Hello there belas pessoas!

My life is so happy! Síster Sperry is such a wonderful person and we are laughing all day long. I am so very blessed to be with her for at least this one transfer. I am learning a lot and changing into the person I really want to be. We must be doing something right to be receiving so many little blessings from the Lord and to have so much alegria. The Lord is taking care of us.

The highlight of the week was definitely Clarisse. She is doing so great! She had a stroke last year and lost all feeling in her legs so she can only use a wheelchair and also crawls around her tiny house. But she is one of the best examples of strength to me. She takes care of her two netos almost everyday, and they are a riot. I have never seen kids so disrespectful. She takes care of them while their mom works even though she can hardly move around her house because she has such love for them and trusts in the Lord so much to help her. She is reading the Livro de Mórmon more than any other investigator I have ever had and prays multiple times daily. This week SHE QUIT SMOKING!!! She was really anxious and nervous about it but now it has been a few days where she has gone completely smoke-free. She came to Church again this week for the second time and looked absolutely beautiful. It is truly a testament to me that the way to overcome any addiction or trial in general is simply to live the gospel. She is doing all the steps and all the same things that we tell everyone, but her life is truly changing in large ways because she is living what we teach. With the help of God all things truly are possible, even if you have no money and no transportation. We still have a few commandments to teach and with General Conference this weekend will be pretty crazy, but if all goes well she should get baptized the week after! I love Clarisse so much and want to see her life completely change with this more than anything else right now. What an inspiration she is to me!

The ward is helping out a lot right now as well. We had a small ward activity this week to integrate our investigators (that Clarisse went to!) that went really well, and there are lots of people willing to do divisions and give rides (GIVE RIDES TO THE MISSIONARIES!! I know most of them have cars in the states so it is probably a little different, but I cannot tell you how much I appriciate rides when we need them or rides for our investigators. It means SSSOOO much to us. If your missionaries ever ask for a ride, please find a way). Irajá seems like a very happy ward to me and they are so kind and accepting to us. I never knew how much the members influenced the life of a missionary. Truly know who your elders or sisteres are and try to love them like your own kids! They are someone else´s kids far from home and truly depend on the members for support. I know you will be hugely blessed if you help the missionaries. You will be happier and have a sense of fulfillment in your life like you never did. I want to be a completely different member than I was when I left when I get home. There is SO much you can do to help. Maybe this Sunday you can go up and ask the elders what you can do this week to help them out. Knowing which members are open and willing to help goes a long way. They will remember and will use you.

Anyhow, enough of my big rant, everything is going just swell. The days are floating by in bliss. Ok, so life is still hard, it always will be as a missionary, but it is so rewarding and I am feeling great. Healthwise I am tired like always but feeling good and strong without any real problems at all! What a blessing. Síster Sperry is doing well as well except for her foot. She fractured something in her foot a week before the transfer so she is feeling a bit of pain these days. We don´t know exactly what is wrong but have another consulto médico next week so hopefully they have answers for us! We are praying lots and did a special fast this week. Pray for my companion this week!

Thanks for all your love and support for me! I am really feeling my prayers answered and am seeing the power of your prayers in my life as well. Keep going to the temple and receiving all of the blessings of the gospel. Oh how I want to go there! Enjoy Conference like you never have before as well. I CANNOT WAIT! This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Vou aproveitar.

Love you lots!

Síster Marchante

P.S. I received a wonderful package from you this week mom! Thank you sssssssooooo much!!! You send me exactly everything that I need. You guys are so wonderful.

P.P.S. I wish I had could write all of the belo details of my life but I am spending lots of time writing to the Presidente these days (it´s always editted, I don´t send all of it) and writing in Portugues is still a little slower than english. Thanks for reading all the way down there!

Olá Presidente!

Eu sinceramente acho que nunca tenho estado tão feliz em minha missão eu até minha vida. Já tive várias experiencias mais felizes, mas nunca tenha estado tão feliz por tantos dias consecutivos. Vida é ótima!! Pela primeira vez me sinto como meu trabalho é suficiente e que o Senhor está feliz com meu trabalho. Temos muitas coisas para melhorar e nossos números não são muito diferentes, mas com Síster Sperry estamos muito calmas e felizes todos os momentos. Nunca chegamos nem sequer perto de brigar ou ter problemas. Eu amo minha companheira.

Esta semana visitamos Bebedouro. Eu saí em divisões com a Síster Sousa enquanto a Síster Sperry saiu com a Sìster Auna. Foi muito bom. A Síster Sousa está mais feliz e tem muito mais confiança em se mesma. Pode ver o amor que as duas têm para com uma à outra, e têm atitudes muito bons do trabalho. A Síster Sousa tem um espírito muito calmo e puro e traz muito às lições. Ela é muito quieto, mas no fim da divisão ela abriu ainda mais e tivemos uma conversa muito boa. Acho que a conferência de zonas foi muito boa para elas porque ela com certeza não se sente bem sobre seus próprios esforços. Estamos tentando fazer mais para conhecer as nossas Sísteres melhor e ser amigas com elas. Acho que muitas vezes as Sísteres (especialmente as mais novas) vêem uma divisão como um momento quando nós vamos só corrigir e julgar. Elas nunca devem sentir-se julgadas ou como elas não podem trabalhar normal, como se fosse elas têm que mostrar para nós. Estamos trabalhando para ensinar e treinar com amor e ganhar sua confiança primeiro para que elas se sentem a vontade conversar conosco quando têm dificuldades ou perguntas.  Acho que deu certo com ambos a Síster Auna e a Síster Sousa. Estamos aqui para amar e ajudar!

Nossa área está bem. Os membros estão ajudando MUITO, especialmente com o nosso pesquisador a Clarisse. Ela está maravilhosa! Ela oficialmente parou de fumar! Fez alguns dias agora e vamos continuar acompanhar perto para que ela não caia de novo. Amamos ela muito, e ela aceita tudo que ensinamos. Ela precisa da luz do evangelho na vida dela, e está vendo muitas mudanças maravilhosas na sua vida por causa dele. Ela é um exemplo muito grande para mim de força dentro de dificuldade. Quero ser mais como ela é.

Tudo é bom aqui além do pé da Síster Sperry. Descansamos algumas vezes esta semana (mas provavelmente não suficiente), mas não está mudando muito. A Síster Brum marcou um novo consulto médico. Acho que a parte pior é só que não sabemos exatamente qual é o problema especifica. Estamos usando muito gelo e descansando pelo menos uma hora antes de almoço muitas vezes. Também fizemos um jejum especial esta semana. Entretanto, o Senhor está nos abençoando em MUITAS outras maneira e estamos vendo muitas ternas misericórdias diariamente. A minha vida é tão boa e abençoada.

Obrigada Presidente por seu tempo!

Síster Marchant

 

 

 

English Translation:

 

Hello President!
I honestly think I have never been so happy in my mission I even my life. I have had several experiences happier, but have never been so happy for so many consecutive days. Life is great !! For the first time I feel like my work is sufficient and that the Lord is happy with my work. We have many things to improve and our numbers are not much different, but with Sister Sperry are very calm and happy all times. Never got even close to fight or have problems. I love my companion.
This week we visited Trough. I went on divisions with Sister Sousa while Sister Sperry went to Sister Auna. It was very good. The Sister Sousa's happier and have more confidence in it herself. You can see the love the two have for each other, and have very good attitudes of work. The Sister Sousa has a very calm and pure spirit and brings much to the lessons. She is very quiet, but at the end of the division she opened further and had a very good conversation. I think the conference areas was very good for them because she sure does not feel good about their own efforts. We are trying to do more to meet our sisters and best friends to be with them. I think that often the sisters (especially younger) see division as a time when we will only fix and judge. They should never feel judged or they may not work as usual, as if they have to show us. We are working to teach and train with love and gain their trust first so that they feel the urge to talk to us when they have difficulties or questions. I think it worked with both Sister and Sister Auna Sousa. We are here to love and help!
Our area is well. Members are VERY helping, especially with our researcher Clarisse. She is wonderful! She officially stopped smoking! He made a few days now and we will continue to monitor closely so it does not fall again. We love her very much, and she accepts everything we teach. She needs the light of the gospel in her life, and is seeing many wonderful changes in your life because of it. She is a very great example to me of strength within difficulty. I want to be more like it is.
Everything is good here besides the foot of Sister Sperry. We rested a few times this week (but probably not enough), but is not changing much. The Sister Brum scored a new doctor consult. I think the worst part is just not exactly know what the problem is specific. We are using too much ice and rest at least an hour before lunch often. We also made a special fasting this week. However, the Lord is blessing us in MANY other way and we are seeing many tender mercies daily. My life is so good and blessed.
President Thanks for your time!
Sister Marchant