!) 

But we had faith and it all worked out.

Mom- I got your package and my companions love you TONS because you sent maple syrup extract. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

love ya lots!

Sister Eliason

p.s. Elder Ayer is arriving in Brazil this week and I´m supppppper excited for him!!!! I love all my cousins serving missions!!!

I think we´re close to the wild west

leaving Maringá (where we had stake conference)

probably my favorite photo of the mission so far.... hahaha