Monthly Archives

April 2011

Brazil

Hoppy Easter!!

27 April 2011

Oh how I love my mission. Nothing better or more wonderful for me to be doing right now than exactly this, being here in Aracruz with Sister Barbosa working lots and lots and lots. It’s so incredible each day to be so focused on only doing good things, we’r eonly rbigning goodness and light into the world. It is bringing so many blessings into my life. The mission is the best. Blessings and Spirit all day everyday!
This week was a little coo coo for cocoa puffs, but still so so excellent and full of lots of joyful moments.
  First, we had interviews with President Pickett, and he and Sister Pickett brought up all our mail! Hooray! I had a giant load of jolly good mail and it was like the best thing ever. Many many obrigadas to the dearest Cottams, for two packages and lots of lovely letters, and obrigada to Kirstin for the best surprise box ever full of fun goodies and lovely words. Obrigada to Tingy, Carala girl, Janey Banana, Sis Cahoon, Sis Friden, Mother dear, and Gabi! It was like joy to the 46th power getting and reading and opening all this mail. Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers.
  More joyful moments, seeing Gabi! She’s a member from my last area and on of my favorite people on planet earth (and on other planets too). IT was soooo good to see her, to laugh to cry to talk about the wonderful blessings of life. The people you meet on the mission, you can never forget them.
  Twas also joyful one night as we were walking down the street and I tripped on a rock and a my shoe broke. Fantastic. Luckily I found a sandal on the street to wear so that I could walk the rest of the way home.
  Easter was so joyful too! Oh how I looove Holy Week! :) It was so good. And this one girl we’re teaching, she came to church all by herself. We didn’t have to wake her up and remind her or go get her or anything. She was there before we were!
  And we’re teaching a family, baptizing the oldest daughter and son this saturday. The son didn’t want to get baptized yet, but after church he came and told us that he’s ready and wants to get baptized. This family is elect. We’re on a big search for other elect families too. If you know any, let me know. Or let mormon.org know. :)
  The members in the branch are so wonderful. Somebody hooked us up with a bunch of chocolate too, making Easter complete and happy! Things are pretty great.

Love Sister Owens
Brazil

Fireflies!

26 April 2011

Fireflies! Yes, I saw fireflies for the first time ever this week. It was so glorious. Oh it is just so beautiful here. I love Aracruz.
    And we are teaching coolio peeps too. We’re teaching this family and one of the girls and her friends just love us so much. They always tell me to speak english. When they see us coming down the street the just run run and hug Sister Barbosa and I. It is so good.
     We went to a couple’s house that we’re teaching, and one of their daughters said that the girls from the church are here. Then the little boy said, “They’re not from the church; they’re from God!” So funny and so good. This couple, Valdirene and Renato, we telling us how much good we are doing for the world. And how every time we visit they just feel more peace in their lives.
      It was so good to hear that, because we work all day long, walk all over the place in the hot sun, teach lessons, people seem unresponsive at times, but then when people tell you all the good things you’re doing you just feel so good and just want to continue forever!
      We’re also teaching a profressional soccer player. So Brasil. There are kids all over the place in the streets just playing soccer soccer futebol. Tis fantastico.
      And we were at this girl Rovena’s house, teaching her and her family, and they are just such wonderful people. People here have so much faith and are so dedicated. But oh my goodness there are like 20 churches on each street. We’re doing our best tesitifying to people about the restored Church of Jesus Christ, but sometimes people just don’t want to change.
      Oh but at Rovena’s huose, they have a bunch of cool fruit trees and she was just going out and picking these different fruits and giving them to us to try. Hooked us up with some cacau fruit, which they make chocolate from. Don’t know how they make choco, but the fruit tastes nothign like chocolate. Inside it looks a bit like snot. :) And they gave us some coconut juice. Her dad was outside with a machete just hacking a coconut open for us to drink. Oh I looove this country.
      The mission is so wonderful. I can’t even begin to talk about all of the many things I’ve learned, more than just português. :) I love this place and these people and am so excited for Easter! Happy day to you all.
    -Sister Owens

    -Sister Owens
Brazil

ARACRUZ

11 April 2011

Querido Família e Amigos…

Tchau tchau to the wonderful area of Jardim da Penha and the wonderful people and things and island of Vitória, and hellllooooo Aracruz! 
TRansfers this week, so sad to say goodbye to so many things and souls, but I’m Aracruz now, which is such a fantastico little city. It is soooo beautiful here. And there is so much green and nature! Oh it is heavenly. I love this town. And it’s not a huge big city like Vitória too, so it is sooo great. 
My companion is the dear Sister Barbosa. She’s from the south of Brasil in Porto Allegre. She is incredible, such a good missionary, and so fun. This transfer will be glorious! But we are opening this area, which means we are both brand new to this area annd we know nothing. Nothing. And we pretty much have no map. So it is definitely on the hard side to work effectively, but we’re doing what we can. 
We live with two other sisters, Sister Felizardo and Sister Dias, also from Brasil. I just love these three sisters sooo much. And basically I’m speaking no english these days, since they’re all Brasilian, so tis a nice little growing period for me to crack down on my português skills. :) Learning lots of new words all day everyday! 

The mission continues to be incredible, but soooo very far from easy. There is so much to do. But you can’t do it all at once, one things at a time. And with teaching there are so many things to include and you have to be so inspired and listen to the spirit in all things. But sometimes it is hard to distinguish what the spirit is saying and what you need to do. Thank goodness we have the power of prayer, the blessed privelege to communicate with an all powerful, all knowing, all loving God. Never prayed so much in my life. It is great of course. 

I’m just so grateful for the scriptures and preach my gospel and my companions and President and Sister Pickett, so that I can learn all these things that I have to do. So so grateful. And of course sooo grateful for the loving people I have at home at for all your prayers and thoughts. Muito obrigada para sempre. 

Com amor, Sister Owens

PS the picture of the colorful chapel is actually like a school, where the church has its meetings because the real chapel is under construction or something. It’s 2 hours away in Colatina, where we have weekly district meeting. It is like the coolest looking church ever though. Oh how I love the colors of Brasil! 


Brazil

Have I Done Any Good?

8 April 2011

Queridos famíliares e amigos, a vida é tão boa.
We had General Conference this weekend! It was so so good and so increidble to hear the words and receive the counsel of the living prophets and leaders of the church. We watched it at the chapel and it was all translated into poruguese. I definitely missed hearing the actual voices of the prophet and apostles, but it was still so so good. So good. 
 
They seemed to talk a lot about trials and tribulations. Wonderful to hear, because as wonderful as it is being a missionary, the mission definitely comes with a few trials. But we really can’t grow without challenges and tribulations. Heavenly Father often gives us aflicitions to bless us. He loves us and just wants us to grow closer to him. And everything has a purpose. 

It was also said a couple times how are prayers are often answered through others. We are the answers to peoples prayers, even to our own prayers. We’ve just got to be humble, be like a child. 

And I loved how President Henry B. Eyring quoted the hymn “Have I Done Any Good.” Because so often we can’t see the fruits of our labors, and we wonder if we’re doing good. But we are dong good.

1. Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?

[Chorus]
Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.

2. There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
’Tis noble of man to work and to give;
Love’s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.

Text and music: Will L. Thompson, 1847–1909, alt.


And…. transfers tomorrow. Sadly, I’m leaving this wonderful area of Jardim da Penha with these wonderful people. No idea where I’ll be going or who I’ll be with. I’ll find out tomorrow! But I know it will be so so good, tis just so sad to leave, and I don’t want to pack. And good news, I’ll get to eat some of Sister Pickett’s cookies at transfer meeting. 
And more good news!! Sister Powell (who I was at the MTC with) got her visa finally and will be here tomorrow! Sister Morales will be training her. Yahoo!

Sister Morales and I were talking about some of the highlights of the last three months we had in this area together. Oh my goodness there are sooo many. So may funny moments, sad moments, spiritual moments. It’s like an emotional roller coaster out here some days. :)

But the best part of the mission so far is Alderina. She is elect. She was baptized March 26th. She is soooo hilarious and loves the gospel soooo much. Oh I just love her so much. Yesterday she said that imagine if we hadn’t found her. Imagine. How many people are out there searching for the peace the gospel brings, but they don’t know where to find it. That’s why we’ve got to share this joy! Okey dokey, I better go get to work! :)

Brazil

JOY

7 April 2011

Hooray for batismos e confirmações!
The mission is so wonderful. Learning so many things, and learning how many things I still need to learn! It just never ends, which is fantastico!
There are ups and downs all through out the week, and the ups are definitely when we’re working harder. The harder you work, the better you feel (so let’s have beans for every meal)! 
Beans are still so delicious. And it’s like avocado season too, which means avocado smoothies! Whiich may sound not fantastico, but they’re pretty good. Açaí bowls are good too. I think I have a habit of talking about food a lot in every email, porbably because I email right before lunch. :) Oh blessed lunch. It’s like a sacred hour here. 

I just want to say a little bit about JOY. Because 2 Néfi 2:25, “men are that they might have joy.” 
Joy is our purpose. Nothing better than that! 
And I got some supercalifragilisticexpialidocious mail this week, and oh my goodness, mail=joy. Muito muito obrigada to the Cottams and Sashie and Stephen and Holly and Stacy! Oh happy day, I love mail! And I love you all too. 
Something else that brings lots of joy… Sister Pickett’s cookies. They are heavenly. She is the mission president’s wife. That Picketts are soooo good. So are cookies. I miss cookies from home, but at transfers and conferences, Sister Pickett always brings cookies. Yay! 
And more joy… baptisms! People who are fully converted and will stay strong in the restored gospel for ever! 

Só alegria!