September 26, 2011

Hello my wonderful family. First off I want to tell you all how much I love you all. I miss you all. Today marks 8 months on the mission. 10 more months to prove my self to the Lord that I will be obedient during my life and it certainly is a test. I am learning so much and the more I learn the more I see I need to do better. I am learning that nothing happens if I don't apply these things in my life. Life is so much more than a routine. I love the gospel and I am SO terribly excited about conference this week! It is going to be so good, I have 3 questions for the Lord that I have been praying and thinking about and I am excited to see how they will be answered. The seminary teacher at CHS challanged us to do this one time, and it totally works. Everytime I have done it I always get answered.

New things, Robson went to church yesterday!!! He loved it. I love seeing the gospel make such a difference in his life. Claudia is still closed off to changing anything in her life, but he went and he is feeling the importance of the gospel in his life. Last week was a Gaucho holiday and the whole city shut down and we went to the parade and then stopped by Claudia e rRobsons house in the afternoon for a little bit. I love this family!!!!

As a mission presidente, Ribeiro decided that on the 3rd saturday of every month will be a white saturday, where the whole mission will baptize. He is worried about the Sisters not baptizing enough but I don't know what is lacking. He said I could write him if I have any ideas. He said if the Sisters don't baptize on this day then he will have a meeting with just the sisters. So I am feeling pretty motivated to baptzse a lot that day! I love our Presidente, he is very special to me.

Some pictures! They should be in this order,

One way to do a chohassco.
Little kids dressed gaucho in the parade.
Traditional gaucha dresses.
Robson and Daví after the parade.

Love you all and I am so excited about going to General Conference!! I LOVE EACH OF YOU!!!

Love Always,
Kat

September 19, 2011

The man that we found last week went to church on Sunday last week and was baptised Saturday!!!!!!! Rock on! It was pretty neat.

Claudia e Robson are basically the same. We have to go back and teach the restoration because all of their questions make it or break it with the restoration. Can I just tell you guys how much I love this family. We were teaching about families the other day and she was like we are great, we don't need to change anything in our family it's just the disagreement about churches. He was like really, you really think so? There is always something to do better. Just go to church with me and then she starts with this whole, but it's complicated for me because I was already baptized ect, ect. But I love them. We stopped by the other day and were talking to him (he reminds me a lot of steve brown) and I asked how he was feeling with prayers. He said he prays every day, several times a day. I asked if he was praying specifically to know and he said he prays to have the Lord illuminate his path. (I have explained specific prayers like five times for him) Then I asked how he feels when he reads the Book of Mormon, he said he feels peace. TADA!! So I showed him the scripture in Galations (Galatas in Portugese, I don't remember exactly how it is in English) when it talks about the fruit of the spirit is peace, joy and love. I explained he will get an answer from the Spirit. Then I asked if he believes he has received an answer from God and he got really quiet and a little emotional and said he was going to go put something away and I know he knows. But he still has this issue of rodeo and getting himself in church. He wants to go as a family and she doesn't want to go. We are going to teach restoration again, specifically for her and we are going to fast for her this week. Why can't the families I love the most just get baptized!!!!!

After our lesson we started talking about the gaucho holiday which is tomorrow and how we want to spend a little time with them because he is SOOO gaucho. He dresses it everyday!! Then I started to talk about how I want to buy gaucha clothes, so I tried on a pair of her pants and I have DEFINATELY gained weight. It's pretty sad. They fit they were just really tight! So then he has a pair that he said are a little tight (he is not a small man by any means) and they told me to try them on to see what number I need to buy and I said no they will definately fall off. So I go to try them on and they don't fall off!!!! They were a tiny tiny bit on the big side, as in they fit perfectly. (In self defense he wears the very open legged style she wears the very tight kind.) Anyway, so then he found some boots and a hat and a neck tie and I was all gaucho and they took pictures and then he gave me the pants and the boots!!!! I couldn't believe it. I am falling more and more in love with the gaucho culture and it's going to break my heart when I leave at the end of the mission.

I love you all. The gospel is true and Jesus Cristo lives. He is always there to guide us, but with out us doing our parF nothing happens. from the most basic to most complicated situations in our lives, he will help and comfort us.

Love you all.

Love, Kat

September 12, 2011

This week I showed the family calender to that family that I love and they said how beautiful our family is, I said I know........ really I did!

I am learning so much about me and about the gospel and about the scriptures and about our Savior and Heavenly Father. So much about the importance of putting into practice the things we learn and what it really means to become perfect in Christ and building Zion where we stand. We can always do more to help the kingdom grow and it's usually through little things like getting to know people, being nice, and changing our lives.

We had churrasco (Brazilian BBQ) the other day! Wow nothing in the US compares. I'll learn how to do it and then I'll do it for you all when I get back but we will have to build a little fire pit, hopefully everyone is ok with that!!! ITS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!

We have 6 missionaries in our ward, 3 duplas and we usually have our lunches together!!! Imagine cooking for your family and 6 missionaries. We eat a lot...but it's good. I am learning how to make feijao; I'll bring home a pan to cook it in but it's simple and good. I like it.

We met a man on Saturday, taught a lesson and he went to church all by himself Sunday. At the end he said "and now I need to wai until next Sunday right?"
We are going to baptize him :) Well I hope but it was really good. But of course he lives alone and we can't teach him alone so we will have a lot of lessons with members.

I was feeling kind of down but I am better, the spirit makes all the difference.

Love you all.

Love, Kat

September 5, 2011

Hello!!

Family! How is everyone! I am learning so much right now!! How I need to change as a person and as a missionary. I am learning about goals and getting things done and as always how to work with other personalities!! :)

I think most of all I am learning about the love of the Savior. The importance of keeping the commandments because we love him too. We WILL recieve blessings for doing our part!!! It's so simple and so real. So many of the families we are teaching right now say they are feeling a difference, they say when they learn how to pray their perspectives change. They feel more peace in their house and more love. The problem is that some of them are satisfied with the little changes and blessings and aren't willing to do more. Gosh that part breaks my heart. We planned on having 12 people in church yesrerday and only 4 of our ancient investigators were there. We need to change the way we teach to really show them that Heavenly Father has SO MUCH MORE in store, but they have to do their part. This all applies with me though too. When I do ALL that I can, the Lord will bless me. I need to do all that I can. And as a missionary we have A LOT of commandments, if I don't do them, I can't get the blessings. It all becomes very clear.

Only one more month for GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!! When we get to listen and hear the words of the Prophet and Apostles!! I am so excited!! I can't believe it has already almost been 6 months. This week we are going to start getting people ready and excited about it because it is such a privilage!!! I am excited!

The first picture is of Daví. Son of Claudia e Robson. He is 5 years old and loves rodeo!!! He is really good at lasso with the stick cow. It's pretty cool to watch. He loves super heros and I asked him if he likes dinosaurs too and he said yes, I thought of Shay! Davi talks all the time. He always wants to tell us the story of David and Goliath! He has it memorized. He gets a little discouraged with prayer because he is used to the memoriezed prayer but he is learning little by little.
The second picture is Davi and his mom , Claudia, in the background. She is still more resitant about our message. This week we are starting to teach the commandments and we are doing to teach why authority is important AGAIN!

The next one is me and my comp. She is great! Really firm with our investigators, which is good. Probably because I am really nice, so it's good they have someone to push them. That has always been hard for me but I am trying to learn in a good way. Everyone, literally everyone called her annoying today. We met up with the Elders at the church and some of her district from the MTC was there and they all told stories about how `chato` she is. It's like annoying and a stickler and kind of in your face. She likes to point out peoples follies, but it's all working out. I love her. One of our investigators called her annoying too, to her face. Everyone is pretty honest here. I guess her Bishop also told her not be annoying on the mission so she is pretty used to it. It's amazing how different people are because I would cry if someone told me that.

The last picture is the other Sisters we live with. Sister Cruz e Sister Balbino. I like them a lot!!!

Family, I love you. I hope every day you all are strengthening your testiomy of the restored Gospel and authority of the Priesthood here on the earth agian. I know that Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior and Redeemer. ALL that we need to do in this life is only possible because of him. Because we know the truth of these things we have a responsibility to share it with others. I have thought, wow what a blessing to be born in the church and to have always known these truths. I avoided a lot of situations growing up because of the gospel. I always knew what was good and what wasn´t but with that comes a responsibility and I want to be better! I love you all.

Love always and forever!
Kat