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