Sunday, March 31, 2013

March 25, 2013


I´m doing good and everything is going well. Adjusting to life here in Anil. I LOVE my companion.  She is a great missionary and I love working with her.  She is super fun.  

So yeah, now we are allowed to write more people, but they don´t really give us any extra time, so that´s a little difficult.... just type fast! 

Easter will probably just be a normal day here, but I´m still excited for it and I´m WAY excited for general conference!!! It´s gonna be SO GOOD!!!! :)  

Well... I am doing good. I am loving the work and learning a TON!  So sorry not to write more, but the internet´s not really working right now and I´m scared that I won´t be able to send it in time.....

Note from Carolyn: For those interested in watching General Conference, you can watch it by visiting www.lds.org and look for a link to watch on the main page. You can watch it live on April 6 and April 7 but it will be archived there after Conference is over. You can also find it on BYU TV online or on your TV if you get that channel. Sessions are broadcast at 11 and 3 CST on Saturday and Sunday. 



Rio Apartments

March 18, 2013


I am doing so good!
That´s cool you are talking to Sister CL's mom on the site thing! Sister CL is AWESOME! I love her already.  It has been great working with her this week and I´m way excited for this transference.  I got transferred here, but she was already here before, so it´s been good cause she already knows pretty much everything about the area!  which is way awesome! The apartment is sweet because it has room downstairs that we can go running in! This is the first are that I´ve been able to do that cause we can´t run outside.  It´s way sweet.  I am way excited to work in this new area.  Every area is a new experience and from what I´ve seen, it is going to be really good working here with the ward and with the investigators.  The ones I have already met seem awesome!  and yeah, this seems to be a very nice area.

My favorite thing is how the Spirit works with people.  Sure we can feel super inadequate, but when we have the Spirit to back up what we´re saying, well... it all works out!  One day, we had just met a woman on the street and it was way funny at first cause she didn´t want to have anything to do with us - and threw us off onto her friend that was there with us saying that he needed Jesus and stuff like that.  So we started talking to him, teaching and testifying about the restoration and said a prayer with them.  Afterwards she said Thank you and that in that moment when we were praying to bless their day, that the Lord touched her heart.  I love the great role that the Spirit has in missionary work.  It´s definitely THE most important part.

haha... yeah... I found out that my directional sense is not the best.  I have a hard time remembering where people live and how to get there..... but I´ll get it down!!  yeah... and transferences are hard lugging around suitcases to catch buses and stuff....but we survived! I came over with Sister H (who is awesome! :) and well.... it was super hard getting around especially since everyone told us all of the wrong instructions!! but we made it.... safe and sound :)  I love all of the other sisters here on the mission!  


Rio Coastline

Transferences March 11, 2013


We found out about transferences yesterday.  I´m here in my new area today, but I still haven´t met my new companion - her name is Sister CL and she just finished training.  She´s from California and from what everyone´s said, super funny.  I´ll probably meet her later today :) So I was transferred again and now I will be serving in Anil - part of Rio de Janeiro.  The chapel is super gorgeous.  but I don´t really know much about the area or well... anything!! I´m kind of scared though cause now I´ll be senior companion and that´s more of a responsibility.  I´m super nervous.  And also it´ll be two Americans together, so we´ll see how that goes! :)  but with the help of the Lord, it´ll all go right, right?

haha. also it was kind of crazy getting here this morning.  Everyone at the bus station told us every which way to go and it took us forever to end up in the right spot..... but somehow, we made it!  lugging my suitcases the whole way!


Bus in Rio

Friday, March 8, 2013

March 4, 2013


I´m doing good!  The work is going forward :) I love my area, I love my companion, I love being a missionary!!! :)  I love the work of the Lord and this opportunity that I have to be a part of it!!! I know that the Lord lives and loves each and every one of us.  and this is His work to bring about the salvation of mankind!

Transferences are again next week!  They´ve shortened some of the transferences because the amount of time people are staying in the MTCs is changing.

Mary Ann's blog just got linked to this preparetoserve.com website that lists lots of other lds mission blogs around the world. It is an interesting website to check out. If you go to the home page, there is a lot of info including videos of Brazil and other missions etc. 

http://preparetoserve.com/blog/lds-missionary-websites .

Here's a link to the announcement of the missionary age change that was announced in the October 2012 Conference. 

Carolyn here: Whenever Mary Ann doesn't send me a photo, I pull down an image from google of Rio de Janeiro or something related to the mission. I thought this was a very beautiful and amazing sand castle on a beach in Rio. 


February 25, 2103 MIssion Division!



So I guess you guys have heard then?!!! Seven more missions in Brasil!!!!!!!!!!  Isn´t that awesome?!  I didn´t know that there were fifty-eight new missions over the world, but that is AWESOME!!!!!!!!  I love to see how the work is growing and progressing!!! Yes, the Brasil Rio de Janeiro Mission is going to divide as well!  They are creating the Juiz de Fora Mission - July 1st!  I am so excited! I have no idea which side I will go to, but probably President will be making a lot of new changes in these next transfers because as of now, I don´t think there are any areas for sisters on the side that Juiz de Fora will be.  It is amazing to see how the work of the Lord is progressing and it is so wonderful to be able to be a part of it all! :)  

Fonseca is the stake center of Niterói and so for zone conference and such, everyone comes here, which is wonderful!  When I was in Cabo Frio, we would also meet with Fonseca or in Macaé both of which are pretty far away!  I love it when we have trainings with the President.  It was funny though cause we had zone conference like two weeks ago and so we thought it super weird whenever we were told that there would be another training this past Thursday.  But it was when president announced that the mission would divide.  He said that President Monson asked for them to let all of the missionaries to know before it was announced world-wide that our mission would be splitting. but we weren´t allowed to tell anyone about it until it was announced officially by the prophet.

We have twenty sisters in our mission right now - so it is growing.  A few transferences ago, there were only fourteen.  In total, I think there are about 176 missionaries... theres about 156 elders (if I counted right :), 20 sisters, a couple missionary - Elder and Sister N (who used to live in our town!!! :) I love them so much! - they said that Lisa knew their daughter!) and then Presidente and his wife :) 180 in all? 

 It is so cool to see how the work is progressing! I know that this is the work of the Lord! And I know that he is preparing many many people to accept the message of the restored gospel!


Here's a news story on the new missions created:
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/missions-created-accommodate-influx-new-missionaries

February 18, 2013






Our mission president always concentrates on the same things - to develop Christ-like attributes.  We had a zone conference this week with him and it was wonderful!!! He talked a lot about love and charity and how we should seek to develop this for everyone - companion, the people we teach members and etc.  He also talked a lot about seeking for the Spirit, obedience as well as several techniques that we can use in our teaching.  Our mission president is awesome!! I really respect him a lot!  He really lives what he teaches.

Carnaval ended on Tuesday with our Mardi Gras, so everything is back to normal now!  The work is going well.  We have several families that we are teaching now and that are progressing. I wish you could meet all of them!! Oh and remember the family that was there when I skyped? whose son is serving a mission in Brasília?  He is in our new bishopric!!  Our bishop is the same, which is perfect, but they changed all of the counselors and the secretary.  It is great because they all seem to have a good focus on missionary work.  I love the ward I am serving in!! There are so many good people!!!

Saturday we went to visit J with two members from our ward - he was a reference from them - M is recently returned from serving here in Rio and her husband is the secretary of the ward, also a recently returned missionary.  They moved here about a month or two ago.  It really showed me the importance of inviting everyone to hear about the message of the restored gospel.
It was funny cause when we got there (he lives at the top of a huge hill) he said that he only gave us his address, but didn't  tell us that he lived at the top of a giant hill because he wanted us to come for sure!  Their family is super wonderful!  There children are grown, but when we got there, their house was packed with grandchildren and neighbors.  It was super awesome!!  They should all be coming to church this next Sunday :)