week 28

January 9, 2017

Hey yallllll,

This week was an adventure. Actually every week on the mission is an adventure!  Which is so great. Ah.  I loove love love the mission.  

But anyways, this week every time people asked where I was from I told them to guess.  (Mostly because this week I learned how to say "guess" haha).  And wow let me tell you, some pretty funny responses.  Someone said "Lebanon."  Yup. Absolutely. Nailed it!  I´m from Lebanon.  In case you guys didn´t know 😂

But let´s see, another funny story!  One day we were standing in the street next to this tree, waiting for to open the door, and Sister Ferreira said, "did you know that we eat this here?" Pointing to the leaves. I was like, "Definetely don´t believe you." But she went on and on and was pretty convincing. She told me to eat one, and I said, "yeah only if you do!!!" So we both did XD And the best part is that she was totally kidding the whole time.  So I have now eatten a leaf from Brasil. How many people can say that?? ✌

But WOW I have been SO tired every single day. I don´t know if it´s the heat or what, but if yall are looking for something to pray for, please pray that I´m not always exhausted :) thaaaanks

So Sister Ferreira and I have been visiting this woman named Nazare.  When we met her in the street, she was super hesitant to give us her address. But ya know, us Sister Missionaries are very convicing and we ended up getting her contact information!  

Our first visit we taught her about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ was Restored. Then the next visit we taught her about the Book of Mormon.  But after all this, she was offended by our messages.  We were pretty discouraged because we´d done all we could, testified with love, and even brought a member with us!  Buuut she still felt very taken aback. 

So this week we decided to return, and try something different. We decided to pass by, see how she was doing and not teach her anything. When we arrived she immediately ran and got the Book of Mormon and gave it back to us (ouch), BUT we said, "oh okay.. But how are you??!!"  We realized that she was painting her house and so we enthusiastically offered to help (because seriously i´m pretty sure it´s every missionaries dream to help paint).  

Ya´ll it was incredible the difference it made to offer to help her!  She changed from annoyed, to super excited!  (we didn´t end up helping her paint her house, but we stained a chair!)

This is my first time on the mission with an experience like this- it´s such a witness to me that Heavenly Father is always looking out for His children.

I have faith that one day Nazare will be baptized. I dont know if it will be when I´m still here in Fazenda, but ONE day.  I know it!

I know that as a missionary alone, I can´t do much, but as a missionary with God´s help, miracles can happen. It´s the same for all of us! We can choose to go through life alone, OR we can choose to go through life with the help of our Savior and Heavenly Father.  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are perfect, and love and know us perfectly.  They will help us perfectly, if we let them.  I have seen this in my own life, I´ve seen this on the mission, and I know it can be REAL for all of us.

LUV you all; have a splendid week!

xo Sister Councill

Week 27 Hey Ya'll

January 2, 2017

YEAH Happy New Years!!!

You know what´s a crazy thought?? I´ll see some of you all THIS year :D hahaha woah.  Also a crazy thing. I hit 6 months in the mission!!! WHAT.  THe time is going by suuuuuuuuuper fast!!!! I´m not sure how I feel about that. 

Wow so Summer finally hit here in south part of Brasil. HOLY cow HOT.  But the great part is that I´m getting suuuper tan ;) 

So has anyone ever seen an avocado tree??!!! Me either until I moved to this area that I´m at right now.  There´s an avocado tree by our house, and this week I decided to be ambitious and pick one.  Well the only way I was able to pick it was with a broom.  It was pretty great actually. I felt very proud of myself for being resourceful 😂  But anyways, this week I picked an avocado with a broom!

Funny story that happened while proselyting:  We were talking to a woman in the front of her house.  Her son (about 7) and her father (about 95 hahaha) were a little ways behind her.  Her son hopped on a chair, and then the chair fell over.  The womans father was pretty up there in years.  Imagine a hunched over grandpa, with white white hair, that walks super slowly and with a cane.  perfect.  Okay now imagine this.  When the son fell off the chair, he immediately began to laugh and point at him!  It was the FUNNIEST thing.  OH my heck we laughed and laughed afterwards.  So that was great :)

I got to spend a day with Sister Albertonti!  That was fantastic!!!! TWO AMERICANS in Brasil. hahahaha it was awesome.

So here is really neat story my companion shared with me this week:  

A few years ago the state of Sao Paulo was in a super bad draught.  It hadn´t rained for 4 months and the 4 huge water storages for the city of sao paulo were almost empty.  Kind of a huge problem, because the city of sau paulo is FULL of people.

The First Presidency (the Prophet, and his 2 counselors) invited every member of the church to fast for 24 hours, all on the same day, to have it rain. 

It happened to be on a Saturday and my companion was at Institute (a program where young single adults of my church can meet, socialize, and have sripture classes).  Everyone ate a huge lunch together, and then started fasting. Around 5 o´clock my companion siad they were all sitting in a room, listening to the teacher wehn they heard the first drops of rain. Then more and more and then it was POURING.

HOW INCREDIBLE is this story??? The first time I´d heard about it was when my companion was telling it to me this week. I am blown away by the power of a faithful group of people.  It´s the same principle of what happened in the story of Esther.  SHe asked her people to fast 3 days with her, and they were saved.  INCREDIBLE.  

Folks, I know God knows our needs.  He knows us SO perfectly. He knows us and He loves us.  We just have to reach out to Him, show our faith, by doing what He asks of us.  And sometimes, that is by following the Prophet.  I know our Prophet Thomas S. Monson is TRULY inspired of God.  I know he will never lead us astray, and if we follow his guidance, we will always be following God.

Well,  I sure love you all. I may be here in Brasil, super far from all yall, but I don´t love you any less!  

Have a splendid week,

xo Sister Councill

Week 26 Christmas

Adelynn sent a voice message this week.  I'm still trying to figure out how to put it on this blog. 

But here is a picture of her Christmas Mission Conference

Week 25: Fazendo Rio Grande and pictures

December 19, 2016
HOLÀ e FELIZ NATAL para todos de voces!!!!!!!!!!!

HELLO AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALLLLLL ❤

It hardly feels like it should be Christmas, to be honest, because well because Brasil is hot right now XD

BUT so how about transfers!!! My new area is Fazendo Rio Grande!!!!!!!!!!! (Big Farm River)  It´s about 45 min from Curitiba!  And the area is a LOT less big, so it will be easier to learn the area and yaayayayay.  ALSO get this!  We share a house with Sister Manhas and Sister Albertoni, who I both already know!!! I lived with Sister Manhas in Guarapuava, and Sister Albertoni was in my district in the MTC!!!! SO basically it´s a party every day ;)

So last week I wrote about how challenges are good, and how we shouldn´t run from them.  Well, I think the Lord wanted to humble me a little bit (or a lot).   I was going to go to an area to "open it" after some Elders were switched out, but an hour and a half before my bus left, the APs (Assistants to the Mission President) called and said I´d be going to Fazenda.

WHAT.

My companion would be Sister Ferreira. She has been in the mission for 1 year and 2 months, and Fazenda two different times!  She started her mission here, and now she´s here again!  

Not gonna lie, I was super disappointed when I first heard. I was really looking forward to a growing experience.  BUT Heavenly Father always always always always knows best and He inspired my mission president at the last minute, and so here I am, in Fazendo Rio Grande!

And let me tell yall, I am soooooooooo grateful.  Sister Ferreira is amazing. I swear every single lesson she teaches is 100% guided and inspired by the Spirit.  It´s incredible.  From the first lesson we taught together I know I was here to learn from her. This week has been a very humbling week for me because I´m realizing HOW MUCH I STILL HAVE TO LEARN and grow in the mission, in life etc. Missions are great because you learn so easily how much you still have to grow 🤓

But, I know Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us- everything that happens has a purpose- may it be a lesson to learn, an experience to have, someone to meet etc.  But He has the whole picture, and as long as we´re seeking His guidance, He won´t let us go astray.

So, I´m stoked for this transfer!  I´m pretty positive I´ll only have one transfer with Sister Ferreira, but BRING IT ON :)

PICTURES!

Me and my new companion!  And then Sister Albertoni ☺

Super cute Minion plant holders things!!!

And this last picture of that girl from Ratatuii (or however it´s spelled).  We were having a meeting with the Ward Mission Leader and his 4 year old son came up to me and said, "voce com baton" or "You with liptick."  OMG it was sooooo funny!!!! Because I obviously have short black hair, and then the fact that a 4 year old boy knows about lipstick. 😂

LOVE YALL LOTS,

xo Sister Councill

 

 

 

 

Week 24 pictures

Week 24: Bye Guarapuava

December 12, 2016

SO news flash:

Sister Councill will be transferred!!!!! AH.  TCHAO Guarapuava!  

Yesterday we had a conference here in Guarapuava, and my Mission President came, and interviewed all of us missionaries serving here!  That was great :) I really love my mission president and I hadn´t had an interview with him since I got into the field (so almost 4.5 months!!!!!).

But he told me that I will be transfered to an area close to Curitiba!  I still don´t know where exactly, or who my new companion will be... :(

Apparently the area that I´ll be going to was an area of Elders that were very "Fubeka."  Meaning that they didn´t obey the rules. *sigh* So my mission President is putting me there to "clean things up" so to speak.  I´m excited, and a little nervous! Because I´ll be "opening" the area so to speak.  Both my new companion and I won´t know the area, and we´ll practically be starting from scratch, because the Elders there didn´t do anything.  So it´s going to be one BIG adventure!  

But I´m really excited to be honest.  I love Guarapuava and I LOVE Sister C. Silva, but I really want to grow spiritually. I want a challenges are one of the best ways to grow- so here I goooooooooooooo.

Saying goodbye to Elizandro and Paula, my recent converts here in Guarapuava, was by far one of the hardest things so far on the mission.  I love them so sooo much, and it just kills my heart that I don´t know when I will be able to see them again.  *ahhhhhh*  We all cried- including Elizandro!  It was a pretty special goodbye.

I´m not looking forward to saying goodbye to my companion later today....

BUT on a positive note, this week was great! It rained and rained and rained but it was good! 

I´ve got lots and lots of photos to send this week!!

Last pday my district FINALLY celebrated Thanksgiving XD It was sort of Thanksgiving- the only thanksgiving ish food was the mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie i brought XD but it was fun and good and we played games and it was great!  Also there´s one picture where an elder fell and I´m sending it to you all so you can enjoy the looks on our faces ;P  

Last pday also, the us sisters had a gift exchange and that was really fun. I got a super black and pink polka dot cup, which is perfect because I love pink, polka dots, and i love drinking water XD

I found a HUGE confederate flag at this store called the Ranch. I WAS SUPER STOKED because yall I´m in Brasil, How often do you find a confederate flag?!?!

us sisters had a service project this last week! We helped a family here move! And it was my first real service project so that was neat :)

There are some pics of some people we have been teaching, and then my FAV family here in Brasil- the family of Elizandro and Paula ❤

There´s a church here that has a huge "Missao" in the lawn, and I took a picture in front of it ahah. You might have to zoom to see!

And finally, a selfie of Sister C. Silva yesterday at church :)

But I love you all LOTS and lots and lots!  My spiritual thought this week is to not run from challenges.  Run toward them.  Because challenges are how we grow and progress :)  And I know that Heavenly Father NEVER gives us a challenge or trial that we can´t overcome.  

Have a FANTASTIC week,

eu amo voces MUITO.

xo Sister Councill

Week 23 pictures