Boa tarde everyone!!! I hope you all had an awesome week!! This week was SO GOOD!! We had a huge service project, interviews and a training from the Presidents, then we had a baptism of Arnoldo!!! He was so sweet and so excited.
First things first...... I GOT YOUR PACKAGES AND LETTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guys they seriously made me SO HAPPY. And I gave the elders that brought them all the way out to me some of the snacks hahaha. Thank you thank thank you thank youuuuuuuuu I love you guys so much literally the best!! I gave a bunch of the snacks to my friends out here and they were like super freaked out by the fruit gushers hahaha but it was cute. Arnoldo ate the whole fruit roll up like with the paper part and my comp tried to put the package of crystal light into her waterbottle too. I was like it's easy just put it in the water! Oh not like that... hahaha I love Brazilians.
Arnoldo got baptized!! We showed up to his house this week and he had cut his hair, shaved and bought new clothes. We were like wow you look so nice!! What's the occasion?? He was like umm my baptism this week!! It was so cute. He came with us to a devotional that we had in our stake saturday night with our mission presidents. And he was so attentive and then after Presdient Castro came down to shake our hands and he shook Arnoldos hand and said `you are always always welcome here thank you so much for coming.`and Arnoldo got the biggest smile on his face and out of no where he said `president, did you know tomorrow is my baptism?` It was the sweetest thing ever and my comp and I just smiled and I think I'm going to remember that moment for the rest of my life. The President smiled and said 'congratulations on your decision we are so happy for you!'
We did a massive service project in the backyard of a sweet woman in our ward. No not a back yard.. back jungle. Seriously at first I was like of course we would love to help! And then my comp and I got there and realized we were literally about to hack down part of the Amazonian rain forest! It was interesting - lets just say lots and lots of spiders, ants the size of my finger nail, plus a rain storm the whole time we worked!! But she is always so helpful and feeds us so I was glad to be able to do this for her.
We started the papers of Leondro and Stefany!! They are going to get married and baptized in August!!! Seriously the process of marriage here is the most complicated strange process ever. I had to bring a member with me to the courthouse (cuz if we as missionaries do everything for the marriages the process apparently goes faster?) I was like so lost trying to figure it out haha but now I understand the process so I will be definitely helping more people get married here soon. :)
Oh! And this week my comp and I were in a store and I was asking the lady some questions and after like 5 minutes of talking she said 'why do you talk a little funny? what part of Brazil are you from? She thought I WAS BRAZILIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! made my whole week.
This week was like super cold! What? haha Yeah so I had to use a sweater some other sister left in the house!! I was like this isn't real and my comp and everyone was laughing at me.
Yesterday I gave a talk about the importance of enduring till the end. How can we complete the last step of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Alma spoke to his son Shiblon about this in chapter 38 and I love love love what he says. After his son was persecuted Alma says to him "And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end. And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
Enduring to the end means putting all our trust in our Heavenly Father and his plans for us. Enough trust to keep all his commandments, and keep steady and firm even when our faith is tested. In the last day we really will be given so much in return from Heavenly Father!!
Have a wonderful week everyone!!
Sister Arbuckle
First things first...... I GOT YOUR PACKAGES AND LETTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guys they seriously made me SO HAPPY. And I gave the elders that brought them all the way out to me some of the snacks hahaha. Thank you thank thank you thank youuuuuuuuu I love you guys so much literally the best!! I gave a bunch of the snacks to my friends out here and they were like super freaked out by the fruit gushers hahaha but it was cute. Arnoldo ate the whole fruit roll up like with the paper part and my comp tried to put the package of crystal light into her waterbottle too. I was like it's easy just put it in the water! Oh not like that... hahaha I love Brazilians.
Arnoldo got baptized!! We showed up to his house this week and he had cut his hair, shaved and bought new clothes. We were like wow you look so nice!! What's the occasion?? He was like umm my baptism this week!! It was so cute. He came with us to a devotional that we had in our stake saturday night with our mission presidents. And he was so attentive and then after Presdient Castro came down to shake our hands and he shook Arnoldos hand and said `you are always always welcome here thank you so much for coming.`and Arnoldo got the biggest smile on his face and out of no where he said `president, did you know tomorrow is my baptism?` It was the sweetest thing ever and my comp and I just smiled and I think I'm going to remember that moment for the rest of my life. The President smiled and said 'congratulations on your decision we are so happy for you!'
We did a massive service project in the backyard of a sweet woman in our ward. No not a back yard.. back jungle. Seriously at first I was like of course we would love to help! And then my comp and I got there and realized we were literally about to hack down part of the Amazonian rain forest! It was interesting - lets just say lots and lots of spiders, ants the size of my finger nail, plus a rain storm the whole time we worked!! But she is always so helpful and feeds us so I was glad to be able to do this for her.
We started the papers of Leondro and Stefany!! They are going to get married and baptized in August!!! Seriously the process of marriage here is the most complicated strange process ever. I had to bring a member with me to the courthouse (cuz if we as missionaries do everything for the marriages the process apparently goes faster?) I was like so lost trying to figure it out haha but now I understand the process so I will be definitely helping more people get married here soon. :)
Oh! And this week my comp and I were in a store and I was asking the lady some questions and after like 5 minutes of talking she said 'why do you talk a little funny? what part of Brazil are you from? She thought I WAS BRAZILIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! made my whole week.
This week was like super cold! What? haha Yeah so I had to use a sweater some other sister left in the house!! I was like this isn't real and my comp and everyone was laughing at me.
Yesterday I gave a talk about the importance of enduring till the end. How can we complete the last step of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Alma spoke to his son Shiblon about this in chapter 38 and I love love love what he says. After his son was persecuted Alma says to him "And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end. And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
Enduring to the end means putting all our trust in our Heavenly Father and his plans for us. Enough trust to keep all his commandments, and keep steady and firm even when our faith is tested. In the last day we really will be given so much in return from Heavenly Father!!
Have a wonderful week everyone!!
Sister Arbuckle