Dearest friends and family,
I´m here! In the field! Let´s do a quick recap:
The last week in the CTM was craziness on a stick--we were rushing around trying to cram as much portuguese into our brains as we could (didnt help much, as I´ve come to find out). But it was a great week, probably the best I´ve had at the CTM.
We left Tuesday April 21 and flew to Recife, where we were met at the airport by President Emerick (who is Brasilian, don´t let the name fool you). We had an amazing lunch at his apartment, had the rules explained to us by the AP´s, spent the night in the Temple housing, and the next day we went to our transfer meeting, were assigned our companions, and we were off!
My companion is Sis Jacobs (also Brasilian, don´t let the name fool you... again). She is AMAZING. If I can be like her when my mission is done, i´ll be successful. She´s from Cuiaba and thus always thinks it´s cold here. She graduated in Civil Engineering and is scared to death of frogs. I already adore her. Once the language barrier is crossed I think we´ll be even better friends. But she´s showing me how to work hard, but also how to do it in a totally non-stressful way.
I´m in a little town called Caruaru, which is a two hour drive from Recife. Google it. It has a lot of hills, but that´s great because I´m getting a good workout!
The language is coming along..... I feel like I´ve gone backwards. I don´t feel like I speak as well as I used to and I have to struggle to understand anything anyone is saying. Of course, people here have a totally different accent, so that´s part of it. But I also know that I can and WILL learn this language, I´ll OWN it. I just have to be patient. So I haven´t been frustrated or anything, but constantly striving to be better everyday. I can tell I´ve made some progress, but I know I won´t be anywhere near comfortable speaking and listening until the end of my second transfer or something, which about 3 months from now. So I just follow Sis Jacobs around and nod and smile and pretend I know what´s going on and bear my testimony and teach small little parts. But tudo bem!
I always feel like I have some kind of bug on me, but I guess I´ll get used to that. I also haven´t blowdried or straightened my hair for about a week. Combine that with wearing my hair up in a clip 24/7 and the result is a hair-don´t. Also, between sweating under the tropical sun and being drenched in sporatic rainstorms, any attempt to wear make-up has been proven utterly futile. Oh well, I´m not supposed to look that attractive, right? ;)
Living in Jordan prepped me somewhat for being here: aka dirty streets, and throwing away used TP in the trash. But it´s cleaner here than Jordan, and there aren´t any stupid goats or donkeys keeping us up all night. Instead, people like to blast their samba music or horrible rap music (and i mean horrible! Like, think of the worst rap you´ve ever heard and now put it in Portuguese) at 5:30 am or 11:30 pm. But I´m so exhausted at the end of the day that I´ve started just sleeping through it.
It´s crazy, the sun comes up at like 5 am here, and sets around 6.
It´s crazy the humble circumstances people live in here. We´re taking small, one bedroom houses built out of brick that wouild fit in our living room, easily, and 6 peple live there. And yet they´re still better off than a lot of other people, like the ones that live in the favelas in São Paulo or Rio. Que louco! It makes you realize how lucky you really are. But the funny thing is, despite the poor houses, EVERYONE has a TV and DVD player and a stereo system, and 90% of the cars guys drive around have a ridículo pimped out stereo system in the back. They like to park their cars and BLAST music.
We´re teaching some wonderful people. There are three sisters, Mercia, Mônica and Monique, that are all preparing for baptism. Mercia is SUPER excited, but the other two are faltering because they don´t feel like they know enough. They´re letting fear rob them off their faith. We´ve been praying extra hard for them. We´re also teaching this lovely little family that´s friends with one of the members, Luciana and Ronaldo. Unfortunately, even though they really like the message, Luciana is still not officially divorced from her ex-husband, and divorces take FOREVER here and are ridiculously expensive. So even though she hasnt been with him for years and has two kids with Ronaldo, they can´t be baptised until they´re married, which they can´t do until she´s divorced. We´re also teaching Janailson, a teenage guy about 16 or 17. He came to church with us yesterday and really liked it! He really likes what we´re teaching, but he still needs to pray about Joseph Smith. That´s the biggest barrier, is people not praying to know, through the Holy Ghost, that Joseph Smith was a prophet.
I love being here. Even with the bugs and heat and "stomach" problems and feeling dirty and tired, I love it. I love it because I can see the happiness people have from hearing the gospel. I´m happy because I´m serving the Lord. I just have to keep reminding myself of that. I´ve found myself thinking about home a lot this week and wondering if being here really is worth it, if I really can do it? But I know that´s just Satan trying to discourage me. I feel so at peace right now, with myself and with God, because I know I´m where I need to be.
I´m glad to hear all is well with everyone. Congrats on everyone finishing finals!!!!! On to bigger and better things, eh? Please keep me updated, I like hearing about what you all are doing =]
Abraços e beijinhos,
~Sis Wilkinson
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Week 8
I forget what weeks I´m on... I´m going into my 9th week at the MTC, so yeah... HOW CRAZY IS THAT? Our district is trippin´that we only have a week left. As we were going to the temple this morning, the people leaving this week were loading up their suitcases and we were all like "Whoa, that´s us in a week!" I´m kinda nervous, but more excited. As much as I love the MTC, I´m starting to get too comfortable. I need to get out and get to work.
I´ve been sick the last week with a stupid cough. That´s what happens when three people in your district get sick and you´re in the same room as them 24/7. It´s quite annoying. Plus, I think if I´m going to get sick in Brasil, it should be something more exotic, sabe?
Some highlights of the last week:
-Elder Noble, an elder in my district, ate an apple in one bite. ONE BITE! Just shoved the whole thing in his mouth and bit down. It was pretty amazing. It took him like 10 minutes to chew it all up and he was drooling all over the place, but he did it none the less.
-Our district translated YMCA into Portuguese. And now, for your entertainment:
Jovem!
Não razão sentir triste
Disse jovem!
Levantar-se do chão
Disse jovem!
Tem um lugar que pode ir
não razão estar infeliz
uh uh uh uh uh!
É divertido ficar
ipsilon, eme, say, ah!
É divertido ficar
ipsilon, eme, say, ah!
Yeah, good fun. Next up, "I Believe I Can Fly"
-We went proselyting again!!!! And this time ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!We went to the Museu Indepencia, which is this big park thing, and it was great. And the reason it was great was because of one single experience. We had just gotten to the park and Sis Campbell and I were walking in the gates and headed off on a little side path. There was a woman and a guy walking together with their son riding his bike around. Then they sat on a bench in the shade, so we started talking to them. They were just kinda politely listening, but then the lady seemed more interested. We asked her if she wanted a Book of Mormon and she said she had no money. We told her it was free and she eagerly held her hand out! So we gave it to her and read her a couple parts (Moroni 10:4-5 and 3 Nephi), bore our testimonies and walked away. When we looked back, she was reading it! Then I said "You know, even if we don´t give out another Book of Mormon today, it´s okay, it was worth it. Maybe we were just supposed to talk to that one lady today" and oh my, the Spirit hit me SO HARD right then! I kinda stopped talking and looked at Sis Campbell, and she looked at me with wide eyes and asked "Did you feel that too?!" It was spectacular. The Spirit testified to us both that we needed to talk to that lady, that she needed to hear our message that day. It was amazing, and it was SOOO STRONG. Like one of the strongest feelings I´ve ever gotten. It was just... amazing. I´m so excited. I can´t wait to find people like that, and then actually get to TEACH them and see them grow and accept the gospel and see that light in their eyes grow brighter. That´s what I´m here to do. And it´s nice to have little reminders like that.
-Here´s a quote from one of the Elder´s in my district that I loved so I stole it and wrote it down. We were discussing goals for our district and which Christ-like attribute from Preach My Gospel we wanted to work on, and I thought this was beautiful:
"Virtue is the silent sword that CAN be seen and change the eyes and hearts of people forever. We are the light of the world, and what better attribute could we choose to reflect as examples than that of humility plus faith, which equal virtue" -Elder O´Connor
Wow, huh?
Well, that´s about it for this week. I have no idea when I´ll be able to send my next email, it might not be for a couple weeks, depending on when my next P-Day is, since next Tuesday I´ll be on a plane to RECIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!So from now on, send mail to the Recife mission office, until I can post my address for wherever I´ll be... I don´t know how it all works, but I´ll let you know ASAP.
I love you all! Keep the Faith, and Keep it Strong!
~Sis Wilkinson
I´ve been sick the last week with a stupid cough. That´s what happens when three people in your district get sick and you´re in the same room as them 24/7. It´s quite annoying. Plus, I think if I´m going to get sick in Brasil, it should be something more exotic, sabe?
Some highlights of the last week:
-Elder Noble, an elder in my district, ate an apple in one bite. ONE BITE! Just shoved the whole thing in his mouth and bit down. It was pretty amazing. It took him like 10 minutes to chew it all up and he was drooling all over the place, but he did it none the less.
-Our district translated YMCA into Portuguese. And now, for your entertainment:
Jovem!
Não razão sentir triste
Disse jovem!
Levantar-se do chão
Disse jovem!
Tem um lugar que pode ir
não razão estar infeliz
uh uh uh uh uh!
É divertido ficar
ipsilon, eme, say, ah!
É divertido ficar
ipsilon, eme, say, ah!
Yeah, good fun. Next up, "I Believe I Can Fly"
-We went proselyting again!!!! And this time ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!We went to the Museu Indepencia, which is this big park thing, and it was great. And the reason it was great was because of one single experience. We had just gotten to the park and Sis Campbell and I were walking in the gates and headed off on a little side path. There was a woman and a guy walking together with their son riding his bike around. Then they sat on a bench in the shade, so we started talking to them. They were just kinda politely listening, but then the lady seemed more interested. We asked her if she wanted a Book of Mormon and she said she had no money. We told her it was free and she eagerly held her hand out! So we gave it to her and read her a couple parts (Moroni 10:4-5 and 3 Nephi), bore our testimonies and walked away. When we looked back, she was reading it! Then I said "You know, even if we don´t give out another Book of Mormon today, it´s okay, it was worth it. Maybe we were just supposed to talk to that one lady today" and oh my, the Spirit hit me SO HARD right then! I kinda stopped talking and looked at Sis Campbell, and she looked at me with wide eyes and asked "Did you feel that too?!" It was spectacular. The Spirit testified to us both that we needed to talk to that lady, that she needed to hear our message that day. It was amazing, and it was SOOO STRONG. Like one of the strongest feelings I´ve ever gotten. It was just... amazing. I´m so excited. I can´t wait to find people like that, and then actually get to TEACH them and see them grow and accept the gospel and see that light in their eyes grow brighter. That´s what I´m here to do. And it´s nice to have little reminders like that.
-Here´s a quote from one of the Elder´s in my district that I loved so I stole it and wrote it down. We were discussing goals for our district and which Christ-like attribute from Preach My Gospel we wanted to work on, and I thought this was beautiful:
"Virtue is the silent sword that CAN be seen and change the eyes and hearts of people forever. We are the light of the world, and what better attribute could we choose to reflect as examples than that of humility plus faith, which equal virtue" -Elder O´Connor
Wow, huh?
Well, that´s about it for this week. I have no idea when I´ll be able to send my next email, it might not be for a couple weeks, depending on when my next P-Day is, since next Tuesday I´ll be on a plane to RECIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!So from now on, send mail to the Recife mission office, until I can post my address for wherever I´ll be... I don´t know how it all works, but I´ll let you know ASAP.
I love you all! Keep the Faith, and Keep it Strong!
~Sis Wilkinson
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Week 7--for real
Wow! The weeks really do fly here. I´m leaving in two weeks!!! Ahhh!!!!! eu não está preparada! Actualmente, as vezes é díficil pra mim escrever em inglês, ou falar. Muito estranho, não? Mas eu gosto de aprender esta idioma--é muito bonita e muito divertido. Todo meu distrito estava falando em português durante aula esta semana pasada.Google translate that if you didnt understand ;)
Pois, agora vou falar em inglês.
So, in answer to your question dad, my daily schedule is something like this:
Wake up at the crack of dawn, eat desjejum, personal and companion study, class, almoço, class, jantar, study time, gym, study time, fall into bed totally exhausted. On P-day we go to the temple in the morning and then have the afternoon free to explore.
Today was a great p-day! We went to the São Paulo temple and I just love it. It´s so gorgeous. We had a HUGE coach bus take us there, and it was crazy! We were haulin´down the highway, swaying back and forth, and going down streets buses have no business going down. It was wonderful! And then for lunch, our district and our teacher Alexandre and his grilfriend and another teacher (Severo) and his fiance all went out to lunch at a churrusscaria. Oh My Goodness. It was like Tucanos... But 10 times better. And like 1/3 of the price. As in it cost me less than 8 dollars for a huge all you can eat savory meat fest. Mmmmm!!!! My tummy is quite happy, let me tell you!
Lets see, other than that, what have I been up to this week...Well, there was conference. Wow. I hope everyone got a chance to watch or listen to it. What really struck me was how much hope and happiness we still have even in bad times like now with the economy. And I loved Elder Holland´s talk about the Atonement. Wow. It is truly amazing that we have living prophets on the earth now, and to hear them testify so strongly of Jesus Christ and His Atonement... Just... Wow. That was the most powerful conference I´ve yet heard. And it´s potentially the most life changing one. I felt so uplifted and so inspired to grow and change for the better. I hope each one of you came away with that feeling, since that´s what this gospel is all about--growing and changing and becoming better.
This week my companion and I have been studying virtue, and not just in the "be sexually pure" sense, but having beauty and humility and that inner strength to follow the Lord. Read Proverbs 31:10-end and look for characteristics and virtuous woman (or man) should have. That study combined with conference made me realize I have a lot to work on.
A bunch of my friends left the MTC today--most of them Brasilian. It´s great how friendly the Brasilian elders are. They´re so much fun to joke around with! But some of my American friends left too. Elder David Hilton (yes, Peter Hilton´s cousin) left for Fortaleza today, and then a couple of the Sisters, Sis Roper and Sis Lundstrum, left for Rio. (BTW, dad, did you tell the Honeycutts I´m in Brasil? Mike is in Rio!) Funny sidenote: In my head I now pronounce Rio as "Hee-oh", like it should be... It´s fun how much my brain is transitioning into Portuguese. Actually, most Brasilians I talk to tell me I barely have an accent, only on the d´s and t´s, which are pronounced more forward in the mouth, almost between the teeth, instead of on the alveolar ridge like in English. Something to work on =] But I was surprised when they told me because I don´t even try. I guess I was supposed to speak Portuguese, huh?! Amo-o!
Well, I can´t think of much more to say. I hope everyone has a Happy Easter and really remembers the Savior at this time, and what He did for us--so much more than we can even comprehend. Thank you for all of your support and letters/emails and prayers. It really helps to know people out there love me when I´m going through tough times. You´re all in my prayers =]
Mil beijinhos,
~Sis Wilkinson
Pois, agora vou falar em inglês.
So, in answer to your question dad, my daily schedule is something like this:
Wake up at the crack of dawn, eat desjejum, personal and companion study, class, almoço, class, jantar, study time, gym, study time, fall into bed totally exhausted. On P-day we go to the temple in the morning and then have the afternoon free to explore.
Today was a great p-day! We went to the São Paulo temple and I just love it. It´s so gorgeous. We had a HUGE coach bus take us there, and it was crazy! We were haulin´down the highway, swaying back and forth, and going down streets buses have no business going down. It was wonderful! And then for lunch, our district and our teacher Alexandre and his grilfriend and another teacher (Severo) and his fiance all went out to lunch at a churrusscaria. Oh My Goodness. It was like Tucanos... But 10 times better. And like 1/3 of the price. As in it cost me less than 8 dollars for a huge all you can eat savory meat fest. Mmmmm!!!! My tummy is quite happy, let me tell you!
Lets see, other than that, what have I been up to this week...Well, there was conference. Wow. I hope everyone got a chance to watch or listen to it. What really struck me was how much hope and happiness we still have even in bad times like now with the economy. And I loved Elder Holland´s talk about the Atonement. Wow. It is truly amazing that we have living prophets on the earth now, and to hear them testify so strongly of Jesus Christ and His Atonement... Just... Wow. That was the most powerful conference I´ve yet heard. And it´s potentially the most life changing one. I felt so uplifted and so inspired to grow and change for the better. I hope each one of you came away with that feeling, since that´s what this gospel is all about--growing and changing and becoming better.
This week my companion and I have been studying virtue, and not just in the "be sexually pure" sense, but having beauty and humility and that inner strength to follow the Lord. Read Proverbs 31:10-end and look for characteristics and virtuous woman (or man) should have. That study combined with conference made me realize I have a lot to work on.
A bunch of my friends left the MTC today--most of them Brasilian. It´s great how friendly the Brasilian elders are. They´re so much fun to joke around with! But some of my American friends left too. Elder David Hilton (yes, Peter Hilton´s cousin) left for Fortaleza today, and then a couple of the Sisters, Sis Roper and Sis Lundstrum, left for Rio. (BTW, dad, did you tell the Honeycutts I´m in Brasil? Mike is in Rio!) Funny sidenote: In my head I now pronounce Rio as "Hee-oh", like it should be... It´s fun how much my brain is transitioning into Portuguese. Actually, most Brasilians I talk to tell me I barely have an accent, only on the d´s and t´s, which are pronounced more forward in the mouth, almost between the teeth, instead of on the alveolar ridge like in English. Something to work on =] But I was surprised when they told me because I don´t even try. I guess I was supposed to speak Portuguese, huh?! Amo-o!
Well, I can´t think of much more to say. I hope everyone has a Happy Easter and really remembers the Savior at this time, and what He did for us--so much more than we can even comprehend. Thank you for all of your support and letters/emails and prayers. It really helps to know people out there love me when I´m going through tough times. You´re all in my prayers =]
Mil beijinhos,
~Sis Wilkinson
The Missing Weeks
From 24 March 2009
What the hey? Week 6 begins already?
well, this last week FLEW by for me. I seriously can´t believe it´s already Tuesday.
So some stories from the last week:
We have a track that you have to run around 14 times to get a mile, how crazy is that? But I did lunges around it and my legs hurt for like 3 days. But I kept doing them and now it feels great. We don´t spend very much time outside, so anything I get get to just feel fresh air and run around is GREAT.
Adventures in Portuguese continue. Our books we learn from are hilarious. They were written by a Brasilian, so they have a lot of English mistakes. My favorite: "I saw a saw saw". Also, one of the Elders in my district has this other Portuguese workbook he got i Provo, and it has "Common phrases" and one is "EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG!" I just thought that was hilarious.
I love talking with the Brasileiros at meal times, and my roommates. Sadly, they left today =[ I can´t believe 3 weeks went by so fast!Funny story about cute little Sis Marenco (Dad, don´t put this in the newsletter :]) She was packing her suitcase the other night, when she looked up at us and asked "O que bullsh*t?" Omg. Sis Campbell and I looked at eachother and were like "..WHAT did she say?!" and started cracking up. She got really embarrassed b/c she realized it was something you probably shouldn´t say. We were like "Ya... don´t say that".
And on a more spiritual note...Everyday that I´m here, I see little miracles in my life. I think that often you can measure your spirituality (meaning how close you are to God) by how much you can recognize His hand in your life. I have had so many little prayers answered--whether it be reading a scripture that gives the answer or comfort I need, or someone saying something, or getting a letter, or having a really tasty dessert or anything! I know that all good things come from God, and there aren´t such things as coincidences. He is so acutely aware of each and every one of us, and our personal struggles in life.
Can you believe it´s been three years? I miss Mom so much sometimes... I want to share a special experience I had at the MTC in Provo, that´s been reaffirmed here. My teacher said something along the lines of "There are concourses of angels around us right now" and I had the distinct impression, almost as if I could see it, that Mom was standing right next to me saying "That´s right, I´m watching over you and nothing is going to hurt my Ashley-girl!" Mom is my guardian angle right now... I can feel her so close so often, especially every time I´m in the temple. I know she´s still there because I know that death isnt the end. It´s a part of the amazing plan that Heavenly Father has created for us. How blessed are we to know of that, and to know that we can all be with Mom again? The atonement of Jesus Christ is what makes that possible. That´s what what I´m doing is so important. I´m helping people find that truth, find that way to get the atonement in their lives, so they can live forever with their families and with God.
1 Cor 1:17!
~Sis Wilkinson
From 17 March 2009
Hey guys!
I can´t tell you how nice it is to check my email and have a message waiting from you. This week hasnt been super exciting... Just busy with learning the language and learning the gospel. Can you believe tomorrow is a MONTH since I left?! How does time go by so quickly?! I feel like its been like a week, but at the same time, i feel like "that´s it?" I feel so out of touch with the real world.
We went prostelyting (is that how it´s spelled?) on Friday. Wow. What an experience! It was great to get out. The first three people I said hi to looked away and walked quickly past us. But then we talked to some teenage boys and things went better from there on out. We had the most sucess with men (haha) and people sitting on benches. The people we talked to were very polite and listened despite our horrible portugues (though when they found out we´d been in the country for only a week, they were super impressed with how much we could communicate! We talked to a lot of people: we gave away five copies of the Book of Mormon and a ton of pass along cards. Some people we could tell weren´t that interested, but there were a few that we could tell really wanted to hear what we were saying. The first was a man that passed us and I glanced back at him and he was looking back at us, so I stopped and we talked to him. It was awesome... we couldn´t quite understand everything he was saying, but it was something like he had heard of the church where he used to live and then had moved to são paulo and hadn´t known how to find out more. We explained about the book of Mormon and had him read Moroni 10:4-5 and the introduction and then the beginning of 3 Nephi 11, where Christ visits America. He was really interested in hearing about it and was happy we gave him a number to call and find a congregation to meet with. Talk about golden! We talked to a few other people after, some who were surprised to hear that the church is so big in Brasil and in the world. There were two girls a little younger than us that we talked to, Samatha and Vanessa, and we were just chatting with them and then we told them we had a message for them and explained about the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon. At first they just seemed to be listening politely, and we asked them if they were Catholic. They said no, but that they believed in God and Jesus. We told them that this church is the true church and that the Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They started really listening after that. I told them, "não posso falar muito, mais eu sei que estas coisas são verdadeiras. O livro de mórmon é a palavra de Deus" (I can´t say much, but i know that these things are true. The book of mormon is the word of God). We had given a copy to Samantha, and then we told her it was for her, and she got the happiest look on her face and said "Really? For me?" and held it close. It felt so good to see someone feel the light that the truth brings. I prayed for them that night, that their hearts would be open and that they would read the book and desire to learn more.
So some other fun things here at the CTM!
I think I mentioned last time about how I made friends with a lot of the Brasilian elders. A lot of them left this week--kinda sad! But most of them are going to Recife and the ones that arent promised to write =] it´s awesome making friends all over the world!Speaking of world, Brasilians can´t pronounce that word. They cant do the strong r and the strong l right next to each other, if at all. Other things that are tricky are turtle and chocolate fudge brownie. Hahaha. The reason I bring that up is because a couple of my friends, elders silva and souza, were trying to trick me by getting me to say "paralelepepido"... which I got in like 2 tries (not to brag or anything). Then I was like "say world" and they couldnt. It was awesome =] Also, Elder Souza used to be a clown, and he bought some balloons last week and made a bunch of us sisters balloon animals. He made a heart for sis beecher and a flower for sis campbell and a swan for sis hall and he made me a turtle ;)
So every day for every meal we have rice and beans. And I think I´ll get sick of them and then meal time rolls aroiund and suddenly I just have this craving for rice and beans. It´s crazy! But they are SO good here! Way better than the stuff in America. And the meat!!! The CTM has it´s own churrescuria... oh my goodness. Some of the most delicious meat I´ve ever tasted. tá bom!The Elders in my district were having a contest to see who could eat one of the apples in the least amount of bites. First it was 6 bites, then doesn to 3, then down to 3 in 52 seconds, and then my comp, sis campbell, trumped them all and did it in TWO BITES!!!!! It was amazing!!!! Hahahaha, the Elders were super impressed.
I dont know if I mentioned this in the last letter, but I love the Brasilian national anthem. Google it. It´s SO fun to sing! We sing it every sunday before our fireside. IT goes super fast and its great. Its been stuck in my head for the last week.
The other day I had to give my teacher just a short lesson for lesson two, about the plan of salvation. And it was hard! I was translating from what I had memorized in Portuguese into English! By the time I call in May, im not going to be able to speak English ;)I love the second lesson. It´s teaching about the Plan of Salvation. It´s amazing how well it just works. Read lesson 2 in chapter 3 from preach my gospel!!!!!! And also read 2 Nephi chapter 2, chapter 9, and alma chapter 12 and chapter 41-42. God does have a plan for us. We werent just put here on this earth by accident. There is meaning and purpose in life, and the gospel of Jesus Christ helps us know who we are, and how to overcome all of life´s challenges.
Muito amor!
~sister wilkinson
What the hey? Week 6 begins already?
well, this last week FLEW by for me. I seriously can´t believe it´s already Tuesday.
So some stories from the last week:
We have a track that you have to run around 14 times to get a mile, how crazy is that? But I did lunges around it and my legs hurt for like 3 days. But I kept doing them and now it feels great. We don´t spend very much time outside, so anything I get get to just feel fresh air and run around is GREAT.
Adventures in Portuguese continue. Our books we learn from are hilarious. They were written by a Brasilian, so they have a lot of English mistakes. My favorite: "I saw a saw saw". Also, one of the Elders in my district has this other Portuguese workbook he got i Provo, and it has "Common phrases" and one is "EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG!" I just thought that was hilarious.
I love talking with the Brasileiros at meal times, and my roommates. Sadly, they left today =[ I can´t believe 3 weeks went by so fast!Funny story about cute little Sis Marenco (Dad, don´t put this in the newsletter :]) She was packing her suitcase the other night, when she looked up at us and asked "O que bullsh*t?" Omg. Sis Campbell and I looked at eachother and were like "..WHAT did she say?!" and started cracking up. She got really embarrassed b/c she realized it was something you probably shouldn´t say. We were like "Ya... don´t say that".
And on a more spiritual note...Everyday that I´m here, I see little miracles in my life. I think that often you can measure your spirituality (meaning how close you are to God) by how much you can recognize His hand in your life. I have had so many little prayers answered--whether it be reading a scripture that gives the answer or comfort I need, or someone saying something, or getting a letter, or having a really tasty dessert or anything! I know that all good things come from God, and there aren´t such things as coincidences. He is so acutely aware of each and every one of us, and our personal struggles in life.
Can you believe it´s been three years? I miss Mom so much sometimes... I want to share a special experience I had at the MTC in Provo, that´s been reaffirmed here. My teacher said something along the lines of "There are concourses of angels around us right now" and I had the distinct impression, almost as if I could see it, that Mom was standing right next to me saying "That´s right, I´m watching over you and nothing is going to hurt my Ashley-girl!" Mom is my guardian angle right now... I can feel her so close so often, especially every time I´m in the temple. I know she´s still there because I know that death isnt the end. It´s a part of the amazing plan that Heavenly Father has created for us. How blessed are we to know of that, and to know that we can all be with Mom again? The atonement of Jesus Christ is what makes that possible. That´s what what I´m doing is so important. I´m helping people find that truth, find that way to get the atonement in their lives, so they can live forever with their families and with God.
1 Cor 1:17!
~Sis Wilkinson
From 17 March 2009
Hey guys!
I can´t tell you how nice it is to check my email and have a message waiting from you. This week hasnt been super exciting... Just busy with learning the language and learning the gospel. Can you believe tomorrow is a MONTH since I left?! How does time go by so quickly?! I feel like its been like a week, but at the same time, i feel like "that´s it?" I feel so out of touch with the real world.
We went prostelyting (is that how it´s spelled?) on Friday. Wow. What an experience! It was great to get out. The first three people I said hi to looked away and walked quickly past us. But then we talked to some teenage boys and things went better from there on out. We had the most sucess with men (haha) and people sitting on benches. The people we talked to were very polite and listened despite our horrible portugues (though when they found out we´d been in the country for only a week, they were super impressed with how much we could communicate! We talked to a lot of people: we gave away five copies of the Book of Mormon and a ton of pass along cards. Some people we could tell weren´t that interested, but there were a few that we could tell really wanted to hear what we were saying. The first was a man that passed us and I glanced back at him and he was looking back at us, so I stopped and we talked to him. It was awesome... we couldn´t quite understand everything he was saying, but it was something like he had heard of the church where he used to live and then had moved to são paulo and hadn´t known how to find out more. We explained about the book of Mormon and had him read Moroni 10:4-5 and the introduction and then the beginning of 3 Nephi 11, where Christ visits America. He was really interested in hearing about it and was happy we gave him a number to call and find a congregation to meet with. Talk about golden! We talked to a few other people after, some who were surprised to hear that the church is so big in Brasil and in the world. There were two girls a little younger than us that we talked to, Samatha and Vanessa, and we were just chatting with them and then we told them we had a message for them and explained about the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon. At first they just seemed to be listening politely, and we asked them if they were Catholic. They said no, but that they believed in God and Jesus. We told them that this church is the true church and that the Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They started really listening after that. I told them, "não posso falar muito, mais eu sei que estas coisas são verdadeiras. O livro de mórmon é a palavra de Deus" (I can´t say much, but i know that these things are true. The book of mormon is the word of God). We had given a copy to Samantha, and then we told her it was for her, and she got the happiest look on her face and said "Really? For me?" and held it close. It felt so good to see someone feel the light that the truth brings. I prayed for them that night, that their hearts would be open and that they would read the book and desire to learn more.
So some other fun things here at the CTM!
I think I mentioned last time about how I made friends with a lot of the Brasilian elders. A lot of them left this week--kinda sad! But most of them are going to Recife and the ones that arent promised to write =] it´s awesome making friends all over the world!Speaking of world, Brasilians can´t pronounce that word. They cant do the strong r and the strong l right next to each other, if at all. Other things that are tricky are turtle and chocolate fudge brownie. Hahaha. The reason I bring that up is because a couple of my friends, elders silva and souza, were trying to trick me by getting me to say "paralelepepido"... which I got in like 2 tries (not to brag or anything). Then I was like "say world" and they couldnt. It was awesome =] Also, Elder Souza used to be a clown, and he bought some balloons last week and made a bunch of us sisters balloon animals. He made a heart for sis beecher and a flower for sis campbell and a swan for sis hall and he made me a turtle ;)
So every day for every meal we have rice and beans. And I think I´ll get sick of them and then meal time rolls aroiund and suddenly I just have this craving for rice and beans. It´s crazy! But they are SO good here! Way better than the stuff in America. And the meat!!! The CTM has it´s own churrescuria... oh my goodness. Some of the most delicious meat I´ve ever tasted. tá bom!The Elders in my district were having a contest to see who could eat one of the apples in the least amount of bites. First it was 6 bites, then doesn to 3, then down to 3 in 52 seconds, and then my comp, sis campbell, trumped them all and did it in TWO BITES!!!!! It was amazing!!!! Hahahaha, the Elders were super impressed.
I dont know if I mentioned this in the last letter, but I love the Brasilian national anthem. Google it. It´s SO fun to sing! We sing it every sunday before our fireside. IT goes super fast and its great. Its been stuck in my head for the last week.
The other day I had to give my teacher just a short lesson for lesson two, about the plan of salvation. And it was hard! I was translating from what I had memorized in Portuguese into English! By the time I call in May, im not going to be able to speak English ;)I love the second lesson. It´s teaching about the Plan of Salvation. It´s amazing how well it just works. Read lesson 2 in chapter 3 from preach my gospel!!!!!! And also read 2 Nephi chapter 2, chapter 9, and alma chapter 12 and chapter 41-42. God does have a plan for us. We werent just put here on this earth by accident. There is meaning and purpose in life, and the gospel of Jesus Christ helps us know who we are, and how to overcome all of life´s challenges.
Muito amor!
~sister wilkinson
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