Week 10: Disk Salvação

Had Subway for my two month anniversary :)

May 19, 2014

ALÔ(ha) family, friends, fans, enemies (kidding about that last part)

I'm on a little later than I wanted to be but today has been a super duper relaxing P-day. Can't complain at all. Mom do you play truco (card game?)

Anyways this week has been GREAT! So last P-day, we went to check on some of our "unprogressing" investigators (they're always in Ponto Porã in the weekends) to give them one more chance before we cut them off of our presence. However, they had super legit concerns about baptism like "well why will baptism help if I am going to sin again?" and I was like "OH OH OH I HAVE THE ANSWERRRRRRR!" You know I was mentally jumping up and down to answer and I did! I told her the reason why we have the sacrament is to renew our baptismal covenants, etc. and we REMARKED their baptism date so we were very happy! They're going to our super awesome noite famíliar (FHE) activity tonight about the Ten Commandments so it is gonna be fun. Basically I am Moses and I am going to use my lace white scarf for a beard and they are gonna participate, etc. so I am stoked :)

The two Gabriels

Also, we are baptizing Brasil, one Gabriel at a time! We have a date this SATURDAY for two Gabriels. One is 15 and the other is 14. Gabriel with 15 is fo' sho' gonna go for the best dip of his life this Saturday. Gabriel with 14 is still having doubts so this week sister Pence and I are doing daily fasts so we can get these baptisms going! Yesterday we fasted after almoço but it was a fluke for me because 1) we had panquecas (Brazilian enchiladas, gross gross GROSS) and I didn’t eat a lot cos it was far too heavy. 2) Sister Pence and I suffered horrible stomach aches last night before bed but the worst part was I have been up more or less since 1:30 AM. I broke my fast 3:30 AM to drink herbal tea and have saltwater cracker things. Then the rest was just tossing, turning and having nightmares of every worst case scenario that could happen on a P-day. One dream involved me and Sister Pence fighting about the FHE lesson and the other nightmare was me not finding ham and cheese at the market... In which every dream involves me being a missionary. I need to remember to NOT eat things out of courtesy even when I know it will make me sick. The worst part was they made the massa without milk so I felt like I was backed up in a corner... but I know I can pull the "too much fat card" on them :)

ANYWAYS The Gabriels are amazing! We taught them the Word of Wisdom on Tuesday and Law of Chastity. Funny how I can teach teenage boys the Law of Chastity without any problems now, but maybe a year or two ago it would be little awkward. But Gabriel (14) has coffee problems but so far he hasn’t been drinking any coffee. His first day without coffee was easy because he couldn’t find it (prayers being SO answered!)

We also taught a lady we met in front of the church named Elyani. She had very profound questions like "why didn’t blacks have priesthood, why can’t women have priesthood, etc...) but I answered them the best I can from what I studied and we are gonna teach her this week again. She accepted baptism but not a date. Boo. 

We wrote the English 'ad' for the owner and got free pastels :)

Thursday was weekly planning and it also rained. Funny because we were washing our sheets while we did planning and during our lunch break, I needed a "change of scenery" so I went out and then it started to rain a little so I got the sheets out as fast as I could so they wouldn’t get wet. Small miracles make all the difference... I can’t go without clean sheets yo!

All of our appointments dropped Thursday but we were able to teach a crazy cat lady who, unfortunately is a firm believer in espiritismo. But we taught with dignity and her "shy cat" apparently liked me a LOT and jumped on my lap... she was like "WOW he never goes up to people!" and yeah kinda gross buuuuuut the lesson had to keep going and the "Espiritu" won’t leave because of some cat! Unfortunately she refuses to change religions, but you could not deny the spirit that we felt when we taught the first lesson! She at least listened.... come on I let your cat sit on my lap can’t you just accept the book of Mormon??? Hah but we kept our heads up and walked back in the rain in hopes that the elect would come out. Sister Pence and I always have a good laugh together so we kept our spirits up even though we felt like we were wandering...

Friday was really great! We taught a 14 year old girl with many odd questions, but she accepted our message! Also, she invited us right when we "clapped" at her door :) unfortunately her family is in Ponto Porã and her mom doesn’t seem to let her be baptized and she says her twin is possessed with the devil... whatever that means. But she has a lot of potential and we are gonna see her soon!

Cockatiel

Saturday was yet another "walk till all your appointments drop" kinda day along with some showers and thunder storms. The perfect ambiance for a missionary right? We at least taught 3 people out of the 6 or 7 we had scheduled. One was to an older gentleman with TWO cockatiels! Maybe I talk to people because I see birds, but everyone deserves salvation right?! He wasn’t willing to listen too much but we sang, shared a scripture and went on our way after I played with the birdies. They were super excited to have me pet them (unlike a certain CHICKEN, lookin' at you buddy!) so excited that each bird got jealous of one another and would fight for my attention. So I had to pet both of them at once. A daunting task, yet possible :p Also, I put the "ESP" in "Espiritu" because I could predict the rain like no other Washington weather reporter could. We visited some recent converts who DONT go to church when it rains (they have all dirt roads, only mode of transportation is one motorcycle, two bicycles and the bus along with a girl who has bronchitis and almost died of pneumonia or something...) so I told Flaviana "Oh it’s gonna rain all night and when you wake up it will be sunny as can be so keep your chin up you'll be able to show up" and we shared D&C 59:9-10 (?!) about the Sabbath. She loves church but doesn’t have too many friends yet. But anyways when I woke up and saw that it was sunny I KNEW Flaviana would show up and she soooo did! :) 

Lunch at the Bishop's house

Sunday was AMAZING Gabriel (15)'s mom showed up for church and she was super chill, sweet, and supporting her son's decision although it was "too fast to decide to be baptized" but we have faith that it will work. Lunch was at the Bishop's, you know how that went. Did I ever mention that our bishop is like SUPER young? I've got a group pic and you will see. Having a young bishop is SO chill because he is super relaxed, yet hard working! But still Brazilian (hah)

Also, this week I've had problems with my foot due to the stupid Keen shoes I have. So basically they hurt my Achilles’ tendon in the inside so it hurt no matter what shoes I used so Tuesday, I had to take the afternoon off. Forgot to mention that my foot had problems but with ibuprofen, I got better. I can’t run with my tennis shoes cos it still hurts but I can’t do much other than to avoid my shoes like the plague...

Mom, I don’t think I need the slip, thanks! What I DO want though is Froot Loops, Cinnabon cereal, and maaaybe Captain Crunch?! Socks perhaps. I dunno. I am easy to pleasy :) I am glad you had a very awesome birthday week. Because when you have your jubilee, your birthday must be celebrated ALL WEEK LONG! ;)  

I Love you ALL SOOOOO MUCH! I am in good health-ish... I struggle with the fat content in a LOT of foods here because the irmãs LOAD everything with at least half a bottle of oil for each thing they cook. It is very nauseating and I can’t do much. It’s also putting on weight because I've stopped the pastels, stopped the bakeries (except p-days for the weekly bread... mmm) and stopped the unhealthy stuff but I have gained a little weight and I can’t run it off cos of my foot... hmmm help?!

Love,

Sister Mariana Espiritu

Ps: I think we might stay another transfer here because the world cup starts right at the end of this transfer. That’s my prediction but I hope I can get transferred in Cuiaba to see the big mess that the games will be :p just kidding it’s all up to the Lord. But it would make sense if during NEXT transfer, everyone stays. It will be a mess here. 

PPS: gonna have divisions in CAMPO GRANDE! Sister Pence and I are going to CAMPO GRANDE NEXT WEEK FOR SPLITS!!! AAAAAAAHHHH