Aloha! I just got back from a little buggy ride on the beach with our
elect investigator family! But we spent so much time playing that
we’ve got no time to write. :) And I’ve got about a bajillion lovely
fotos from these last three weeks but can’t send them yet. Oh well,
you’ll all be seeing them soon enough.
Some days I go a little crazy because I only have three weeks left. So
many different feelings that just don’t go together. Happy, sad,
anxious, excited, nervous, bdfjkahdasldk. Lots of things going on. But
it is all lovely and I remember Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. To everything
there is a season (turn turn turn)…
As I have said 500 times, I love Quissamã. The members help our little
trio de poder so much. They’re ready and willing to serve at every
moment. I love them muchly.
And they make excellentíssimo almoço too, aka lunch is delish. hehe
Quissamã is so beautiful and it is so fun with bikes! We go so many
more places and meet so many more peoples. Oh the places we go! The
natureza here is perfect, and how I will forever miss the divine fruit
trees.
And tis avocado season. One of our recent converts gave me a big giant
avocado and he gives us cows milk from the farm too. My lovely comps
made cheese with the cows milk and twas yum yum yummy.
I need to prepare to enter the cold because soon I will be back in the
snow land. But before that, I will be playing in Rio!! Woo hoo I am so
grateful for the many angels the Lord puts in my path. Life is good
and will get even better.
Sunday was grand. We had lots and lots of investigators at church. And
lots and lots of less actives too! The frequency was 100+!! We call
this… milagre. I believe in miracles. (and fairies, clap your
hands.)
Quissamã is in desperate need of a church building. And with these
members working so hard and with God sending so many angels here,
we’re hoping that they’ll announce chapel construction this year. I
hope Sister Cunha and Sister Nicascio stay here this next transfer to
continue this obra maravilhosa.
My sista sent me a lovely joke. A knee slapper.
Q. What did the buffalo say to his son when he left for college?
A. Bison.
I think I’ll end with that for today. Have a happy week and know that
we ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the
service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17). I love King Benjamin. Obrigada for
the letters and cards and birthday wishes and love and prayers! Tchau!
Com amor, Sister Owens
Sorry I can’t send pictures again. :( My card reader broke and for today, no lovely fotos to send.
But just so you know, we had some grand adventures as always, and taught lovely souls.
–Riding a full full bus for a couple hours, standing up, holding onto a sister’s luggage, in the lovely sunshine and wilderness of Rio.
–waking up at 4:30 to go to our zone meeting two hours away, waiting and discovering that the bus was on strike, so we call our ward mission leader/hero at 6 am and he asks us if our house was on fire. :) But he took us to another bus stop 30 mins away, and we waited and waited and waited for a bus to pass. And then when one passed it only had two spaces. And seeing as we are in trio now, twas a no go. So our only option to get back to Quissamã… continue on to another city outside of our mission boundaries and into the boundaries of Mission Rio de Janeiro. :) So that’s what we did and it was lovely and I saw some beautiful ocean and beach.
–On my way to a siriguela tree (a most glorious little fruit of happiness), was almsot bit by a crazy dog, but he only got my skirt. I need new clothes. :)
–we moved house this week too and now we have a cute little hosue for me and Sister Cunha nd our new companion Sister Nicascio!
–the Araújos came and hooked us up with nifty bicicletas, much needed. Yay bikes! Which come with helmets of course….
–Had a fantastic stake fireside last night with a seventy, Elder Ribeiro, here. He told us that we are doing wonderful things in Quissamã.
I lvoe this blessed place and am happy here and Rio is wonderful!
We baptized a cute little old man with 76 years named Jorge!
Tchau!
Tis the last week of my second to last transfer. Eek the Cat! :)
Sister Cunha and I heard from a little bird that we’ll be staying here in this lovely Quissamã land! But not 100% sure. And we might get another sister here too, which woud be excellent and is much needed. And… Presidente will be hooking us up with lovely new bikes! Hallelujah! We need another sister and we need bikes and the world (especially Quissamã) would be a much better place with all of this.
The branch is growing and lots of souls are being baptized and confirmed and more to come! The Lord is blessing us so so much. So much. We are finding excellent people, who change my life everyday! The mission is so good. Is is so good to help people and to forget about your own problems and just focus on the work.
Things are going really well and my time is running out and I don’t believe it. This week was so fun and happy. We went to Vitória! And had a festa/conference with the sisters and with Presidente and Sister Araujo. Was so edifying and fun fun fun! Twas nice watching a cartoon or two with them all too! Movie afternoon complete with popcorn! :) Oh the little things in life bring such joy.
And got some lovely lovely mail from Homer seminary class (from Christmas :)) and McKenzie and Joyce and Adriessa (with lots of goodies) and Cottams and Stacy girl and I love mail. Nothing like getting a hand written letter from the peeps you love. Obrigada!
Twas so fun being at the chique mission home with the beautiful beach and was so good having a sleepover with the sisters in Jardim da Penha. So many good thingswhen you’re a missionary. :) And then we came back here to Quissamã and had a talent show and it was fun fun fun.
Love you all and don’t forget to say your prayers. :)
Obrigadaaaa!
Happy CARNAVAL! Brasil sure loves a festa! It was/is carnaval weekend
and in Quissama, we live on the main street and all of the floats and
parties and music and everything was right in front of our house. So
it didn`t go to well sleeping last night. :)
And we had to get up nice and early today because woo hoo, festa in
VITORIA with the Sisters! A nice little 7 hour onibus trip does good
for anyone! And we`ll stay here in Vitoria tonight and tuesday night
and back to RIO on wednesday. It is so good being here and is so
beautiful and I love these sisters! Life is goooood as a little
missionary.
This week, was delightful. oh my goodness, the lunches this week were
soooo good. Lots of yummy fish and salads and fruits and of course…
rice and beans! I love Quissama!
Beth got baptised too! Yay! It si so wonderful to be able to help
people and to see people making the right choices! Because everyone
has agency to be able to choose between the good and the bad. (2 Nephi
2:27) And when we choice the good side, woo hoo blessings! When we
follow the Spirit, we are happy! yay!
As you see from the pictures, life is full of adventures and funny
things and wonderful people. We find just what we look for.
A funny for the week: Luis asked me, “Are you from Siberia?”
And good news, I bought some lovely grapes. 2 boxes for 4 reais! Oh alegria!
Have a happy healthy week! Only 2 more weeks to this transfer and then
only one more trasnfer of 6 weeks. Weird. I love this lovely life as
Sister Owens.
And… to everything there is a season. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Happy Valentine’s Day! I don’t even know what to start writing because I just read emails from my lovely family and looked at beautiful fotos they sent me of Stacy and Scott’s wedding! Woo hoo! So I’m just focused on that right now and don’t know what to say. But my sista is beautiful and I’m so happy to have a new brother in law. Heavenly Father is blessing us all a lot a lot!
As always, I still love being here in Quissamã with Sister Cunha and we’re happy for P-day today to be able to rest our little minds and legs and make cookies! We’re doing lots of Family Home Evenings (que alegria!) and will be presenting the wonder and awe of cookies this week.
This city is wonderful and we had some lovely adventures this week, riding the free bus to the boonies, teaching one of the Lord’s elect as she made tapioca/bijú, watching some meninos make a dog sled (see foto), picking lots of divine fruits, visiting Raimundo and Berenice (eleitos) at their little house in the wilderness and eating pão de queijo (breaded cheese basically) with guava sweet paste doce thing, and more adventures too!
I love Quissamã and the filhos de Deus here.
Another little story… there’s a man here named Abel, who goes all around Quissamã putting salt everywhere, on the streets on the sidewalks, we find traces of him everywhere. :) This week we saw him and we always talk to him and invite him to church and baptism, but he asked if he could consecrate our feet with consecrated vinegar he had. This is an offer that you can’t refuse, so he got out his bottle of vinegar and poured a few drops of vinegar between out toes. :) Now my feet are consecrated and the work shall continue to go forth. :D
The field is white already to harvest.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! :)
Love Sister Owens
