Week 38~High Times, Low Times...

Hey people! 

This week has been a little crazy. Where to begin?

So we had an emergency transfer this week because President del Guerso said that another american sister isn´t progressing like she should so she´s here now with me in Perdizes and Sister Haggard was transferred to Taboão. Actually it was kind of funny when President picked up Sister Haggard because he told me the new sister doesn´t understand very well so if we encounter a situation where neither of us are understanding anything, good luck to us. Ohhhh President......

But yeah this will be a great learning and serving opportunity. Before the transfer we had exchanges with sister training leaders and we had to go visit Ana Laura (that girl who was baptized when I passed here in Perdizes!!). The problem is Ana Laura lives in the Elders´ area and the only time I went there was when I was only 3 weeks old in Brasil. So we got very lost after we visited her and took the wrong buses, but we finally made it back in the area around 7:30..... But like I said, it´s a great learning opportunity. 

As for our golden Vagner, he was progressing very well and he loves the church and we marked hmi for the 5th of March, but he was talking to his brother-in-law who lives in Salt Lake, but isn´t a member, and he said in order to be a member you have to pay tithing. And he kind of didn´t like that because he thinks tithing is of man and not of God  So he told us he would still meet with us and go to church, but to hold off on the baptism. That really was a bummer. So our focus this week is to find a lot more people. The Lord is really trying our faith because this area hasn´t had a baptism in 6 months, but God is a God of miracles, I know that much.

I think that´s about it for this week. Thank you for your prayers! Until next week!

-Sister Lockhart

Week 37~Welcome to English Class

Hello my dear friends and family, 

It's only been about 4 days, but here I am again!

So these past four days we´ve actually had a lot happen. We started our english class this week and it was great! We had about 15 people there on Saturday, but a lot of people called and said they wouldn´t be able to make it this time, but the next time for sure! It was really neat actually, a lot of people came up afterward and asked when we have church meetings and were able to get a couple addresses in our area to visit. Oh sidenote: we were teaching estar, ser, and ficar, which is the equivalent of ´´I am´´ and I tried to make a joke about Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, you know, like, ´´I am Groot´´,  but it didn´t really work out and only two people laughed because they felt sorry for me. But, other than that it went very well!

Also this week we had a miracle! I made a contact with some guy on the street and he talked with us for about half an hour about Mormons and stuff and he had so many questions and we were running late so we gave him three pamphlets and invited him to church on Sunday and also to the english class. So we were at the church on Saturday getting things set up and he (his name is Wagner) walks in and asks us where are the gold plates lol so we gave him a Book of Mormon and he told us he read all the pamphlets we gave him and that they answered his questions. So we thought he came to stay for the English class, but after we gave him a Book of Mormon he kind of ran away. But Sunday rolled around and he came! And he was very excited with lots of questions, he´s a little crazy, but very inteligent. And he kept saying ´´Us Mormons believe...´´ What?! We have yet to have a real lesson with him because he just talks and talks and after runs away, but he told us he felt really good at church. But apparently his wife is anti-mormon, but we´ll see this week!

That´s it for this week! Thank you for everything!

Love,

Sister Lockhart

Avacados are huge here

We ate a really cheap but quality churrascaria

Week 36~Week of Carnival

Museum of Art of Sao Paulo

Hey folks, 

it´s thursday after Carnaval, which might actually be worse than Carnaval itself in terms of the work because everyone is traveling. Rich people. But the good news is, Julia and Rafael, the family we are working with, probably won´t go to there other house this weekend so they can go to church! Pray everything works out!

This week we had transfers and our little house stayed the same, but the zone changed completely. Another zone, Casa Verde, which is located next to the MTC here in Brasil, closed and they are in our zone now. So we have a total of 20 missionaries, which is interesting, but fun. Really this past transfer FLEW by, which is kind of scary because they say it passes much quicker the longer your on the mission. Ahhhh! I need more time! Lol!

This week we found Regiani and Wellington coming home from work, our investigators who came to church one week, but didn´t want to come back. Regiani has been searching for a job and told us that she decided to pray to God to help her and the following week she found a job! She told us too that she finally started reading the Book of Mormon too! But this week they moved to another city closer to work and in a house that is located in a safer area. But we are very happy for them, and this is just a miracle that testifies to me the blessings of the gospel! 

Nothing much else happened this week so I´ll just share one of my favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon. It´s 1 Nefi 11: 16-17 when the angel is showing the prophet Nefi all the things that his father saw. 16 And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescensionof God?

 17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children;nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.  Anyway, I love this scripture because, I, like Nephi, don´t know everything, especially when it comes to portuguese sometimes, but I know God loves all of his children. That´s why he calls prophets to guide us, that´s why he gave us the Plan of salvation, so that we can live with our families forever, and that´s why he gave us His Son, so that we can be purified of our sins and live with Him again. All because of the love of a Father. Just food for thought.

And now something funny: I was teaching a Sister in the ward piano this week and she wants to learn how to just play hymns, but I´m trying to teach her to read music too and she told me ´´I´m not paying to see music, I´m paying to hear music!!´´ and I was like ´´Irmã, you´re not paying me at all!´´ LOL I died.

That´s all for this week! Until Monday! Love, Sister Lockhart 

Whoop!

My Planner

says... "Do what needs to be done, make any sacrifice that is necessary in order to serve a mission." 

~Elder Costa

Week 35~It's Tuesday Again...

"I ❤️ to see the temple"

Hey y´all! 

It´s Tuesday again which is strange. This week our P-day got switched to Tuesday because we got to go to the temple today! Yay! 

So this week was kind of a blur! I´m trying to remember all that happened this week, but it happened so fast! Maybe it´s that Carnival spirit. Hahah just kidding.

Let´s see, we´ve been workig a lot with one of our investigators, Carol, who has a lot of problems, but really wants to change her life. We´ve been having a lot of help from the members and we´ve had an AWESOME lesson with the bishop, but unfortunately she didn´t come to church this Sunday. Sad. But there´s still hope! As for that other family we found, they weren´t able to come to church either, but we meet with them and the bishop tomorrow! Praying everything goes swell!

Other than that, not much has happened because Carnival is starting. Here in Brasil instead of Valentine´s day, we have Carnival. I don´t know which is worse hahaha Carnival in the city is actually terrible because everyone gets drunk so we have to return to our house a bit earlier for precaution because of all the parties on the street. But never fear! The force, I mean the Spirit, is with us. Wow, that was a bad joke.

Just that for this week. Our zone has been focusing on the attributes of Christ, specifically faith for this week. One thing I have learned is that true faith leads us to act. If we have true faith, we will repent and keep the commandments because faith is a principle of action. And that´s why faith in Jesus Christ produces salvation!

Thank you all for everything! Next week I´ll be writing on Thursday because everything will be closed for Carnival! Até!

Love,

Sister Lockhart

Perdizes

Another Park...<3

"As we touch the temple and love the temple, our lives will reflect our faith..." ~Thomas S Monson