October Already!!

Woah its crazy to me that it is already October! Time flies.

Spring here is crazy haha. It changes from super hot to pouring down rain in minutes. We got caught in a few rainstorms this week, and one in particular was like walking through a river. I will try and send the pics and videos so you can see haha. We got soaked. And the thunder shakes the buildings its so loud. And I promise it does indeed get hot here, I just don't think to take pictures when I am super sweaty and gross haha.

Last pday we went to a place called Luz where there is a bunch of cool, old buildings and museums. Most of them were closed, but we found a museum that was free, so we messed around there for a bit, which was pretty entertaining. Then we went to the Galleria of Rock for one of the Elders birthday. It is a giant shopping mall of everything rock haha.

During one lunch appointment this week, I had so much gratitude for everything, especially the blessings the gospel brings. The member is an older lady who lives on her own now, still works despite her age, and is just the sweetest, spunkiest cutest person. She has told us a lot about her life, and it is just crazy what she has been through. She has been on her own since 8 years old, and joined the church later in life. But she is just the most humble, grateful, happiest person and despite her challenges even now, she has such a great perspective on life. She is a great example of how the gospel can change lives.

We encounter all kinds of responses from people as we contact. This week was a new one. We saw a women entering her house, so we clapped (we clap instead of knocking doors here because everyone has gates in front of their houses) to get her attention and give her a cartel da mensagem. She came out and when we said we wanted to share with her a small message about Jesus, she said, "ja tenho, ja tenho a entrada do ceu!" (translation:).."I already have an entrance into heaven") then grabbed the card and went back into her house. Haha we had a good laugh at that one.

We had divisions this week, and I was with Sister Rocha from Bahia, Brazil. She is super sweet, and I learned some good tips and such from her. We ended the day meeting back up with the other two sisters in front of a members barber shop. Right when I walked up, a guy said to me, woah, are you from the US, because that is the face of a gringa right there haha. And then a bunch of other people in front of the shop/working at the pizza place right next door started asking me questions, trying to talk in English, and taking pictures with me. I have never been called gringa more in my life haha. It was hilarious.

We got to watch the movie Coco for a ward family history activity this week! It is just the cutest movie, and we brought one of our investigators who is 9 years old with us. She loved it, and it was a great activity.

And of course a little something on food hehe. During an especially hot afternoon, we passed by a members house, and they gave us bread and hot chocolate before we left. yikes...not a good combo, especially on a day where you only want to drink very cold water. My stomach is being tested everyday here haha. Glad to say I survived.

Weekly inspiration from the talk by Elder Lynn G. Robbins, "until 70 times 7"

“Success,” it has been said, “isn’t the absence of failure, but going from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm.”

We may wonder—if both Nephi and Moses were on the Lord’s errand, why didn’t the Lord intervene and help them achieve success on their first try? Why did He allow them—and why does He allow us—to flounder and fail in our attempts to succeed? Among many important answers to that question, here are a few:

First, the Lord knows that “these things shall give [us] experience, and shall be for [our] good.”4
Second, to allow us to “taste the bitter, that [we] may know to prize the good.”5
Third, to prove that “the battle is the Lord’s,”6 and it is only by His grace that we can accomplish His work and become like Him.7
Fourth, to help us develop and hone scores of Christlike attributes that cannot be refined except through opposition8 and “in the furnace of affliction.”
Only with time-lapse photography or growth charts can we discern our physical growth. Likewise, our spiritual growth is usually imperceptible except through the rearview lens of time. It would be wise to regularly take an introspective look through that lens to recognize our progress and inspire us to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.”