Week 25-194 days gone

OI familia!!!!!!!!!!

This week was crazy!!!!!!!!! I don't have much time but I wanted to write a little for ya´ll! haha

This week was the new year!!! And we got to watch the fireworks for our apartment high up in the air! And I watched a firework explode in someones house. Actually it was our nieghbor. Luckily he is ok. But that was scary!!! haha

We are teaching so many families!!! I am so happy and excited!!! I love teaching familes!!! It is always a special thing to see a change in the lives of people but when you see a whole family change, it is incrediable!!!!!!!!! The joy you feel is like nothing else in the world. I love teaching the gospel! I love helping people know Christ better. This week was hard but beautiful!!! 

MY COMP is amazing! I love her to death!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHe is amazing! We work super well together and I love every moment!!!

I will send lots of pics! Love you all  

Oh and remember you dont need a new year to start over. But its a good time to do it (: hehe 

Sister Wheatley

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!

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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

Week 20 Shrek and the Donkey ??

OI FAMÍLIA E AMIGOS!

Questions:

We notice a lot of graffiti on the buildings.  Do you have lots of gangs in Brazil?

Hahaha yes there are a ton of gangs. Lots of gangs but the graffiti is not usually them. A lot of homes decorate their homes with graffiti type things and so do stores and restaurants! Where I am has a lot of gang related violence. But I feel completely safe. They don't mess with us!!! (: I know the good and bad areas and we are exactly obedient to the rules and to the spirit. We actually don't work at night in this area we work during the day and morning(:

We are curious to see what road you take to get to the hill that you climb.

Next week I will send you a list of cool streets to check out! One really big hill is Rua Professora Seevero Rodriques, Santa Rita.

Do you get out any more on P-days than you did in the last area?

Yes and no, haha this area has a lot more shopping but not more things to do! haha we have plans to do a spa day(: haha President said we could! hehe only thing we are not allowed to paint are nails any color other than clear or white. haha so only a massage(: We have SUBWAY AND MISTER MIX (an amazing milkshake place) HERE. In my mission we are not really allowed to do a lot of things, but we make the best of what we can do. We do a lot of crafts and music (efy of course) (:

How do you wash your clothes? Are there laundry mats?

I have actually never seen a laundry mat here... we have a washer. but we hang dry all of our clothes; funny thing you ask that this week because our laundry washer broke and we now hand wash our clothes (for the next few weeks) until we can get another one sent to us(:

I see your clothes hanging near your bed.  I guess this is how you dry them?

Yup! And because our apartment is really small we don't really have room to dry them! haha

This week was hard but there are always miracles and funny things to share.

1. Here in Brazil they make this noise (psh) to call attention the people or children. Its really cool! (used the same way we whistle) But it is a little tricky to make, and I was practicing as we were walking because (I thought there wasn't anyone in the street) well there we two boys about my age and I made the sound really loud. And they thought I was calling them. (the same way guys whistle at girls there) It was so funny!!! I couldn't stop laughing- my comp explained to them I didn't see them. And me we talked to them about the church. haha

2. SO my comp and I have been together almost 10 weeks! And the other week we were walking and she stopped and said "you are strange." I didn't know how to respond so I laughed and said thank you. Then she continued... "you never talk in our house, you don't talk a ton in big groups, you don't talk a ton during our meals, you don't talk a ton in church." then she stopped and asked me if I knew the movie Shrek. And I said of course. And she asked me if I remember Donkey. And I ask of course then she said, " but boy when we are walking you are an exact copy of donkey in shrek. You sing and talk a ton." I could not stop laughing!!! Then we started to really think about it and I am totally donkey- I talk and sing a ton, I am usually really positive, and super goofy. haha And she is totally Shrek. Now it is our joke. I love her a ton but its true we are different. But we have learned how to work and love each other! That is a miracle of the mission!

3.I do not have photos of my family and I was really sad about that the other week and I was looking in the ensign for a photo for my planer and I found the photo of KAYLENE ABIGAL AND MARDELL! haha I had no idea it was in the exact copy.. and it was in Portuguese(: hehe I show everyone my cousins! Its so much fun! (was another miracle)

4. Funny thing here people call afros- black power! its hilarious!

5. Cool fact- the yws have their own hymn book here!!! its really cool!

Well don't have much time! Thank you all for the recipes and letters! I love you so much!!!

Sister Wheatley

Week 19 Cookie Recipes??

Oi amigos e familia. 

Today is going to be really short because I really don't have much time today! haha I never do but oh well haha.

I LOVE THIS WARD THIS AREA! I love it sooo much! This ward is incredible! 

1. The ward mission leader has step up a plan like nothing I have ever seen for us missionaries and the ward missionaries which there are 5 companionships. Each week we are each (each comp) a list of 15 less actives and our goal is 2 investigators for each group to have in church on Sunday.

2. every Sunday the ward does visits. and they chose an area and everyone visits the members and less actives in that area.

3. Every day a member goes out with us.

It is amazing!!!!!!!!!!! 

Alright I need your help! Here they do not have cookies like we have cookies. But everyone here has heard about American cookies. I need the best cookie recipes you all have. The ward wants to make American cookies for an activity. They want all kinds. So please send me recipes. We have all the normal ingrediants here!!! (and if you have brownies from scratch that would be helpful too) hehe ya´ll are the greatest!!!!! 

I love you all thank you all for your love and support!!!!!  

TE MAIS!

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Sister Wheatley