Hello everyone! I don't really even know where to start with this week but things are great! Just a little crazy haha. Umm but first things first! On Tuesday my companion and I went down to the mission office to welcome all the new missionaries! Ahhh they are so freaking cute it's ridiculous. There were like 8 Americans!! I was able to sit behind them during the trainings and translate for them and we picked up the ONLY sister that came in Sister Bailey! She is so cute and we made her a huge sign and cookies from the US that my mom sent me. I loved so much helping the new missionaries and helping them be happy and not freaked out and teaching them our mission hymn and mottos and I realized that sometimes we can't tell our own personal progress each day but we can recognize it when we look back. It was just such a good feeling being able to help them and not being the lost American hahaha. I seriously love my new calling.
Then that night my comp and I got a call from the assistants asking if we would be able to go and help Sister Castro with something. We were on the street and I couldn't understand really well because it was loud. But that night me and Sister Cidade went to the mission office and slept there and then woke up at like 430 in the morning to leave with Sister Castro to go to a Catholic school where they wanted to learn about our missions! We were able to go and play with all these little kids for the morning and teach them `Jesus Wants Me for A Sunbeam` in Portuguese and another dance. The kids seriously thought I was a movie star because I've been to Disneyland hahaha. They all wanted pics with us and wouldn't stop hugging and kissing us - it was the sweetest thing in the world. But my memory card got a virus and so the pics are lost forever. I will neither confirm nor deny crying over this but Sister Castro has a lot of video so maybe we will get those!
Then we got a few days to actually work in our areas! The Lord is preparing so many miracles seriously! There is this man that I contacted on the street a few weeks ago but he didn't really want to listen at that time so we didn't go back. Then the Bishop in Guarany pulled us aside and told us that the man actually already received the missionaries and was married just to be baptized! The government messed up and lost the marriage paper so his marriage never went through. He hasn't shown interest in the church for 3 years and now wants to be taught again. We are going to see about getting him married and doing it right this time goodness sakes hahaha.
Then we made our first divisions! We went to the other sisters house and made a division with them! We found many miracles and the sisters are so sweet. They actually just started working again after being sick for a long time. We were so happy to help them to get back into things and give them counsel. We talked through a lot of things. We slept in their apartment and then went to another area of sisters! We stayed with them for another night and then went to a big family home evening in their area and helped them mark dates and find some new people. So yeah! We are here in Noel Nutells for the next day or so and then we will get to go back to our two areas and work as hard as we can for a few days.
The reason our pday switched (again haha) is because of Halloween actually! Here in Brazil they really use Halloween to remember the dead and go to the cemetary and stuff. President Castro sent us to the cemetery to proselyte and teach the plan of salvation! It was actually a really good experience even though it was like over a hundred degrees and here they burn things around the graves so I really thought was going to melt trying to talk to people. But so many people really accepted our message.
Okay well that's all I can think of for this week! This week I remembered something a 70 told us in the MTC, `There are two days that are the most important in the life of a missionary. The day they are called and the day that they understand why.' And this week it just really hit me so hard that it is so important to be the best missionaries we can. Learn how to be obedient and listen to the Spirit. But if we as individuals are the only ones working hard then that won't be enough. I'm realizing that a huge part of a mission is working through the Lord to strengthen and build the others around us. Helping them fulfill thier purpose and stay focused as servants of the Lord is what will bring our mission unity and blessings. And then all together we can baptize and find the people that the Lord has prepared. I'm so grateful to be out here in this craziness and I am loving just about every minute. I know with all my heart that the Savior lives and I can feel him helping me through the late nights and long hot days. Lots of people can be a missionary but to truly represent our Savior is another mission on its own. I'm so grateful for Him to trust me enough to be here doing His work.
I love you all so much! Thank you for everything.
Sister Arbuckle
Then that night my comp and I got a call from the assistants asking if we would be able to go and help Sister Castro with something. We were on the street and I couldn't understand really well because it was loud. But that night me and Sister Cidade went to the mission office and slept there and then woke up at like 430 in the morning to leave with Sister Castro to go to a Catholic school where they wanted to learn about our missions! We were able to go and play with all these little kids for the morning and teach them `Jesus Wants Me for A Sunbeam` in Portuguese and another dance. The kids seriously thought I was a movie star because I've been to Disneyland hahaha. They all wanted pics with us and wouldn't stop hugging and kissing us - it was the sweetest thing in the world. But my memory card got a virus and so the pics are lost forever. I will neither confirm nor deny crying over this but Sister Castro has a lot of video so maybe we will get those!
Then we got a few days to actually work in our areas! The Lord is preparing so many miracles seriously! There is this man that I contacted on the street a few weeks ago but he didn't really want to listen at that time so we didn't go back. Then the Bishop in Guarany pulled us aside and told us that the man actually already received the missionaries and was married just to be baptized! The government messed up and lost the marriage paper so his marriage never went through. He hasn't shown interest in the church for 3 years and now wants to be taught again. We are going to see about getting him married and doing it right this time goodness sakes hahaha.
Then we made our first divisions! We went to the other sisters house and made a division with them! We found many miracles and the sisters are so sweet. They actually just started working again after being sick for a long time. We were so happy to help them to get back into things and give them counsel. We talked through a lot of things. We slept in their apartment and then went to another area of sisters! We stayed with them for another night and then went to a big family home evening in their area and helped them mark dates and find some new people. So yeah! We are here in Noel Nutells for the next day or so and then we will get to go back to our two areas and work as hard as we can for a few days.
The reason our pday switched (again haha) is because of Halloween actually! Here in Brazil they really use Halloween to remember the dead and go to the cemetary and stuff. President Castro sent us to the cemetery to proselyte and teach the plan of salvation! It was actually a really good experience even though it was like over a hundred degrees and here they burn things around the graves so I really thought was going to melt trying to talk to people. But so many people really accepted our message.
Okay well that's all I can think of for this week! This week I remembered something a 70 told us in the MTC, `There are two days that are the most important in the life of a missionary. The day they are called and the day that they understand why.' And this week it just really hit me so hard that it is so important to be the best missionaries we can. Learn how to be obedient and listen to the Spirit. But if we as individuals are the only ones working hard then that won't be enough. I'm realizing that a huge part of a mission is working through the Lord to strengthen and build the others around us. Helping them fulfill thier purpose and stay focused as servants of the Lord is what will bring our mission unity and blessings. And then all together we can baptize and find the people that the Lord has prepared. I'm so grateful to be out here in this craziness and I am loving just about every minute. I know with all my heart that the Savior lives and I can feel him helping me through the late nights and long hot days. Lots of people can be a missionary but to truly represent our Savior is another mission on its own. I'm so grateful for Him to trust me enough to be here doing His work.
I love you all so much! Thank you for everything.
Sister Arbuckle