Lookin´ up

We´re looking up figuratively of course. And at night when there are stars before 9:00.  

This week was insane!!!!!!!!! And I´m super happy! Of course I had some difficulties. But, we kept going. WE are continuing to teach Vitória (the 12 year old) She´s already been to church 2 times and also to mutual. But the bishop wants us to work with her mom more, who really isn´t interested in anything. But we will continue teach and pray. And fast. That´s what we can do .

Also we taught  some references from members this week- one being the nephew of the bishop. He went with us to teach his nephew, Bruno and his wife. I was super nervous!!!! They were already taught by the elders some years ago, but the bishop put a lot of trust in us (he loves sisters!) and really wanted a lesson. I felt super nervous- like I needed to be the PERFECT teacher, but it ended up being suer spiritual. They came to church yesterday! I´m excited to teach them more this week.

But here´s the miracle (well one of the miracles):

Saturday was a super long day- almost all our appointments fell through. We got back to the house exhausted. Then the Zone Leaders called and challenged everyone to leave the house the next day BEFORE 7:00 AM, and invite everyone in the street to come to church. Well... I´ve never had any success with this. But we are trying to be obedient, so we got up extra early and left at 6:59. We got to the end of our street and turned left, got about 5 steps, then turned around- the opposite direction of the church. But we felt better. So we talked with everyone in the street, and NOBODY accepted- got rejected a bunch. Until we were talking with one woman in front of her house, and saw a man pass by- someone we had already contacted some weeks ago. We tried to find him, but it seemed like he had turned the corner. So we ran to the corner and looked down the street, but decided that he was nearby. So we ran down the street, and there in the distance, there he was! We literally ran to him, then acted like it was a coincidence we found him. all in all, he came to church with us! Even though it was 40 min walk from where we were. It was awesome! 

I´m super happy about the work here!

love, sister Eliason

starting over

Let´s just say that I'm super jealous that Elder Tanner Eliason received lindt chocolate balls and peanut butter in a package. I got a bag full of garlic salt...

But mom, don't worry, I know you still love me.

This week was insane!!!!!!!!! But it´s a wonderful thing that my companion is a hard worker.

Although it was our 2nd week here, it felt like our first- we are still getting to know the area, the members, still cleaning the house, still finding cockroaches, and still struggling to find progressing investigators.

We had a call this week saying that we are going to break a record, so we were all asked to do 150 quality contacts before Friday. Then teach all day Friday and saturday.   so we did 67 contacts on Wednesday and 59 on Thursday. And it rained alll day both days. And my poor companion got super sick on wed (cough, cold, and low fever), so we went to the 24 hour clinic friday then headed off to teach all day! It's a really good plan, but didn't go too well on Saturday because most of our 8 appointments either weren´t home or the house didn´t exist. 

Vitória (12 year old) went to church yesterday and although had to leave before YW, really liked it. Unfortunately her mother, who went the week before, has turned really wishy-washy and just wants to argue with us about coffee. But when we went to teach Vitória last night, we had a super spiritual lesson about the restoration. And when we told her that we had a living-day profet, she got super happy and couldn´t stop smiling. And me too. It was a super happy and spiritual lesson, and when we said the closing prayer, she cried. AHHHHHH!!!!!  so good :) 

sorry fam, I´m all out of time. love you all! The church is true! If you pray with real intent, Heavenly Father will answer.

Sister Eliason

huge leaves

HUGE NEW WASHING MACHINE!!!!!

My feet after a day in the rain

Morangos (strawberries)

CONGRATULATIONS TYLER!!!!!!!!!! I CAN´T BELIEVE YOU´RE ENGAGED! NOW I´M FINALLY GOING TO HAVE A SISTER!

no, we havn´t been eating lots of strawberries. Just that I´m back in the Zone Moranguira (nickname: Zona morango.) My first two areas were in this same zone (campo mourão and Sarandi) and now we sisters opened an area in the Moranguia Ward. And I´m thinking that I´ll probably have my last transfer here, so that will make exactly 9 months in this zone. For those counting at home, that´s half my mission.

Good thing I like this area.

But what´s even better than my new area is my new compaion! Sister Garcia is from the interior of the state of Rio de Janeiro. SHE IS AWESOME!!!!!!! She is super kind and hard working. She teaches very well and I´m always learning something from her.  I feel like we work well together, and I´m super happy to be her companion!

Good news and Bad news. I´ll start with the bad news. 

Bad news: we moved into a house where 6 elders last lived. It was disgusting. Very Very Very disgusting. We spent 2 whole days cleaning it, and 5 hours of our precious p-day today. It´s really sad because I lost a little of respect for elders. And what´s worse is that our Zone leaders lived there last, and when we talked to them, they told us that it was clean, it was fine. Apparently they didn´t see all the cockroaches or spiders. Well we sisters certainly have grown close cleaning this house!

Good news: We met a woman and 2 of her children and they came to church yesterday!!!!!!!! Her name is Marisa, and although she smokes, she is completing her goals to stop. We are helping her. Funny story: yesterday in church, all the young women were at stake camp (all 2 of them) and we brought one of the daughters, Vitória (12) to church. So the two young women leaders taught a lesson especially for her. We went too, so she wasn´t alone. Now if it were me in this situation, I would think that it was a little weird: two adult women giving just me a lesson... but Vitória LOVED it! She thought it was AWESOME that he got her own personal lesson. She´s excited to be baptized! :) 

I love teaching this family. They are really progressing, and when Marisa prayed for the first time, she cried. There is something so sweet and sincere about an investigator´s first prayer. I love it so much.

That´s it until later!!! Love ya all!!!!!

Love,

Sister Eliason

 

my companion

the house

the zone

we made soft tacos!

 

12 semanas

Yes, for all those who know what that means, I have started my "doze semanas" (12 weeks.) It´s that amount of time you get trained when you start the mission, and everyone knows that it passes super quickly.

And..... I´m being transferred! Back the the zone Morangeira. That is the same zone as my first 2 areas. It´s in the city Maringá. (really big!)

This week was not too interesting. We taught a wonderful woman named Glaucia. She has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying and is feeling the difference in her life. She went to church yesterday  and felt a lot of peace, which is what she´s been hoping for. 

Ah- I´m sad to leave Marília. The members in this ward are super awesome! And I´m going to miss many of them a lot.   

                                                                                  

I don´t have a whole lot to say, but I am just grateful for the scriptures and also for prayer. only the lord can give you the strength you need. Only He can bring peace to the soul.

love you all! feed the missionaries! (but don´t force-feed them!)

Sister Eliason

 

 

I lack creativity.

I lack creativity to put a clever phrase as the subject line, so you´ll just have to bare with me.

Some very awesome things happened this week. 

 

First off, we had interviews with Presidente Genaro, and oh my goodness, how in the world did i get so blessed with the best mission president in the world? He knew exactly what I needed to hear, and I KNOW he is inspired. While in the MTC, an apostle (I think elder Cook) said that most missionaries are assigned to our missions because we need to learn something from our mission presidents. All in all, I am very very very blessed. It´s been awesome because I´m receiving his guidence 4 days in a row!

Fri-interview

Sat- Stake conference

Sun- Stake conference again

today- letter from the president

I just want to brag a little about the ward in which I am now serving. I´ve noticed that this ward has a VERY VERY strong young man program, and I found out the other day why. Every sunday immediately after church, the leaders gather with the quorems (sp?) and see which young men didn´t come that day. Then the leader takes the class (of the deacons or teachers or whoever he is in charge of) and the whole class goes and visits the young men who didn´t come. Imagine, 3 or 4 of your friends come visit you and ask why you didn´t come. Let´s just say it´s effective. And AWESOME!

Oh family- I got your Christmas card... and I´m disappointed that it wasn´t the super goofy photo you sent to me. But I did laugh when I saw that preston´s name was spelled wrong.

Today, Sister Nascimento (who lives with us) cut my hair!!!! Not a whole lot, just trimmed it. 

Hope you are all doing well. Keep safe!

Always do what´s right, even when others around you are not. It´s difficult, but it´s how we learn to be more like Christ.

Love you all- praying for you every day.

Sister Eliason

 

 

Celestial

I´ve decided- Brasil is getting to be pretty celestial. You know how the celestial kingdom is compared to the light of the sun? Well here, I feel like we are almost living on the sun. haha (Let´s go sun protector and umbrella!)

This week was kind of difficult with our investigator, Sabatião. That one man I spoke about a week ago... well I guess his daughter said some things to him which made him turn very very Wishy washy, and not wanting to promise or even DO anything. He went to a baptismal interview, but refused to even say a prayer. He told us that he likes church, but doesn´t want to promise anything. Practically what he said was "you can keep visiting me, but I´m not going to progress." And well, it was very sad, but yet again, we have to let people use their free agency.

We had a 10 year old girl come to church yesterday (picked up by a member!) and to tell the truth, she LOVED sacrament meeting! What can I say? I love it too!

Guess what happened!!!! Wednesday, someone clapped at our portão and guess who it was?! SISTER COSTA AND SISTER SOLIS!!!!!!! My old companions!!!! (we were in a trio together) and they were here to do divisions (they are the sister leaders trainers!) So I spent all ay with Sister Solis and it was heaven!!!!!! I learned so much (be more persistent in the contacts and have more patience with recent converts, etc.) It´s amazing what kind of love you develop in the mission. It´s incomparable.

I believe I am understanding more clearly the significance an importance of the atonement in the mission. Every time I teach the Plan of Salvation, talk about Adam and Eve, think about repentance, I feel my testimony of the atonement grow. It makes so much sense and really was an act of true love. Love on the part of Heavenly Father and also Jesus Christ. I doubt I will ever have the capacity to understand it completely, but I am just so grateful. It gives us strength in moments when we are weak.

Out of time. Love you all tons.

Sister Eliason

 

 

We're famous!

This week ended up being super awesome!

But first things first:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ONE THAT GAVE ME LIFE!

OK, THAT´S A LITTLE WIERD. 

HAPPPPYYY BIRTHDAY MOM! STEPHANIE ELIASON,  you are my best friend and my best teacher and my biggest support. Thanks for EVERYTHING! Love you tons. Hope tomorrow is a very special day. <3

Ok, now let me tell why this week as so aweosme!!!!

Well one day we taught a family (first blessing!) and they were super interested. Well he mother of he mother was entering in and out of our lesson, and at one point, she old us that she goes to an evengelica church and the pastor told about us on the pulpit last Sunday. WHAT?!?! We asked for more details:

Apparently, he told about how one day during the week, 2 young mormon female missionaries clapped at his door and asked for water. One was from Portugal and the other from the United States (state of new jersey... (wrong, but whatever)) and the American had very very red cheeks! (I can´t believe he told a congregation of 100 about my cheeks!!!!!! ) Anyways, he told about how impresse he was with out dedication o be deciples of Christ. It was 100+ degrees tha afternoon, and nobody wanted to be outside, yet there we were, doing the lord´s work. 

He didn´t promote the church or anything, he jut gave an example of how we should be proactive in what we believe. 

Other AWEOMSE MIRACLE!!!! One day we talked with a man in the street named Sebastião. The next day we tauht him, and he is AMAZING. he has so much faith. he is looking for a church, a pathway, and felt lot. He told us that one day, he prayed for a light, and that day we talked with him. He has lived through an operation with a 4% survival rate, was told that his left hand would never move again, and less than 2 days, it´s moving. He is a living miracle. He came to church yesterday, and love it. We cried together during one of the talks in sacrament meeting. He told us that this is the road he wants to take in his ilfe.

He´s preparing to be baptized this week. Please pray that all goes well!

I love you all so much! Hope you are doing well!

Love,

Sister Eliason