Week 24 Loving her new area and companion

FAMILA!

I am so excited for NATAL or Christmas!!!!!!!! And talk with my family!!!!!!!! Today will be short because I will talk with you all FRIDAY!

I LOVE GUARABIRA!!! I didnt think I would love an area better than Santa Rita but I was wrong. Here there is so much work. The members need help because most of the members are recent converts. There are tons of investigators AND MY COMP IS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE HER SO MUCH! We are already really really good friends!!! And we work really well together.

She also wants to learn English. So I teach her English and she teaches me Portuguese!  She really helps me a lot!!!!!!!!  

The Catholics and the Protestants are at war here.  They really don't like each other. And because missionaries haven't been in the area everyone thinks we are their enemy. The Catholics think we are Protestants and the Protestants think we are Catholics. Its really funny!

Well I have to go! Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU ALL!

-- 

Sister Wheatley

Week 23-Transfer to Branch Guarabira new companion Sister Ferreira

Oi familia e amigas!!!!!!!!!

AMO VOCES!!!!!!!!!!! 

We had transfers today!!!!!!!!!! I am now in the Branch Guarabira!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is really really really far away from everything hehe.

I took a 2hr charter bus to get here! Was crazy!!!!!!! Its on the top of a mountain reminds me a lot of Idaho! haha Because its so far and in a district not a stake- we dont have contact with anyone and the missionaries that get sent here stay for a long time! haha My new district is only 4 sisters and we live in the same house. haha My sister Leader is Sister Jacobson! She is awesome! And from Texas(: 

 I came with Sister Lins again! haha SIster Lins has always lived with me. We where in Bayeux and Santa RIta together and now we are here together! I love her!!!!!!!!!  We are very close and she is adorable. We have never been comps but always lived in the same house and same area! We actually will leave the mission the same time too haha! She is from Salvador, Brazil! LOVE HER So happy she is with me!!! 

My new Comp! Is Sister B. Ferreira (: She is soooo cute and sweet! I already love her!!!!!! She is so ready to work and is adorable!!! I will send pictures! She is from Sao Paulo, Brazil!!! (really close to the MTC there) (:

The Branch is only about 8 years old and about 5 years ago got a building! According to the sisteres here, the missionaries do a lot in the ward. I am so excited!!!!!!!!! 

I will miss Santa Rita! I loved it there but I am excited to start my new adventure here!!! (:

This week we will have conferencia de Natal!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! Its in Joao Pessoa about 3 hrs away now but its with all of the elders and sisters! There will be a talent show, food, a movie, activites, and more food!!!!!!! YES! haha (: 

Well I have to go!!! I love you all sooo sooo  sooo much!!!!!!! HUGS

Ate Mais! 

Sister Wheatley

Week 22-Hard Week-Picture of Tampica (breakfast) at the bottom -sorry I can't get the blog to publish it in the right color!

1. How often do you have district meetings or zone conferences? District- once a week but its only with sisters. I only have contact with my district leader when he calls us for numbers or when we have a baptism! Zone- Every 3 months. Thats the only time I see elders. But this time with be confercia de NATAL! It will be 5 zones! I am really excited!

2. Do you have interviews with your President every month?  How does that go since he does not speak English? No every 3 months, but every zone is different so sometimes if you move zones you have more or less. Presidente is amazing but he is a man of very few words. haha I speak portguese so its not a problem haha I talk normal with him in portuguese. Our interviews are very short maybe 10minutes max, and thats if we have questions. Usually its more like 5 min. He finishes our whole zone in 1hr. haha (:

3.How are your shoes? I bought new ones! hehe I use the other ones for church. They had a sell for sandles really really cheap and they are much better for conditions here. SO i bought new ones about 2 months ago(: They are perfect!

4. Are you ready for colder weather?  You better remain ready to stay warm....the summer is upon you now.  (colder weather is not coming)  :-) hahahhaahahaha This week was HOT. but I am really adapting well. Its normal. I dont feel uncomfortable in the heat. it was about 68 F the other day and I was freezing! I wore a jacket haha Its about 80 to 90 everyday. we dont have ar conditioning anywhere so I dont change temps a lot so its comfortable now. Then only thing is the sun is very very strong. Sometimes it beats down on you and you feel yourself frying but its normal! haha One thing super lucky I dont really sweat all the other missionaries sweat a ton but I only do a little around my face. 

5.  Do missionaries speak in church much? Depends on the ward. My last ward the missionaries never spoke. in this ward the missioaries always have the second sunday. Its good practice for me!!! We also plan an activity every month. This week- was our turn!!! I went a little crazy but we had an amazing turnout!!!!!!!!!!!! We did a night of tampica (its amazing) then we played some games I created that where centered with missionary work! It was so much fun! We actually had 7 investigators there, 4 less actives, and lots of recent converts and members! It was increadble!!!!!!!! (tampica is a food that does not exisit in the US and I will have withdrawals when i go home. I eat it everyday! haha)

6.  How many members come to church in the ward  Do most walk or have cars? about 90-100. Lots of people walk or take the bus, Maybe 5-8 famileshave cars. A lot of times they push 2 familes in a car. The cars here are really really small!. The bishop here doesnt have a car, he has a shiny bike (its really old) but he LOVES this bike and we love him! haha (:

This week was BUSY!!!!!!!!!!! 

But boy was this week hard. If there is one thing I learned this week. is that Satan is real and does not want his children to be happy. Everything we did Satan attacked this week. I really felt like I was in a battle. But WE WON! We ended the week with 7 investigators in church 2 reactivations and alexandre recieved the HOLY GHOST!

This is an example. We taught this family about the restoration and they loved it! They were so excited to read the book of mormon. We left happy. We left to visit another family and when we passed 30minafteranother set of missionaries where teaching the family antimormon literature. Now they wont even look at us when we pass. its very sad. 

People really firm where attacked this week in our area and the other sisters. But we pushed through it and the other sisters actually marked a batismo! 

We where feeling down wed and we decided that is actualliy what Satan wanted us to feel so we picked up the work again. Lots of bad things happened but we pushed through. and today I am glad to say we won!!! 

I recieved a new resolve to battle Satan until the end! haha (:

 Love ya ATE MAIS!

-- 

Sister Wheatley

Week 21-Week of Miracles and Baptism

OI FAMILIA E AMIGOS!

This week was a week of miracles!!!!!!!!!! AGAIN! haha I love weeks like this!

My comp and I decided to do things a little different then we usually do and we decided to really let the spirit guide us this week. And miracles happened!!!

1. WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!! His name is Alexandre. And his story is incredible. Exactly one year ago the sisters found him and taught him all the lessons but he wasnt prepared to be baptized. So he stopped seeing them. Then after 1 year lots of things changed and the elders knocked on his door. Then we arrived! (the elders hadnt taught him a lesson yet) And we began to teach him again. I LOVE THIS GUY! He has become a very good friend. He is so funny!!! We run into him all the time. It has been a blessing to watch him change and gain a testimony. But believe me when I say Satan did not want him to be baptized. Lots of things happened while we where teaching him but something unquie about him and his story he chose to pray and read his scriptures every single day. And because of that he was streghtened in ALL of the trials that attacked him. He actually had to chose to be baptized over the people he loved. And the miracle of the story- one he chose right and two because he chose right the ones he loved actually had very profound spirtual experiences and are now active members and new investigators. OH .. He has the cutest little daughter she is only about a year old. AND she is darling!!!!!!! ( I will send pictures next week) (:

2. We have been working with a less active family for a month now. The father is a less active and the mother is not a member but the son is extremly active! This family has literally become my family here. I call her mom! She feeds us all the time!!! haha But this week, THE FATHER CAME TO CHURCH and the mother WANTS TO KNOW IF THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!! We have started to teach her!!! I am sooooo soooooo happy!!!!!!!!! 

3. We actually had 6 new investigators come to church (from different families) and 2 people reactivated!!!!!! 

4. I continue to lose a ton of wieght! haha I love it!!! I feel great!!!!!!!!! Only problem is that none of my clothes fit. haha sorry mom. hehe  SO a member of the ward is helping me take in some of my shirts and skirts! SHE IS AMAZING! < 

5. Last week are meals fell through every single day because of different things. And that was hard not to have real food, but this week the members went out of there way to feed us. We had two days when our meals fell through and other members actually took us to restaurants! 

There are more but I dont have time to write. haha I love you all so much!!!!!! Keep smiling and remember when you are obedient the Lord does NOT hold back blessings!!!!!!!  :) Follow him 1st!

Love you! Ate mais! HOPE THANKSGIVING WAS AMAZING!  

Sister Wheatley