Feliz Natal e próspero ano novo!

Feliz Natal e próspero ano novo!

This week was great! It was fantastic to talk to everyone about Jesus Christ and help others this Christmas season. We visited a lot of less actives and recent converts this week, but also found some new people to teach. It was a great week! 

The only thing was all the rain. So this time of year, the days are all the same. Scorching hot in the morning, and pouring rain in the afternoon. It's incredible. Many times this week we got caught in the rain and got just a little soaked. I could not believe how what i got even tho I have a giant umbrella. My umbrella broke a bit in one of the storms, so that made things even better. The good thing is that I love rain and my comp and I had a great time soaking it all up and running up the hills to the nearest house of someone we know. 

This week was amazing because I had the opportunity to see the pure love of Christ in action. I have met so many people here on the mission that give everything to the Lord and to others. I want to be that person. I want to be someone who thinks nothing about themselves and only how they can help others. I am definitely not to that point yet, but I am working on it, and with God's help i will get there someday. At church yesterday a member told a stroy that really touched my heart. He said how he will never forget one lady who he met on his mission, who didnt have hardly anything to give, but wanted to give what she had to the missionaries. The lady was a little older, lived all alone and had no family to help her, but was full of charity. The member just cried as he tried to tell us how he could feel the pure love of Christ through that lady as she gave the little that she had to servants of the Lord. 

The love of Christ can change the world. People do not forget the service that others offer. I certainly cannot forget. I am so grateful for the love of God that I can feel every single day. God loves us! Christ lived and died for us! He rose from the dead and He still lives! I know that to be true, and I know that He is our Savior. So remember to help someone this Christmas. "It may be small, but if its your all, its enough."

It was also amazing to talk to my family! Even though it was a little hard to speak just English! I love them! 

Love,

Sister Berry

Aloha!

Aloha!

My comp lived in Hawaii so I think I can say aloha. Plus, I'm just happy. I am getting so excited during this Christmas season. I absolutely love talking about Jesus Christ to anyone and everyone that we see! Have we not reason to rejoice?!

This week was our Christmas conference with half the mission, and it was awesome! I love being a missionary. We got to sing the 12 days of Christmas with the whole mission, which was super hilarious. Brazil doesn,t have this song so we taught it to everyone and made it into a cool activity. We also had a talent show that was great. A lot of good singing and some funny parodies of the mission. The best part was the testimony meeting. President chose 3 missionaries who are going home this week to go first but then left it open to everyone. President chose Elder Correia as one of the first, and it was amazing. He was my Zone Leader in Boa Vista and he is already going home. I think I have said before that my favorite part of zone conferences are the testimonies of the missionaries going home, because they have such a strong spirit. They have learned to love the work with their whole souls, and they give me the strength to keep working hard until the end. I don't want to have any regrets. I cannot believe how fast time flies!

The work has been going good. We have been visiting a lot of less actives, and still trying to find new people to teach. We actually found a family who already met with the missionaries in Bahia (state in Brazil), but moved here and lost contact with the church. They are super nice and are super excited to talk with us. It is amazing how God puts people who are prepared in our path, we just have to have the courage to open our mouths and preach the gospel! I pray for that courage every day.

I have been just loving this gospel this week. I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I love even more being a missionary of this church. This scripture has been in my mind all week: 2 Nephi 33:6 "I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell." So I have been 'glorying' in truth and in my Jesus this week. This gospel is amazing, and this Christmas we have more reason than ever to thank God for our blessings and be happy. Lets be happy!!

Some things that I remember about this week: 

• -lots and lots of açaí, Sister Allred also discovered Paçoca, which is kinda like dried peanut butter and really good with açaí. Delicious!!
• -Juice! finally we have been drinking lots more natural juice, which is the best thing in the whole wide world. we tried orange juice with banana this week, good stuff. 
• -Ward christmas party! a little bit of christmas music to brighten the season . I love this ward so much!! the people here are amazing and i love them all!

Until next week, and have a merry, merry Christmas!!

Com todo o meu amor e carinho, 
Sister Berry

Feliz Natal!

It's Beginning to Feel Like Christmas

Meus queridos,

 

So many things happened this week. This week went by so fast. Its true when they say that the day goes by super slow, the weeks fast, and the months even faster. I think yesterday was our last p-day. Crazy how time flies. Especially because this week I finally realized that its almost Christmas!! Say what?! Its hard to be excited about Christmas here because it is so different from home, but now I can say that I am happy for Christmas. The reason that I am happy about Christmas is because my comp and I have been watching a bunch of Christmas videos and messages on lds.org. They are amazing and absolutely beautiful! One of my favorites is from last year: He is the Gift. Really, the Savior, Jesus Christ is the reason that we have Christmas. He gives us peace and joy. Thinking and pondering on Christ's birth and His life, I can find peace, and I can find happiness. It is amazing! 

Some exciting things about this week was our French Toast Friday! My comp is great and decided that we need more french toast in our lives. And she also brought maple flavoring with her from home (so smart!) so we ate delicious french toast with maple syrup. More delicous things that we ate this week was churros at a house of a less active. He made them himself and it was awesome! I am going to buy a churro machine when I get home haha.

Its been a little hard these past few weeks finding new people to teach. Sister Allred is still a little aprehensive about talking to people that she doesn't know, but we are both working about getting better at this. She is really amazing and helps me so much. Its amazing the Spirit that every one can feel when she teaches and bears testimony. She doesn't talk perfectly, so she has to rely on the Spirit to testify to those we are teaching, and we can all feel it. I have forgotten a bit about that. I have been relying more on what I say than how I say it. So that is something that I am working on.

I also wanted to say that it is super important to visit people in the church. People need so much help and want friends in the church. Show people how much you love them! 

Tchau!

Sister Berry

Fastest Week Ever

Hello :)

This week went by sooo fast! I just cannot believe it. Time goes by super fast, it's not even fair. But this week went by super fast because it was a really good week. We walked a lot but actually taught some people and were able to make a little progress. It was great :)

We found some great people to teach too, just that they are living with their boyfriends, kids and all but arent married. Why?? Satan has centered his attack on the family in these last days. He will do everything that he can to destroy families. We have to be strong and remember that we were put here on earth to have joy. I know that the only way that we can have true joy is living the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The cherry on top of the week was the baptism of Dayana! She is absolutely amazing and I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to teach her. She has known the church for years but never had the desire to get baptized, until now. Her family are all members, but have been less active and are slowly coming back. It is amazing to see the light in her eyes and her desire to change and serve the Lord! I love their little family! ( Litterally little because they are all 'fun size' haha i love it!) 

My comp is still loving Brazil and Açaí. We eat açaí all the time now because she loves it, and I dont complain :) Oh my comp and I also made 'Rice crispy treats' on Thanksgiving because it was the only thing we could think of. But Brazil doesnt have rice crispies and the marshmallows had a strong vanilla taste, but it turned out good. And today for P-day me and Sister L. Freitas made mini pizzas! yup, I was the one who made the dough. I can cook! It was delicious :)

Even though life is hard I am loving life! I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He can stregthen you and lift you up. His hands are outstretched and waiting, we just have to reach up. :)

Love you all, 

Sister Berry

God Freely Gives

e aí, Beleza? ;)

Well, things have been a little crazy this week. Something exciting always happens, and thats what makes missions so fun! I love it here.

We have been walking a lot this week and my companion is still getting used to mission life, but like I said, she is amazing. Things are going really well with her and I know that she is going to be a super succesful missionary. She is super shy but she really wants to change. We are both working on ways that we can change for the better. 

Speaking of change, I have changed a lot more than I realized. Being with a newbie has reminded me what I was like when I got here. I didn't know the language, I didnt know how to teach the gospel, I didnt know how to be a missionary yet, and I still hadnt learned a lot about Jesus Christ and His gospel. I don't know how my first companion stood being around me all the time. Sister Beazer is amazing! Seriously I have learned so much, and I want to learn so much more.

We had a zone conference this week with our mission President which was amazing. A sister in the zone gave an amazing training that made me think a lot. She talked about gratitude. Gratitude is something that we all have to have no matter the circumstances that we are in. So she asked each one of us what we are grateful for. The first thing I thought of was the love from my family and my Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for His love!! I don't know what I would do without it. Love is something that we all want to feel and something that God freely gives. I want to help people feel the love of God. I want people to see that I love them too. I want to have the love of Christ in my life.

Other news, today we helped out with a Mormon Helping Hands activity in the stake of loading water onto trucks to send to another state in Brazil that suffered a natural disaster. I love helping people. Show your love for someone this week! Its the little things that make all the difference.

Love Sister Berry :)

A North America Companion!

Well this has been kind of a crazy week! But things are going great! I love my new companion! She is an absolute sweetheart and is excited to be a missionary. So her name is Sister Allred, she is from Indiana (North American!), and came straight from the Brazil MTC. Of course this week was a little hard for her with all the walking and with the language but she is moving forward and willing to do everything that needs to be done. She is a super shy person but is willing to talk portuguese to learn. She is speaking the language really well and I know that she will be fluent in no time. I let her leave little scripture messages most of the time and she talks great, she just gets a little scared sometimes. I am so grateful for this opportunity and I pray that we can learn what we need to learn together. I am ready to work hard and see miracles. I know that I can do hard things with the strength of the Lord!

And there isn't really much more that I can say about this week. We walked a lot, and talked to a lot of people. I am feeling a little overwhelmed with this new responsiblility but I am also super excited. I love being a missionary and I know that I am learning exactly what I need to learn.

So the last day with Sister C. Lima we ate TACOS at a members house and it was amazing! I miss mexican food! The member also knows how to make burritos so hopefully we eat that this week. Yummm!

And I love this ward so much! They help us so much and always bring friends to church and show us people to teach. That is the best and easiest way to make a missionary happy. Share the gospel with the people that you love. Its also an easy way to make our Heavenly Father happy. Our Heavenly Father loves each of us and wants us all to come back to His presence. I am so happy because I know that my Savior loves me! and He loves you too. Dont forget it. Never forget that you are a child of Heavenly Father, who loves you! So many people in the world dont know that, and it is our responsibility to tell everyone.

Thanks for reading! And maybe send me an email or letter sometime ;)

love, Sister Berry

Sao Paulo east mission
Rua Caa- Acu 229 belenzinho

03171-020 Sao paulo SP

Brazil

I Love Being a Missionary

Olá,

Things are going great here and I cannot believe how fast time flies. Life goes by so fast! So I guess we have to make to most of it while we can. We have to be happy now. I reread an awesome talk by Uchtdorf from General Conference about being grateful in any circumstance. Its really good stuff and super true. So Im going to be happy no matter what. Rain or shine I will have a smile on my face, loving life :D, because that is what life is all about: being happy. 

 Also something super exciting about this week is transfers! Exciting because I am all about new things, and things are going to change a little bit around here. My companion, Sister C. Lima is being transfered, and I'm going to stay here with another companion who is new on the mission! So its super sad that Sister C. Lima is leaving but I know that other people need her too. And I don't know who I will be with yet, only tomorrow at the transfer meeting. I am super excited and a little anxious to see how all this goes. 

So also some exciting things happened this week. Have I already told you how much I love being a missionary? Well, some good things and sad things happened. First something sad-- we were teaching Igor this week. Igor is 17, already went to church and was reading the Book of Mormon. Since the beginning he always said "Sister, i wont get baptized." We stayed with him a bit because he is super good and likes our lessons. But this last lesson was sad because he said he knows it's true but doesnt want to follow it. We bore our testimonies, and told him that we know that the Church is true and that it can bless his life. Sister C. Lima told him that we are here because we want to help people. Finally he agreed to come to church again, but when we passed by Sunday he didn't answer. So that was sad. 

BUT, we found this other great young man on the same street who we taught and came to church on Sunday! Its amazing how sometimes "doors close, but somewhere God opens a window." 

And Antonio got baptized on Sunday! I cant remember if I talked about him or not, sorry that I don't explain much about our investigators. Anyway, Antonio is amazing and was definitely prepared by God to hear about the gospel. A member in the ward gave him a For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet, he read it, came to church and got baptized a little over a month later. He is so happy to have the gospel and wants to share it with others by serving a mission too! You can change peoples lives just by sharing a little bit of what we have. We have the truth. We have the key to happiness. You can do hard things! 

love you all! tchau!

Sister Berry

One Year!

Hello!

Whoa this week I'll be making my one year mark! I cant believe how fast time flies. Well a lot of things happened this week-as always- and I never have enough time to talk about all the miracles that I see here on the mission. I love being a missionary so much! 

So it was my brithday this week! Thanks to the ones that sent me birthday wishes! Thank you for thinking of me! It was a pretty normal day on the mission- studying, walking, visiting people, and talking to everyone about Jesus Christ (that makes it all the better ;). And then to make it even better another Sister that lives in the house with us has the same birthday! So we had a party together at one of the sisters house in the other ward with some missionaries in the zone. We ate a lot of pizza and ate a lot of cake. :) It was a great way to end the day. 

We also had a talent show in the ward on Saturday! My comp and I sang a song in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Just something simple but it was cool to see some of the talents in the ward. Singing, hip hop dancing, Capoeira (Brazilian fight dance), and more. 

And just one of the miracles this week was church on Sunday. It was a holiday on Monday so a lot of people went out of town this weekend to take advantage of the 3 day weekend. And we had nobody to come to church with us. We called all of our investigators and even passed by some houses before church but nobody answered. Then we got to church and THREE members brought their friends to church and we were able to set up appointments with them. Heavenly Father loves them and He knows that we are working diligently here. I love being a missionary and seeing the hand of the Lord in my life!

 

Thank you all for the prayers! 

Com amor, Sister Berry

Daylight Savings

Olá a todo!

So many things happened this week! So many things. It was like a giant roller coaster ride. Absolutely full of ups, downs, sudden stops and sharp turns. Overall I can say with certainty that we are seeing miracles here. I have seen miracles. It is amazing.

First off, last week I forgot to tell you that it was day light savings time, so we lost an hour of sleep (whyyyyy?) and I am still super tired. This is why I love Arizona (no daylight savings time).

Second, we went to the temple!! It was beautiful and I loved it. I could feel the peace that the Savior offers us. Going just made me want to go again and again and again. We took lots of pictures and I ate Subway, which was delicious! Oh how I miss it. Going to the temple also made me miss my family. It also reminded me that my family is forever. I will be able to live with my family again after death, if we all live righteously. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and His amazing plan of happiness.

Another good/crazy thing, we had a really good lesson with Karol and Diego. I think I’ve already talked about them a little bit. We are working a lot with them and trying to help Diego receive his answer too. Karol is absolutely amazing. She is one of the miracles I was talking about. She was a referral (help the missionaries!!) and says she has finally found the church where she wants to stay. She was having a lot of doubts because she wants to live the law of chastity but her boyfriend Diego so far doesn’t want anything to do with the church. She told us that she knows that it’s true. Anyway we marked a dinner with them and also our zone leaders to talk with Diego (it’s super hard to talk to Diego because he avoids us. So far it’s only been through food that we have been able to talk to him. Hence, dinner). I also made chocolate chip cookies! They weren’t as good as my Dads though. I need your recipe dad!

So the lesson was crazy, because we were trying to explain the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity but he wouldn’t accept anything. He told us that coffee being something bad would never enter in his head, and that he would never accept it. And we just told him to pray and to read the Book of Mormon. He said he would, but then I felt prompted to ask him "Would you like to know that the Book of Mormon is true?" He said yeah sure, but then Karol said no, that he doesn’t want to know. 

Diego doesn’t want to know it’s true because if it’s true he would have to change his life. He would have to change a lot of stuff. We have done all that we could to help him, and now it’s all in the Lords hands. He went to church on Sunday and Karol said that he would go with her every Sunday now. Karol is just waiting for Diego for her to be baptized. It’s frustrating, but I know that it’s all in the timing of the Lord. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have taught Karol. We had another lesson with her on Saturday. Just us. We talked, and we cried together. She said that she prays every night with her whole heart that Diego will change and will be able to receive an answer too. We pray so much and so hard for them. It’s crazy the love you feel for people out here.

More news: We moved! Now we are living with Sister L. Freitas and Sister Godoy because their house is huge and is actually in our area. It’s a 2 story house, and so far things are good. We moved Saturday morning and I finally got to unpack and organize a little today. It’s closer to the chapel so it’s easier for us.

Yesterday we had a devotional at the church that was a broadcast from the CTM here in Brazil. It was Aidukatus, Mazzagardi and Presidente Costa. It was awesome and made me so happy to be on a mission. Prepare now to go on a mission! Study the scriptures and gain a testimony now. It will be the best decision of your life.

I love being a missionary. Thank you for your prayers. I need them.

Love ya! Sister Berry

I Feel My Savior's Love

Hey hey hey :)

Well this week was interesting, definitely full of ups and downs, but overall it was pretty amazing. A lot of things happened this week. So let me try and sum it up a bit.

• The neighors cat Mahi always sneeks into our house, but he's adorable so its ok
• I almost ate a whole pizza with some other Elders in our District. Pizza is really different here but its good. And I was hungry.
• Interviews with President Silcox this week (AMAZING) 
• Gave a talk in Sacrament meeting about missionary work. My comp and the Ward Mission Leader did too. Great meeting!
• We are going to the temple tomorrow!! Woo hoo! Ill be going to the one here in Sao Paulo.
• We ponderized John 14:27 
• I made lunch for my comp, complete with salad and dessert. It was delicious and nobody died.Aaaaand -- Val got baptized!!

Alright so thats some of the things we did :) I had times when I was a little discouraged this week but Heavenly Father loves me and answered my prayers. I really found the peace that the Savior offers: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled and neither let it be afraid." I could feel the Savior's love when my President gave me a blessing, when I stood talking to the ward from the pulpit in Portuguese about missionary work, about how the gospel changes lives; when I sang I am a Child of God in English for Val's baptism and when we sang it in Portuguese. I am so grateful for my Saviors love that He freeely gives us. Val was really someone chosen and prepared from the Lord. I am so happy and grateful to have been an instrument in the Lords hands to help her come unto Christ. 

Sorry, I ran out of time. Love ya and until next week!!

Love Sister Berry

Jesus é bom

Olá todo mundo :)

Things went really great this week, just like every week.  I LOVE being a missionary. Have I said that enough? Anyway, this week I've been listening to all the conference talks in English and it is so fantastic. I  understood it in  Portuguese  but it is just more  personal  to hear it  in  your own  language,  in their  own words. I  also couldn’t  pay much attention to the sessions on Sunday because I was thinking  about  a million things at once,  with finding rides  for investigators and worrying about the ones we couldn’t get in contact with. So I am happy now to listen to all the talks in peace :) 

I have also been listening to some songs in Spanish a lot this week. I still want to learn Spanish! I will once I get home.  But I got the song Glorious by David Archeleta in Spanish and I love it! My comp and I also decided to 'ponderize' (reference from gen conference, Check it out!!) scriptures in Portuguese, English, and Spanish every week. Challenge accepted! This week we ponderized 3 Nephi 5:13 "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life."  Good stuff.

This week a sister in the ward gave us money for lunch and we made Lasagna! It was mostly Sister C. Lima who made it but I helped out. Now I know how to make Brazilian lasagna, so be excited for that when I get home. ;)

Something else delicious we ate this week was tapioca with chocolate filling. YUM! It’s sad that we don’t have this type of tapioca in the United States.

We had a Family home evening with some less actives that was fantastic. People here are so amazing. We watched the Mormon Message by Elder Christofferson called the Will of God. We may not know why certain things happen to us, but we need to remember that it is all a part of God's plan for us. We just have to trust in Him and keep moving forward in faith. 

Sister C. Lima  asked Carlos, the father of the family  to say the  closing  prayer and to everyone’s astonishment,  he got right up to say a heartfelt  prayer to our Father in heaven. Later, his son Gerson, who's preparing for a mission, told us that he had never heard his dad pray out loud before. Gerson wants so much that his family comes back to church, and I know that his prayers are being answered.  Maybe not as quickly as he would like, but it is all according to the time of the Lord.

Other people that we are teaching and that are progressing are Val, William, Karol, and Diego. William was a miracle who went to conference with a friend and loved it. He also had already downloaded the Book of Mormon on his phone and had read it before we taught him! Miracles! Val is another miracle that we are teaching and helping a lot.  She knows that church is important and that she needs to go every week. She has two little boys who are a little crazy. One primary teacher called Junior 'Pimentinha', basically little fire ball, or little pepper. So that makes church exciting. I love her and I know that she was prepared by angels to hear the gospel.

Finally, there's Karol and Diego. Karol is doing fantastic. She always talks about the church as 'her church' and wants to follow its teachings. She says prayers like she has been a member for years and is reading the Book of Mormon and listening to general conference. The ONLY problem is the law of chastity. It’s been hard to sit down and talk with Diego because he was running from us for a bit, but we finally sat down and talked to him a couple times this week. Slowly we have seen the change in him.  He came to church the week before conference and liked it, but he still needs to pray about the Book of Mormon. Karol wants Diego to be coming to church before she gets baptized or commits to living the law of chastity. It’s difficult to accept but I know that it’s all in the Lords timing. We just have to trust in him and keep praying for guidance.

Whoa super long email. Alright, just to finish, this week we heard a lot of people tell us "Jesus é bom.'' Jesus is good. A lot of people from evangelical churches say that phrase or 'Paz no Senhor" when we pass by or say Good morning. So it’s kind of a passing comment between members of the church, almost like 'What would Jesus do?" But I got to thinking about that phrase Jesus é bom. Really, truly Jesus Christ is good.  He loves us and will help us with whatever we need. Heavenly Father made this beautiful world for us with all that we need to eat and survive. Have you ever thought about how amazing watermelon is? God made watermelon! And it is so delicious :)

Thank you all for reading

Love ya, Sister Berry

I Stand All Amazed

Olá everyone!

Well, this week was super-hot. The weather in Sao Paulo is so strange! Last week is was rainy and cold, and this week was sun and heat. But the heat reminds me of home so I’m ok with it. Plus there is an awesome ice cream shop with açaí that is super delicious. Oh açaí with sweetened condensed milk and banana is perfect for a hot day.

Besides the heat this week was pretty normal. We walked a lot but taught a lot too, which is good. We are teaching a bunch of people who have trouble keeping their commitments, like coming to church and reading the Book of Mormon, which is sad, frustrating, but normal. We are teaching a girl named Karol who is super amazing. She is 18 and has a strong desire to learn the truth and live it, but her boyfriend Diego is a little hesitant. We are hoping and praying that all goes well with her and that she will be able to progress. She also thinks that I'm adorable because I'm American.

Another cool thing this week was that I tried something that an Elder taught me a while back. There are usually fruit stands on the street here, (which is awesome) and if you ask the owner how much for one banana they will usually give you one for free or even two. :) The Elder told me and I didn’t really believe it, but I was hungry, saw a banana stand, asked how much for one banana and he gave me two and said I didn’t need to pay. Ha! My companion thought I was crazy for asking but it was a great afternoon snack. I love Brasil!

Some of my spiritual insights for the week I received during sacrament meeting. I have been trying really hard lately to do my absolute best, to be perfectly obedient and work my hardest, but sometimes I still feel inadequate. Sometimes I feel like I will never be enough or that I'll never be perfect. But as I was sitting at church thinking about my week, I felt the peace that the Spirit brings. 

The Sacrament hymn was "Assombro me Causa" or I Stand All Amazed. Really and truly, 

"I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me. Confused at the grace that so fully He profers me, I tremble to know that for me He was crucified. That for me a sinner He suffered, He bled and died. 

I marvel that He would descend from his throne divine to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine, that He should extend His great love unto such as I. Sufficient to own to redeem and to justify. 

I think of His hands pierced and bleeding to pay to debt. Such mercy such love and devotion can I forget? No, no I will praise and adore at his mercy seat, until at his glorified throne I kneel at His feet. 

Oh it is Wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me! Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me!"

I am imperfect and weak, but Christ loves me perfectly and gives me strength. I am doing better than I think I am, and what I am doing wrong Christ will help me change. I am so grateful for the gospel of second chances. I am so grateful to be a missionary. I love it so much!!

Have a great week! Stay strong and pray always.

Love, Sister Berry

The Week of Rain

Oi Família e amigos!

So this week went by really slow. It rained all week, and that makes missionary work really difficult here. Some days it was okay, but others it was super stormy and we had to stay at some appointments a little longer than planned. So all of my shoes got wet and are STILL drying.

Something good-- there was a mission conference with President Jairo Mazzagardi. He is an area leader here in Brazil. He was super funny and also super helpful for my mission life. He talked a lot about obedience, repentance, and how to help people come unto Christ. I learned so much from him and from the Spirit of God. I need to do better. We always have something that we aren’t doing perfectly, and I was shown a lot of things that I need to change. I really want to be the best person I can be, I want to be more like Jesus Christ. I have a long way to go.

It was also good this week because I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. Bishop called on Saturday and asked if I could talk about Charity. It was a great opportunity to study charity, the pure love of Christ. I found a great talk about charity from the April 2014 general conference by President Thomas S. Monson called Love: The Essence of the Gospel. It was really good, and I learned that I need to be so much nicer to people. We need to love everyone! We are all children of God, brothers and sisters. Really it’s just the little things that make all the difference. There is an irmã in the ward who writes little notes to people on their birthdays or just because. I read my little note that she wrote to me and I just felt so happy and so loved, even though I don’t really know her yet. Try to do something today to make someone a little happier, and you'll be happier too.

And this Sunday was the baptism of Pedro! Pedro is 9 years old and is so intelligent. His family is coming back to church which is so amazing to see. I am so grateful for a gospel of second chances. I’m so grateful that it is never too late to do the right thing. My comp and I sang Faz Me Andar Só Na Luz with Cially a recent returned missionary, and it was beautiful. I am so grateful for the peace, comfort and happiness the Holy Spirit brings.

Sister Berry

Btw I made my dad’s no bake cookies with the peanut butter my fam sent me and I made Hummus! I can cook! Thank you so much!

Mothers

Olá para todos!

This was a really good week. There were good days and bad days, but overall it made me happy to be a missionary here in Brazil. I know that God is guiding my life and helping me every step of the way.

So, this week I was thinking a lot about moms of missionaries. I had the opportunity to talk to two different kinds of moms recently, and it’s crazy how different they were. 

First we talked to a less active mom, whose son is preparing to serve a mission. Her brother is also on a mission right now, so she knows how missions work. We talked to her and she started telling us that she is scared for her son to go on a mission, and at first she didn’t want him to go. She has seen the changes it has made on her brother and also doesn’t think she would be able to handle being away from her son, without being able to know everything that’s happening. (I am so grateful for mothers, for my mother.) So, she isn’t completely against him going, but isn’t really supporting him either.

That whole experience made me remember in my last area there was a Missionary mom who was absolutely against missions. Her daughter left her family to serve, and she was still bitter about it. The mother just couldn’t let it go that her daughter left her family to be a missionary. I remember during that lesson I just wanted to cry and tell her exactly how important and special it is for me to be a missionary, but words just can’t express how I feel, how all missionaries feel. I told her that her missionary daughter loved the Lord, and just wanted to help others come unto Christ. She didn’t leave because she didn’t love her Mom, the exact opposite. It is love that brings us out here.

Finally, the last missionary mom. Silvana is the mother of a recently returned missionary (one month home), and is amazing. It was really hard for her to send the first of two daughters on a mission far away from home. But she trusted in the Lord, and learned from her daughter too.

Well, that was a lot and I hope that made a little sense. Sorry but I was thinking a lot about that this week. I am so grateful for my amazing mother. Who loves me and supports me while I am so far away. Thank you Mom!

I really just want to use this time here to get to know my Savior. I want to know Him. And I know I can only do that by walking where He walked, by doing what He did, and studying the words that He spoke. I am learning to talk to my Heavenly Father in prayer, and to trust completely in Him. We can all come to know our Savior Jesus Christ through scripture study, prayer, and church attendance. He is waiting for us all with open arms to come unto Him. He loves us!!

Remember to be strong, and pray always. :)

Love, Sister Berry

Family is Important to God

Hello everyone!

(This picture was sent the following week.)

Well, I’m feeling much better now and my companion and I were able to work super hard this week and talk to a lot of new people. I am learning to love the area and the people here more every day. There are so many good people here in the ward! 

We’ve been talking a lot with a recently returned missionary who is awesome and has been introducing us to all of her friends. I love missionaries. And we even have some baptisms marked in the coming weeks! One that will happen this weekend is the wife of an ex missionary who left the church but is coming back! Their marriage is on Saturday and her baptism is on Sunday! It’s going to be great. She is fantastic and really wants to change her life and learn more about the gospel. The Lord is preparing the people in this area, and it is amazing to see it.

We are also teaching 9 year old Pedro whose family has been away from the church for a couple years, but is also coming back, with a little bit of a struggle. His mom, Nayra, was in the church as a youth, but got pregnant really young and then never came back. She keeps asking us, "Are you sure that this will go right? Can my son really get baptized? Maybe we should wait until the end of the year..."   and we just keep telling her that everything will be alright and that this is the right thing for her to do.

The church is true! Family is so important to God, and He wants us to be happy. We are trying to visit the family a little more to strengthen their faith- making sure that they are reading the scriptures every day and saying their prayers. It is ALL about the little things! We need to strengthen our testimonies every day, step by step, drop by drop.

This ward is really great and I am loving getting to know all the members here. The area is FULL of hills and stray dogs. Oh, our little house is great too :) We live on the bottom floor of a 3 story house and members live above us. They are SUPER nice to us and help us out a lot.

 Oh…help the missionaries. Look for ways to serve them, especially when lunch/dinner falls through. We feel so much love. I love being a missionary!

Thank you so much for your prayers! I feel them!

Love ya, Sister Berry

Transfers

Tudo Bem?

Well, I got transferred and now I'm in São Paulo, in the neighborhood Itaim Paulista. Everything is super different from where I was before. There are a lot more big avenues full of cars and stores, and a lot less green. Plus we live in the middle of a giant hill, so we are always going uphill or downhill. My legs have really been suffering. And this week I’ve been sick, which is horrible on the mission. 

At church yesterday I was half dead, and I just wanted to sleep. But I’m feeling a little better so don’t worry about me. Oh, I also got a new companion! Her name is Sister C. Lima, she's from a city only about 2 hours from here, which is interesting, and has 7 months on the mission. She's been in the area for just one transfer but loves it here. I feel super lost here but I’m learning.

Sorry I’m not really sure what else to say. Even though it’s hard, I love being a missionary. I want to learn so much more! I learn something new each day. Thank you for all your support and all the prayers. I need them. :)

Awesome quote from Brigham young: "Truly happy is that man or woman, who enjoys the privileges of the gospel of the Son of God and who knows how to appreciate his blessings."

Remember to be happy. 

Me and my new companion

Don't Eat Pete Success!

love you!

Sister Berry

Pencils and Pancakes

Well this week was FANTASTIC. Sister Freitas and I worked so hard and we were really able to see even more miracles. It is absolutely amazing! Remember I told you about Tamires last week? Well, she is absolutely amazing and was so prepared to hear the gospel. We were able to talk to her 'husband´' (not married legally-- whyyyyyyyy??), and it went really well. We weren't able to teach him again because his only day off is Monday, but Tamires told us that he got an answer too! They did exactly what we ask every person to do. They read a part of the Book of Mormon, prayed with faith, asking God if the Book of Mormon was true or not, and they received an answer to their prayers! That is all we are asking. Read it and ask God. They are so amazing. They are so willing to change and follow the example of Jesus Christ.

They all went to Church on Sunday: Marcos, Tamires, and their 5 children. Yep 5 kids under the age of 11. Church was great! I had the sense to bring some colored pencils and markers and some paper that kept them all occupied. Sister Freitas and I took care of the kids while the parents listened to the talks. I think they really liked it. The kids too. I got some great drawings out of it as well. I love them so much already!! We are having a Family Home Evening with them tonight and I plan on showing Brazil how to play Don’t Eat Pete, or  "Não come o Pedro,” it’s gonna be awesome :)

The sad thing though is that tomorrow is transfers...and I’m leaving the area. It is super sad because we finally found amazing people to teach after so much difficulty and I just love the members here. I love this place so much. But at the same time I know it’s time for me to leave. I know that the Sister that takes my place will be perfect and will be able to help Tamires and Marcos marry and help all the members here. I really feel like that I have done all that I could have to help this area. So I am excited to go someplace new and find new people that need me.

Something super exciting happened this morning :) I made a German pancake! Yup, just one, but it was ginormous! And super delicious. I think the next ones I make will be even better :) I’m excited. I even had a lime and powdered sugar. Heaven!

We were also able to visit a lot of recent converts and less actives this week, which is good but sad at the same time. Things will never be perfect! Some people think that after they have stepped onto the straight and narrow path that all is finished. But it doesn’t end there. God gives us challenges to make us stronger! We can overcome any difficulty with the help of our Savior. It is all about Jesus Christ. So visiting recent converts is great. It’s great to see them grow in the gospel. But some recent converts need help, and less actives have sometimes abandoned the church altogether. All the answers are right here in front of them! All we have to do is endure to the end and we will be happy. We will receive blessings from heaven and rest for our souls. We just have to have an eternal perspective. Remember what really matters. I love the people here in the ward so much and I will miss them a lot.

Alright, so remember to be happy, no matter what. You can do hard things. I can too :)

Eu amo vocês!

Sister Berry

Wait, is that a steer? A guy riding a steer in the middle of the street?
Yeah, I’m gonna take a picture of that.

"Sem luta não há vitória."

Família e Amigos,

 E aí? :) I hope everything is going great with all of you!

Well, this week was a lot better! People were actually a little happy to see us and we were able to teach a lot more lessons. What was sad though is that Sister Freitas has been sick so we've had to take it a little slow. It was just a bad cold, and she's all better now. So now I’m ready to work!

 A little info about my comp: She's picking up little English phrases that I say sometimes. Like "Oh my goodness,"  "dang it", and "What?!" It’s pretty awesome. We've also been saying a phrase that one of our investigators  (a little crazy and random lady) said last week: "Sem luta não há vitória." Which translates to-  “Without a struggle there is no victory.” It sums of the story of our lives right now, and is so true. We need trials and difficulties so we can grow stronger! Sem luta não há vitória! It is so hard to get rejected time and time again, but I know that if I do my best I cannot fail. Heavenly Father has given me the strength I need and will continue to do so. Thank you for your prayers! I have needed every one.

 It is soooo humid here! I can’t even believe it. There is mold everywhere! My bible got wet in the rain last week and it is still damp. The struggle is real. The good news is that I love the food here. I am still loving rice and beans day after day after day after day. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna miss it. More good news, I’m learning some Brazilian recipes! We will have a Brazilian party when I get back! Speaking of going back, I hit the halfway mark this week! I can’t even believe it. Nine months in Brazil went by so fast! But I’m excited for the rest of my time here. I am so happy here and grateful for all that I am learning.

Até mais, Sister Berry

Trial of Faith and Climbing Mountains

What’s happening with you all? Well, I hope things are going great and I would love to hear from you guys! Just remember that I am always here waiting :) I am soooo grateful for my amazing family! I love them so much! Alright let’s get down to business and explain what happened this week.

(I hope Sister Berry doesn't get mad—but I included the following paragraph from an email she sent me so that her letter to everyone else makes a bit more sense.)

First let me tell you that this week was rough. No one wanted to listen to us. We talked to literally everyone on the streets but no one wanted to talk to us or learn more. EVERY person we talked to was from some other church and most of them didn’t even accept a little passalong card. AND all our investigators dropped us. One girl didn’t even let us in her house she just told us that it was too hard to wake up early for church and she didn’t want us to visit anymore. One day was super hard and it was raining and no one wanted to talk to us and I just cried after every rejection. Oh it was so hard. It’s still hard. A day or two after that we visited a recent convert who told us that she was losing her faith and she didn’t want to go to church anymore. I lost it. I just cried and cried about her and about the whole week. How am I supposed to help people gain their faith when mine is being beaten down? Really these past weeks have tested my faith. Almost more than I think I can bear. I am learning so much, and I know I will be stronger because of it. Things will get better. But if not, I will continue to work hard and build my faith. 

This week was not the most fun, but I definitely learned a lot. I learned a lot about faith. I read a talk this week (that I can’t remember the name of right now, I think it was Holland’s “Bitter Cup and the Bloody Baptism” but I’m not sure) that talked about faith. It said that you really don’t know how strong your faith really is until it’s tested, until you have to hang on to it to stay alive. Well, my test was this week. I really REALLY had to think about what I believe and why I am here. I had to think about what I had been called here to

do. I know that faith is things HOPED for, and that we can’t always see the end result. We can’t always see God’s plan for us. But the thing is, I know that God DOES has a plan for each one of us. He can and will help us to become the best that we can be. I’m excited to change for the better and to use this next week to continue working hard. I love my Savior!! I know that He loves us! I am so grateful to be here and to be learning so much, even though it’s hard.

On the brighter side of things, we had an exchange with another set of missionaries, where you switch companions for a day. I was with Sister Sautter who has been in Brazil for only 3 months but is super happy and awesome. She's from AZ too! From Flagstaff and Buckeye. It was so great to be with her and to learn new things from her. I just love missionaries :)

And Pday today was awesome :) We climbed the mountain again but with the whole zone. I also slid down the mountain side on a bike trail. I didn’t do it last time so that was fun, but I got mud everywhere. I am so grateful for the beautiful earth that God made for us. Like I always say, "Heavenly Father did a good job."

I love you!

Sister Berry

Working Até o Pó

Well Hi!

This week has been pretty exciting! It goes by so fast and so slow at the same time. I can't even remember what happened this week. Well, first it’s been a bit hotter this week. Perfect weather to sit in the shade and soak up the day. It’s just that as a missionary we walk in the sun so it’s been hot, but it’s been good. Really it’s just been that sticky kind of humid that you can feel in the air. So that was fun for my life.

 A great thing that happened this week was our interviews with President Silcox. It was just an opportunity for him to talk to us individually and get to know us. He told me something awesome that I really loved. He said as a Stake President he 'disobligated' (is that a word? Well it’s the word they use in Portuguese so it should make a little sense) almost 500 missionaries that completed their missions. And something that he told every one of them was that God never forgets the work that we do here. He will always remember and bless us for dedicating 18 months or 2 years of our lives to His work. That was something that I really needed to hear this week and remember.

Like the subject line says, we have been working and walking até o pó-- which means 'a whole lot' if I haven’t explained that before. It’s been hard to find people at home or people that are willing to listen to us. I have really needed diligence this week. I just want to be more like Jesus. I want to be kind, loving, hardworking, patient, and obedient. And day by day I have been getting better and better. Beth thank you so much for the letter with the picture of Jesus pondering. It has reminded me what I am here to do. I am here to help other people find happiness and joy in the true and restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I will work hard until the very end. :

Thanks for listening!

Until next week

Sister Berry

Soak It Up

Howdy all,

Well things are going fantastic here in Boa Vista :) I have finally been able to get to work this week! We have been walking 'até o pó', as they say here in Brazil. Its means a whole lot!! We've been walking and talking with everyone. We've been just trying to talk to everyone to tell them about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Oh, but first, my new companion! Her name is Sister Freitas da Silva (there was already a Freitas, Silva, da silva, and it’s just easier this way) and she's been out for 3 months! She is just adorable and I love her already! She's from João Pessoa which is in the northeastern part of Brasil. Another "Nordestina" as they say. Like I said, she is just great and we are having a good time together so far. She's also an only child, and turned 19 just before leaving on the mission. She is super nice to me, but tells me that I need to study Portuguese -___- So I’ve been trying to study a little more so I can be more confident with the language. We are going to do amazing things here!!

BTW Congrats to Jacob Wagher for leaving on his mission this next week! I know he is going to do amazing things in the Dominican Republic! Missions are great!!

What was AMAZING this week was my packages!! Thank you so much Ivan and Nichole!! And thank you Beth and Kelley and Family! The slippers are perfect and I’m wearing the shoes you sent right now. THANK YOU! And I loved the picture book and strawberry jam (thanks Ma). Oh my goodness you have no idea how happy that book made me. Thank you so much! I can’t even say it enough. I love you so much! Do you know how much I love you all? I don’t think so ;) Thanks for the love.

So I love being a missionary, but sometimes I forget. It’s really easy to forget when you get home at night dead tired and just want to sleep. So this week I’ve been trying to remember, to remind myself that I LOVE being a missionary here in Brazil. I love Brazil! It is so amazing all the things that I have been able to see and do here. And I want to make sure that I make the most of these 18 months. I want to make the most of every single day out here. So my goal for this next week is to soak up, cherish, and savor every day and every single moment. Maybe it sounds a little weird, but its what’s going to happen. I love my Heavenly Father, and I know He loves me. I know that I am here for a reason, and that I need to learn something here. I’m ready for the challenges! Bring it on!

So I guess I’m just here to remind you that you can do hard things. Let’s triumph together! It’s never easy, but in His strength we can do all things! Thank you so much for you love and support. Make sure to make the most of every day.

Some great quotes from "Grandma's Classroom Door"

Yesterday you said tomorrow.
Pray like it all depends on God, and then work like it all depends on you.

I love you all!!!

com amor, Sister Berry

New Beginnings

E aí?

How’s it going? I hope everything is great with you all. I love all your emails!! Thank you so much for thinking of me. You have no idea the difference it makes in my week and how happy it makes me. Thank you!

This week was a lot better, but still super slow. My companion was able to take off her little cast but hasn't been able to walk much, which is really a bummer when walking is your life. But we were able to visit some people who lived closer to home which was great. I love missionary work! I am so excited to get back up and running again! And I am still reading a lot which is good too. And with these cold days it is amazing to be able to drink some amazing hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is good for the soul.

 A lot of great things happened this week and I can't even remember them all. Basically, I LOVE this ward and all the people here. I am so thankful for all that they do to help the missionaries. We had a great Family Home evening with some recent converts and just had a great time together. We ate some delicious cake and a dessert made of corn called Canjica that I love.

We also had our Welcome Conference with our new President and his wife. They are so amazing and I know they are going to do a great job. Sister Silcox is still learning Portuguese so it was awesome to hear from here. Also, President Silcox Served in Tucson, Arizona for 5 months before coming to Brazil! Yay Arizona! 

Something the President asked us to do to prepare for the meeting was read and study 3 Nephi 5:13, which reads something like: "I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among the people, that they may have eternal life." I was able to study what it means to be a true disciple of Christ, which we all need to be. Thanks to some awesome talks that Aunt Beth sent me and general conference I was able to learn a great deal. Being a disciple of Christ means following Christ and doing all that He has asked us to do. The path of discipleship is the only way to be truly happy. I am so happy that I am a part of the Church of Jesus Christ! The same exact church that Jesus Christ established when He was on the earth. What a privilege that is! I am going to try harder to be a true disciple of Christ, to think of Him in 'every thought,' to be more Christlike, to serve and love others. I am going to be better! Yay for new beginnings!

Alright, until next time :)

Sister Berry

Festa

This week was awesome and filled with some great things. 

I am so happy that I am a missionary in Brazil! I am so blessed! One thing that I have learned is that life is never easy, and it never will be. There will always be some sort of challenge placed in your path. But these challenges are here to help us to learn and to grow. It’s really hard sometimes, but it is an amazing feeling to come out on top and see how far you’ve come. I know the Lord helps us in our lives to become the person He knows we can be. I am working hard to be an instrument in His hands, in all times, and in all things and in all places.

We had two parties this week. The first wasn’t really a party, but I was super happy about it so I think it counts. A sister in the ward gave us a loaf of HOMEMADE Bread. Oh my goodness it was heaven. All it needed was some of my mom’s homemade strawberry jam. Then it would have been beyond perfect. I LOVE the members here so much! They are so nice to us and help us with so many things! Everyone is just so kind and loving. It’s unbelievable.

The other real festa was Festa Junina, which is a typical northeastern Brazil party with lots of food with corn, and country music. It’s like a “country festival.” The food was amazing and I got to hear some Alan Jackson songs which just made my night.

I love Brazil! Alright, thank you for taking the time to read my letters! Have a fantastic week! Don’t forget to pray!!

Love,

Sister Berry