Peace Out Novo Horizonte

Well out of the 6 sisters in my house 4 of us are getting transferred! And I don’t know where I will be going until tomorrow!! Oh the suspense!

This week was really good. We just worked super hard and had lots of fun! We had our interviews with Presidente too. Sister Ace and I were getting tired of making contacts and so we started making a game to make contacts fun. Each day we had to look for a certain type of person or a color of roupas. For example, one day we made a deal with whoever talked to more grumpy old men would win some ice cream! That day we pretty much ran after old guys and we were just hoping they’d be grumpy, but a most were nice!

Then Presidente Costa came to our stake conference…and that was awesome!! He was so cool!! Both of his talks that he gave were about missionary work and how it’s not just the full time missionary’s job to go out and find people to teach. That it’s also the members job...and if they leave us out to dry, they are not keeping their baptismal covenants. Yeah that was a burn. Then to show them how easy it is to talk to people about the gospel he sent my mission Presidente and the stake Presidente out to make contacts for 15 minutes!! When they came back they shared their experience. They talked with 4 people and marked a return visit! Presidente Costa was like "see people it’s not that hard to open your mouth!!! Open it already!!" It was so good. The whole conference was about sharing the gospel and helping us missionaries.

Sorry guys I had a ton of things to say...but I already packed my study journal. This email is super dry...and my mom will probably get on to me for this...ha, ha

But open your mouths and share the Good Tidings of this wonderful Gospel!!

TE AMO! E HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I’m grateful for all you guys!!!
Sister Perez

President Perrotti

Luana Got Baptized!!!!!!!!!!

So we already knew that Luana was going to be baptized this week...we just had to plan it out. And man was it the best baptism in the world! Her husband got to baptize her and then he also shared his testimony, to which the whole room cried their eyes out! She was so happy and so was her husband. It was just so great...I don’t even have words!

But now we are working with their daughter, Ana Julia, who is 10...and has a problem with coffee...yeah...sister Ace and I were just like what the heck she has a coffee problem...but yeah we are trying to get her to drink chocolate milk now! Hopefully soon she'll get baptized and this time her dad will get to do everything!!

You know that saying that when you want to talk to your Heavenly Father you say a prayer...and when you want to "here' what he has to say you read the scriptures...well, yeah he reprimanded this morning because this past week I was totally being like Lamã and Lamuel. My Presidente Perrotti told us to work more in the bairros closer to the chapel...well let’s just say that we all murmured about how horrible the bairros are and how we would never find anyone! And then I read in the Book of Mormon 1 Nefi chapter 4 and yeah...I must repent. In verse 1, Néfi says "Subamos novamente a Jerusalém (or the bairros near the capela) e sejamos fiéis aor mandamentos do Senhor (e Presidente Perrotti), pois eis que ele é mais poderoso que toda a terra" (Note: English Translation: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?) and he knows what’s best and Prresidente Perrotti recieves that revelation for us. "Sejamos fortes como Moisás; porqie ele por certo falou às águas do Mar Vermelho e elas dividiram-se para um e outro lado!" (v.2) (Note – English translation: Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.) (or in other words-falou as portas e elas abriram) (Note: English translation: God will open the doorsfor us) then in V.3 he reminds his brothers that they know the truth...why do they need to be brats and doubt!!!??? In the end Lamã e Lamuel follow Néfi, but they murmur the whole way there. This past week, we knocked in the bairros near the capela...but we were grumps about it the WHOLE TIME. We didn’t have the same faith that Néfi had in V.6. Talvez if we did, we would have been more blessed. But I’ve learned my lesson: DONT DOUBT, HAVE FAITH, AND like Nike says JUST DO IT (With a happy heart and a smile)

Thats all for this week!!!

te amo!!
Sister Perez

p.s. its crazy cold here...and its supposed to be summer.....

And this is what makes me happy! 

Milagres São Reais!

First off, it finally rained! And that was much needed! We walked in wet shoes for like 3 days. (yeah mom I gave a few of my other shoes away so I really have only 1 pair that I like to use) But sadly the rain didn’t last long.

OK for the Biggest bestest thing that happened this week. We have been working with Luana and Ana Julia well, since I got here...but the sisters before us had been working with her for 7 months. They baptized her husband, but she was a bit more tough. So this week we were like ok, we need to do everything possible to help her. The first night we went over we had nothing planned and we just randomly talked to her and then we asked if she had prayed about baptism. She said that she made a deal with Heavenly Father and that if she didn’t get her answer by Saturday, this wasn’t for her. Yeah talk about stressful! But then we went back and randomly talked about Jacob 5...the next day we randomly talked about Alma 32...by this time she was like changing...and she was always smiling. It was weird. Then after the Alma 32 lesson we asked her how she feels about everything and she said that she thinks she’ll get an answer on Saturday. That was a relief. But then on Friday we did a fast for her that she would be able to receive the answer she wants. Then we went back Friday night, talked a bit and then once again randomly talked about Peter (when he walked on the sea) and we asked her where she thought she was. In the boat, out of the boat but one hand still holding on, or already walking towards Jesus. Then we left. OK, finally Saturday rolled around and I was nervous out of my mind! But when we showed up to her house at 8:30pm she was SMILING SO BIG! But even though we were dying to know if she got her answer, we waited....and waited....and waited until 9. And then she told us that she wants to be baptized!!!!! My heart just about exploded! And then we ran home!!! Yeah Sister Ace and I are so happy! And we learned that you can’t force someone to be baptized and you must work at their own pace! And that the spirit is so important because there was nothing random about all the things we shared with her!

Things are looking good here in Novo!

Te amo!
Sister Perez

The whole Zone 

My First Americana companion who is Mexican....

Wow, what a crazy week! My comp, Sister Rotela, got emergency transferred and then I got Sister Acevedo, a proud Texan! I actually really love her and we are always laughing...all the time! This week was a bit of hit and miss, just because I had only been in this area for 2 weeks and didn’t really know where things are or who people are. So it was a learning process with Acevedo!

Sunday was the best!! I was just so happy to go to church and I just knew a milagre would happen....sure enough Maria and Ciço showed up at 8:40am....talk about being puntual! And then it was fast and testimony meeting so that was just perfect! They seemed comfortable and Maria even sang the hymns! And they knew people too!!! In the end they ended up giving a ride to a recent convert! And they marked a date for us to go and visit them!! I love them!!

So on to some of my studies. I started the Book of Mormon again. And every Monday I read just 1 chapter. This morning I read Chapter 2, and this is actually one of my favorite chapters because it’s such a great example of truly and faithfully following the Lord. Leí was being asked to leave everything behind and only take his family into the wilderness. He didn’t even question the Lord as to why he has to do such a hard task, he humbly obedeceu o Senhor. He and his family were clearly a wealthy family and then they suffered and had to live in the desert and live in tents. That’s a drastic change. Then after 3 days of traveling they stop to build an altar and give an offering and give thanks...GIVE THANKS?! Yeah, that’s a perfect example of having an attitude de gratidão in your trials. It’s sad because his 2 older sons, Lamã e Lemuel are being such little brats and wanting to go back to their lux life. Néfi prays to know that the words his father is speaking are true because he doesn’t want to be like his brothers. The Lord tells Néfi "bendito és tu, por causa de tua fé....e sue humildade de coração....eventualmente, se você guardares meus mandamentos, prosperarás e serás conduzido a uma terra (uma benção) de promissão (translation: blessed are you Nephi and if you continue being obedient you will prosper and be led to a promised land). That’s clearly a blessing/promise to anyone who faithfully keeps the commandments! Then my other favorite part in verses 9 and 10 where Leí tells his bratty sons to be like a rio, continuamente correndo para a fonte de toda retidão and um vale, firme, constante e imutável em guardar os mandaments do senhor (translation: Lehi hopes they will be like a river ever flowing constant like a fount of righteousness). Of course we can liken all the chapters in the Book of Mormon to us...but I seriously love this chapter soooooo much because it’s one of the easier ones to relate to our lives.

I’m so, so, so happy! I love sharing the gospel and getting put into awkward situations just to tell people about our message! (those awkward moments happen often with Sister Acevedo and I).

Meu povo! Be bold and share the gospel with everyone you meet! They deserve to have the same happiness and safety we have!

Te amo muito!

I'm finally taller than my comp!

#grillmaster

We have the same last name...ha no I just forgot my tag

It is getting too hot! Had to cut the locks