Ele Vive!

Well, another transfer has come and gone...and I’m the one left to pack my bags!!!! Where I will be going...I don’t know yet...I’ll find out tomorrow! But I can honestly say that this was a growing transfer. And I am not the same Sister Perez agora that I was when I started 6 weeks ago. Heavenly Father heard and answered my prayer of having a chance to grow. Just another thing that proves He is our loving Heavenly Father.

A lot of amazing things happened this week. We started teaching Lea's brother!! And he wants us to teach the whole family! The best part was when she bore her testimony about her baptism! We took Vivian and Diego to the temple this week...She still has a lot of questions...but one day, soon, they will be baptized! I went on splits with the Sister training leader....poor kid, I made her walk our whole area...it all looked a lot closer on the map...ha, ha! And we had about 4 investigators at church! This area is blooming again!!!

We got stopped by a family of JW this week and I gave them a card to the new video clip the Church put out for Easter. Then we told them how Easter was the time for us to remember that Christ was resurrected on the third day and that He lives. Well, that opened up a can of stinky worms with them and he went on to explain what the true meaning of Easter is. I am just so happy that I am a member of the true and living church of Jesus Christ! And that we have the revelations, power of God, and all the truth. Not only during this time, but always should we remember that Christ lives...and through him we can be perfected.

http://www.mormon.org/easter

Go and watch this video...and then share it with EVERYONE!

com amor!
Sister Perez

This family will go inside someday to be sealed! I know it!!

I'm on my LAST 12 weeks of my mission

Just keep calm!

Waiting for the transfer call can make you go crazy

That Moment You Become Popular in the Favela!

This week was good. We found a few people that have lots of potencial!

Diego e Vivian, accepted a baptism date!! And they went to the Stake Conference! And they liked it!!

So, since it has been raining a ton here, things have gotten a bit muddy! And one day we were walking into the favela (poorer area) and I stepped in some mud and ALMOST slipped. There were some drunk guys on the other side of the road and I figured they didn’t see anything...oh, but they did!! And they will never leave me in peace! Because when we walked into the neighborhood, one walked up behind us and said to some other people..."she almost fell today!" pointing at me....we walked into a house...and when we came out he was still there and announced to everyone that I almost slipped in the mud...again. We figured that after a day he would forget...NOPE!! Since that day until now, every time he sees us he yells, “Be careful not to slip" and I’m now known as the sister who almost slipped in this favela.....

But that’s not all!!! The other day Sister Aquino and I were walking and not having much luck...so we started singing...I was joking around and rapping and trying to beatbox and then I just busted out belting the next few lines of a song....and then I saw that there was a man at the door of some car repair shop...he started laughing and then says "boa tarde" (good afternoon) and I just looked down on the ground and quietly said "boa tarde"....When we got out of sight Aquino just dies laughing at me and well...I no longer sing when we are out and about...ha, ha

There is nothing I love more (and I love a lot of things) than when a recent convert fully embraces this gospel!! Like Lea who paid her tithing the same day she was confirmed a member or Irmão Allan, who when he gets a task to do he does it perfectly. This week he was asked to help with the parking at our stake conference and was told to be there at 8 a.m. and he got there 30 minutes before and was literally the first person at the stake center!! He told me when you have a job to do you need to do it right!! Allan reminded me of the scripture in D&C 121:34 "Many are called; but few are chosen" He was "called" to be baptized, and he accepted. And now that he is a member he has been "called" again to give all of his time, talents, efforts, and heart to this gospel...and for this he has been chosen and is one of the few members who really understands his role in this church, or the kingdom of God here on earth. He only has 4 months of membership and he was able to grasp this concept so easily when it takes others a life time to understand. There are tons of members...but how many of them really understand their role in the Kingdom of God....how many of them are willing to give their all for this gospel and receive endless blessings. Not many and por isso, only a few are actually chosen.

So let’s make sure we are not only the ones called, but chosen too!

Com amor!
Sister Perez

It always just starts with 2...

And then somehow we became 3..with a little more paint

And it always ends with a bigger mess than it started with

Free hair cuts anyone?

They Came to the Rescue!

The mission is all about change and doing things differently and becoming a changed person. I can honestly say that I’ve been changed.

This past week was another rough one. We didn’t know what more we could do to help this area. So I called my ZL and told him that Sister Aquino and I had the idea that our district could all come to our area and knock doors in different areas and help us find new people to teach. I can’t lie; it was a humbling experience asking for this much help. But I felt like we really needed it. The same day that I called, Elder Amancio (Zone Leader) and Cabrera (District Leader) got it all planned out and ok'd by Presidente. They planned it all out for us and all we had to do was separate the bairros and get maps for all the duplas. Knowing that we were going to receive that help, helped me stay positive until Saturday. When Saturday came around...all the elders showed up super excited to help us. We had a quick breakfast and then with the help of a few members they were off to their designated bairro. We all knocked for about 2 hours and when we came back to the chapel they all had things to tell us about how many eleitos they met and how fun it was. Oh my goodness, seeing their enthusiasm really helped me keep my positivity. In all we ended up getting 63 addresses that said we can return. That night we went back and visited 1 person and the next day he went to church. Milagres são reais! (miracles are real). And I learned that you should never be afraid to ask for help.

Lea received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday. And she was so happy about it. She even got her daughter and son-in-law to go to church with her. And get this....SHE PAID HER TITHING!!!!! I have no doubt that she will forever stay strong in the gospel!! I love her so much!!!

The other day as I was reading the Book of Mormon, I thought "why do they include the war chapters??" Then I realized that we have them because we are in a spiritual war. Every day we are fighting against temptations, we are trying to turn our weaknesses into strengths, and we are recruiting others to be part of the Lord's army. In all these war chapters we can learn strategies and with these strategies we can be prepared every day! Captain Moroni is one of my favorites and he trusted in God so much that his army and people were always protected. In Alma 49, the Lamanites are trying to start yet another fight with the Nephites. They thought it would be an easy win if they went after a city that was trying to recover from the last battle. The Lamanites even prepared more on their part by using shields, breastplates and animal skins to "cover their nakedness!" What they didn’t know was that Moroni had told the people of Ammonihah to fortify their city in such a way the arrows and stones of the Lamanites could not harm them. These Nephites had protected themselves in such a way that they left the Lamanites surprised and then disappointed because they didn’t even stand a chance. So what did those disappointed Lamanites do? They went to the other, normally weak city, Noah. For them it was "the next best place for them to go against the Nephites" Did they not remember that Moroni was behind all this and that they could really try to outsmart him?? Obviously not, because "to their astonishment, the city of Noah, which had been a weak place, had now, by the means of Moroni, become strong, yea even to exceed the strength of the city of Ammonihah." Oh man, you mean to say that Ammonihah was just a little ‘cut’ into their confidence and Noah was the sledge hammer to their dreams of ever defeating the Nephites??And let’s not forget to add the part where the man they all fear the most, Lehi, was in command of this city...nothing was going as they had planned. And when they did start fighting, many of the Lamanites were slain. A few of the Nephites were wounded, about 50, but it was nothing serious. So why did the Nephites have all this success?? "Because Moroni had kept the commandments of God in preparing for the safety of his people" BINGO! If you are on the Lord's side and keep all the commandments...you will have enough strength to overpower your enemies. Alright...how can we use this in our lives...easy! We must strengthen our weaknesses...We must become stronger in the things that make us weak, because when we are tempted we will be so fortified that this temptation will be nothing for you to overcome. We have to evaluate our weaknesses and then go to the Lord and he will tell us how and where to start. And as long as we do this often we will be like the city of Noah, prepared to take on anything. And we must always remember to be grateful when we do overcome our weaknesses...like said in verse 28 "And it came to pass, that on the other hand, the people of Nephi did thank the Lord their God, because of his matchless power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies." I have no doubt that this blue book called the Book of Mormon is true...and if we read it every day, we will have more strength and be closer to our Father in Heaven!

Eu amo vocês!!!

Com amor,
Sister Perez

The rescue party

Lea is a officially a member!

Our Golden Child!

I honestly think that it is every missionary’s dream to knock on a person’s door, start teaching them, and then see them enter the waters of baptism.

I was blessed enough to see that happen last night.

About a month ago Sister Figueredo and I knock on Lea's door (ok, more like batemos palmas (clapped hands in front of her door)...mas you get the picture). She didn’t have time to listen to us that day, but said we could come back. We gave her a pass along card for the Book of Mormon and that was it. The next week we went back as promised and she gladly took us in. She told us she had called for a Book of Mormon and the office told her that 2 young men would bring it to her…ha, ha instead she had 2 young sisters bring it to her! We did a how to begin teaching and then watched the "Graças a Ele" video. She almost cried during it. And when it ended we asked her what her favorite part was. She told us the part that said we could see our loved ones again. We testified that she can be with not only her loved ones, but her whole for eternity. She accepted baptism. She thanked us and we marked a return visit. After that day she got happier and happier. She kept all commitments. She read the Book of Mormon. She stopped drinking coffee. She went to church. She introduced us to her daughter. She accepted a date. We took her to the temple where she felt peace. And last night Sister Aquino and I saw her enter the waters of baptism! She told us how she felt like a new person; that the weight had been lifted off her back. And she was happy.

This is why we serve missions; to bring the world this everlasting happiness.

Com Amor,
Sister Perez

happy Birthday Aquino

Our Golden Child!

"I Throw Glitter When I'm _____"

I gave Sister Aquino glitter to throw whenever she’s sad or thinks negative thoughts! It worked and it was funny because glitter gets everywhere and stays forever!

We sang at our YW New Beginnings. Sister Aquino played the guitar and me the ukulele! It was a hit! Ha, ha

So about every Tuesday I get a letter from my dad. I have to say I read them like talks...and in most of them he breaks my legs... (quebrar minhas pernas). But He does it because he loves me. Em fim, I want to share the latest letter with meu povo hoje! He talked about how our hard times or sacrifices bring forth the blessings of Heaven. We all know that the gospel is here to bring us happiness and save us...but WE complicate things and let the stuff on the outside affect us instead of remembering about what the gospel teaches us. When we pass through a rough patch it isn’t the time to give up, but to fight with all the faith that we have. And when we fight with this faith...that’s when we see the miracles!

Then he went on to explain a few cycles we fall into as imperfect humans.

1st- Weakness Process = you have a bad moment and let your faith weaken a little, so each subsequent trial seems bigger because your faith gets smaller.

2nd- Complacency Process = you start feeling too comfortable and secure in your surroundings and it’s easy to become complacent versus driven in preaching/living the gospel. It’s just like exercise, you are not going to grow and see incredible results, if your workout becomes routine so that you can do it with no thought at all. If you are not pushing your body to the higher performance levels, you won’t see the physical transformation that seems miraculous. That is why missionaries get transferred (or members go through challenges): complacency is just as damaging as weakness in faith. They slow down the work of the Lord.

These are things that happen to us without notice...but if we are constantly reading the Book of Mormon, we will notice the beginnings of our fall before it happens. We don’t have hard times, we just have weakness or complacency of our faith.

This week, I'd like to invite you to read D&C 121 and then this talk;https://www.lds.org/general-confer…/…/where-is-the-pavilion…

I love all you guys!! Stay strong and be bold and share the Gospel!!

Com Amor,
Sister Perez

Yes I cut it again