Olá minha família lindíssima!

Christmas is arriving! It really has been a week full of miracles. I am already starting to love this area a ton. There are so many wonderful people here and we are seeing great miracles. We have received a bunch of references that are really solid this week and are teaching a bunch, more than I have in months. We had a great lesson with Lucas (see below) who is really sad and needs the blessings and orientação do evangelho muito na vida dele. His girlfriend just cut off their engagement that they had been in for 7 years! He is very eleito and ready to receive the gospel in his life. We are super excited to teach him and have some baptisms here in Araraquara.

I have always only heard good things about this city and now I know why. The ward is awesome and very receptive. It was SUPER hard to say goodbye to everyone in Irajá; I have really grown to love them with all my heart, but the reception in Araraquara was wonderful as well so I know I will have great relationships here too. They were really excited when they heard that I play the piano so I will once again be accompaining in Relief Society and in Sacrament Meeting. It is great to be able to use my talents in this meaningful way. I have a huge testimony of music and the power it can send to strengthen people´s testimony. I am very blessed to be here.

Síster G. França and I are having lots of fun together and getting along great. We are working hard and finding lots of people. This area is very balanced in that we are teaching a lot of pesquisadores, menos ativos, and recém-conversos. My other areas didn´t have as much of an even spread like we do here. It is neat to participate more in all aspects of the work. It is a really big area and we have to take the onibus a lot, but we are having lots of good adventures. There is nothing like falling into bed morto every night after a long day of work. Vish! We need every drop of sleep we can get.

Oh another big change here in Araraquara is our zone. I came from a zone in Ribeirão Preto that had more sísteres than any other in the mission--about 8 duplas. Here we are the only sisteres in our zone here. It was a very different zone meeting this week. I am very used to working mostly with sisteres and this may take a little getting used to. Elders are a whole different race.

Christmas is arriving! I am super excited for this next week because we will have the huge Mission Conference in Ribeirão Preto and also our ward party the next day. We have a few FHE´s as well. With that and other lessons we have every single night booked for next week already. This season is going to zoom past. I am LOVING the decorations de Natal in our little apartment right now. We have a tree with presents underneath and a window of mini Chistmas trees and lights--tudo graças a Mãe. Thanks for everything. This is the hardest part of the year for a missionary to be away from home, but with all your love, I feel like I am almost there with you! Send lots of love and chocolate for all of the missionaries in your home wards. They often go unnoticed during these busy holiday seasons, especially in the states.

I love you all TONS!

Síster Marchante

Querido Presidente Brum,
Esta semana foi maravilhosa. Foi muito cansativa, mas foi ótima. Consegui conhecer a área um pouco e todos os pesquisadores que temos. Esta área é fantástica e tem muito potencial. Estou animada ficar aqui um pouco e servir as pessoas de Araraquara. A ala foi ótima ontem e bem receptiva. Sinto-me em casa já.
Eu amo servir com a Síster G. França. Ela é muito diligente e não pensa em casa muito, mesmo que seja a última transferência dela. Conseguimos ensinar muitas lições boas e ter muitos milagres esta semana. Uma milagre aconteceu com nosso novo pesquisador, Lucas. Ele foi uma referência dos Élderes quem marcaram um compromisso para 5 hr o próximo dia. Estávamos muito animadas conhecê-lo. Andamos bastante e chegamos lá certinho, mas ninguém estava em casa. Decidimos bater algumas portas no lado, e conseguimos ensinar uma lição. Depois, ao subirmos a rua, encontramos um homem chegando em casa que parou a gente e foi...o Lucas mesmo! Ouvimos a história dele e marcamos para voltar o próximo dia. Voltamos com um membro e ensinamos a Restauração (foi ontem). Ele foi muito atento e entendeu bem. Ele tem um desejo forte para fazer qualquer coisa que Deus que para ele. Ele aceitou batismo e uma data e prometeu ir à Igreja o próximo domingo. Ele é inteligente e estamos animadas ajudá-lo a mudar sua vida completamente. Ele já tem muita fé, e vai progredir rapidamente.
Não fizemos divisões esta semana como a primeira semana da transferência, mas nossas Sísteres parecem bem por enquanto. Temos planos para dar o discurso, "Tornar-se perfeitos em Cristo" de uma Liahona recente para nossa tema para esta transferência. Eu amo este discurso. Ele realmente mudou minha visão sobre nosso propósito e como ser mais como Cristo. As revistas da Igreja são maravilhosas.
Estamos muito animadas para Natal! Tudo vai ser excelente.
Com amor,
Síster Marchant

 

 

English Translation:

Dear President Brum,
This week has been wonderful. It was very tiring, but it was great. Got to know the area a bit and all the researchers who have. This area is fantastic and has so much potential. I'm excited to be here a little and serve people of Araraquara. The wing was great yesterday and well receptive. I feel at home already.
I love to serve with Sister G. France. She is very diligent and do not think much at home, even if it is the last transfer it. We were able to teach many good lessons and have many miracles this week. A miracle happened to our new investigator, Lucas. It was a reference to Elders who marked a commitment for 5 hr the next day. We were very excited to meet you. We walked a lot and we got there just right, but no one was home. We decided to hit some doors on the side, and I could teach a lesson. Then go up to the street, we found a man coming home that stopped us and was ... Lucas same! We heard his story and mark to return the next day. We returned with a limb and teach the Restoration (yesterday). He was very attentive and well understood. He has a strong desire to do anything that God than for him. He accepted baptism and a date and promised to go to church the next Sunday. He's smart and are animated help you change your life completely. He already has a lot of faith, and will progress quickly.
We did not make divisions this week as the first week of the transfer, but our Sisters seem fine for now. We have plans to give the speech, "Becoming perfect in Christ" in a recent Liahona to our theme for this transfer. I love this speech. It really changed my view of our purpose and how to be more like Christ. The Church magazines are wonderful.
We are very excited to Christmas! Everything will be fine.
With love,
Sister Marchant