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

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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!!