Imbituba, Week 24

Sorry, but because of transfers I forgot to write up my email, annnnnd I forgot a lot that happened this week. So this will be short and sweet :)

My new companion: Sister Aguiar! She is way sweet, and I am so excited to be her comp! It was sad to see sister Sousa go, but now she is has the mission of giving her mama a hug!

This week:

DOOR KNOCKING sooo much door knocking. Met some great new people, and some people that we will never go back to. But that is the mission!

Taught Marlene, and I think it is finally clicking with her the importance of our message!

Made fried rice brazilian style, was way off, but it is the funnest thing to feed Brazilians new foods!

Taught our RC Jefferson, love him and his testimony, he is a quiet example of a disciple of Christ. Proof that it isn't how much you say, but what you do that matters. I see him grow every week, and there isn't a better feeling.

I told Luiz if he didn't come to church he owes me chocolate. He owes me chocolate :(

We have been having a hard time with getting people to come to church. Any ideas are helpful!

Portuguese...this week I talked to my mom again, and boy it is way hard to speak English again!!

Saturday we had a special goodbye lunch for Sister Sousa which was way nice, then visited a bunch of people! Sunday we went to Floripa for her to go home, and me to meet Sister Aguiar, and our bus got stuck in traffic making our 1.5 hour ride, almost 4 hours! And poor sister Sousa ended up throwing up. More adventures, neh? (Here they say neh instead of ay I feel like a Brazilian Canadian).

I love to serve the Lord. There is no better thing I could be doing with my life. Remember that really every one of us can be member missionaries, feel this special spirit and joy that comes from being a member missionary. Really when we are in the service of our fellow beings we are in the service of God. And what greater joy than to be fulfilling a part of his work and glory. Look for ways to be better member missionaries. It will add so much happiness to your life!

Much love,

Sarah Crofts

Look at those tan lines!

Lots of fun fruit!

Pitaya

Excited to be eating vegetables!

New companion, Sister Aguiar

Imbituba, Week 23

So first of all, I face timed my family!! YAY! Loved it so much, this is going to be such a blessing on the mission to share my experiences weekly with my family!!
Love that we have a prophet that is receiving revelation for us today!

Ahh before I share my week, Brazilian music is the best (I only hear it on the rua (street) give these songs/people a listen: De Tijolinho, Lucas lucco, Wesley (sonho que tava me casando).

My week:
-5 meses na missao!! Woohoo! Love every minute, time passes so fast!

-We called our Investigator Marlene to see if we could visit, and she said no because she was taking care of her sick mom. So we knocked doors, and guess whose house we accidentally knocked at? Her mom! It was way funnier than it sounds, but we ended up teaching her and visiting with her mom, was way good.

-We shared plan of salvation with one of our investigators whose ex husband has terminal cancer. Really only through Christ, and our Heavenly Father we can find true peace through the difficulties of life!

-Found out our investigator Braulio was 64 when he married his ex wife (who was 33) hmmmmm....

-Had this awesome new investigator who has already been a preacher of two different churches, we thought he would be a bible basher, but he wasn't! YAY! He was way interested, and we can tell he has a sincere desire to know the truth! BLESSED!

-Taught a new investigator Evonette who was normally really quiet and timid, and
is way interested and involved and said she would read our pamphlet and pray! Blessings!

-If you ask to use Marlene's Bathroom, she won't let you leave her house without feeding you cake and buying you coke. I love her!

-Rafael. 28, and fresh out of prison. But he needs some purpose in life. Perf!

-Had stake conference and met with the president and his family! (President was baptized by Brother Richards) always way cool to see connections.

-Had an investigator Edimer say he wanted me to marry his son, I said no, and he said his son will learn English for me hahaha. The rest of the lesson he called me Nora, or daughter in law. HA!

Sunday it was raining all day, we knocked a billion doors, and no one wanted to talk to us. But I felt really good working hard and trying to do the Lord's work. I know that a lot of time missionary work is about the example we set and seed planting.

I just wanted to end that I know that President Russell M Nelson is a PROPHET of God. He is receiving direct revelation from God, and we need to follow that revelation. He is receiving revelation that will make us become more like Christ and help us to spread the Gospel throughout the world. How crazy and amazing. Follow the teachings of the prophets, big or small=happiness and blessings eternally!

Love you all, hope this week is a blessed one!
Love,
Sister Crofts

Wonderful face time this morning!

Sarah with the Stake President and his family

Cooler and rainy the past couple of weeks!

A big celebrity in Brazil!

No clue! lol

These are the reason some of the beaches are pretty deserted

Sonhos

District Meeting

Imbituba, Week 22

Oi!

The beginning of this week was crazy busy!

Here’s what happened:

-We spent Pday in Garupaba (another city in our area that is gorgeous! Pictures were posted in last weeks blog post).

-Our pesquisadora drove us around Garupaba, bought us congas and chopsticks and all you can eat ice cream.

-We also ate lunch at her rich niece’s house and drank alcohol for the first time by accident (we thought it was just pineapple juice!).  After sister Sousa and I experienced some hangover symptoms!

-Floripa! Zone conference was the best!  We had a giant sister sleepover which was a blast, then zone conference which was awesome.  We had a great training, good food, and it is always a blast to talk to other missionaries!

-The next day we met this crazy lady named Melissa who we are pretty sure killed all of her kittens after we left her house…#nevergoback.

-Ate a cake made of banana peels—it was surprisingly good!

-Sister Sousa had a big of a bible bash with the boyfriend of an investigator that believes it is a sin for women to cut their hair, wear makeup, and wear pants.

- She asked him, “But Jesus wore tunics, so by your reasoning why aren’t men wearing skirts?” Ha ha!

-Taught my favorite person in the entire world—Marlene!  She has had lots of doubts lately, but we testified the necessity of doubting your doubts before you doubt your faith.  Also by the power of prayer, we can receive answers from God.

-Taught lots of menos activos this week—which is always good!

Spiritual thought: 

I have a strong testimony that everything we go through, all the trials, afflictions, tests of faith, are put in our lives for a purpose—for us to grow! To grow mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and to grow our faith, our thankfulness, our dependence on our Savior and Heavenly Father.  To develop Christlike attributes is enduring well.  Is growing these attributes easy?  No.  It requires eternal perspective, faith, patience, hope, and love.  But it is possible to endure well and to come out of our hard times so much more refined and like our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is something I have learned and am still learning on my mission.

Love, Sister Crofts

Zone Conference!

Sarah and Sister Goncalves

Going really blond!

Birthday celebration for Bruno's brother!

Imbituba, Week 21

Another great week here in Imbituba!

Here is what happened:

-(Sad) our investigator Jussara that we have been teaching since I got here moved to Rio Grande Do Sul. So sad. She was like a grandma to us!

-Have had a hard Tuesday, where literally no one was home in 2 of the Barrios that we visited. But, then when we were about to try one more person and leave, we had these two old guys stop us (they were sitting on a bench) and ask us what kind of missionaries we were. We answered, and then ended up having a great conversation, slyly teaching the Restoration. One of them stuck around and he loved it and said we could come back. Also found out he is two of our investigator's brother!
EVERYONE in Imbituba is related. Not a joke!

-I met Joseph Smith, and Abraham Lincoln... In one person! There is this CRAZY psycho man in one of the Barrios we work in that speaks English (all of the crazies do), and he thinks that he is J.S and A.L. reincarnate.

-Also everyone always knows I am not from Brazil, even before I speak! Wonder why...

-Finished 2nd Nephi in Portuguese! A.K.A Hardest thing ever.

- I think some Portuguese words are replacing the English. typing this email in English is HARD!

-Found out some churches here have this crazy version of tithing where you have to give your house, salary, etc. Man, I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true...

-Had another day where no one was home, but ended up knocking some doors and meeting some very cool people!! Always good to get some neewbies.

-Another hard day, but we ended it with a nice Jantar (dinner) of chocolate cake! It is the little things that count. Also an example of the diet of a missionary in Brazil...

-Taught a lesson at a house that was a few miles away from home. We finished at 8:30 and it was POURING de mais. Meu Pai! Cats and dogs people! With lots of thunder and lightning, the roads were literally rivers. Within seconds we were soaked... buuuut. Just the circumstances of our week ending with  a storm were so ironic and hilarious that Sister Sousa and I started laughing, we laughed the whole way home. Even when the cars drove by and splashed us with waves of water covering us. It was the BEST. Blessings.
-Taught a bunch of less actives! Trying to help them gain faith and act on that faith again!

Spiritual thought:
I love the scripture In MATT 22:14 "Behold, many are called, but fe are chosen" (I am going to change this a bit to "Many are called, but few choose to accept or listen to that calling).
Really in relation to the gospel, especially on the mission, many people are called to accept the gospel, to make changes in their lives, BUT they choose to stay the same, with the things of the world, instead of the things of Christ. Our agency is such an important gift, a part of our learning and growing on earth. But how many times do we choose to ignore, or set aside the callings of the prophets and apostles? In even the little things, the little changes such as daily prayer, scripture study, making the sabbath more holy, word of wisdom (not just coffee or drugs) etc. We need to be willing to make the big and little changes, hearkening to every counsel! I promise that the little changes the little choices to heed the counsel of our leaders (really from God) you will have immense JOY! Follow it, be one of the few, not one of the many.

Love you all! I know that this is Christ´s church upon the earth!

Love,

Sister Sarah Crofts

Fun Pday excursion to Garupaba with Eunira

Barra!