this week.... of joy and gladness!

Hey yall!! I have 6 minutes to write about my week, so here it goeessssssssss:

Last week we had one investigator come to church (because her cousin who is a member from Brasilia was visiting.) Welllllll SHE IS SOOOO AMAZING!!!!!!

She ended up LOVING church, and when we went to her house she had already started reading the Book of Mormon.

I LOVE her so much!  She will be baptized this Saturday. (Her name is Samara.) She came to church yesterday, then stayed for choir, then we taught her. Here are some of the things that she told us yesterday:

1. Last night I was really tired, and I got home at 11:00 but then I remembered the goal I made to read at least one chapter of the Book of Mormon and pray every day. And I did that, and I felt better.

2. Tithing (we taught about tithing) is not a sacrifice; it´s a blessing.

3. I don´t get a salary because }I´m studying and not working right now. But my parents give me a little money every week. Would it be ok if I paid my tithing on that? Because I want to pay tithing and receive blessings.

4. Thank you so much for teaching me! I feel so good when you teach or when I´m reading and praying!

5. And yesterday I was telling my sister about OUR church....

6. I am a very different person, and I am so happy!

7. I don´t even want to do my school work anymore. I just want to read the Book of Mormon and study about the church.

Yup, she´s great, and I´m learning a lot from her.

So we talked to a crazy man this week (nothing new...) But he told us that we were being manipulated by some political reason to serve a mission. We tried to bare testimony, but to no avail. Whatever. This experience just increases my testimony.

Presidente Prudente is a beautiful city. It has palm trees and beautiful birds, and actually has people who clean the streets. But what´s even better is the Branch and the people who live here. It almost reminds me of Gainesville. :)))))

My blouse still smells like garlic. (Refer to last week´s email.)

Hope you all had a blast at the fam. reunion!!!

Love,
Sister Eliason 

I'm safe from Vampires...

Monday, August 11, 2014

Ok, to explain that title, I´ll backtrack a little. Mom, I GOT YOUR PACKAGE!!! ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! :D The LZs went to Londrina Tuesday, then came back, then we all had our zone meeting on Thursday (my birthday) and they brought back letters and packages. It was perfect! 

But I am absolutely CLUELESS as to why you sent GARLIC SALT!!!!! why?! I think we have more garlic salt in our apartment than what you sent... Anyways, it made EVERYTHING in the package wreek of garlic, including the blouse you sent me (which I really love (thanks!)) And I was asked to give a talk on Sunday (AGAIN!) and really wanted to wear it. So I washed it (I think more than 3 times...) but the blouse still smells like garlic. So yesterday, I sprayed it with perfume, but I the garlic is still noticeable. hahahahahaha! 

Also, why did you sent blue, purple, and green colored mascara? Ha! It´s really fun, but there is no way I can use it on the mission! We are supposed to wear very natural colored make-up....

Oh well, thanks anyways! :)

THIS WEEK WAS CRAZYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me go day-by-day.

Tuesday:

Indirect quote from Preach my Gospel: "One of the greatest difficulties for missionaries and investigators is discerning the gentle promptings of the Holy Ghost." This is so true! So the PAST Sunday, we taught Laiana (a woman who lives one floor under us) and she was telling us about how she has some problems with her bf (with whom she lives with :/ ) At one point she said something, and I didn´t know how to respond. It got really quiet and then I had a thought: I should talk about the Family: A Proclamation to the world. I explained it, and she said she wanted a copy. So later that night we passed by the church where we picked one up, then gave it to her when we returned that night. We went to teach her again Tuesday, and when we asked if she read it, she said Yes, and she loves it! She told us that in the 3rd-to -last paragraph, she cried. A LOT. She felt that the proclamation is of God and truly inspired. She feels that there exists a modern-day-prophet. WOOHOOOO!!! Only downer- she has to marry or seperate from her BF. Also she found out this week that she is pregnant. :/ Man! Satan works so hard right when we are working hard too!!!!

      Other story of the day: we were walking down the street and saw a woman at her gate. We decided to talk to her, but before we even said anything, she started going off about how she loves her church (universal) and how she´s going to be saved, blah blah blah. She told us that we are wicked, trying to force our religion on everyone, but I tried to explain that we are representatives of Jesus Christ and are doing what he commanded: to Preach His Gospel. Thus we are missionaries. She told us that "missionaries go to hell! Open your eyes!" I told her to have a good afternoon then we walked away. Ok- it is never pleasant to be told that you´re going to hell by someone who sincerely means it. But during this shore conversation, I remembered that I really am a representative of Jesus christ and if he were me, he would justlove her. I remembered what he taught: turn the other cheek. What´s surprising was that as we walked away, I didn´t have any feelings of hatred or malice toward her- I just felt sadness because she doesn´t understand what she´s rejecting.

Wednesday: 

9 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

halfway mark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We ate like kings. It was the day before my birthday and word got out in the branch, so we ate filet mignon. (I don´t know how to spell.) Needless to say, lunch was DELICIOUS!!!!!! 

Thursday: MY BIRTHDAY!!! IT was wonderful. Complete with a suprize party from the youth!!! 

Saturday: SUPRISEEEEEE. Suely had a baptismal interview, and yeah. THE TRUTH CAME OUT.

SHE HAS A HUSBAND BUT NOT LEGALLY MARRIED!!!! She was so ashamed to be living this way, she was so embarrassed, she never told us. Ok- HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE BEEN TO HER HOUSE AND NEVER SEEN A TRACE OF MAN!?!?! But yesterday in church, the lessons were PERFECT! In relief society, it was on eternal marriage. In gospel principles, it was on honesty. 

I´m out of time. 

I love you all! Hope you have great week!

Sister Eliason

 

9 months...

... of the mission!

 

The earth's rotation

FACT: The earth rotates faster around the sun the exact hour we are on the internet. This is a fact- because this is the FASTEST HOUR OF MY LIFE!!!

Ok- this week was a little disappointing. I´ll explain- remember Bruna that I told you all about last week? Well she and her friend Bianca had baptismal dates for this Sunday and baptismal interviews this Friday. But when we went to pick them up on Friday, they fell through. Let´s just say that they both LIED to us and then literally ran away. It´s kind of complicated and I don´t really want to expound, but yeah... I just remember what the Lord told Joseph Smith- All these things give thee experience.
 

My companion is really great- she said a prayer that was really comforting to me, and I really needed it at the time.

So Suely is still not baptized. We are fasting and praying for her. I just KNOW that she will be.... This is absurd that we are still teaching her- but she keeps coming to church, so we keep visiting her. At least now she is actually reading and praying more sincerely.

Tuesday was capitão´s (Ward mission leader) birthday!!!!!! I think I have already told you that he LOVESSSSSSSS Missionary work and us more than anything, right?! (Like he goes on splits with the elders in their own areas too...) Well his cake was RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING!!!! He put 4 flags on the cake (Brazil, capo verde africa (where his daughter is serving), the united states (because of me), and argintina (because of my companion.)) AHHHH IT was WONDERFUL!!!! Half the branch came over to celebrate, and when we ate it, it turned everyone´s teeth and tongue blue and green. Best cake I´ve ever etean in my life- it was so fun.

This week was all right- we need new investigators... I don´t really feel like talking about events, so let me share some of my thoughts:

One thing I´ve learned about the mission, but also in life, is that it is full of SACRIFICES. Like sometimes Io sacrifice my own comfort to let my companion be more comfortable. Also, when we learn how to sacrifice, we are learning how to be like the Savior who made the ULTIMATE sacrifice. Life is full of large and small sacrifices, but I think that through sacrifices, we learn to forget ourselves and love others.

Tuesday, we had a zone meeting. At the beginning, one of our zone leaders made a formal apology about  what he said a couple of weeks ago. I was pretty impressed/grateful he did so because I know it is never comfortable todo so. I also learned a couple things> each on e of us has mistakes of the past that nag at us, whether these mistakes are big or small it does not matter- true followers of Christ are trying to be as He is. I love how it says in Preach my Gospel how repentance is a blessing, because I know it really is.

Hey love ya all!!

Sister Eliason

the cake for Capitão´s birthday!!!!! He loves us (the missionaries)