OLA Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for all the emails and love and support. It means so so so so much!! I dont have much time to email today (our email time is based on how long the proctor is willing to stay and today it isn't very long). Some of you had questions so I will answer them first: I can't ever leave the building except on pday and we spend most of the day at the temple. We get back around 3 and then pday ends at 5 so we have two hours to email do laundry etc. Sometimes we have extra time to leave but not very often. THE FRUIT yeah it tastes like candy :) watermelon, guava, apples, mangos, ahh it's the best. Pretty much what I am living off of right now. Yesterday we had clam and shrimp casserole. Nope I couldn't do it. Oh, and squash. That was a bad meal hahaha...
I am missing Elder and Sister Cooks coming to my mission by 1 WEEK ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!!!!! ah I'm so so so sad. That like never happens!! And we missed Elder Holland by a couple months in Provo. But tudo bem.
This week was so good!! It was pretty much the same as the other weeks so I will mainly just share a spiritual thought :)
I LOVE when the Brazilian sisters come in to my room and ask me to do their hair. It's the best. They are so sweet and love it so much but it is definitely a service considering we only are allowed 25 minutes to get ready and we aren't allowed to wake up earlier. But it's so great. My hair is getting so long oh my goodness! And it has tamed down so that's good. I should have thinned it before I came but I think I'll just do it myself.
YES SCRIPTURE MASTERY IS SO IMPORTANT!!!! Pay attention in seminary guys. We actually have to memorize scriptures before we leave the MTC. I love memorizing scriptures! Sis. Brown and I are awesome at it. But, memorizing them in a different language is tricky so learn them in English first :) It's important to build your library of knowledge so that when the time is right the Holy Ghost can prompt you. He can't help you remember something if you haven't already studied it :) There is nothing better than being in a lesson and being able to immediately find a scripture your investigator needs. The Spirit can be so strong right then and there - You don't waste time looking for things :)
The Portuguese is coming!! Slowly but surely. I love having conversations with the Braziliados and then walking away and thinking oh my gosh I just had a CONVO IN PORTUGUESE!!!! haha This week two random teachers told me and Sis Brown we sound really good!! That made me happy. It is coming more naturally which is nice.
I MET TWO PEOPLE FROM MANAUSH!!!!!!!! ah that was the best. It's kind of a funny story because I thought I was supposed to say the opening prayer in Relief Society (like with all the women in the mtc so its huge) except it turns out I was supposed so say the closing in another meeting (I feel like I know just enough Portuguese to be dangerous haha) and so I had to sit back down (embarrassing) but the good thing was that a girl recognized me from Manaus!! At first when she started talking and I was like um what I can't understand what your saying haha. It reminded me of the scene in The Best Two Years "That's not the language they taught me in the mtc elder" hahaha but after a little bit I could understand her accent and she was the sweetest. She took me back to her room and showed me pics of her family and where she lived. I loved it and now we are friends :) BTW everyone says my mission president is the best I'm so happy!!!
Sister Brown got sick this week :( so the elders in our district gave her a blessing. It was so sweet - they were so excited!!
I made you guys voice recordings this weeek while Sister Brown rested :) look forward to them in just a couple more weeks!!
Presidente Swenson visited our class this week which is kind of rare since he is a busy guy. He is amazing. We found out from our Branch President that Presidente Swenson presented the idea of changing the missionaries age to the First Presidency. I'm sure others did as well but because of the part he played he was invited to come and sit in the front row of conference when they announced it. Yeah, he is awesome. He said that he is so so so grateful for us and our willingness to be outside of our comfort zone. He said he has watched us interact and that he knows we have blessed these peoples lives so much already and he wants us to know that we can be the best. We are good now but we can be the best!! Ah it was an amazing pep talk. He knows us personally and he wants us to help other missionaries our last week here. Seriously?? It was an incredible experience.
This week we got word that we were going to have roommates coming in. We didn't think we would before we left but then at 1 am and 5 am this week four roommates showed up! At first I just thought okay I will meet them in the morning...I am sleeping haha but I kept getting this feeling that I needed to get up and go meet them. I kept shaking it off because I really don't sleep very well here (at all) haha and I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep. But I finally got up and went outside to talk to them and they were having such a hard time! They didn't know how long they were going to be here or if they would learn Portuguese - they just hadn't been told much and were in a hard place. They are from Argentina. It was the most amazing experience for me to sit down and talk to them for like 30 min in the middle of the night and ease their minds. ME ease their minds like what I don't even know the langauge or anything! Seriously though it was an incredible experience and they were so grateful to have had someone to talk to and it was an answer to their prayers.
I met a girl this week that told me my mission is one of the hardest in the world, but that I will love it. Do you think this is true?? Haha don't know what to think about that.
My teacher Irmao Bentti is coming to BYU ID in a few weeks so my BYU ID friends look out for him because he is the best. P.S. if he adds me on fb accept :)
Being a missionary is the best - even better than I ever imagined. My love and knowledge of this gospel grows and deepens every day. So much of the world understands who Jesus Christ is and His life but not what he has done for them. That through Him we really can become our best selves and learn and grow and live with our families forever! I have grown to love the Book of Mormon so much on my mission. I am also forever grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith and all of the work that was done before us. I love teaching about the Restoration and no matter how many times I do my heart just swells for all that he endured to bring us the restored gospel. This work isn't an easy work but it's our Master and Savior Jesus Christ's work. As we come to know Him even more our own ability to love and serve will expand. This gospel is so true and it is such a privillege to get to share such a message of hope with the people of Brazil.
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers I love and miss you all so much!!! In one week and three days I will be leaving for Manaus :)
Sister Arbuckle
[email protected]
amyintheamazon.weebly.com
Thank you so much for all the emails and love and support. It means so so so so much!! I dont have much time to email today (our email time is based on how long the proctor is willing to stay and today it isn't very long). Some of you had questions so I will answer them first: I can't ever leave the building except on pday and we spend most of the day at the temple. We get back around 3 and then pday ends at 5 so we have two hours to email do laundry etc. Sometimes we have extra time to leave but not very often. THE FRUIT yeah it tastes like candy :) watermelon, guava, apples, mangos, ahh it's the best. Pretty much what I am living off of right now. Yesterday we had clam and shrimp casserole. Nope I couldn't do it. Oh, and squash. That was a bad meal hahaha...
I am missing Elder and Sister Cooks coming to my mission by 1 WEEK ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!!!!! ah I'm so so so sad. That like never happens!! And we missed Elder Holland by a couple months in Provo. But tudo bem.
This week was so good!! It was pretty much the same as the other weeks so I will mainly just share a spiritual thought :)
I LOVE when the Brazilian sisters come in to my room and ask me to do their hair. It's the best. They are so sweet and love it so much but it is definitely a service considering we only are allowed 25 minutes to get ready and we aren't allowed to wake up earlier. But it's so great. My hair is getting so long oh my goodness! And it has tamed down so that's good. I should have thinned it before I came but I think I'll just do it myself.
YES SCRIPTURE MASTERY IS SO IMPORTANT!!!! Pay attention in seminary guys. We actually have to memorize scriptures before we leave the MTC. I love memorizing scriptures! Sis. Brown and I are awesome at it. But, memorizing them in a different language is tricky so learn them in English first :) It's important to build your library of knowledge so that when the time is right the Holy Ghost can prompt you. He can't help you remember something if you haven't already studied it :) There is nothing better than being in a lesson and being able to immediately find a scripture your investigator needs. The Spirit can be so strong right then and there - You don't waste time looking for things :)
The Portuguese is coming!! Slowly but surely. I love having conversations with the Braziliados and then walking away and thinking oh my gosh I just had a CONVO IN PORTUGUESE!!!! haha This week two random teachers told me and Sis Brown we sound really good!! That made me happy. It is coming more naturally which is nice.
I MET TWO PEOPLE FROM MANAUSH!!!!!!!! ah that was the best. It's kind of a funny story because I thought I was supposed to say the opening prayer in Relief Society (like with all the women in the mtc so its huge) except it turns out I was supposed so say the closing in another meeting (I feel like I know just enough Portuguese to be dangerous haha) and so I had to sit back down (embarrassing) but the good thing was that a girl recognized me from Manaus!! At first when she started talking and I was like um what I can't understand what your saying haha. It reminded me of the scene in The Best Two Years "That's not the language they taught me in the mtc elder" hahaha but after a little bit I could understand her accent and she was the sweetest. She took me back to her room and showed me pics of her family and where she lived. I loved it and now we are friends :) BTW everyone says my mission president is the best I'm so happy!!!
Sister Brown got sick this week :( so the elders in our district gave her a blessing. It was so sweet - they were so excited!!
I made you guys voice recordings this weeek while Sister Brown rested :) look forward to them in just a couple more weeks!!
Presidente Swenson visited our class this week which is kind of rare since he is a busy guy. He is amazing. We found out from our Branch President that Presidente Swenson presented the idea of changing the missionaries age to the First Presidency. I'm sure others did as well but because of the part he played he was invited to come and sit in the front row of conference when they announced it. Yeah, he is awesome. He said that he is so so so grateful for us and our willingness to be outside of our comfort zone. He said he has watched us interact and that he knows we have blessed these peoples lives so much already and he wants us to know that we can be the best. We are good now but we can be the best!! Ah it was an amazing pep talk. He knows us personally and he wants us to help other missionaries our last week here. Seriously?? It was an incredible experience.
This week we got word that we were going to have roommates coming in. We didn't think we would before we left but then at 1 am and 5 am this week four roommates showed up! At first I just thought okay I will meet them in the morning...I am sleeping haha but I kept getting this feeling that I needed to get up and go meet them. I kept shaking it off because I really don't sleep very well here (at all) haha and I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep. But I finally got up and went outside to talk to them and they were having such a hard time! They didn't know how long they were going to be here or if they would learn Portuguese - they just hadn't been told much and were in a hard place. They are from Argentina. It was the most amazing experience for me to sit down and talk to them for like 30 min in the middle of the night and ease their minds. ME ease their minds like what I don't even know the langauge or anything! Seriously though it was an incredible experience and they were so grateful to have had someone to talk to and it was an answer to their prayers.
I met a girl this week that told me my mission is one of the hardest in the world, but that I will love it. Do you think this is true?? Haha don't know what to think about that.
My teacher Irmao Bentti is coming to BYU ID in a few weeks so my BYU ID friends look out for him because he is the best. P.S. if he adds me on fb accept :)
Being a missionary is the best - even better than I ever imagined. My love and knowledge of this gospel grows and deepens every day. So much of the world understands who Jesus Christ is and His life but not what he has done for them. That through Him we really can become our best selves and learn and grow and live with our families forever! I have grown to love the Book of Mormon so much on my mission. I am also forever grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith and all of the work that was done before us. I love teaching about the Restoration and no matter how many times I do my heart just swells for all that he endured to bring us the restored gospel. This work isn't an easy work but it's our Master and Savior Jesus Christ's work. As we come to know Him even more our own ability to love and serve will expand. This gospel is so true and it is such a privillege to get to share such a message of hope with the people of Brazil.
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers I love and miss you all so much!!! In one week and three days I will be leaving for Manaus :)
Sister Arbuckle
[email protected]
amyintheamazon.weebly.com