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