Week 32-Baptism of Joao Rodrigues Fransico (two letters and more pictures)

OI FAMILIA!!!!!!!!!! <3

QUESTIONS!

Tell us about money?  Do you ever use cash?  What is the currency there? If you had cash, could you exchange it for local currency easily?

We only use cash. We get money the 1 and 15 of every month. And we take it all out everytime. Most places dont have things for credit cards or debit cards. And if they do its probably not a good idead to use them. We use Reais, 1 real is equal to 4 dollars. In Joao Pessoa I can exchange american cash easily! 

Do you have running water (drinkable) or do you have to buy bottled water?

We have running water yes! But we buy huge tubes of water of mineral water. Because its completely filtered and completely clean(: The natural water is very polluted!

Do you have AC in your apartment?

No. Only the sacrament room in the church has AC. None of the homes have AC. But the houses also have open holes where wind passes through. (and rain) hahaha

How many stakes are in your mission? I have no idea. I am not in a stake, I am in a district. They are trying to make it a stake by the end of the year!

Is it about 2 sets of missionaries in each ward / branch? Depends. One area had 6 pairs and others 1, 2, or 3. Most have two sets. Usually its 1 or 2.

LOVE YOU ALL! <3 ATE MAIS

Oi familia e amigos!!!!!!!

This week was another week of miracles!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha

I had a baptism!!!!!!!!! His name is Joao Rodrigues Fransico! And he was born in 1955! And he changed his life around for the gospel. The gospel is for anyone and everyone at any stage of life. Gods arms are always open to his beloved children!

He has suffered so much! When we meet him - he just stopped being an alcholic. Didnt have friends, didnt have any family left, didnt have running water or light in his house. All he had was a house with a bed, table, and chair and a little lamp. He is so humble. He never asks for anything and he is so grateful for the gospel! The first time we gave him a pamphet he started to cry. He cant read to well because of his vision but he just looked at the pictures of Christ and you could tell he loves his Savior. I love this little man so much!

He is so cute! He told us yesturday that he has seen a mermaid! And we asked him where and he said the TV. haha Then he said, But one day I will see one in real life. We didnt have the heart to tell him they dont exist! But we plan to get him a little mermaid for his house! haha

His baptism was very special for a lot of reasons. One; he was so ready and the spirit was so strong and two; Pedro got to baptize him!!!!!!!

It is really special to see one of your recent-converts baptize another!!!!!!!!!!!!

....

We got to Hike to the FREI! It was beautiful and we got to see all of GUARABIRA! My area is a lot bigger than I thought! hahahahaha

We also put on a talent show for the branch! hahaha it was amazing! We put on a skit. And had the whole branch dying of laughter! Our investigators LOVED it and it really helped get a little more excitement here in the branch!

Well next week I will write more! I love you all! Thank you for all of your love, letters, and emails!!!!!!!!

-- 

Sister Wheatley

Week 31-Great letter!

OI Familia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Minhas QUERIDAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week started out really difficult! No one was here. Carnival isn't dangerous where I am... is deserted, but we worked really hard and ended the week with a lot of miracles!!!!!!!
WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!! Her name is Gracelani! She is 9 years old; my comp baptized her family before I came but the father wouldn't let her be baptized because he felt she wasn't prepared. We have been working very hard with her and taught her for weeks! She has waited months to be baptized and this week, her father gave permission! She was so ready and excited! It was a beautiful baptism. And we had tons of investigators there! I will send pics next week!

We reactivated a man who has become very special to me. His name is Adnildo. He was baptized when he was 15 but the elders just baptized him, and he had problems with drinking. Its a very sad story. But we found him, through contacting!!!!!!!!! And found him married and now we are teaching his beautiful wife! Fingers crossed! She is amazing!

Here are some questions for you:
How is the retention on new members? It completly depends. It depends a lot. A lot of people are baptized wrong or just baptized and many fall away. Many stay firm if they were baptized right and if the members help. Especially the familes stay firm. Because they have each other. But to baptize a whole family is very rare. Many missionaries do not have an opportunity to baptize a whole family. It is very rare here. I feel very blessed.

How is your pizza maker's family? AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pedro is taking a priesthood prep class to prepare to recieve the M. priesthood and bishop has plans for him(: Pedrinho will pass the sacrament for the 1st time this week! Polyana went to FSY (EFY) and LOVED IT!!!!!!!!! Didnt want to leave!!!!!!! ahaha and little Henrique just loves primary. He says its his fav part of the week! He always sits with me during sacrament to look through my marked scriptures and photos (I use to teach)! haha
What other religions are there other than Catholic? Everyone you can think of. But there are bascially too groups the Catholics and the Evangleicos (Gospels- all different kinds of christain.) Here there is literaly thousands of churches on every street. Big small- one roomed- castles. haha and they sit right nexts to the others. Its all christian. But its really a war zone and we are stuck in the middle. haha If someone is Catholic they think we are evanglesticos and do not like us. And if they are evang. they do not like us because they think we are like the catholics and everyone talks bad about the others, because their preaches have whole days where they teach about the bad things that happen in other churches. SO we keep very positive with everyone and just testfiy about the church of Jesus Christ. The real and only true church. And if you want to know for yourself- open your heart, listen, and pray. And if you do it with real intention - he will answer. He always will answer. And you dont have to be doubting to ask.

Can you go to other churches? haha I have no idea. All of them are open and many actually have their church in the middle of the street. SO I see and hear all of them. Most are just grand shows with music and teachers loud and dancing. haha
Everyone invites us to their church and my comp loves to tell them we might be able to if you come to ours. Then they visit and we explain the restoration and we haven´t had a problem about it afterwards! haha (:

Thank you all for your love and support and letters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them all! And questions I love questions! haha
Ate mais! Have an amazing week! 

Sister Wheatley

Week 30 Carnival Week

Oi familia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! e amigos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well this week was CARNIVAL! well actually its to tomorrow! But everyone starts celebrating Friiday the week before! It is like a desert here, everyone leaves for the beach. But we worked hard all week and literally talked with everyone who stayed in Guarabira. We taught around 44 lessons. But there was little to no one here to come to church this week. Even the members werent there.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Sunday, and today they have what are called blocs. These are BIG vans that drive around with singers on top. They sing and dance and a huge crowd follow behind. It is really fun to watch. Of course we do not sit and watch because we are working and I am pretty sure it breaks some kind of rule but we pass by because its always in the middle of our area. haha Carnival is a celebration of the carne or the body. It is really beautiful but people have twisted it to be something rather awful and its very sad. If you watch the movie Rio it shows it perfectly. 

Everyone is decorated in tons of colors, paints, big colorful crazy hats, and they love to throw around baby powder. hahahaha

Sushi was amazing. haha We celebrated my 7months and my comps 9 months. 9 meses or months are huge because thats the half way point and we always take photos like she is pregant! haha I love my comp so much she really has been a miracle for me.

Got a questions for you-you don't have i pads to work on right?  So what do you do on P Days when you write home?  ... We go to what we call Lan Houses --> internet cafes. We have to pay for the internet we use.

 

 Questions from others:

 

What is your typical schedule on most days?

6:30 wake up

6:45-7:15 excerise

8 study personal

9 study comp

10 study portuguese

10-12 work

12 LUNCH - we eat lunch with the members

1:30-9:30 work 

9:30-10 plan for the next day

Our work is lessons and contacts all day long. We plan lessons and inbetween the lesson as we walk we talk with people or knock on doors. And if we are hungry we grab food with vendors and eat and walk. My area is huge and is all hills so we do not have time to sit. haha we go go go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahaha 

But it is exactly that every day. And Sundays we 

9-12 is church

12-2 is lunch

2-9:30 is work (:

and P-day

6:30 clean house

8 study personal

9 study comp

10 go to the store

... sleep or watch a movie (we are allowed to watch all cartoon type movies, I just watch Disney.)

and sometime in between there we go to the lan house to write emails! 

 

Love you all thank you for all your love and support! Remember that when you are a member missionary you and your home will be strengthened!

-- 

Sister Wheatley

Week 29

Oi MINHA FAMILIA!

I love you all so much! Today I have 7 months in the mission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWW! Its crazy to think. I feel so blessed to be here! I am learning and growing so much! And I continue to see lives changed and I feel so blessed and happy to be a part!

This week will be short because we are extremly busy and we are going to celebrate my 7 months with SUSHI! Yes sushi we have a mall in my area that missionaries are allowed to enter because its actually just like a big sams club haha; And it has a sushi place! We are all so excited! haha I will send pics soon!

This week was hard because there is a Light festival going on here in Guarabira and when people party people party. hahaha It was hard to meet new people and nobody wanted to come to church including the members. We only had about 50 people in church and almost all of them where recent-converts haha.

But this week will be amazing! And I know full of many milagres/miracles!  Love ya all!!!!!!!!!!!  

Loved to hear about my baby cousins blessing! What an amazing moment! She is born into an amazing family by blessings and love. 

--

Sister Wheatley