Oi!
So much stuff happened this week, as
always. We are just so busy that it all blurs together! We also taught some
amazing lessons this week, and had some crazy experiences with some contacts. Overall
this week was great! It’s really hard, but it’s good.
We have had some great lessons with
Leonardo and Isabelly. Isabelly is 15, less active from the church, and is a
rebel. She loves to party, smoke, and ´hang out´ with her boyfriend, Leonardo,
who isn’t a member. They are both awesome and I love them! Isabelly has been
trying for a long time to change and become better, and she really has a strong
testimony, but is just caught in the trap of sin and addictions. Leonardo does
all this bad stuff with her too so we are trying to help him so he can help her
and vice versa. Anyway, we had a member come with us to teach Leonardo about the
Restoration of the Gospel and to ask him to live the law of chastity and the
word of wisdom. It was a great lesson. Leandro (the member) is a returned
missionary and just took over the lesson but it went really well. He told this
amazing story to Isabelly that reminded me of the kind of stories that Grandma
tells about Francine the fish and stuff like that. Here’s the rough
translation…without the beauty of the language…
So Satan is having a party in hell and he wants to honor the three people/things that brought the most souls down to him. So he calls out the third person- who’s big and strong and explains that this person told the people to fight and kill. Then he calls out the second person who explains that he told the people to lie, cheat, smoke, and drink. That was the one that brought the second most. Then Satan calls for the one that brought the most souls to hell, and out walks this tiny little person. Satan puts the little guy on his shoulder and explains that this person told the people to go to church, read the scriptures, say their prayers-- but to do it tomorrow. The thing is tomorrow never comes for those people. We need to decide now to do all the things we need to do to be saved- and do it now! There is no time to procrastinate the day of your repentance. Grandma I think you should take this story and make it your own because I think it would be perfect for you. Think about it.
Another thing I loved about this
week was church because it was fast and testimony meeting. Every first Sunday
of the month during sacrament meeting at church the meeting is left open for
the members to go up and bear their testimonies. To say what they believe and
what they know. I just love this ward. As soon as the counselor says that it is
time to bear testimonies it seems like the whole congregation immediately gets
up and goes to the front to wait in line. The testimonies of these people are
so strong! I love them so much, and I am so grateful for this wonderful
opportunity to be in Brazil and meet so many wonderful people. I have so much
that I can learn from them.
A huge thing that everyone in Sao
Paulo is talking about is the falta de agua (drought- literally translated to “lack
of water” because they don’t have a word for drought in Portuguese). They just
announced that people here are going to have only 2 days with water and 5 days
without. It was already pretty bad- some people only have 30 minutes of water a
day to do laundry, take a shower, wash the dishes, and flush the toilet. Yup,
it is really bad. Pray for water in Sao Paulo. This has never happened in Sao
Paulo before so people are really stressed out about it.
I want you all to know that Heavenly
Father loves you, and He hears and answers your prayers. Go to him with full
purpose of heart and He will comfort you. I know this is true because I do it
every day. Stay strong, pray always!
Love ya! Sister Berry
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| The "Hill of Death"...it goes straight up and is so difficult to walk up! |
