Sometimes I think I am funny so I try and think of witty subject lines. So last week was transfers! Once again it was a HUGE surprise. We were at a member´s home when we got the call and Elder Bangerter called and said I was being transferred to Vila Prudente (capital! Yesss!) and I was training. WHAT. So I am opening an area and training. I had only been in Cumbica for one transfer so I was not expecting that. Or training. In the mission, you call your trainer your ``mom`` so I am referring to myself as a teen mom because I only have 3 transfers under my belt. My new companion is Sister Barbosa, soon to be Falcão because she is changing her name. She is from João Pessoa, and she is so cute! I love her heaps already. She has tons of MTC spirit and is just great. I love her. It really does feel like a mother daughter relationship. Vila Prudente is a dream. When Sister Waite and I came to São Paulo to renew her visa we had stayed in Vila Prudente and I had written in my journal that something about being in a big city made me feel alive. And now I am here! It is totally like New York City a little bit and we all know how I feel about New York. (Meags+Ash) This ward though. OH MY GOSH. I have never seen a ward like this. I haven´t even been here a week and they help so much. So my suitcases are broken, and a member came to pick them up for me. The ward mission leader has this idea of giving everyone in the ward the Christmas pass along cards with our (the missionaries) numbers on it, and then we get a reference and get to take the Nativity DVD to them. He did that. All on his own. The members give references here and they are more than willing to help with ANYTHING we need. Shoot, the Relief Society has a basket set up for the sisters and each member puts like a bag of sugar or whatever we ask. President can forget I exist and leave me here for a while. So aside from all this newness, this week was AMAZING! Seriously. So the previous sisters had taught a guy named Ramon 2 lessons and had his baptism marked for next Saturday. He was a reference from this solid solid member named Aderaldo. We taught him the Plan of Salvation and I just kept feeling the Spirit so strongly that he should be baptized this week. I didn´t know if there was a reason though for next week so I didn´t say anything. As soon as we left though I called Irmão Aderaldo and asked him why next week and he said there wasn´t a reason. So the next day I invited him to be baptized this Sunday and he accepted! I was soooooo happy. I love when you can recognize the Spirit and act upon it. It is a great feeling. I have a firm testimony that the Spirit is the most important thing in missionary work. Without the Spirit, or if you ignore the Spirit, you will miss out on huge miracles. But Ramon. Wow. This guy is amazing. His girlfriend broke up with him because he was being baptized but he didn´t even care. He has already said he is going on a mission because he wants to share the gospel with others now that he has found it. True conversion! AHHHH. Ramon has such a tender spirit, he is just pure. He had a questions about black and the preisthood, and we showed him 2 Nephi 26:33, and he goes ´´Perfect, I get it now´´. The scriptures. Man oh man are they powerful! The scriptures+The Spirit in missionary work is everything. Amazing thigs will always ensue. I feel like I am starting to actually ´´get´´ things you know? It is kind of awesome. I still have SO much to improve on and learn though. I am in love with my companions and Vila Prudente. So on Friday President called, (scary, I look at the phone and puff, President Ferrin is calling) and he asked how I felt about being in a trio. Sister Oborn is having some health problems and might have to go serve stateside and he wanted her to go to Vila Prudente and be in a trio with Sister Falcão and I. So now we are a trio. I love her lots, she reminds me of my BFFS back home. Especially Emily and Meagan. It is awesome. I really hope she gets to stay!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray lots for her. So yesterday, Sister Aledo(ahhhhh I miss her, I love her so much!) called and I learned lots. In Cumbica, it seemed like we would work and work and nothing would really happen. I knew people have their agency, and was fully aware of that, but still. So she called and told me that Karol was baptized! YESSSSSSS! I knew she would after last week and I was so happy. Her whole family came, (she is Tayná´s older sister) and Tayná bore her testimony so strongly. It brought me so much joy! Another couple we had taught also accepted baptism. FAMILIAS!!! So I am freaking out in this member´s living room because I am so excited about it. I learned that not everything is in our time. It is the Lord´s time. All we have to do as missionaries is our part. We may not always understand, but the Lord knows His children. He knows what is best for them, and when it is their time. So now I am just happy. Then she told me to brace myself, she had news about Kely (our friend from açai). I was spazzing out and was like what has she accepted to be baptized? Nope. She is pregnant and is naming her daughter after me.I screamed. I literally screamed in a member´s home and started to cry and they came to make sure I was okay. Hahaha. I am a spaz. Yesterday though, something changed. I was just beaming with happiness. It all started with Ramon´s baptism, I just kept thinking, wow I am so grateful I am a missionary. I love being a missionary. I love this. Then with Sister Aledo´s call, it just shot it through the roof. I love this work so much. I have always loved being a missionary, but just something is different. I am so in love with this. I am grateful I get to bring others unto Christ. I know He lives! This is the greatest work ever, and I love it. I love this gospel, and I know without a shadow of a doubt it is true. Love,
Sister Carvalho
PS I am in the mission office´s zone now, so I go there each week for zone meetings. Letters would be greatly appreciated. Peace and blessings.
Sister Barbosa! Minha filha! Eu amo ela muito!!!!
I have titled our house VP Mansh. It is huge. It has four rooms and really
cute stairs so I took a picture. Halloween! Didn´t have black and orange so I did black and yellow. (black
and yellow black and yellow black and yellow) I also bought myself a
snickers bar because it is American. A member saw us walking home so she
offereed us a ride and her daughter named Laura was dressed up. Laura is 8
and resembles my little sister Laura. It is weird.
RAMON`S BAPTISM!!!!! YAYYYYY! President also walked in at the end of
sacrement meeting and stayed for the baptism!
One of our investigators(Marcos and Erika) lives in this apartment complex
and you can see the whole city from their balcony.
SHe is smiling like this the WHOLE time. She is the smilest cutest baby
ever. Her name is Camila, just like my sweet little cousin:)
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