Brasil: Week 51 - Daylight Savings

So, we got a call from our Zone Leaders Saturday night and that daylight saving has ended and we get one more hour of sleep. Obviously everyone is super happy! So, we changed all of our watches..;.......Well, Sunday morning I woke up, feeling like it was 6:30 (Our alarm didnt go off.....) but it was EXTREMELY Bright outside.... I was like..... what time is it} I looked at my watch and it said 8:30.. I dont believe it! Then, I looked at our phone that was totally wrong and said it was 20:30 then I looked at Sister Rufos watch that said 7:30. I was like, this can not be happening! I ran to the others sisters and their phone said 6:30..... then we ALL started going crazy trying to figure out what time it was. We called the other sisters and they started freaking out too becaseu they didnt know. Then we called our Zone Leaders and they were like... Sister, its 6:30. Didnt you listen to what we said yesterday} hahah QUE ASSUSTO!!!!!! 

So, I got a new companion and her name is Sister Rufo from Tocantins. I am really good at geography but I had no idea where Tocantins was..... Go try to find it :) Tocantins is pretty new and only has 26 years as a state and my companion is the oldest person born in Tocantins because she is 26! How cool!

Three cool things happened this week

#1. We were walking in the street and this little kid on a bike was like "hey, can you come visit me and my grandma right now because I really realy want a bible. I am going to church but I dont have a bible" Cutest kid ever! We went to his house and taught him and his grandma. I have never seen a 7 year old kid so queit and attentive during a lesson in my life. He read some scriptures for us and also said the closing prayer! I was so cool! We promised we would come back and bring him his bible and he got super excited!

#2. We taught about the restoration with a family and at the end we gave them a book of Mormon and the mom started to get emotional. She was like, a long time ago I worked with a guy that was really nice and always talked about his church and before I left that job he gave me a Book from his church that I never read. And now, the same exact Book is in my hands again. I will not miss my opportunity now. God has given me a second chance and I dont want to loose it." Woah! That was seriously the coolest moment ever. Sometimes we share the gospel with people and nothing happens but what we say and how we act will mark them forever.

#3. We knocked doors on this one street and the first door let us in she loved our message and we asked if she knew anyone that would like to hear a message about hope and the love of Christ and she said that the neighbor down the street would love it. So, we went there and shared a message with her neighbor. We asked the same question at the end and she pointed to another neighbor and we went there and that neighbor pointed towards another neighbor. It was soooo cool to have that happen! Reference train!

This week in our District meeting, our District leader said something really mindblowing that I HAD to share. He was talking about our purpose as missionaries and how we need to be the best missionary we can be and always be obedient, always diligent, always always always 100%. Then he told us to think of a ton of super heros. All these heros are normal people but when the time comes they put on their suit and become super! But, Superman is different. He is the only superhero that wakes up as superman and has to put on normal clothes to be Clark Kent. Isnt that cool} We need to be like that everyday of our lives. Are we waking up as someone normal and only when we need to we become super or do we wake up super} 

Have a SUPER week!!!!!!!!!

 

Sister Keeler

Brasil: Week 50 - Celular Problems

A miracle happened yesterday! OUR PHONE STARTED WORKING!!!!!! It has been 2 weeks that our phone has been broken.... Yup. 2 weeks. We havent been able to call anyone or receive calls and seriously its the worst thing ever. Life without a cell phone is hard. Good thing we live in a really safe area or else I would have been scared to walk around with out one. BUT! Dont worry because it works now! It was actually really funny because we called the mission office to fix it and nothing worked then yesterday as we were leaving someones house the phone fell on the ground and broke open (like the battery came out) and we all just gasped and stared at the phone..... Then I was like "heh, it would be really funny if it actually works now"...... we put the phone back together and turned it on and guess what!!! IT WORKED!!!!! HAHAHAH!!! It was sooooo funny! I was like, why didnt we drop the phone on the ground two weeks ago? But, seriously, it was a miracle.

So, before I left on my mission my Stake President gave me some counsel and one of the things was to practice the piano as much as I could before leaving on my mission. Well, I did and didnt think much of it because almost every American knows how to play the piano and there are a TON of american missionaries here in Brasil. Well, let me just tell you that I KNOW that the leaders of the church are inspired of God because every single area of my mission I have been asked to play the piano. I dont play that well anymore because I litterally never practice but I have definitely had devine help. I have had to play for baptisms, activities, stake conference, and now I am basically the ward pianist for my ward here in Sao Carlos. I never thought I would have to play so much on my mission, but God knew and he knew that these areas needed my talent (even though its not even good talent :)

 

Tomorrow is my one year anniversary in BRASIL!!!!! AHH!!!!! There is a Brasilian Elder here in my district that arrived with me and he decided to tell everyone about Sister Keelers first day in brasil from his brasilian view. It goes a little like this:  Everyone was in Presidents house having a great time then this one american sister showed up looking really scared and tired. She was extremely white, was wearing cold weather clothes and didnt know ANY portuguese! She didnt even speak in English!  (Then he ended saying that after 6 weeks he saw me again and said that I spoke really well. ha) Sadly..... everything he said was really true. I was so tired I didnt say anything!

In church we learned a lot about choices and agency. We learned a lot about how we can descern right from wrong and then I started thinking about the Conference talk by Elder Godoy. He talks about how some decisons are not only right and wrong but have a good, better and best. Sometimes it happens in our lives that we are faced with decisions that are both good but we need to decide which one is better. That is when we need to get on our knees. Sometimes both decisions are good but we need to choose what God would have a choose because He knows what is better for us than we do. That has happened a lot in my life actually, and its been hard to decide what is best. But I know that when we counsel with Heavenly Father first he will let us know.  

I hope you all have a great week and make sure you make the BEST decisions :)

"Are you willing to pay the price for your decision?" Elder Carlos Godoy

P.S We are teaching an english class and at first we had a couple people coming (usually 3.....ish....) but then last week one of our faithful students was like, I brought a few friends to class today. A few? She brought like 5! It was so fun! we taught english and played games! and next week we are having a valentines day party!!! WOOHOOO!!! 

P.S I am addicted to the song Glorious.... yup. You can get addicted too! Just click here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GytW_rgr0RM

P.S. we went to a cool museum today and we are going to the zoo after this!!!! woohoo!!!! And, that typewriter is called "remington" I want it for my birthday :)  

Sister Keeler

Brasil: Week 49 - The mission

If anyone tells you that the mission is easy they are either lying or didnt do it right. Yesterday was a hard day. And, I will tell you why. 

Too many desserts.

I will tell you a little about the south American culture. They are SUPER nice and when they give you food you need to eat it ALL or they think you didnt like it. 

After lunch we had icecream. Great! I love icecream! Went to our first appointment and had icecream, cake AND a doce (that I dont know how to explain in english.....its like almost a granola bar with sweet and condensed milk). We went to another appointment and they gave us icecream and jello! I thought I was going to explode! I am so glad that no one else offered us food! So much for my new Years resolution to loose weight! 

Two weeks ago we ereased our whole board off investigators becuase no one was progressing and we started from ground zero....... it has been really hard and a test of my faith. We have knocked on so many doors and have gotten so many "Nos"´. only a few people let us in this week......aka 4 and 3 of those people afterwards said we cant come back because they were just being nice to let us in.

But, its all good! The work continues and we will continue! We did get to teach another english class of about 30 people. It was really cool! its an english immersion school and I am really impressed how well they speak after a couple weeks! 

I hope you all had a great week! And, please, remember the missionaries in your prayers (especially me) Mission life is hard. :) 

Sister Keeler