Bertioga!

Hi!

     I got transferred today! You can tell the Lamberts that now I am in Bertioga! All four sisters from Bertioga were transferred. We showed up today and as we descended from the bus, it started to rain. We laughed and started to lug our suitcases in the direction of our new house. What a joke! Soon we had an elderly woman, her granddaughter and two men helping us. That was a big difference from Santos. When I got there, I carried all of my stuff....completely alone...past a huge group of men and they all watched me as I struggled and sweat streamed down my face, but I got a great workout! Anyways, it seems like the people are much friendlier here. We all got absolutely SOAKED! Including all of our stuff, but that´s okay. WE´re missionaries and that means we can handle anything. Sister Vergara got the address of the woman and her granddaughter, but the two men were from São Paulo. They reminded me of Mike and Spatty. Needless to say, getting to our house made a big messy scene. Sister Vergara´s suitcase is pretty much useless now...but it was already on the way out. But we had a great time! 

      When we got to the house, we discovered that one of the companionships that was serving in Bertioga had been working hard and the other hardly working. It was sad to see, because this is a huge area and there are so many people waiting to hear the word of God. Well, don´t worry, because we've got 4 hard workers now. WATCH OUT BERTIOGA! HERE WE COME!

      It was sad to know that I won´t see the baptism of Durvalino (one of my English students) and Loretta (his wife), but I know that Sister Ermácora will take good care of them. It was the coolest thing. When we invited them to be baptized, they said "Absolutely! Thank you so much for the invitation. We´re so honored." We left thinking maybe they hadn't totally understood. Of course they understood! That´s how they should react. They are such an amazing couple! They already study the scriptures together every day! LIke, that started way before we met them and they devour (carefully study) everything we give them. It´s so amazing to pause and see how Heavenly Father blessed us  and them for all the stress and hard work of English class. They will be the 2nd and 3rd baptism from our English class! We are inviting their classmates to the baptism too! There were a LOT of difficulties in Embaré, but with all of these, we also received many blessings.

     Wow! Okay, there is so much to tell, but I have to go soon. Our p day is going to be new years day, but they let us email for an hour today. The LAN house won´t be open on 1. Jan. so you´ll have to wait for the next week to hear more about Bertioga. My companion is Sister Dominguinhos! She seems cool!

     Side note:  I think new years resolutions are dumb, because you should change what you need to when you realize that it´s wrong. But, now is as good a time as any to do an evaluation of the things that you had hoped would happen this year and see what you need to work on next year.

I love you!

Your LIttle Missionary!

Merry Christmas! ...wanna know what drives me crazy?

Wanna know what drives me crazy? I can sing my solo perfectly and strong and it´s really pretty....in the bathroom or one of the classrooms when I´m warming up, but when I walk up to the pulpit, it comes out so weak. It´s so sad, because I´m trying my heart out! But it just isn't working!

Our Little Piggy

Okay. Now I will tell you about the amazingness that is happening here, starting with our new little missionary! Sister Paige arrived Tuesday. President Cabral called and asked if she could stay with us until the transfer. We're still waiting for the transfer, but it can wait as long as they want, because Sister Paige is so flipping awesome! We love her. I´m not sure why Sister Ermácora calls her Piggy. I don´t know, but she's so great. She´s not afraid of anything. We practice before we teach, but sometimes we don´t have time, but she always teaches and it's so surprising how much she understands! I think she´s very good for Sister Ermácora and me. We needed some kind of change. Also, finally I can run again! I was telling Sister Paige that when I say "second mile" we have to run our brains out until we get home. She understood "We´re in the second mile. Now we have to run our brains out until we get home." It's the biggest second mile I've ever run. She rocks and doesn't complain. I could keep her, but that's not my decision.

English Class choir. There were at least twice as many,
but these are the die hards.

      This Sunday our English classes sang in sacrament meeting. Only nine of the students showed up, but they were all very well dressed and they were all very impressed with themselves and I was very impressed with them. Everyone in the ward was very impressed too. There were a million reasons that it could have gong horribly wrong, but in the end it went very well!

      We have a new investigator, Esther! She is amazing! She has so many profound questions and is really searching! She said when her son was younger, he visited the Mormon church and she was so worried about him. She said "but this is what I believe." 

One of the members has this beautiful manikin in
her house. Her son (18) puts his arms in the sleeves
and runs around the house talking to people.

     I will send pictures of Christmas eve and Day with the Cabrals. I have to go!

Finally a running buddy! What a powerhouse!

I LOVE YOU!!!!! YOU ARE THE BEST!

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!

Sharing the Gift.

Love, Your Little Missionary

The sweet benefits of being a teacher! Maura loves me!

Liv makes ornaments with messages inside every year
for CHristmas. She writes about Christ.
Her kids can only read them after she´s dead.
HOW COOL! I´m totoally gonna do this for my kidsl.

In the mission, you can do all impossible things

My English Class came to the Pageant! Paulo, Oscar, Maura, Sister Ermácora, Me 

Dearest Friends and Family,

     In the mission, you can do all impossible things, like read the Book of Mormon in 30 days in Portuguese and memorize the Living Christ...in Portuguese...and finish Sister Cabral´s studies before Christmas....okay, well the third one is still just a thought, a worthy goal, but um.....there are 11 of them left and Christmas is in 10 days. I think I will do it before the new year...

Marina! A recent convert from my last area...who walked
to the Christmas Pageant in my new area!

     So let me tell you about the Christmas...Pageant? in our ward!!! It was so amazing!!!!!!! There were so many people! There were a lot from our ward, but they brought their friends and family members. There were so many that, after spending the whole time afterwards talking with people who came to see the pageant who weren't members, we still had a few members come up asking where we had been, because they wanted their family to meet us! Well, it´s sad that we didn´t get to meet them, but there were so many people to talk to. SO MANY PEOPLE! Four of my English students came, at least two of Elder Stokes´, Marina, a recent convert from Ponta da Praia WALKED there! (it´s kind of far, but she´s just the most amazing 78 year old woman I know) 

Results of the Christmas presentation in Embaré
...these are names of the people who asked us to
bring them church material!

Funny story. I broke a glass in the church and cleaned it up like an hour and a half before we were going to perform, but exactly when I stood up to go to the pulpit, a piece of glass started stabbing me in the foot. I dealt with it, but took my shoe off when I got up onto the stage. Only the choir could see, but they must have thought me quite strange when I went to sing my solo with only one shoe.

      We are going to visit the people that came to the Christmas presentation today and we are so pumped! 

Have you shared the gift yet? http://www.mormon.org/christmas

Still at it. What did I break this time? It was a
mug. I was washing it and it just flew out of
my hand...onto the stone counter top.....!!!
I think I should let others wash the glasses.
...and I might buy myself a plastic cup.    I discovered last week that I have been overpaying my tithing my whole life. Apparently you only have to pay it on income. I thought it was any increase, including gifts, but I've been informed that that is not the case. Oh well. Maybe that´s why I've been so incredibly blessed financially. Who knows. 

     There are too many things to think about this week! So much to do! I am learning how to really dive into the scriptures! It´s so amazing. I studied 2 Nephi 9:1 for like 2 hours today. It was a little extreme, and I will have to study the rest of the chapter much faster, but it is amazing to see what is in just one verse of scripture! 

We are going to work our butts off this week, because last week we were so busy with the preparations for the Christmas presentation. Are you still reading this? Wake up! It´s over. Sorry for the suffering. Just kidding.  

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Love,

 Your Little Missionary.

A little crazy, like me. But you love me anyway!

Hi! I love you! You are amazing! 

On the bus to the musical fireside in Bertioga.

This email is a little crazy, like me. 
Sorry. But you love me anyways!

      We had a really cool experience this week at the musical fireside in Bertioga! An orchestra! The local orchestra played the prelude in place of what we usually do as an introduction. It was sooooooo cool! I was so happy that there was a trumpet! I wanted to ask him if I could play it afterwards, but I don´t know if that´s weird in Brazil. Also, we literally had to run out the door to catch the bus after the show and I don´t think President Cabral would have approved...but I could be wrong.... 

    Has it snowed yet? It´s getting pretty hot here. On the first hot day I kinda died. I had no energy. Everyone was like "Are you okay??" and I said "I will be. This first day´s just kind of like a punch in the face." Then it rained,so I haven´t gotten used to it yet. Oh well. I´m not gonna complain about that.

     I wanted to correct something about the reverence project. The children are not the problem. As far as the children are concerned, I've never been in a ward that was more reverent. In most of the other wards, the children do laps around the pews and pulpit. The children here are very reverent. I like the idea of giving the card to everyone while the children sing the song. Maybe the bishop will accept that. This week, the relief society president gave the lesson and it was on reverence. We discussed how it can help us to feel the Spirit and how we need to first be worthy of the Spirit if we are ever going to be worthy to be in the presence of Jesus Christ. Some worried moms talked about their difficulties in just getting their children to church and everyone agreed that they do have a hard job and that it´s okay if they´re not always totally silent. I think maybe they´d just forgotten why it´s so important to be reverent. In the sacrament meeting that followed, almost everyone was quiet. It was so nice to see that really when you teach what is correct with love, those who are trying to follow Christ change to do what He has asked.

our little hotel

     I hope you are having a very Merry Christmas! I can´t believe it´s already December 8. I have to finish memorizing the Living Christ in seventeen days! Did you accept that challenge? It´s a bummer I won´t know it in English, but at least I will know what it says! I´m excited! I hate memorizing, but this is okay, because it´s so powerful. Pure testimony! 

      There is a song in the fireside that says " I know He lives, my savior and king. I know that He lives. I will sing with jubilee. Because He lives, I too will live again. He lives, my Savior and King." 

I know that Jesus Christ lives and that everything He did, He did for us. His love is infinite and when we learn to be like Him and to love Him, we will be more complete, happier.

I LOVE YOU!

Love,

Your Little Missionary!

Love this one!

It´s like camping. You always have to leave the place better than you found it.

We had lunch with Luiz today. He is such an amazing man.He said, "it´s funny that I am so much older that you. I could be your grandfather, but you four missionaries are more like ´parents to me, all that you do for me, you  don´t even know how much it means to me." It is crazy how much the people we teach really trust in us. Most of them are older than us, but they look to us to know what to do. We teach them to converse with Heavenly Father and find answers in the scriptures. It is amazing to see the light in their eyes when they really get it, or the pure gratitude on their face when they talk about how their life has been changed. I really love these people, and I hope the members in their ward can also see how amazing they are.

Today in my personal study, I came across this scripture. I really like it, because it makes you think. Well, all of the scriptures make you think, but this one makes you think and makes you want to change. 

47 But behold, my brethren, is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things? Would I harrow up yoursouls if your minds were pure? Would I be plain unto you according to the plainness of the truth if ye were freed from sin?

 48 Behold, if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin.

Well, it´s a little hard, but the truth is hard. This week, we tried to implement a project to improve the reverence in our ward. We presented this plan to the bishop and he looked like we were saying we wanted to go around with a cattle prod to punish those who were not reverent. I think sometimes people lose sight of the importance of what we learn in sacrament meeting, because it happens every week. But really, it is an amazing opportunity to receive personal revelation! I have recognized so many answers to my prayers by listening to the talks in sacrament meeting and paying attention in the other classes. I think I probably would have realized that I could benefit from being more reverent if a cute little kid with a badge that says "Guardian of Reverence" handed me a picture of Jesus with this hymn on the back:

1. Rev'rence is more than just quietly sitting:
   It's thinking of Father above,
   A feeling I get when I think of his blessings.
   I'm rev'rent, for rev'rence is love.
   When I'm rev'rent, it shows in my words and my deeds.
   The pathway to follow is clear.
   And when I am rev'rent, I know in my heart
   Heav'nly Father and Jesus are near.
2. CHildrens SOng book

We have been working a lot on ways to improve our ward. It´s like camping. You always have to leave the place better than you found it.

This Sunday one of our investigators surprised us by showing up at church and then actively participating in Gospel Principles. He is so funny. Sometimes the things he says and does just surprise us a lot. It seems like he´s not understanding and then he bears his testimony of how he already knew and lives this principle. Oh Pelé! He´s not the famous soccer player. That´s just his nickname.

Is everyone else totally excited that it´s CHRISTMAS TIME?!?!?!

I have to run! LOVE YOU SO MUCH! 

Love,

Your LIttle Missionary

We have a huge responsibility to love everyone and to give all that we have to help those we find in our path and that we seek out

11-24-14

     I hope you are well! I guess you were probably really busy, working somewhere without internet or fighting off a pack of wolverines with your bow hunting skills. I´ll just have to take extra time to read your report next week.

     My solo is getting much easier! I can almost breathe normally as I approach the microphone and start to sing. The other missionaries say it´s getting better. Some of the members who watched the last presentation said they didn´t even note an accent!" Wahahah! The dress that a Sister gave me to use for the presentation makes me look like Mrs. Clause. That´s okay. It adds to the Christmas spirit, right? Speaking of CHristmas Spirit, have you heard of  "He is the Gift"? It´s a Christmas thing to spread the good word. Just go to christmas.mormon.org. Here you can learn more about Christmas, watch a Christmas video, share what you learn and talk to the missionaries. I don´t actually know that much about it, but you should check it out! I think in our zone meeting we will learn more about it.

Mrs. Clause (Lol! Karynne doesn't know that we
actually have pictures of the dress she mentioned;)

     I LOVE YOU!!! You are so amazing and I`m going to start a program to help the members take care of recent converts the way they should. It´s called "be more like Sister Arthur´s mom, so that the new members  won´t want to cry when they go through hard times"....okay. Maybe it´s not exactly like that, but I wish more people had a heart like yours. I think it´s a lack of understanding of the doctrine of Charity. We shall teach them charity, because "charity never faileth!" I think it´s so cool that that´s the Relief Society motto. It´s perfect. Really, as women, we have a huge responsibility to love everyone and to give all that we have to help those we find in our path and that we seek out. I love the part of "As Sisters in Zion" that says "the errand of angels is given to women." How amazing is that? Look at how much Heavenly Father trusts in us. Yes, we all have to be like Christ, but we have an amazing natural ability to love and to care and to lift up the heads that hang down. How great it is to be a woman! Here in the mission, we don´t participate as actively in Relief Society as we would at home, because we participate in everything, but I`m so proud to be a part of this amazing organization, and I hope we as members of the church can always help each other find these opportunities to serve! It is only when we lose ourselves in the work that we discover who we really are.

     So, I may have mixed up the message from Sister Cabral... the word for repent is very close to the word learn in Portuguese. Oh well, both are valid, but this way makes more sense, because you haven´t truly repented if you don´t change.

Learn + Change + Go Forward with Faith in Christ!

Okay. I hope you have an amazing week and put this in practice! Don´t think of it as a burn. Everyone needs to repent daily. It´s just part of life.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Your LIttle Missionary.

P.S. Happy almost Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had four turkeys!

 Karynne's Mom here...These are some pics I found on the Santos Mission FB site showing pics of the entire story Karynne was telling me in our e-mail last week...and I thought I'd share them with you along with that note:

Lots of food...but I didn't see pics of Karynne
anywhere for a while...

...until I saw the kitchen crew!
There she was serving her fellow missionaries by putting
on an American Thanksgiving for them.

  Our Thanksgiving feast was very fun! We had four turkeys! Only two of them had stuffing, because it was arranged by a Brazilian.... but I would have died without stuffing, so I made it. I didn´t have most of the things in the recipe, so I improvised a lot, but I think it came out well, because I just knew in my heart that even if rosemary wasn't in the list of ingredients, it just had to be included in the stuffing. Haha. It was very fun trying to figure it all out.  The gravy was interesting too, because the turkey didn´t have any juice...how strange. Carol said that´s because the turkeys here are much leaner. Whatever the reasno, I made chicken gravy, but everyone was just so happy that there was gravy that it was gone in a flash. Should have made more. And more stuffing. Oh well, all that matters is that we had a great time. 

Custom made stuffing. No idea what's supposed to be in it.

Watermelon? Well..it's summer here.

...but I knew it had to have Rosemary.

     I asked Sister Cabral why she wanted us there at 10:30 if we were only going to start eating at noon. She said "I don´t know. What is it that you do on Thanksgiving before you eat?" The answer. Nothing! You cook and then you eat. Then you die a little, but you manage to resucetate enough to eat some more and then you laugh at the superbowl commericals and laugh with your cousins and play pranks on your uncle who only just managed to make it to the couch before sleeping ( you know, the one from Portugal... ;) and then you eat some more and play some games until everyone eventually goes home. She was like "Really? You don´t do a big FHE or anything like that?" Well, maybe we will now, but I don´t think anyone ever thought of that before. Haha. So, to have some good entertainment I showed them the Christmas eve game that my grandmother plays with us every Christmas eve. It was such a blast!!! It´s just a pity that the surprise didn´t make it to the end of the game intact.....

2nd Thanksgiving together....
Last year we were in the MTC together!

LOVE THIS FACE!!! ~Mumma

The Christmas Eve game...played at Grammy's house every year

The lady in charge

The winner...accidentally ripped the prize

What R U looking at?
I'm taking the pictures here.

Clean up crew

What we needed to change was very obvious, Everything.

    I have a new companion, Sister Ermácura! She is from Argentina and has been in the mission just a little more than I have. It´s a little bit refreshing to be working with someone more experienced than I am in the mission. She´s such a powerful missionary, and she´s wicked funny. She speaks English pretty well, because she watched a lot of movies from the US.

Choir Practice

Christmas Program Performance

Sometimes she just says things that I´m like "Oh my goodness. How do you even know that word!" The other day she said. "Sister, don´t you think that´s a little synical (No idea how you spell that...)?" Did I mention she´s super funny? We just laugh all day long. We have so much fun together. Because she is learning English, we speak an absurd amount of English. This helps me prepare for English class, but I end up saying things in English to everyone who has a nametag. It´s rediculous, but I think it´s helping her.

     This week has been so full of learning! SO MUCH LEARNING! Sister Ermácura, is absolutely amazing!  Ever since she got here I have learned so much about how to improve the work here in Embaré. Our ward has some problems, like any ward, but we don´t know exactly what to do about these problems. We decided to do a "40 days of purification." You start by fasting with the purpose being that Heavenly Father will show you what it is that you need to change in your conduct, in your thoughts, in your habbits, anything that´s not going to help you be a better missionary. We fasted and when we ended our fast, the answer came very fast and clear. The next day was zone conference. President and Sister Cabral taught about the way we need to teach. We are not filling up a bucket with information (at least we shouldn´t be....). We are turning on a lightbulb or inviting the Spirit to teach them. When we feel the Spirit, we need to say a prayer and leave, because what the Spirit will teach in our absence is what will help them to be converted, not convinced. As Sister Cabral was explaining what we were not to do in our lessons, or after our lessons, Sister Ermácura and I just looked at each other in horror. It seemed like she´d actually been in our lesson the day before.

     The answer to our prayers about what we needed to change was very obvious. Everything. We haven´t been teaching by the Spirit and no one will recognize us as representatives of Jesus Christ if we continue this way. No one will realize that what we are saying is true if we keep this up. We took to heart the next part of the training from the Cabrals: Abandon traditions. Change. Keep Going. This is a little painful. Seriously when you go about doing what you think is right only to hear that it´s actually not at all how it´s supposed to be, it´s quite a bummer, but we have the comfort of knowing that we can start right today. Every day that we wake up, we have the opportunity to do everything completely different. We don´t have to ever be the same again. That is the miracle of the atonement. So, we are working on doing absolutely everything differently. Sister Cabral sent this comparison on teachign that I really liked and I am going to put it into practice for both my missionary teaching and my english class.

      This week has been so full of change. I can´t believe I have already been here for so long! I´ve decided to stop counting, because it´s too sad.

   

HAPPY ALMOST THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

BE HAPPY!

Love,

Sister Arthur

Karynne had a solo and a duet.

Super Yummy! It's a caca collector!!
nailed to a tree.

Healthy Cookies! Well sort of...we made them healthier.

Blister surgery..the fluid leaks out through the string.
(Heather here...sure wishing she got that package with
all of the great shoes in it.)