Week 46 -- EAIIII 'ee-ay-ey'

EAIIII (pronounced 'ee-ay-ey' and is how everyone greets each other here)

Just wanted to send out some of the miracles/funny moments from the most amazing and special week of the year!!! 

1. Ok so maybe a mix of a miracle/disappointment - EASTER as we know it in os Estados Unidos (the United States) just does NOT exist here. No Easter bunny, no colored eggs (would be kind of hard given that almost all the eggs here are brown), no competitive and adventuristic Easter egg hunts that sometimes include climbing the roof or tall pine trees.  

However, it DOES include: 

 - LOTS of 70 year old senhoras (ladies)  found in literally EVERY praça,(square) sitting in large prayer circles and wearing these incredibly bright and bedazzled Maria Mãe de Jesus camisas (Mary, mother of Jesus shirts). They all sit there CHANTING with a figurine in the middle.

- Because it was Semana Santa (Easter) and ALL the catholic holidays are huge here, no one had work/school so how do they celebrate? …………………SLEEPING.  #whoopwhoop 

- Without all the hubbub, I was able to really study day-by-day about the last week of Christ's life and the significance of it was just so much different. Like wow TODAY was His last day with the apostles or TODAY was the day He suffered for us, or TODAY was the day that changed the history of the world when He rose again. It was pretty impactful. 

 

2. Long story short - Caio's mom ACTUALLY SIGNED the form for him to be baptized!! I don't think I have ever felt that much happiness in my entire life oh my gosh my heart felt like it was going to burst. 

3. I taught everyone what it means to be a "borboleta social" (social butterfly) because yesterday, we brought probably the most cutsie and hilarious, humble miracle of a family to church for the first time. OKAY FOR REAL I JUST HAVE TO TALK ABOUT ANSELMO.  So Anselmo is the pai (dad) of the family and just to show how important he is, God put him in our path 3 TIMES before we finally consented to go visit him and his family. He is way talkative stopping to talk to literally EVERY person on the street (which is why he usually takes about 4 times longer to get someplace XD), watches a TON of Discovery and always asks a lot of questions about the states, wears these adorable thick blue glasses, and just is the humblest of the humble. The first few times we talked to him, I don't know why but I didn't really get the impression that he would be that receptive/interested in the gospel right (even with him saying 'hey come visit us" - which happens a lot but without real interest right #everyonewantstoknowhowlifeisintheUS #doyouguyshavepineapple?). But after seeing him on the street walking with his 2 sons and then AGAIN on the street a few days later, I consented and we went to visit what has become my favorite family. We went and taught them about the Book of Mormon and about how we have a living prophet hoje (today) and the spirit in that tiny and humble home was just powerful. When they said that they would all go to church (Elizete mãe, (mother) Ezanael (18) and Daniel (14) and their super sharp amigo Osea (28)), with giant smiles and excitement glimmering in their eyes, and then seeing how everyone at church the next day just straight out EMBRACED this humble and innocent family.. it was just a real miracle you know? 

You know those days when everyone is just so ridiculously happy and you just think, wow, this is what it means to live. Yeah even though I am without sem (the) chocolate or colorful Ukranian Easter eggs, and thousands of miles away from the people I love more than anything else in the world, this Easter will always be marked in my heart. 

Heavenly Father is so good guys, just incredible. 

The Savior of the world really is Jesus Christ and He lives and loves us. 

Sending my love and gratidão (gratitude) for all of you beautiful people - I hope you squeeze your family a little extra-tight and send a prayer of gratitude to Deus (God) thanking Him for all the tiny miracles in your life. (and don't say that you don't have any because there isn't a person on earth that doesn't have at least a dozen)

<3 Sister Staheli

Week 45 -- feeling grateful

NOSSA GENTE. 

This week has been filled with many awesome things that make me grateful for being alive here in Mossoró Brasil - 

RAIN

I love the rain

1.  You know how much I love fruta (fruit) right?  So knowing exactly how fã (what a fan) I am, multiply that by like 10 MILLION and you have how much Sister Arámburo loves fruit - it’s not even funny. We had the prime opportunity of gaining 4 mamões (papaya) and 5 melões (honeydew) from this guy Germano that we met for the first time.  And we're hauling this MASSIVE sacola of fruta (bag of fruit) back home and passing melon here and there for random people on the street, but we still arrived home with a good quantity of fruit to be enjoyed (perfeito) (perfect). Well so while we may have arrived home and gone to sleep with 3 goodly sized melões (honeydew) and 3 huge mamões (papaya), I definitely woke up in the morning to find that my sweet Mexican companion had eaten an ENTIRE mamão SOZINHA (alone) and later consumed an entire honeydew. ALSO SOZINHA (also alone). We have been buying food as a casa (house) and sharing the cost but we have unanimously decided that it wasn't such a good idea because an entire sack of apples disappears in a matter of an hour if you're not paying good attention. #whatdotheyputinthefruit? 

2. I finally got the package that my fam sent for Christmas (shoutout to CONNER #obrigada (thanks)) and was able to read the adorable letters that my cousins wrote me about 6 months ago from Thanksgiving (#died "Anne where are you." "when will you come back" "Brennan says you have a super heavy Brasilian accent and talk a lot with your hands" @laura;) ) Also watching everyone gawk over what the heck a vegetable peeler was or trying almond butter for the first time was also pretty hilarious. OFFICIALLY I have music finally too because of my champ of a brother who spent hours downloading them all on a pendrive #JOHNO . also 2 words #pineconenecklace-Colorado

3. Officially joined the ranks of the time de futbol (soccer team) São Paulo (view jersey attached) - it's like a life or death battle out here on the mission which team you side with. It's funny because there's just a couple of crazy missionaries that get all of the estrangeiros (foreigners) to root for their team because we don't know any better #butttt #sãopaulo-soccerteam-ISTHEBEST 

4. I have seen some pretty amazing examples of faith this past week. Life really tries us sometimes and God tests us to see how much we are willing to sacrifice. There's this guy we have been teaching who has really been trying to be courageous and tell his parents that he wants to be baptized (his sister was baptized about a month ago), and Caio approached his parents this week to talk about it again. Beforehand, we talked with him about how his mom would really try his faith as she had with his sister. We said that it wouldn't be easy for him, and we asked him exactly WHY he wanted to be baptized and what he would tell his mom. His response consisted of "all I want to do is follow Christ. I want to serve Him like He's served me." He then asked if we would pray for him (on top of his personal prayers) and we knelt in that small side room of his humble home, asking God for strength to talk to his mom and that she would understand. When we returned the next day, we found that Caio had talked to his mom that very night, and after saying that he wanted to be baptized, his mom came at him with vehement "essa nâo é a igreja verdadeira" "vôce não ENTENDE o que vôce fala" "O Livro de Mórmon é FALSO" and lots of other whiplashs. (“this is not the true church” “you do not understand” “The book of Mormon is false”)  Joyce (his sister recently baptized) came back in rapid defense, bearing her sincere heart out that it really was true and that it wasn't all nonsense. She wasn't shaken with the doubts of her mother because the testimony she had gained hadn't come from the missionaries or from some other person, but was knowledge gained through the spirit from the One who knows all, God. There really was a test of his faith, and when we passed by to see him the next day to head to church, he made excuses and wouldn't come with us. I left his house just in tears because of how confused I was and how sad I was this is what he had decided. As we are sitting in sacrament meeting, I was thinking a lot about the Lord and how He must feel when we get so close to choosing to obey and then turn away - it just tears your heart right out because you really love these people and you know what decision will make them happy. 

But as we were starting the opening hymn, I looked around at all those that were present and glancing towards the back I see one last family slip in the double doors, shuffling in late into the last row. I see one green shirt and a bright smile, and I turn back towards the front crying again because it was Caio who had decided to come after all. 

I think there will always be those who doubt and question us in life, não importa (no matter) what your stance or belief is. We will always be tested.  That's kind of the point of our life - but I know that God always gives us strength to be stronger than the problems He gives us. He is always there for us.

Feeling grateful, even if there is a significantly less amount of mamão (papaya) in my stomach.

sending my love!!

Sister Staheli <3

Week 44 -- Gratitude

I am just so infinitely grateful to Heavenly Father. I have been immensely blessed in my life to be born in the place, time, and put with the people I call my family and my best of friends. Things just get super real on the mission. You appreciate the grand plan of salvation that God has made for us, the infinite love and tenderness and care that He has for us by sending his Son our Savior Jesus Christ to the earth; and just how miraculous it is that we can actually return to live with our Heavenly Parents again, even with all of our weaknesses and shortcomings, and Heavenly Father just forgives us for it all.

There's nothing that is more real or important to me than Heavenly Father and the Savior, nothing. It's because of THEM that I am here, that I have such a firm testimony and surety of who I am and what my purpose is here not only on the mission but in my life and existence, that I have been blessed with the gift to see clearly when so many are blinded by the darkness.

Listening to President Nelson speak, I just couldn’t bring myself to look away - it was like one of the moments when I really sat and absorbed the fact that he wasn't speaking anything of himself. But it was God who was speaking to us through him. I have really been able to see how much I have changed, and how much I’ve grown. The mission is the most tender mercy that I have ever had and I think one of the biggest things I have really been able to appreciate is…

1. Trust in my Father who knows infinitely better than me and 

2. Value and treasure those people that He has put in your life. 

We aren't expected to do everything on our own, neither was that ever part of the plan. But sometimes we just make it so darn hard for Him to help us. I am so grateful for the gospel and for having such clarity in this twisted and confused world. 

<3

Sister Staheli

Week 43 -- New companion from Mexico

WOWZA.

So I was talking to my dad on skype last p-day when we received "THE call".

THE call that comes every 6 weeks that determines whether you stay in the same city with the same companion, or if you will have 24 hours to pack all of your bags, throw sheets and dirty clothes and pillows into your suitcase and head off for another apartment with completely different people and new adventures (wow also everything that I write in English just looks so weird hahah) !! 

I was to find out that I would be staying in the area, but would receive ANOTHER NOVA (new) FRESH FROM THE CTM MISSIONARY. And get this -- unlike the first time, MY COMPANION TOTALLY DOESN'T ALREADY SPEAK PORTUGUES. 

DID YOU GET THAT. 

I AM TRAINING THE FIRST MISSIONÁRIA MEXICANA (Mexican missionary) TO HIT NATAL. 

EVER. 

It's the funniest thing, for the first time in the entire time I've been here - our house has 4 sisters from 4 countries diferentes (different) and NENHUMA (none) IS BRASIL. 

Sister Hernandez - 8 meses (months) da Colombia 

Sister Vega - 2 meses do Bolivia

Sister Arámburo (BEBEZINHA (baby girl)<3) - 1 MÊS do Mexico

e the única pessoa (only person) that's NOT hispanica ....

Sister Staheli - 10 meses dos Estados Unidos. 

ALL LIVING IN BRASIL - HOW IS THAT NOT CRAZY. 

#whoopwhoop

So this week has been hilarious as we are all freaking out like oh my gosh I am TEACHING her how to speak Portugues when even I was always asking my companions questions and practicing ainda (still) !! It’s SO FUNNY because the newbies are super cute and will speak a couple of words in Portugues but then will just turn into straight Spanish (which I can actually understand a majority) and I'm just sitting here laughing like oh my gosh this is going to be such an interesting transfer. 

View out their apartment

Sister Arámburo is also SUPER pretty and so as we are on the street talking to people, we had this one guy that we stopped and we introduced ourselves saying we're missionaries and he just stops, gazes intensely at Sister Arámburo and goes 'holaaaaaa Señorita' and just gets super close and we're like yeah PAZ E ALEGRIA TCHAU. (peace and happiness, goodbye)

But she also got pretty sick this week too with all the changes AND the fact it’s been raining nonstop every day, so we had a pretty crazy day on Saturday with Sister Vega when our companions stayed at home and we had to finish the goals of TWO DUPLAS for the week - MAN IT WAS CRAZY. #60contatos(contacts)-12newpeopletoteach-3hourstogetitalldone

ALSO MINHA FILHA (my daughter - she calls the new sister she trains her daughter and Anne is the mom) IS ACTUALLY THE SAME PERSON AS ME IT'S A MIRACLE. She loves to run every day (truly blessed), likes to eat a variety of fruit, pipoca, (popcorn) and amendoims (nuts) MUCH more than is common for the average person, and also speaks fluent Spanish (lol on the last one) but seriously is a weeee bit quiet but all the more querida (dear):) 

Eu amo vocês!! (I love you)

Yo amo ustedes!!  (I love you)

I don't know any more in English!! ;)

Sister Staheli

<3