Week 12 - Ibiúna and Vargem Grande - as milagres continua..

Oí! It was so awesome getting to see everyone, even though it was really chaotic and flew by! I hate that I didn´t get to talk with the whole family or if anyone was offended by having to drop off. So a lot happened this week! First of all, we didn´t get to go to the temple with Nina because she needs her own family names, so instead we started Historia Da Família with her on familysearch.com but was surprisingly really fun! I already told you about Christmas Eve and Christmas, so yeah! But they spend Christmas Eve like we would do on New Years. Once its midnight they scream and have fireworks and scream Feliz Natal, so Sister Covey and I were really confused when that happened. But it was seriously so fun!!!

Saturday was supposed to be the baptism of our investigator… But that fell through. We´re going to continue teaching and visiting and doing everything that we can until she knows without a shadow of a doubt the love that Our Savior has for her. I have a lot of faith in these kids and I´m so grateful for being able to share the light of Christ with them.

Annnnnnd about transfers..... TOMORROW!!!! We found out yesterday about transfers and Sister Mosdesto is being transferred. We all cried when we found out who my new companion is... Seriously Sister Modesto was fantastic and meant so much to me and I didn´t want her to be transferred! My new companion is another Brazilian.. Sister Tesser. She was the trainer of one of the sisters.

ANYWAYS!!!!!! I love you all!!!! Thanks for all the Christmas cards and everything you sent! I go to the mission home tomorrow so I´ll get whatever is there. Happy New Year to you all amigossss! Fica forte!

com amor sempre,

Sister Bido

Week 11 - Ibiúna and Vargem Grande - Feliz Natal

More Pictures From This Week

What..... segunta-feira já?!?!?! This week FLEW BY. A G A I N!  But needless to say, it was a good one and well spent. 

So last Pday, immediately after emailing, my companion and I went to Sao Paulo to pick up my package at the post office. First we stopped by the mission home because I had 26 letters... yáll... that’s a lot. BUT THANK YOU I LOVED THEM ALL!!!!!

Anyways, so I found out I couldn’t use my card at the post office so I had to find an ATM or bank. Luckily, there’s a mall pretty close. So in the mall, after using the ATM, we got ice cream cones from McDonald’s and it was perfect. Seriously, it was perfect. When we got back to our house, Pday was over and it was time to work so I couldn’t open my caixa (package), but when we returned, I opened it and oh my gosh..... thank you Abuela!!!!!!!! Literally the best things in the world, and the Rudolph noses were hilarious.

Tuesday, I started a chocolate fast. An investigator of ours, said she would try going 3 days without coffee and I would go three days without chocolate. It was difficult honestly, but it happened! She expects  to be baptized this Saturday finally :) and in 2 weeks, her two brothers will be baptized as well! So I’m  really excited for their family!

Wednesday was the activity for Natal and it was so much fun! It rained and poured the whole day, but it was awesome. We played volleyball, had a mechanical bull, a trampoline, and a blowup soccer field bouncy house thing with soap. Everyone was soaking wet and was playing and really, it was exactly what I needed! After all this, President and Sister Del Guerso talked and then we received our packages! Mom, I received the one with my Patagonia and the one with the stockings, which by the way THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved everything so much and my companion cried when I opened it and handed her gifts to her. The skirt wasn’t even close to fitting, remember she’s Brasilian hahaha. But we decided we’re giving the skirt to Natalia for Christmas, so it all worked out. And our refrigerator is so cute with all the magnets and nativity scenes!

Friday we received official permission from the parents to baptize our investigators so we celebrated Friday night about that. It was also the hottest day here, I’m sure of it! I felt sick all day, and to make it worse, we missed the only bus for lunch so we walked all the way there and back, so by the end of the day we had walked for more or less 16 miles.  It was awful but still a good day!

Saturday was good as well! I had the best lunch of my life, but I don’t even know what it was. HONESTLY. But it rained and poured Saturday and mom once again, thank you for the goofy rain jackets that fold up really small! I gave one to my companion and it saved us from being completely soaked! Just the bottoms of our skirts were soaked!

And Sunday, we ran out of toilet paper AGAIN!!!!!! So we used the last roll you sent me and it saved our lives again. so THANKS MOM!!!!

Also, yesterday was Young Women in Excellence here and all 4 of the sisters sang daughter of a king in Portuguese of course and it was awesome, honestly. The Spirit was so strong yesterday! My miracle journal is filling up really fast! Definitely grateful to have started it because going back and reading them is so amazing! 

So last night, we were all on a sugar high from all of our candy and snacks that we pulled all of our mattresses off our beds and into the living room and the 4 of us slept in there together and talked till 1am. So we’ll probably sleep today after we get back to our house. So I hope you all have an awesome week and continue looking for all the miracles God grants you each hour. 

Another thing I forget! Remember my first baptism? Nina? We’re preparing her and hopefully will be going to the temple with her on Wednesday, but we’re not sure yet!

Com Amor, 

Sister Bido!

Week 10 - Ibiúna and Vargem Grande - Enduring with Lehi

Happy is the one who shares what he knows and learns what he teaches

Cora Coralina

Hola meus amigos, how is America? Just kidding I’m a little scared to know honestly after the letter I got from Jordan Pappas hahaha.

This week was really good, and flew by extremely fast WHICH I AM LOVING!!! :) So Segunta feira (Monday), last pday, was normal and whatever. Tuesday was normal too, sorry I know y’all probably don’t know what normal here is.. So basically wake up, run 2 miles with Sister Covey, shower, study, then get to work!!! I forget where we had lunch, but it’s always in the house of a member. Very rarely do we have to eat on our own, which was Thursday. But anyways, after lunch we work work work until 9 at night. I try not to drink a lot because I have a horrible bladder and nowhere to use the bathroom. I found a food here that makes me literally want to throw up. So having 8 missionaries at every meal, we find some interesting things to talk about. We always like to joke with each other eating like, come on elder you don’t want more? You don’t like the comida? Only 2 more scoops, Sister Bido, why not 3? and such. So one day this week, we had jello for desert.. but it was 3 different flavors of jello mixed in and mixed with leite condinsation or whatever, I don’t know he name in English but I think that’s it. Condensed milk, I think! literally, I was about to throw up all over the table. and Elder Albuquerque kept saying, come on eat more!!! but this was realmente no piada. No joke. Literally cannot.. but anyways.

Wednesday was SO FUN!!! I had my first splits, so I went to Cotia with the sister training leader and spent the night there and the next day returned to Vargem Grande to my companion. Cotia was amazing! I learned so much from her and we really did witness milagres aquele dia (miracles that day). We went by one house, and she said it’s impossible to share a message in this house because the women never wants to listen and doesn’t care to hear but here 6 year old daughter always does. So we went by anyways, and I introduced myself and the women said that I talked beautifully, but what place did I come from. I told her the United States and she automatically greeted us into her house with open arms for the very first time because she wanted to hear me talk. After the lesson, we invited her to be baptized and she accepted the invitation. How marvelous!

We went to another house after that and the investigator was drunk. and she cried when she heard me talk.... only because she thought that I was speaking in English and she could understand me so she had the gift of tongues and I was prophesying to her. So that was probably the highlight of the week com certeza (certainly).

Wednesday was back to Vargem Grande and I felt a little down because wanted to be back into Cotia, but I know I’m needed here at this time. And I think I figured out why this week. So there’s a guy named Michael, and he is always on the street Andaraí to get wifi on his phone. Let me tell you something, if there is anyone in this world that knows the Bible, it’s him. He has 24 years of age but that means nothing here. He is the most complicated and interesting person I’ve ever met. He’s also the rudest. He asked deep deep deep doctrinal questions that I don’t have the palavras en Portuguese (words in Portugeuse) and my companion hasn’t even been a member for 2 years yet so we can never answer. And he will never let us start a lesson because he’s too busy preaching and questioning. And he’s extremely rude because my language isn’t perfect and he makes that known. He even told me I shouldn’t be in Brasil if I can’t speak the language. But anyways. We had 7 investigators come to church with us yesterday!! We have 3 baptisms on the 26, but the other before that fell through and we’re not positive about here right now.

I’ve been reading Our Search for Happiness and it is truly remarkable. I’ve started a notebook and every day, and I write the miracles that happened that day. It’s the small things that always go unnoticed. But honestly, when we live our lives day by day with the intent to find and see the milagres (miracles) from God.. minha nossa (oh my).. God truly is wonderful.

I also have a scripture of the week and this week’s was 1 Nephi 17:13. So my Spiritual thought this week is about Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life. In the grand and spacious building, did Lehi see you? Or did he see you at the end of the rod of iron with shame and slowly letting go, being lost into the darkness? Or did he see you there with him, paying no attention to the mockers and rejoicing of the fruit? Endure to the end. The end of today, the end of tomorrow, the end of this trial, the end of this life. Whatever it is, endure through it. 

Much love to you all,
Sister Bido

]

Week 9 - Ibiúna and Vargem Grande - Standing for Testimonies

Just an FYI, HAPPY 2 MONTHS TO ME! This week absolutely flew by and I loved it. The only awful day was Sunday but I just expect Sundays to be bad, so that´s okay. Monday, we didn't do anything but go grocery shopping, and then we put a blanket on the floor in the main room and all napped and ate this weird Brazilian-Chinese-type food. oh and I got stung by a bee while walking, remained calm, used my tweezers to pull out the stinger, and BAM. My arm inflated to the size of my thigh from above my elbow to my wrist. Sister Modesto wanted me to go to the ER and I told her that she was just being dramatic, that my mom would give me a bandaid and say it just looked like a tiny mosquito bite! So three days later..... it started to unswell and look semi normal. Now, it´s almost better so that´s really good. An awesome thing is that literally we live across the street from a Saúde. Kind of like a health department/mini hospital if we ever do have a serious thing.

Tuesday we had multi-zone, and that was not fun either because I know no one and it´s awkward and I didn't understand all of the talks. But lunch was good and I had wifi there, so yeah! I did meet a lot of fun people and got all my letters! YES I AM RECEIVING MISSION TIES LETTERS. I opened them on the bus back (it was a private charter for all the missionaries) and I opened one from Tristan, and Lucky´s hair fell out of it and literally there was so much hair everywhere!!!!!! IT WAS HILARIOUS! Literally and it was awesome, everyone else thought it was so funny and cool and everyone was taking pictures of this crazy American girl who opened a letter full of dog hair. I had some Brazilians convinced that my dog sent me a letter with some help and it was just so great.

Thank you everyone for the letters by the way.  Seriously, I needed them.

Saturday we had a baptism!!!!!! Nina was baptized this week instead of next, so seriously it was such a great and special experience.  My first baptism! And the week after this, we´re expecting 2 more! Nina was Sister Modesto´s first baptism as well.

So two things that were really cool things that were really cool this week.

One- Wednesday was Sister Covey´s 6 month anniversary so we had a fiesta and I used the decorations you sent with me!! It was so cute. We also ordered a pizza and of course, I bought more ice cream!! :) The pizza was great, definitely different than the US. Here, the pizza hardly has any tomato sauce and the crust isn't as fluffy and fresh, but it´s still good. Especially since I don´t like a lot of tomato sauce.

The second cool thing that happened- Saturday night we ran out of toilet paper and it was after 9 so we couldn’t go buy any and couldn't buy any on Sunday. but guess what?? YOU SENT ME TOILET PAPER and again, our lives were saved. So Mom this is a thank you for the emergency toilet paper, I honestly can´t express my gratitude enough for that one. And the tuna, the other sisters are sarcastically thanking you for that ;) They don´t like the smell either!! But that is okay! I have a picture of the outside of the house that I’ll send, but not the inside yet. It´s nothing fancy or weird except the bathroom. Sister Covey’s mom sent a lot of decorations for Natal and even a mini Christmas tree so we´re still decorating!

Answers

We always drink juice at people’s houses, but for lunch if the person is a little fancier, we have soda. I always go for the juice cause it´s better. In house, I only drink water. I don't like drinking while we´re working because we have nowhere to pee unless it´s in someone´s house, and depending on who or where, we normally try our hardest not to see stranger's bathrooms.

Lunch here is a thanksgiving meal, every day.  I eat dinner too almost every night with Irma Josafina. By the way she came to church this Sunday for the first time in 2 years AND bore her testimony!!!!! Usually we have rice and beans and a salad, and then 2 different types of meat like sausage, or beef, or chicken.  I love the chicken! I don´t really snack that much because after lunch I’m not hungry.  But at night when we're planning I eat whatever we have in the house or ice-cream. Skype on Christmas DAY.  And yes there is a McDonalds in Sao Paulo, 2 hours away.

Oh another thing really quick!!!!!!  Yesterday was fast and testimony and as soon as time was turned over for testimonies half the ward got up and sat on the stand and there was a line of people to share! Freaking awesome.  Okay for real this time, I love you and goodbye!!

Love you all for eternity!!

Week 8 - Ibiúna and Vargem Grande - Giving Everything - Sister Bido

Cada Semana e sempre melhor! So this week was a lot better.  I decided that I don´t really like Sundays yet because I´m not too sure how to communicate with everyone and I have a lot harder time conversing about things that aren´t of the gospel because I don´t know too many of the words.  Mom, have no fear! I have another mom here.  More like grandma but mom.  So we have a woman we visit every night at 8:30 because she´s non active and was just baptized 3 years ago.  Her name is Josefina and she is precious! She´s around 60 years old.  Everything we need, she takes care of for us if we´re starving, she´ll make Jantar for us.  My companion, if she needs anything, usually Josefina buys it for her.  We never leave her house without a bag of food with us, either bread or eggs.  We don´t ask for it, but it´s inevitable.  Also, so we have 4 missionaries in our house.  One of them is American so it´s nice whenever I really need something or can’t understand something important, she helps me out.  We also decided that we´ll vent to each other in English only on PDays because it’s extremely hard to express our feelings and tell stories in Portuguese. 

So Tuesday, we have a new investigator named Fatima.  We first met her in the street her house is on, and while we were standing there talking to her, this dog comes up behind me and pees on my feet.  Literally lifts his leg and pees all over my feet.  No one else noticed so I tried not to make a big deal and acted like nothing happened, because it was HER dog!!!!!! Lucky I was wearing my crocs because it was a rainy day.  But literally the rest of the day dogs kept coming up to me and sniffing my feet and I was so paranoid another dog was going to try to mark me.  So yes, I now have a new fear.  But back to Fatima.  She´s a really humbling person.  Her house is 1 room, with a couch, a bed, a set of bunkbeds and a stove.  She has a husband, 2 daughters, and a son and 6 dogs and 3 cats.  She has 1 outfit, and it doesn´t fit her.  She wants to be baptized and that’s our plan for her, but she has health issues with her heart and didn´t make it to church this Sunday.  We visited her another day for another lesson and after we asked if there was anything we could do to help her, she cried because she feels that her youngest daughter who is 15 is ashamed of her so Fatima wants us to find more clothes for her daughters, if we´re able.  So we´re working on a project now in the ward to start a donation to clean out closets since summer is coming.  If not, I already know which clothes I´m going to give her. 

We marked 4 other people for baptisms this past week, so it´s going to be a white Christmas here! (because the field will be clean) so I’m actually really excited for this month.  Natal is huge here and even all the other churches go crazy over board with decorations and stuff.  So a thing I´ve noticed, no one hangs pictures on their walls or decorates the insides of their house.  Probably because it’s all concrete.  And another thing, everyone always wears jeans!!!! At fist I thought it was crazy, but now I understand.  It gets extremely freezing after 7 at night.  and also, if people only have pants, they don’t need to have different clothes for the winter.  So really nothing else awesome happened this week.  Except that we have a family of investigators, and remember the homeless guy that I helped last week and gave my cake too? Cidney is not homeless.. he lives with this family.  So that was awkward and surprising, but cool none the less. 

I really am so very grateful to be serving the Lord at this time.  It’s frustrating and it’s hard but I don´t want to be doing anything else.  The Lord sacrificed His Son and Christ gave his LIFE so that we can return to The Lord.  So I will sacrifice these next 16 months and give everything I have. 

And mom, I don’t know when we Skype yet.  We have a zone conference tomorrow so I´ll try to find out.  We haven’t gone to the temple or worked outside the temple, we’re too far away! I need my black skirt that I was going to take but didn’t, and my blue and white polka dot skirt! My clothes are ugly on me now.. OH.  eventually I’ll need more deodorant, but I’m fine for now for sure.  I’m good on everything else.  I would like the mint chocolate covered Oreos, Tristan will know what I’m talking about!!! Thanks for the sour patch kids, they saved my life.  And about Aunt Dot, that´s really cool and really awesome because I had a really strong feeling about that.  

Questions Answered-

Our church is a concrete building like you find on St Simon's. The ward is bigger than ours, and more people come!! Yesterday all 8 of us missionaries sang in sacrament and it was way cool!

Most days start out rough but they always end great! I bought us ice cream this week, that helped it get better!

I've truly been blessed, the language is going great for me! At the first I was like is this the language I learned in the CTM?

On p-day we just hang out around the house, we made a cake and talked. We're in a mountainy rural area with nothing to do.We bought groceries but there is no market here or shops. 

I don't eat breakfast, I eat a banana every morning. I'm starting to like the food! and my feet are Marvelous!!! HaHa!!!

P.S. I found out my companion's family hasn't sent or emailed her anything, I'm happy to share with her. She loves lemon heads as much as me and peanut butter!!

Justine's Pictures (New at the Bottom)

Week 7 - Ibiúna and Vargem Grande - Be Grateful - Sister Bido

You better fall in love with this email because I just walked 3 miles to write it.  So everything’s been a blur and all the days ran in together.  

Tuesday we left the CTM at 7am and arrived at the mission home.  We had interviews with the president and then we went to the church beside and had lunch and after we were introduced to our companions.  My companion is Sister Modesto and she is 23.  After, we waited 2 hours for a bus to take us from Sao Paulo to our area.  Our area is Ibuona and Jardim Grande.  It’s not rich but it’s not the poorest it could be.  There are quite a few wealthy people here but also a lot of poor.  It’s a huge area!!!! Anyways, after we got here, there are 4 of us in our little house.  A total of 8 missionaries in our ward with 4 elders.  The first day was excruciatingly painful because I was nervous and scared and understood nothing and couldn’t talk.  Our area is the furthest in the mission so the onibus took us 2 hours away.  It sucked.  We didn’t eat dinner.  

It rains every day!! Mostly at night, but usually showers randomly so I always have my umbrella.  I’ve probably walked around 60 miles this week, maybe more.  I’m not really sure.  The area is really hilly too so that’s fun.  Also, no one walks on the sidewalks, it’s weird.  We always walk in the middle of the street and cars just go around us.. how strange.  There are dogs everywhere!!!!! and the dogs are nice but it’s a mission rule to not pet stray dogs.  I never have water so I’m always thirsty.  Yes I use my LifeStraw bottle, but there´s this one dog we pass chained up every day and never has water so I always give him water, and all the other dogs too because its breaks my heart.. 

Also, yesterday we received cake to take home with us after church and on our way home there was a man with crutches and 1 leg going up the biggest hill in our area and I gave him my cake because I’m positive he was homeless.  Thursday night, we met with an investigator and committed her to baptism, so that was awesome.  I made her this cute bookmark with Moroni´s promise on it and she loved it!

So the computer I’m using, we have to pay for every 10 minutes we use.. how freaking crazy, and we only have $130 Reais (pronounced hey-ice) each month to spend.  

We have lunch with a member every day, except Pdays, all 8 of us.  Usually the food is alright, but I just don’t like it that much.  Thursday we had lunch at this woman’s house up on a mountain up a 2 mile giant dirt hill.  It was literally absolutely the worst climb of my life.. imagine Crowder’s but all steep and muddy because it just rained all night long.  Yep.  But on the bright side, we got up there and all was awesome.  Her house was awesome and basically a mansion in Brasil.  Inside her gate, she had a soccer field in her front yard, and a pool, and a huge house.  So every house is guarded with a giant gate or fence.  EVERY.  It doesn´t matter how poor the person is, there are bars and a gate/ whatever around the house, and there are only houses here, no apartments.  Anyways, so this lady literally had a buffet for us, and then a buffet of ice cream after!!! Brasil has the best ice cream in the entire world!!!!

We take the onibus at least 2 times a day because of how huge our area is, but that’s okay.  So we have 2 baptisms in December.  One on the 5th and another on the 12th.  Christmas is huge here, it´s awesome.  Basically my days consist of waking up, jogging around our neighborhood with another sister, studying, then working, then lunch, then working and working and walking and walking until 9 at night.  The bugs are not crazy or exotic yet, in fact the only thing annoying about them is the mosquitoes.  I did get eaten alive yesterday in this one neighborhood.  

So a really interesting thing is that at night when it’s not raining, people start fires on the sidewalk and everyone just drops their trash there and burns it.  

Mom, I did get the package with ramen and stuff and the battery.  Nothing was opened and all is well.  Thank you very much for it all! My health is fine.  I’ve now lost 9 kilos since I’ve been in Brasil...  so all of my clothes are huge and my skirts look weird on me now.  Sleeping is fine, air conditioning does not exist.  My heart is sad a lot but its works fine.  I’ve become very humbled.  We have a washer for our clothes and then we have to hang them to dry them.  My companion is really awesome, she talks and talks and is totally okay that I don’t completely understand every story she’s telling me.  All in all, this week was really good.  Tough, but good! 

OH! another interesting thing, so in our bathroom, we have a shower.... KIND OF. There's like a shower faucet and head but no actual shower.. so legit we shower and the water goes directly all over the bathroom floor and toilet and sink because I guess you could say theres a sink and toilet in our shower? totally weird

So another cool thing that happened, the night before we left the MTC, all the sisters in our district recieved priesthood blessings from one of our Elders. Elder Davis gave me a blessing of comfort that I´ll always know you're thinking of me and reminded how much support I have lifting me up.  It was really awesome blessing and his first one! So if he forgets to tell his mom that, you can!

The church is in a building like you would see on the strip at Myrtle Beach.. no computers.  And no.  I need one of the thumb drives I can insert my sd card in and transfer.

Sister Bido

Sister Bido

Brazil Sao Paulo West Mission

Rua Doutor Rui Batista Pereira, 165

Jardim Caxingui- Sao Paulo- SP

CEP: 05517-080

Brasil

Sister Bido's Picture Album.

Week 5 - CTM - Ye Must Build Your Foundation - Sister Bido

This week was also a hard one. I’m really used to the food here in the CTM, so it doesn’t sketch me out anymore. I forgot all the questions anyone asked me this week, sorry! I listened to the devotional this week without using headphones to listen to the English translation, so that was quite an accomplishment. Sunday night devotional was given by my mission presidente e his wife. After, I got to meet them and talk with them. Sister Del Guerso said I’ll be fluent by my second transfer… that’s in 12 weeks!

Nothing totally exciting happened this week, sorry to disappoint. Tuesday night, we went to see one of our investigators, but met with her neighbor. We introduced prayer, showed him how to pray, and we introduced the Book of Mormon. He was extremely interested and continued to thank us for being there. It was a really powerful and spiritual lição. At the end, I invited him to be baptized. I wasn’t shocked at all when he said that he would.

We had a new topic in TRC this week – “How to receive answers to your prayers.” There are 3 main ways we decided to teach about. Personal revelation, scripture study, and through attending church. In the end, we chose to really expound on the how part. You have to prepare yourself to be spoken to by the Lord. So what can you do to prepare yourself to receive the answers to your prayers from the Lord? All over the scriptures it says that God will do His part, IF you do yours. Also, I memorized Romans 8:36-39 in Português. I love the book of Romans. Actually I just love the scriptures so much.

Friday, our district shared our testimonies with a new district in Português about a dom da linguas – which was AWESOME! So our district is really close and it’s been a sad week. We have to leave each other. Tomorrow we say bye to all our instructors and that’s going to be really sad. I’m going to be so nervous and wrecked and stressed on Monday. It’s like leaving my family all over again for my mission. Totally not prepared for this. But I’m so excited and ready to be in the field! I love you guys and am so grateful for your support and love!

I found out today that one day a week the missionaries in my mission get to go to the temple and greet people from the street and talk about the temple and tour the waiting room and discuss the meaning of the pictures!

Our focus this week was on Helaman 5:12, another one of my favorites! And Ether 12:27!

Paz e bênçãos com amor!

Sister Bido

Sister Bido's Picture Album

Question wrap up..
1) They do not give us water filters.
2) They have not taught us about safety or cultural differences.
3) We do our own laundry. Each district is assigned a time each week.

Week 4 - CTM - For My Soul Delighteth in the Scriptures - Sister Bido

Thank you for the cookies again and sundae! Next time get me a cookie shake, those are the best I hear!

Last Friday was really fun, nothing to interesante, mas muito divertido. Our district usually hangs out together the whole time so that’s always a blast. Before I forget, can you find out what happens when I leave the MTC, if I still get letters from there at the mission home or what? It usually takes 4-5 days to get your letters at the CTM from them, so the last day you can send me letters would be Thursday morning.

Anyways, Saturday was Halloween but we didn’t celebrate anything unfortunately. We had a huge lunch, then started our 24 hour fast. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds at all. In church, I bore my testimony on á dom da linguas and the power of Deus. We had a devotional about how we can measure our love for Christ by how well we keep His commandments. We also learned about sacrifice and deliverance.

The scriptures are my absolute best friend, as well as Jesus. I know him so well now that I’ve started thinking like him more often. 2 Nephi 4:15, 16. Read the scriptures and apply them to your life. You will be changed. I love Jesus Christ and this gospel.

Thursday, a bird flew into our room and didn’t want to leave, so that just screamed the dia was going to be estrano. It rained all week, so when we left our window open we received a miniature flood. I wish I brought my Patagonia! I don’t regret the amount or style of clothes I brought.

Every building in my area is just about covered in graffiti and we think it signified a level of poverty. My Português is improving rapido and my district says I’m the most improved. 2 of them know Spanish so they are almost practically fluent and another girl studied a lot before so me and her are on the same level. I just work really hard to stay focused during class. I don’t want the reason I fail someone of their eternal salvation be that I didn’t know how to answer.

Jessica, my most difficult investigator finally committed to baptism after 17 lessons (I think). We went to the Campinas temple this morning and I went through the veil in Português for the first time! It was so awesome. Afterwards, I bought a Livro De Mormon from the distribution center and everyone on our van signed their name and favorite verse and I gave it to our instructor and he is writing his testimony in it right now and as soon as the van stops he is going to give it to the driver. How exciting!

It’s about to rain, so I’ll get to try my umbrella out today when we go out.

I love you all.

Sister Bido

Sister Bido's Picture Album

Week 3 - CTM - Have Great Joy and Be Exceedingly Glad - Sister Bido

Eu sou Brasilhetta

So this was a good week full of ups and downs. Mom, I wrote a long letter with detail so I’ll send that to you when I go to the cookie store in a few hours.

I want everyone right here and now to stop thinking about themselves and their feelings and their worries and do something for the Lord. Do not ever worry about me or fret or involve me in anymore of your worries please. I AM IN THE LORD’S HANDS. He puts all of his trust in me to spread His love and His gospel, and I give Him the same trust back. So you should too. And for the sake that I want and need to strive to be exactly obedient, please don’t inform me of worldly things going on because I am fully focused on the work of the Lord and salvation of others. OF COURSE I WANT TO KNOW ALL ABOUT YOUR LIVES THOUGH!!!!! So that stuff is fine :) This email is going to be a short one, but I just want you to all know that I love you. I have been blessed with a beautifully spirited family and I will always remember that. Sometimes remembering that is the only thing pushing me into the next day.

I’ve struggled this week with understand why and have to push myself to knowing that I have to accept things. We went proselyting Wednesday and each handed out 3 Book of Mormons. It was an adventure and an experience for sure.

We finally took public transportation. The buses are skinny and tall, like the Harry Potter trolley and the driving here is 89 times crazier than Cali and Idaho combined. My language is coming along pretty fine for this to be my 4th week here. My tan is gone, so sad. OH Sara! It’s called the ctm here because of how you say MTC, the Portuguese grammar is different. We only leave here on PDays which is today. I can get mail every day except Sunday and can only send on pday. We also just got 2 new members added to our family district here from Provo!

Maple doesn’t translate over to Portuguese apparently, they just say maple when they feel the need to use it. We had another really awesome devotional Thursday morning about Alma. He was rejected by the people after commanded to preach to them, but he didn’t give up because the Lords trust for him never changed. 90% of your good ideas come from the Holy Ghost, IF you’re keeping the commandments. I sent Emanuel a letter, someone tell him to check his email. Christ was the greatest man to ever walk this earth and live and if you don’t know that right now you need to find that out for yourself. He had no degree, yet he was called Teacher. He had no slaves and was called Master. He was crucified, and did no wrongs. He was behind tomb for 3 days, and yet HE LIVES. 

Be looking for the letter I’m sending my mom about the details. Remember that I love you, God loves you, and His will is infinite; important compared to yours. Humble yourselves and Trust in The Lord Thy God. 

Paz e bençòus con todo meu amor, 

Sister Bido (and my blog is irmajustine.blogspot.com if i ever miss an email to you!)

P.S.

Read 3 Nephi 12:10-12 to prepare yourself. I love you and I love being a missionary. Because I have been given much I too must give, and because much is given much is always expected.  My whole heart is in this and no it’s not easy at times, but President Swenson said that I can be perfect at saying a prayer and perfect at bearing my testimony, and that will make me a missionary with perfection. I don’t have Cathy’s email but tell her thank you for the letter, it made me smile. I love every one and knowing you all love me gives me endless happiness. I’m the only one in my district that is getting mail right now and I think it’s sad to some of them, so if anyone feels up too, I would love a heartfelt letter that I can read to all of them about support or whatever!  (I love you mom and dad, thanks again for the cookies from last week. I now have 10 people in my district so that’s cool. We were nervous about having new fam members but they’re slowly getting used to us. Love ya mean it, talk to you next week!

Sister Bido's Picture Album

Week 2 - CTM - Burdens and Charity - Sister Bido

Okay emailing is the most stressful part of my week. I haven’t read any of my emails in my inbox because I don’t have time to read them and respond. Sorry.

Okay so last Friday was our first pday and we went to the Sao Paulo temple, afterwards we got a free cookie from this cookie place and walked around. We have a 6 block radius to walk around on pdays, it’s pretty cool. People spit rapid fire Portuguese at us and I just smile and keep walking because I have no idea what’s being said. Oh well. So the highways are always crammed with traffic. We don’t take public transportation because we only go to the temple. We take charter buses. There are people walking in between cars on all the roads selling selfie sticks and bug zappers and bottles of water.  This morning on our way to the temple we saw a Brazilian military combat truck thing with guards riding on the back of it.

Sunday was cool. We have church in the building. It’s the same. We watched a movie after church, this week it was a testament movie on the doctrine of Christ and was so powerful. The Sunday school class is my fav. I was having a really bad past few days and president Swenson teaches, so at the end of class he said he wasn’t going to ask anyone to say the prayer because the spirit was directing him to someone already. Next thing I know he is standing beside me saying, sister will you answer the spirit and close this meeting for us? And so I did. Later after devotional that night I told him my experience and how God had used him to answer one of my prayers and that was a really special, powerful moment. He said if you stay close to the spirit, you find how important it is because you never want to be the reason someone didn’t get an answer to their prayer.

Segunda Feira - We had chicken patty sandwiches for dinner.

We had a lesson with Jane and it went pretty well. I’m understanding Portuguese a lot better and speaking a whole lot better. I can still understand it way better than speaking it.

Terça Feira - we had a HORRIBLE lesson with Jane. We taught Jessica later that day about the plan of salvation because she lost both of her parents, so we’ve been having a really hard time with her. Good news is she loves missionaries!

Our instructor bore her testimony of the gift of tongues in ENGLISH!!!! That was so awesome. She said that if she ever says another word to us in English, it will only be because something is terribly wrong. Even the natives are told to never speak to us in Ingles, SEMPRE Portuguese only.

Btw we sleep with our windows open every night and there is never any bug problems here in the CTM.  Cockroaches on the ground floor only, no biggy.

We had another devotional that night and Elder Hale concludes with Keep Your Heart Full of Hope like the Army of Heleman.

Quarta Feira - Extremely frustrating.

It was good, all my days end up being good. Sister Robinson arrived from Provo so that was exciting to see a face from home! We have exercise 5 nights a week and we always play volley for the entire hora. We were saying a district prayer later that night after our planning and we made a bet that if anyone yawns or laughs during the prayer (long story) then they have to pay every person 2 reas. Sister Cannon was praying and Elder Davis has zoned out and randomly says amen in it, so we all lost it.

Quinta Feira - We had waffles for breakfast, which deff beats the everyday ham and cheese sandwich and banana we have every other day. The syrup is so weird though that it actually makes the waffle gross, so we only eat them because it’s something new. For lunch we had 3 diff kabobs, all with diff meats on them. and you know how we have rice and beans for every meal, well this time NO BEANS. just rice. That’s like Adam without Eve or your mac without its cheese. And for dinner, we had chicken noodle soup!!!!!!! Most exciting part of the week by far. And also we had these pieces of chicken that tasted so similar to Chick-Fil-A. All the Americans were celebrating like crazy pretending it was chicken minis.

At 9:30 every night we have snack. It’s usually Twinkies and they are really gross. I’ve now lost a total of 3 kilos since I’ve been here. There are 4 beds in our room as well as a bathroom and shower. We have 2 Brazilian roommates, but right now we don’t have any because ours just left out into the field. It was a tearful night when they left because we had gotten really close in 2 weeks, even though they don’t speak any Ingles. Last Sunday, our district had a really spiritual moment and we sat in our classroom and opened up and we were all bawling for a good hour. Afterwards, we had a rock papers scissors tournament. I came in 8th out of the 8 of us. YAY I’m the number 1 loser!!!!!

So typing this email is so stressful because I have 45 minutes, and these computers are so slow it takes 10 for it to load.

On our way back from the temple this morning, I was looking out of our bus window and saw a little boy and his older brother walking on the highway where a man was selling water bottles. His little brother grabbed one and opened it and started drinking it and the guy immediately grabbed for his wallet to try to find money to pay for it. The seller patiently waited and smiled at the little boy and played with him while the older brother searched every pocket for 2 reas. He found 1 coin which is just 1 real and the seller accepted it and hugged the older brother. It was the saddest, but sweetest most charitable looking sight I’ve witnessed. I wanted to throw my wallet off the bus to him, but our windows don’t open. So my point is, be nice to people.  I have the burden of so many people on me because I have to learn Portuguese to be able to help these people of the Lord in Sao Paulo. But I have recently had a change of heart and just started accepting the burdens that get thrown upon me. This is my job, and I love it. I love serving my savior, because I love my Savior. This language is insanely hard, but I’m progressing really fast and I know that it is only through the power and authority of Christ that I am doing so.

Mom - if you’re sending me a package, cool. I want peanut butter in it and a roll of toilet paper. these people here use like this weird Kleenex stuff and it’s not even in a roll so it’s weird and awkward.... peanut butter because its too expensive here and hardly any of the natives had ever had it.

I almost forgot, today this guy told my companion to be a fish, which is slang here for just relax. sooooo funny! I love you all, the church is true and the book is blue. Sorry about all my typos and grammar stuff, but I’m loving Brazil. I know my purpose here and I love that too! Até logo!

Love,

Sister Bido

Alma 26:12

My address for the next 4 weeks...

Sister Justine Bido

Brazil Sao Paulo West Mission

Brazil Missionary Training Center

Rua Padre Antonio D'Angelo, 121Casa Verde

CEP 02516-040 Sao Paulo-SP Brazil

 Sister Bido's Picture Album (select the picture to bring up the album)

Week 1 - CTM - The Journey of Sister Bido

So, first thing first- as missionaries and representatives of the church, we do not address the Sisters as Irma. We are still Sisters due to the fact that in Catholic church the nuns are Irmas so we cannot get that confused.

Anyway, the first three days were the roughest. Not a single one of our classes are in English, they are all in Portugeuse so it was insane trying to figure out what page we were even on in whatever book it was they were wanting us to be in. I don't remember a play by play of every day because all our days run together. We wake up at 6:30, and go to sleep at 10:30pm.

Also, we started teaching an investigator last Friday named Maria. She is committed to baptism and is on vacation to Europe right now. We are struggling teaching Maria due to the fact that our Portuguese sucks, but whatever. As of yesterday, we have a new investigator named Jessica. When we taught her yesterday, our lesson didn't exactly go as planned. We were teaching the Restoration of the Gospel and Jessica asked a question about why it was important to follow God's commanmdment to be baptized if she was already living a happy life. So me, not very good in the language, experienced the true gift of tongues in that moment. I bore my testimony to her of the love that our Savior has for us and the power of prayer. I don't remember everything I said in it because I didn't know I knew those words. My companion and I were in tears and so was Jessica and she promised she would pray to know if getting baptised was something she needed to do. 

Also, I wrote a song in Portuguese so as soon as I make a video of it I will email it to you so you can make me famous by sending it viral.

Today is our pday and we just got back from the temple. PEOPLE DRIVE THEIRCARS ON THE SIDEWALKS WHENEVER THEY WANT AND ALSO THERE ARE PARKING SPOTS ON THE SIDEWALK. So yeah, pray that I don't get hit by a car please. I pray every night that me being here blesses all of you back home and I have an insane amount of faith that it will.

I also found out that the CTM is in my mission, which is absolutely awesome.

My district here is perfect, seriously it's like my tiny family here. Sis Namauu,Sis Cannon , Sis Lewis, Elder Davis, Elder Hayemore, Elder Light,and Elder Lake.  Last week we had almost 7 hours of free study time without an instructor everyday so we goofed off a lot.

Sunday night we had a really inspirational devotional led by the CTM president.  It was in Portuguese too of course, but they gave us headphones and listened to an English translator. Basically, this time right now does not belong to me anymore. I don't belong to myself. It doesn't matter that I have a headache and only slept 4 hours last night. It doesn't matter that a weird bug bit my hand and it swelled to 6 giant inflated marshmallows, because this is the Lord's time. I belong to him. And this is his mission, so I will not waste it and I will not complain. (and no mom I don't know what kind of bug it was, and yes I'm okay, and no I dont have malaria or yellow fever). 

The food here is so awesome, but so weird. I've lost 2 kilos here, whatever that means. I'm learning so many things about my purpose here and so many important teachings and understandings of the gospel. the coolest part about these halls is that the spirit never leaves. You can walk to the bathroom and stand in there and just feel the spirit radiating through the walls! It is SO awesome and I wish every one could experience this. We have 2 Brazilian roomates who absolutely love me. One of them was trying to dress me in her clothes instead of mine this morning! They help us out with learning phrases and pronunciation so that is pretty awesome.

We only have 45 minutes to email so it's stressful trying to think of everything over all this time in just one little email. We have rice and beans for every meal except breakfast. I don't eat breakfast here, it's some weird porridge so I just grab a banana or an apple. It was The Day of Children here one day this week! Monday was the holiday and the CTM was decorated and they gave us a yummy bag of chocolates. They always have 2 different meats for lunch and dinner, usually chicken and pork or fish and pork.  The desserts here are all extremely weird and I dont like any of them. I'm sorry this email isn't the best, but I'm slowly learning the language. I can understand fourteen times better than I can speak, so my understanding is pretty good. 

Tell Rachel and Joey that I'm terribly sorry, but what an amazing and exciting thing that they will be able to raise her with The Lord holding their actual hands. 

It's been a really rough week adjusting but I am truly enjoying myself. I know the Lord blesses me each and every day and I've really opened my eyes to this. Each hard day I endure ends with the perfect inspiration and motivation that I need to push me through the next day and be okay. Also, the email page here won't let me email my email group so that it's a problem for now.

Mom make sure my friends have my email please! And thank you for all you are doing to support and love me, you and dad are the best and I don't think I'll ever be able to express my love and gratitude enough to my Heavenly Father for the earthly parents he has blessed me with. Remember that every day is a blessing and the cup of water in your hand is just as much of a blessing as the clothes on your back and the bed you sleep on.

I love you all so much. 

P.S.Yes I'm tracking actual investigators. [IN PORTUGUESE]. Times up just about, talk to you next week! I miss you all so much and am so thankful for all your support.

Love,

Sister Bido

Alma 26:12

My address for the next 5 weeks...
Sister Justine Bido
Brazil Sao Paulo West Mission
Brazil Missionary Training Center
Rua Padre Antonio D'Angelo, 121Casa Verde
CEP 02516-040 Sao Paulo-SP Brazil

Sister Bido's Picture Album (select the picture to bring up the album)

Arrival day at the Sao Paulo CTM!!!! We just got an email!!!!!

We were so happy to actually get to hear from Justine today!!

On 10/7/15, Greetings from Brasil!!!!!!! Sorry I didn´t call in Atlanta, I fell on the moving stairs and my bag dropped and I flashed my G´s to everyone but it´s all good. The flight to Atlanta was really quick and quiet. Getting through Atlanta was surprisingly easy so that was good. But it was extremely far away so by the time I got to my gate, I saw an elder and we sat and talked for 2 minutes. His name is Elder Davis and then I went to the bathroom while he watched my carry on bag. So yes, I was using him so I didn't have to carry my bag all the way back to the bathroom with me.

Turns out I was right about being the only sister on the plane... and there were 3 elders. Elder Davis and I were sat beside each other and he is exactly like Austin (Pappas)!!!! It was so comforting because I felt a little at home except that he was crying about leaving his girlfriend so that was funny and random.

Anyways, I don´t have a lot of time. I´m here, I´´m safe! My companion is Sister Namauu!!!!!!! This place is so foreign and cool looking I know I´m gonna love it! Well I love you goodbye! Tell everyone I love them and that I am officially a foreign plane traveler so I´m pretty cool.

It´s lunch time though and I haven´t eaten in forever so Chow!!!

Oh and btw Pday is on Friday, but we arent sure if it will get to be this friday since we arrived today. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

OH!!! This is important, for breakfast when we got to the CTM they fed us pieces of turkey and pieces of cheese and some soup stuff? WEIRD SO WEIRD

okay bye i love you all.

oh mercy, one more thing! we can´t send pictures in the CTM... bummer.

okay bye love you lunch is calling me.

So a side note, Sister Bailey Namauu is a friend that she has met online during this time of preparation for her mission so I know that she is very excited and also comforted. So as I was getting prepared to post, I received a wonderful email from her mission President Swanson with a PICTURE!!!! Yeah!!!! He also reported that there is a live in physician who's wife is a nurse and the food is very plentiful. Also hand written letters are highly encouraged. Forgive me, I've never been a blogger and will eventually figure out how to post this photo as well!!
Love you all and as Justine's mother I am also very grateful for all of your love and compassion.

From the MTC President...
Dear Parents,
Sister Swensen and I are very happy to let you know that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil Missionary Training Center. What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they begin their missionary experiences with us. We will surely take good care of your missionary.

The missionaries now have companions and are settled into their rooms. They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study. Their branch presidents and wives, will meet them this Sunday. These wonderful couples are richly blessed as they work with, motivate, and interview the missionaries assigned to their branch.

The MTC has a full-time live-in physician to care for their health needs. He is assisted by his able wife who is a nurse. We are also happy to report that the cafeteria food is plentiful, healthy and very good.

Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple. This will be either Wednesday or Friday, depending on individual assignments.

Your missionary is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of many others. President Lorenzo Snow said: “There is no mortal man that is as interested in the success of an elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord's children". We love these missionaries as if they were our own. We will watch over them carefully to ensure they are ready for a wonderful missionary experience after the rewarding time they will have in the MTC.

We thank you for preparing such a wonderful representative of the Lord.

President Robert Swensen and Sister Julie Swensen