Brazil: Week 8 - BUT WAIT! There's more!

 I had the opportunity to watch General Conference this weekend....but in Portuguese. After the first session my head just hurt from trying to understand even a tenth of what they were saying. Então, I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE hearing your thoughts about General Conference! (aka. fill me in on what happened ;) 

 Also, this week, something has come to my attention. I SERIOUSLY do not know how people meet their significant other on the mission! Either missionaries are blind or just truly see with Christ´s eyes, because I try SO hard to look decent, I really do, but it lasts about an hour.... After extreme heat, then attacked by wind, then drenched in a flash of rain, then baked in heat again, I just look like a complete mess. I think the only reason people acualy talk to me is because they feel bad for the poor american! ha. After my mission I will definitely photoshop some pictures.....

Sister Kimbrell loves to work, which is fantastic becuase so do I! And, she is really good at grammar and always corrects me. We have been working so hard, especially this last week to serve and find new investigators. Last week we had to drop a couple, which is always sad. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Miraculously there were more people in the streets this week and we talked with the whole world. seriously.We had exchanges this week and during exchanges, I was on exchanges this week, we found this family (from a really old teaching record!) that just barely overcome a lot of problems with drugs and stuff. We asked the father what made him stop everything and he said because of his new baby and the importance of family. We had a really good lesson and I am excited to teach them. Also, on Saturday morning as Sister Kimbrell and I rolled into the church (not literally, its just a 30 minute walk....up hill.) for the General Womens conference, we had a miracle happen! A member was showing this guy and his grandma around the church and we started talking with him and found out that he is really interested in Geneology and found the familysearch website and wanted to come see our church. So, he took his grandma and just came! SOZINHO! How cool!? Amazingly enough, they came when the church was open and they stayed for the General Womens conference! 

I have been studying the atonement recently, and I just want to let you know that I know that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins. He truly knows everything you go through. I know that through the atonement we can be forgiven and also become better. Through Christ all things are possible. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. And, He shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind... He will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death." (John 3:16, Alma 7:11-12) As we are preparing for the Easter season, I challenge you to truly study the atonement and to gain a personal testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I know that my Redeemer lives. I hope that you have a blessed week.   

Sister Keeler

Brazil: Week 7 - Be a representative of Christ all week long, not just on Sundays

Well, lets just say, having two Americans is EXTREMELY hilarious! With Brazilians being American is sometimes really good and sometimes its really bad.... I will just leave it at that. 

Anyways, I absolutely LOVE my companion! Sister Kimbrell is from North Carolina and has a southern accent when she speaks english! SO COOL! She arrived in Brasil in November (I found out there are only about 10 American sisters here!) We speak in Portuguese all day, every day, and after 9:30 pm we speak in English. Surprisingly we are really good at never speaking english! Sometimes we forget how to speak English when 9:30 rolls around so we end up still speaking Portuguese!

 Our area is enormous! It covers the east part of Jaú and 3 other cities.(we hardly ever go to those other cities because it takes about 30-40 minutes by bus and we also dont have money to go there) The thing thats been really hard for me so far is that Jaú is really different from Americana, people use different words, different phrases, people are rich so they arent always the nicest.......(this area has only had missionaries for 20 years) , its a BRANCH, and most days there is literally NO ONE in the streets to do contacts. (One day, I will take a video of how quiet the streets are). But, I love it here! Especially since Jaú is the capital for womens shoes :) 

There are definitely people here ready to hear the gospel and they have real intent to learn and they just feast upon the words of Christ. It is really fantastic to see. We had three new investigators (S1., J. and S2. this week and two of them were a reference from a convert that got baptized in January (He has been reading the Book of Mormon everyday and is already in Ether! He is amazing!) They have amazing questions and J. has already read all of 1st Nephi in one week and he was asking us questions about it! AWESOME! 

Our mission president, President Canuto, spoke yesterday at our Branch Conference and he talked about our baptismal covenant. When we get baptized we covenant that we will take upon the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. He focused on taking upon the name of Jesus Christ and being true representatives of Jesus Christ. Its not just a Sunday thing! We need to be representatives all week long, which includes VT and Home teaching, GOING OUT WITH THE MISSIONARIES, going to the temple etc. I know that sometimes life gets busy but we need to remember where our priorities are, I think I read about this in a conference talk by Henry B. Eyring this week... anyways, I know that when you put God first it definitely wont be easy but it will be worth it. The blessings will be immense! 

love you! Have an amazing week serving the Lord!

Sister Keeler