I got here with Sister A~, we stayed one month and we are both being transferred because there will be Elder'd here now [Elders will be teaching in that area of the mission instead of Sister missionaries] . . . haha. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
This is my last p-day [preparation day] until Christmas (because next week p-day is Christmas).
Well, I love you! Have a great week and SEE you soon! [We get to skype with Sister Phelps on Christmas day!]
December 17, 2014
Week 69 (8 December 2014)
Uruguay is super cool! The first time we went we ran into Elders and they got weirded out because we are "sisters" and not hermanas. Haha. They were both Americans and don't speak Portuguese so I tried speaking Spanish with them, but in the end we spoke English. It was cool. They also gave me El Libro de Mormon. I've been studying it already. :) It is a free border so I don't need my passport to enter. It is cool because they have American stuff (like Nerds and Pringles, etc.)
This week we had lots of ups and downs . . . here we go.
On Quarta-feira (Wednesday) Sister A~ and I decided to fast because we have to find two people to baptize before Christmas. Until that day we only had P~ (I will get to him in a minute.) So I made Thanksgiving dinner for lunch (because a member gave us money because they went out of town) and then we started our fast. The first plans that we had fell trough and so we just kept walking, contacting people in the street, knocking doors, etc. We got to the end of the street and almost turned back when we decided to clap (because here you don't knock) at one of the last houses. We asked if we could leave a quick message about Christ and T~ let us in. We started getting to know her and found out that she got married in the Mormon church [building] about a year ago to be baptized, but got into a disagreement with a member and decided not to be baptized. We asked her if she still wanted to be baptized and she said yes!!!! It was a MIRACLE! We marked her baptism for December 20th. She seemed super excited and everything! When we left her house we were in shock. Seriously, we looked like zombies probably. The Lord had answered our fast So QUICKLY! About an hour after we left our house we realized that we hadn't recognized the streets as we left her house a different way than we had arrived and figured out that she doesn't live in our area. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!? It was super disappointing, but the Lord used two lost sisters to help one of His children be baptized. The Elders are working with her and I hope it all goes smoothly.
So, about P~. It has been a few weeks already that we marked his baptism for the 13th and he was super excited! We went there on Sexta (Friday) and talked to him a lot. He even said the closing prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for the church, the opportunity that he would have to be baptized and that one day he could have the Priesthood and help prepare, pass, and bless the Sacrament. It was super cute. When we got there on Saturday to finalize everything with his mom, he told us that she didn't want him to be baptized anymore. He was super sad that he wouldn't be able to go to church with us anymore, but he has to obey his mom. It was super hard for us. We both were trying to hold back tears as we said goodbye and walked away. We love him so much and hope that one day he will be ready to be baptized in Christ's church.
Well, that's about it. We are still waiting for a miracle as we put our faith in action. Please pray that God will put two people in our path for us to baptize before Christmas. :)
Thanks! I love you guys and hope that you are focused on finding your own "golden investigators." It could be a friend at work, school, a person that you have seen a few times and they seemed a little interested in the church, a neighbor, etc. Pray that you can find the people who God has prepared for you and then introduce them to the missionaries! It is the best Christmas gift that you could give them, the missionaries, yourself, and Heavenly Father.
Sei que a igreja e verdadeira. Sei que Cristo vive e que Ele nos ama. Amo ser missionario. Em nome de Jesus Cristo, Amem.
Love,
Sister Phelps
This week we had lots of ups and downs . . . here we go.
On Quarta-feira (Wednesday) Sister A~ and I decided to fast because we have to find two people to baptize before Christmas. Until that day we only had P~ (I will get to him in a minute.) So I made Thanksgiving dinner for lunch (because a member gave us money because they went out of town) and then we started our fast. The first plans that we had fell trough and so we just kept walking, contacting people in the street, knocking doors, etc. We got to the end of the street and almost turned back when we decided to clap (because here you don't knock) at one of the last houses. We asked if we could leave a quick message about Christ and T~ let us in. We started getting to know her and found out that she got married in the Mormon church [building] about a year ago to be baptized, but got into a disagreement with a member and decided not to be baptized. We asked her if she still wanted to be baptized and she said yes!!!! It was a MIRACLE! We marked her baptism for December 20th. She seemed super excited and everything! When we left her house we were in shock. Seriously, we looked like zombies probably. The Lord had answered our fast So QUICKLY! About an hour after we left our house we realized that we hadn't recognized the streets as we left her house a different way than we had arrived and figured out that she doesn't live in our area. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!? It was super disappointing, but the Lord used two lost sisters to help one of His children be baptized. The Elders are working with her and I hope it all goes smoothly.
So, about P~. It has been a few weeks already that we marked his baptism for the 13th and he was super excited! We went there on Sexta (Friday) and talked to him a lot. He even said the closing prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for the church, the opportunity that he would have to be baptized and that one day he could have the Priesthood and help prepare, pass, and bless the Sacrament. It was super cute. When we got there on Saturday to finalize everything with his mom, he told us that she didn't want him to be baptized anymore. He was super sad that he wouldn't be able to go to church with us anymore, but he has to obey his mom. It was super hard for us. We both were trying to hold back tears as we said goodbye and walked away. We love him so much and hope that one day he will be ready to be baptized in Christ's church.
Well, that's about it. We are still waiting for a miracle as we put our faith in action. Please pray that God will put two people in our path for us to baptize before Christmas. :)
Thanks! I love you guys and hope that you are focused on finding your own "golden investigators." It could be a friend at work, school, a person that you have seen a few times and they seemed a little interested in the church, a neighbor, etc. Pray that you can find the people who God has prepared for you and then introduce them to the missionaries! It is the best Christmas gift that you could give them, the missionaries, yourself, and Heavenly Father.
Sei que a igreja e verdadeira. Sei que Cristo vive e que Ele nos ama. Amo ser missionario. Em nome de Jesus Cristo, Amem.
Love,
Sister Phelps
Week 68 (1 December 2014)
This week was super hard. ALL of our plans fell through. I am not exaggerating. EVERYTHING that we planned this week fell through. It was a week of trials. We worked and walked and walked and worked, but it didn't seem like anything was coming from it. Hopefully we will see the blessings that will come from our diligence and obedience this week. The Lord knows what he's doing. Luckily we were able to go out with a young woman yesterday and had a wonderful lesson with a girl names L~. She seemed to be interested in the Plan of Salvation and had already read the first few pages of the pamphlet that we had left with her when we made the first contact at a bus stop a few days earlier.
The other part that isn't going according to plan is that I am a bit under the weather, but with Sister P~'s many tricks to be healthy it shouldn't last very long. I am loving my companion and we are still getting along super great. We are also going to decorate a little for Christmas (Natal!) today! I am super pumped. :)
Well I love you all and want to wish you a Merry December! This month will be full of miracles. I can feel it already.
Com muito amor!
-Sister Phelps
The other part that isn't going according to plan is that I am a bit under the weather, but with Sister P~'s many tricks to be healthy it shouldn't last very long. I am loving my companion and we are still getting along super great. We are also going to decorate a little for Christmas (Natal!) today! I am super pumped. :)
Well I love you all and want to wish you a Merry December! This month will be full of miracles. I can feel it already.
Com muito amor!
-Sister Phelps
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| Thanksgiving Dinner |
Week 67 (24 November 2014)
This week . . .
I am great and Sister A~ says that I read super well in Spanish. I barely have an accent!!! Hehe. But I need to learn vocabulary now. I am loving Livremento, it's not super easy here, but it's great!
We went to Uruguay last week and will go again today. I am excited because they have American food there so I will buy some things for Thanksgiving. Wahoo!
Right now Sister A~ and I are teaching lots of great people, but had a difficult week being able to actually teach them. Either no one was at home, or they wanted to mark another day and everyone wanted "semana que vem" . . . next week. At least that means we have a lot of plans for this week, but we still have a lot of work to do in Livramento before Christmas. Our mission did a special fast on the 16th so that each missionary in our mission can bring one soul unto Christ through baptism before Christmas. We have a few young men who we are teaching (more like boys) who have the desire to be baptized but have to go to church more and be actively involved in the conversion process. If someone isn't excited about going to church before they are baptized they probably won't be any more excited after the baptism. We have lots of work to do, but it's all good. It is called Missionary WORK after all. :)
We are also working a lot with less-actives and are having lots of success. There are many people here who are just waiting to be invited to come back and feel the love that they felt when they first were baptized.
I love being a missionary and feeling the Spirit and helping others discover how wonderful our life can be if we keep the commandments and live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father. The church is true. "I know it. I live it. I love it." ;)
Mosiah 2:41 "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." [in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ]
Com muito amor,
Sister Phelps
I am great and Sister A~ says that I read super well in Spanish. I barely have an accent!!! Hehe. But I need to learn vocabulary now. I am loving Livremento, it's not super easy here, but it's great!
We went to Uruguay last week and will go again today. I am excited because they have American food there so I will buy some things for Thanksgiving. Wahoo!
Right now Sister A~ and I are teaching lots of great people, but had a difficult week being able to actually teach them. Either no one was at home, or they wanted to mark another day and everyone wanted "semana que vem" . . . next week. At least that means we have a lot of plans for this week, but we still have a lot of work to do in Livramento before Christmas. Our mission did a special fast on the 16th so that each missionary in our mission can bring one soul unto Christ through baptism before Christmas. We have a few young men who we are teaching (more like boys) who have the desire to be baptized but have to go to church more and be actively involved in the conversion process. If someone isn't excited about going to church before they are baptized they probably won't be any more excited after the baptism. We have lots of work to do, but it's all good. It is called Missionary WORK after all. :)
We are also working a lot with less-actives and are having lots of success. There are many people here who are just waiting to be invited to come back and feel the love that they felt when they first were baptized.
I love being a missionary and feeling the Spirit and helping others discover how wonderful our life can be if we keep the commandments and live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father. The church is true. "I know it. I live it. I love it." ;)
Mosiah 2:41 "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." [in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ]
Com muito amor,
Sister Phelps
Week 66 (17 November 2014)
I didn't have time to write you about my week so I will send you what I sent to Dallin. Have to go! Love you lots and I am praying for you everyday!
That's wonderful that you worked your tail off this week. It feels great, huh? I worked a lot too because we were pink washed (I think that's the term you taught me for when you enter into an area with your companion but it was sisters before us.) I don't know the US mission lingo yet. One day . . . but yeah.
It's cool here in Livramento. We are walking a lot trying to find our way around and not go into Uruguay. Seriously there were lots of times this week that we were so lost that I thought we were in Uruguay. Haha. But I'm going to eat lunch there today!! Lots of people here speak with a strong Spanish accent so I am taking advantage of that and my Peruvian companion. That's right folks, I am learning Spanish! I read to her every night from El Libro de Mormon. It's pretty sweet. We have one kid named P~ who is 10. He wants to be baptized because he understands that he needs to follow Jesus, but his mom doesn't want to let him get baptized. Please keep him in your prayers. We are going to try and talk to his mom this week. :)
I've been praying for J~ and hope that all is well up there in Las Vegas. It is so weird to think that it is getting cooler up there, because it is getting unbearably hot down here in Brasil. Love you kid! Keep working hard and have a great week!
To amo!
-Sister Phelps
It's cool here in Livramento. We are walking a lot trying to find our way around and not go into Uruguay. Seriously there were lots of times this week that we were so lost that I thought we were in Uruguay. Haha. But I'm going to eat lunch there today!! Lots of people here speak with a strong Spanish accent so I am taking advantage of that and my Peruvian companion. That's right folks, I am learning Spanish! I read to her every night from El Libro de Mormon. It's pretty sweet. We have one kid named P~ who is 10. He wants to be baptized because he understands that he needs to follow Jesus, but his mom doesn't want to let him get baptized. Please keep him in your prayers. We are going to try and talk to his mom this week. :)
I've been praying for J~ and hope that all is well up there in Las Vegas. It is so weird to think that it is getting cooler up there, because it is getting unbearably hot down here in Brasil. Love you kid! Keep working hard and have a great week!
To amo!
-Sister Phelps
Week 65 (10 November 2014)
This week was great, but full of goodbyes. I got the news that I will be transferred to Livramento and be companions with Sister A~. (Sister L~ trained her and I will be her second companion.) It should be fun there. I am excited for a change and new experiences. :)
We taught A~ and her grandma. A~ is friends with L~, a recent convert and has been going to seminary with her. We went to her house and while we were teaching the restoration her grandma showed up and said that she felt like she needed to be there. A~ had told her about us, what we did, how she felt during the lessons and her grandma wanted to have what she had. We invited them both to be baptized and they accepted. A~ also went to church on Sunday!! Wahoo!
I love being a missionary! It is such a wonderful time to learn, to love, and to feel the joy of living the gospel to it's fullest.
Com amor,
Sister Phelps
We taught A~ and her grandma. A~ is friends with L~, a recent convert and has been going to seminary with her. We went to her house and while we were teaching the restoration her grandma showed up and said that she felt like she needed to be there. A~ had told her about us, what we did, how she felt during the lessons and her grandma wanted to have what she had. We invited them both to be baptized and they accepted. A~ also went to church on Sunday!! Wahoo!
I love being a missionary! It is such a wonderful time to learn, to love, and to feel the joy of living the gospel to it's fullest.
Com amor,
Sister Phelps
Week 64 (3 November 2014)
Sorry that it's been so long [since] I have written a real email about my week. I will get better, I promise.
After H~'s baptism last weekend we have had nothing but success. The Lord is blessing us a lot and even though it is getting SUPER HOT already. We are working as hard as possible so that the Lord trusts us enough to put His elect in our path.
Segunda- Unfortunately we weren't able to work (spiritually) that much today, but we helped with our move and the Elder's move too. I am positive that I gained a lot of muscle. It was a lot of heavy lifting, but nothing I can't handle, right. :P
Terca- We finished moving (it took way longer than we wanted it to and we still have to clean EVERYTHING). I'm excited ... not really.
Quarta- We were able to talk to H~ today and she is super happy to be a member of the church now. Her family has already seen a difference in her attitude. After our lesson we walked A LOT, and it was SUPER HOT. Seriously. We ate lots of popsicles and my tongue turned blue. It was great!
Quinta- We taught J~ today. Her son was baptized about a year ago and is preparing to serve a mission. We went to talk to her not knowing much about her past and just got to know her like we usually do before we start to teach. All of the sudden she started to ask us deep questions that we could tell she has had for a long time, about baptism, callings in the church, and all that jazz. It was wonderful to see that she was so ready to learn more and she trusted in us so much. We talked to M~, her son, after the lesson and he almost started to cry when he found out how it went. I am positive that she will be baptized in November.
Sexta- We taught F~ and S~ and they are progressing a lot!
Sabado- It was raining all day, but we were able to contact a few people and taught a woman who we had contacted in the street on Wednesday. We ran into her in the front of her house about an hour from where we had contacted her. We taught A~ about baptism because she said that she hadn't been baptized yet. It was a wonderful lesson. She accepted baptism before Sister N~ finished the baptismal invitation. It was GREAT!
Domingo- AP~ went to church. It was great! We taught J~ again and she told us that she wants to be baptized and we told her that her son would be able to baptize her. She got so excited that she nearly cried. It was a wonderful spirit there.
I love being a missionary! Please keep my investigators in your prayers!
Com muito amor!
-Sister Phelps
After H~'s baptism last weekend we have had nothing but success. The Lord is blessing us a lot and even though it is getting SUPER HOT already. We are working as hard as possible so that the Lord trusts us enough to put His elect in our path.
Segunda- Unfortunately we weren't able to work (spiritually) that much today, but we helped with our move and the Elder's move too. I am positive that I gained a lot of muscle. It was a lot of heavy lifting, but nothing I can't handle, right. :P
Terca- We finished moving (it took way longer than we wanted it to and we still have to clean EVERYTHING). I'm excited ... not really.
Quarta- We were able to talk to H~ today and she is super happy to be a member of the church now. Her family has already seen a difference in her attitude. After our lesson we walked A LOT, and it was SUPER HOT. Seriously. We ate lots of popsicles and my tongue turned blue. It was great!
Quinta- We taught J~ today. Her son was baptized about a year ago and is preparing to serve a mission. We went to talk to her not knowing much about her past and just got to know her like we usually do before we start to teach. All of the sudden she started to ask us deep questions that we could tell she has had for a long time, about baptism, callings in the church, and all that jazz. It was wonderful to see that she was so ready to learn more and she trusted in us so much. We talked to M~, her son, after the lesson and he almost started to cry when he found out how it went. I am positive that she will be baptized in November.
Sexta- We taught F~ and S~ and they are progressing a lot!
Sabado- It was raining all day, but we were able to contact a few people and taught a woman who we had contacted in the street on Wednesday. We ran into her in the front of her house about an hour from where we had contacted her. We taught A~ about baptism because she said that she hadn't been baptized yet. It was a wonderful lesson. She accepted baptism before Sister N~ finished the baptismal invitation. It was GREAT!
Domingo- AP~ went to church. It was great! We taught J~ again and she told us that she wants to be baptized and we told her that her son would be able to baptize her. She got so excited that she nearly cried. It was a wonderful spirit there.
I love being a missionary! Please keep my investigators in your prayers!
Com muito amor!
-Sister Phelps
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