Apostles!!!

This week we had a conference with all five São Paulo missions at the chapel near the temple with President M. Russell Ballard and Elder Soares of the 12 apostles! Holy cow it was so good!! I got to see some friends from the CTM in the other missions, and was reassured that I am not the only one struggling with Portuguese haha. It was so good to talk to them again.

And wow, the devotional was amazing. President Ballard and Elder Soares talked about a lot of really good stuff, and they truly speak with the power of God. One of my favorite things that was said, was that we need to develop real faith in Jesus Christ, and really internalize what that means in our life. And it was so fun to see their personalities a little better in a setting other than General conference. Prez. Ballard is so funny, but has so much power in what he says at the same time. And it was a neat experience to be in the same room as them. Very neat, very needed, and I learned a lot!!

The next day was cool too because we took on a challenge of Prez Ballard to talk with at least 10 people every day. Way cool and fun to do, and we got at least 6 new people that are interested and we will return to share with them the best message ever! (aka the gospel of Jesus Christ:))

Another neat experience this week was meeting a guy who is basically a member missionary in training haha. He works at a storefront with a microphone and speaker basically trying to come get people to come buy his products. We were walking by and he stopped us at first to get us interested in his store, but then started asking about missionaries and the church. He is a super funny guy, and wanted to introduce us to other store owners nearby, as well as his family and friends, so they could hear why we are here in /brazil for 18  months. So Im excited to go back and teach him haha. good stuff.

Other fun stuff...

I walked into a mens restroom on accident this week, so that was embarrassing haha. I guess its bound to happen when you are in a foreign country not knowing the language all the way yet. And yes, you would think I would know about something so basic as a bathroom by now...but what can ya do hahaha. 

It was very hot earlier this week and made me scared for the summer. But this weekend it is back to cold and rainy. Pretty typical of a Brazilian winter I guess!

The Water is fine, i use my water bottle, and we have the big gallon water jug. And everyone has a water filter if they give you water. But holy cow I think i have drunken more soda and juice here than in my whole life. haha 

-I ate a thing called a pastel this week, which is basically a fried dough thing with ham and cheese inside. and yikes i woke up and had to take tums that night because that did not settle in my stomach well haha. 

-I got to play guitar for 5 min this week and it felt amazing ahhhh miss that so much. but also its crazy how much i have forgotten what songs i know haha, the mission does that to ya

Challenge for everyone back home: everyday this week focus on one miracle (good thing that happened) during the day...it changes your perspective on how much good happens and all you have to be grateful for.

AMO VOCÊS!

com amor,

Sister Jeppson

Sister Bernabeu and I

Sister Shepherd and Sister Godfrey (from the CTM, North mission)

Sister Shepherd and Sister Almeida from Portugal (CTM friend)

Elder Young (West mission) Sister Godfrey and I 

Muitas Coisas

Oi gente!  I feel like a lot has happened this past week so I'll break it down and try and type fast. 

Last p-day was a great one! We met up with a lot of missionaries at a big shopping center and went bowling/ate food/went on a few rides. It was super fun to spend the day with a bunch of missionaries, and practicing my Portuguese with them. (and to show them up in bowling...jk jk). 

We've had some cool moments with investigators this week, and one of them (Jodiel) came to church with us and marked for batismo next month! Super amazing to see the change the gospel brings to peoples lives. It's the best!!!

We had divisions this week with some other sisters in the area next to us. Let me tell ya, it was a very interesting but fun experience. Just imagine me staring at the map all day, trying to guide the other sister around our area....and us walking to the very end of our area and back by the time the day was over, with most of the people we were supposed to meet with not being home. Haha we had a good time. 

My comp got the flu this week, so that was a bummer. She is feeling a lot better now though, and we were able to get in some good work after having to stay in for a day. 

Portuguese is still hard, but I am a having an easier time understanding everyone, and can speak a little better. A member said I am sounding good (lol she was very kind), but i'll take all i can get.

Other:
We walk A LOT.  But when we have district meetings or something in another area, or for days, we take the bus.  I got a bus pass that makes it cheaper every time we go and the busses are crazy, so the second you get on, you better hold on tight haha!  Tonight we are helping a member with English and Spanish haha.

So fun to see all the pics and everyone is so cute/handsome/grownup and fresh looking haha

So cool!!! We have a conference with all 5 Sao Paulo Missions with Elder Ballard and Elder Soares this Friday!!  Holy Cow so pumped!! 

Scripture this week is a great one! Alma 37:12. Love the part that talks about how a purpose is known unto God. So true. Even though we may not know why something is happening at the time, God always knows and has a purpose for it happening. So trust in Him and that everything is for your good. 

Love you all!

Com amor, Sister Jeppson 

Sister Bernabeu and I bowling

The Whole Crew

Roller coaster type ride

Bumper Cars

Another ride...Elder Leite, Elder Soto in the background

Funny sight...our neighbors were lifting a couch into their house through a window

We ate sushi today of pday...definitely not the best compared to Mikunis haha.  They like to use cream cheese...don't ask me why :) 

Cool soccer stadium of the Corinthians (woot woot)

Elder Soto and Elder Jaime

Messing around with temporary tattoos from gum wrappers with Irma Cleuza and her family

Boa Semana

Oi oi oi! Good things happening out here in the best mission in the world.

Two of our investigators, Mariana and her son Joao, are great people. Mariana is very open with us and has so many questions. We took her and Joao on a mini tour around the church building to show them around and explain more about what goes on at church. They liked it a lot, and were very interested in familysearch.org. So that is neat, and they will join us at church this next week. 

One day this week when we were walking to the very end of our area we were stopped by this cute old lady waiting for her bus, who said we have such a light about us. She was adorable and it was really neat. She gave us her address to come by and talk with her more right before her bus came. Pretty awesome!!!

Another neat experience I had this week was at a members house when giving a little message and sharing a scripture with her. We shared Alma 37:6-7 which talks about how by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass. The spirit was so strong and as I shared my testimony of it and how the Book of Mormon is true, I felt so incredibly happy and sure of it. The gospel is the best thing ever!

Hopefully you guys aren't tired yet of how much I talk about food. It is a big thing here haha. I thought I was going to explode this week after eating at a members house, then going to another persons house right after when they fed us tea and corn cake. Holy cow I could barely get the first piece down, and when the guy said, here have another piece, I was about to run out the door haha. It was rough getting that second piece down. The classic line I here every lunch appt. is "pegar mais sister, comer mais sister" (eat more). I had another scare when a member pulled out a lasanga that was big enough for my whole family to have first, seconds and thirds, and there was only four of us at the table. What a sight haha. 

Other random fun things that happened this week:

-Sis. Bernabeu and I attempted to make an apple pie with some pretty random ingredients we had for our district meeting. Good time, but not the best tasting haha. Luckily one elder in our district liked it enough to eat most of it.

-We made sorvete at a members house this week out of just fruit, so that was fun.

I love you guys!! Boa Semana!

Love, 

Sister Jeppson 

Feliz Dia Dos Pais! (Father's day in Brazil)

Apple Pie in the making

The district...Elder Camikado, E. Dangerfield, Me, Sister Bernabeu, E. Morriera, E. Coronel

Breakfast of champions....love mangos

Chuva Chuva Chuva

Olááá! This week has been a good one! 

It rained pretty much all week, and it still continues! It makes it a little tricky to talk with people, since everyone is out of sight on the streets, staying out of the rain. But regardless, we had some great lessons. And you bet I was out there in my bright yellow rain jacket, blue polka dot umbrella, and patterned skirts making sure nobody missed me haha. (actually helpful when all the drivers are crazy). And you bet I have already slipped and fell on the sidewalk, (well this happened to be a hill) haha. But no worries, nothing is broken.

We had Zone Conference this week, which was awesome. It was fun to see and talk with President Miller, Sister Miller, and a bunch of other missionaries. We had some good training and advice given. Plus a yummy lunch. 

We had a lot of success with meeting contacts and references this week, and a few of them are muito boa, so I am excited to meet with them again this week. 

We have an awesome investigator right now, and she has twins that are almost three that are adorable. She is very open to what we teach, and is just the sweetest. It was awesome at one point in our lesson when we asked if she knew that the church was true, what would she change in her life, and she said she would change everything for it. Such great faith. 

I am definitely getting fed enough here. I really only need to eat lunch because everyone expects you to keep eating their food until its gone. So its good that I walk so much to burn off the carbs hehe. 

Oh yeah forgot to mention pday-

We went to the  bigger part of the city today to do some shopping at cheap markets(my comp needed some clothes and such) with 2 elders in the other ward. Then we got hamburgers.  hehe

There is a replica of the temple of Solomon that we might go to sometime that is supposed to be cool and we might go to a zoo sometime. 

Tender mercy this week: We were walking in the pouring rain/dark to our next appt, and a ward member, Jane, walked by and when we stopped to talk to her for a minute, she gave us these yummy treats she had, and my companion was just talking about how hungry she was. Jane is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and this just proved it. 

Boa Semana!! amo voces!

com amor,

Sister Jeppson

**for future missionaries/current missionaries/everyone go read D&C 31. it is such a good, powerful chapter!!!

Questions answered: 

How are the bathrooms there haha?

Bathrooms are pretty much fine other than the fact that you cant flush tp down the toilet. kinda gross. but not too bad.

How are the bugs? 

-bugs are fine. no mosquitos really yet which is nice. 

What is your typical day like? 

-typical day; wake up at 7 (we do 7 to 11 at night since most people are out at night, not the morning)

get ready/breakfast/workout until 8:30

plan 8:30-9

personal study/comp study/language study until 11/11:30ish

go to lunch at a ward members house or make it oursleves at the church building

visit/teach/contact/etc until we go back to our houses for the night at 9/9:30

How is the church/ward? 

-the ward is so kind and loving! hard to understand everyone right now, but so awesome. 

How are the grocery stores? 

-we don't really shop a ton, since we are fed lunch most of the time, or are given money to get food by the ward members

How is city life? 

-city life is definitely different, but its good. Lots of houses right on top of each other and some are nice, some are ghetto. 

 When i get to a good lookout point sometimes i look out and just stare at the giant number of buildings that just go on and on and on...its crazy because some of the houses are pretty nice, but a ton are just so poor its so sad. Like just so dirty and you wouldn't even believe living like it. so crazy and makes me SO grateful.  they are all just houses right by each other. well not what you would think of as houses normally

We clap in front of their houses to let them know we are there because they all have gates in front to keep people out. 

Do you feel safe? 

Yes I feel safe. We make sure to, and the sketchy areas we aren't even allowed in after dark.

How many in your mission right now? in the mission, about 150 (50 sisters), zone prob 30

district prob 8

Also....there is a family in our ward that is so nice and takes good care of us, and every time we we go over they always feed us and give us food to take home and have us help make it so that is fun.  I will have to get a pic of them some point but the mom is so kind and reminds me of you.  

How is the Language coming along? 

i can understand a lot more than speak right now, but it depends on the person. Lots of people talk super fast, and there are lots of different accents because its Sao Paulo so people are from everywhere. 

No, the families are generally pretty small. Everyone can't believe i have 6 siblings haha

Do you have a smart phone or iPad? 

We have a dumb phone for calling, and thats it haha. We email at a place called a Lan house where we have access to computers.  

Last week adventures at McDonalds

Sister Shepherd - CTM companion

Last of the CTM Pics

Me and my companion Sister Bernabeu

 Lunch with the Elders and Sister Bernabeu