Wednesday, June 28, 2017

the lord's assistant

Oi Familia!!!!

This week was fantasssstttiicccc! We started out our week by meeting the new missionaries at the airport and we stayed with them for Tuesday and Wednesday! And gave some training and ate at some good restaurants, which was legit!


We got back to our area on Thursday and we had some crazy miracles. We have been working with an investigator, Cintia, and she really wants to get baptized but she needs to get married first. And her husband said that he didn't wanna get married and her husband is also never at home so we didn't have an opportunity to talk to him and explain to him why he needs to be married. But on Thursday before lunch we just thought, let's go visit Cintia! So we arrived there and her husband was sitting on the curb and we simply started talking to him and 5 minutes later we had his permission to start the process with the justice of the peace and we spent the afternoon prepping the documents and on Friday we marked the wedding day with the Justice of the Peace. It's amazing to see how the Lord works to make miracles. Where much is required, much is given! 


Kevin also got baptized this week! We taught him the word of wisdom last Sunday and he said "I stopped using drugs 10 months ago, I stopped drinking 2 months ago, and I stopped smoking 2 weeks ago and this week I'll stop drinking coffee" It's amazing to see how the Lord prepares people for us to find, teach and baptize! Because of our schedule we weren't able to visit him very much the week of his baptism but we met with him before his interview and he told us that he hadn't had any problems at all with coffee and that he was ready to be baptized. When we can't follow up on our investigators the Lord does. 


Another miracle! Jackie stopped drinking coffee this week. We went to teach her and Sergio the word of wisdom on Saturday and she told us that that week she stopped drinking coffee. BLESS UP Y'ALL 

This week when Napoleon took us to visit his friends (6 more referrals BLESS UP) and we said, like always, Sister means sister in English when we introduced ourselves and Napoleon said "they're called sisters because they're the assistants to the Lord." Sister Hannah and I had a good laugh about that one later!

Have a great week!
the Lord's assistant,
Sister Jolley

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Where much is given, much is required

Oi Família!!

This week was pretty amazing and pretty busy. Sister Hannah and I gave training at the New Missionary and Trainers Council on Wednesday with the Assistants. It seems like just a few months ago I was sitting there furiously taking notes and trying to absorb all the training but now I help give the training which is different and really humbling. I'm here "só na fé" But it was legit because I got to see Sister Lima who was finishing up training a sister from Chile! Sometimes I think you end up missing your old companions more than you miss home. It's weird but it's true. 

Also this week Napoleon took us to 10 more referrals and gave us 10 new investigators. This guy is literally overflowing with referrals. He wants us to baptize all his friends! and his whole neighborhood! and everyone he has ever had contact with! He knocks on their doors and says "I have 2 missionaries with me, can they share a message about Jesus with you?" and they have started to come to church! One of them showed up randomly in the middle of sacrament meeting yesterday. But the best part was when Napoleon said, during his testimony during a lesson "Their name is asister because they assist people" I used all my forces to not laugh. Everyone in Brazil studies English at school but almost no one knows that sister means sister. In another lesson, as we invited someone to be baptized the investigator said "I've already been baptized" and Napoleon asked "but have you been baptized by the spirit?" and open up the Bible and read John 3:5. The investigator accepted the baptismal date after that. Napoleon is literally the pride of Campo Bom!

Yesterday we ate churrasco!  It was lamb meat! and it was really good! and we also found Kevin, another investigator that disappeared and he should be getting baptized this week or next! 

In other good news we marked the wedding date for Jackie and Sergio with the Justice of the Peace for the second week in July! WE'RE GONNA HAVE A WEDDING!!!!! I'M LITERALLY BEYOND EXCITED!!!!

Campo Bom is literally full of miracles! its amazing to see how much  the Lord is blessing us. We spend a lot of time out of our area and I know that the Lord takes care of and blesses our investigators. The other day we were in the car with President and Sister Campos and president taught us something really special. He said "where much is given much is required but where much is required much will be given" 

quote of the week
So sister Hannah and I were welcoming people at front gate of the church building yesterday and a member showed up and his wife wasn't with him
Me "Hi How are you? Where's your wife?
Him "Well Sister, the changes in temperature have attacked her liver. So she's got a headache, you know?"
Me "Attacked her liver? How does the hot weather do that? But I hope she gets better" 
*5 mins later she shows up in full health at the gate"

Sister Jolley



Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Highlights

HI Family!

So I'm running short on time so I'll give you guys the highlights of the week

1. Napoleon wants us the baptize all his friends and he gave us 8 referrals. It was pretty amazing.
2. It finally stopped raining.
3. I fell in the mud.
4. Jackie is sharing the gospel with all her friends and said "I tried to explain about eternal families but I didn't know how so you guys will have to visit them" HAHA We're excited.
5. Sister Hannah and I are loving it here in Campo Bom and we are certain that we'll be staying together for the next transfer (fingers crossed)

Have a great week

love,

Sister Jolley




Thursday, June 8, 2017

Mosquitoes in the apartment

Alrighty family this was another great week here in Campo Bom! We got to see lots of miracles despite the rain that hasn't stopped for 2 WEEKS. 

On Wednesday Sister Hannah and I gave a training at the Mission Leadership Council which was incredibly nerve wracking and when I get nervous my accent gets really bad....but at the end President said that it was an excellent training so here's to giving trainings at all the Mission Leadership Councils for the rest of my mission! They'll get better with time I think lolz. We gave a training about the importance of having meaningful study and how it helps you be more productive in the work! And at the end President introduced the new program for the whole mission to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days. We start tomorrow!!! 

On Thursday we had exchanges with the lovely sisters who work in Bento Gonçalves--oh Bento! I'm glad they came to Campo Bom because I haven't been missing the hills there in Bento. During the exchange, me and Sister Sá were trying fruitlessly to find the house of one of our investigators in the rain and Im relatively new in the area but I'm not really that directionally challenged and it was just slightly (really) frustrating and we ended up walking for an hour to get somewhere that normally would've taken us 15 minutes and if I didn't already mention it, it was raining. And we got to the house and they had friends over. I just thought "Que droga, we walked for literally miles to get here and now it's all gonna be in vain" Anyway the family graciously let us in and we sat down all wet on their sofa (just imagine the scene people) I'm just there trying to play it cool because this family is REALLY SPECIAL and we're trying to baptize them but they need to get married and they weren't wanting to get married and Thursday was the day to lay it all down and decide if the baptism and marriage was gonna work or not. Anyway Jaque (our investigator) starts telling her friends that are there about how amazing the church is and how much it focuses on families and basically bearing her testimony but she didn't know it. Anyway after like 15 mins of small talk I decide well we can sit here for hours waiting for the visit to leave or leave a message and come back tomorrow. Anyway we said a prayer to start the message and out of the blue their friends get up and leave and I just think BLESS UP and then the conversation got serious and the Spirit got real strong and THEY ARE GONNA GET MARRIED AND GET BAPTIZED AND IT'S GONNA BE AMAZING and as we finished up her sister and her kids (who are recent converts) showed up. Anyway in the end I realized that we showed up at exactly the right moment so that we could have the right spirit and the right people there so that they would accept it all! And they went to church on Sunday! And while we were there she said "Jolley, I'm making some herbal tea to practice not drinking coffee" BLESS UP

Also this week a member told me "Sister do you have mosquitoes in your apartment? and I said no and then he said "Hmm I'm looking at your forehead and if it's not mosquitoes it must be toxins that are trying to leave your body" and I just said "No I'm pretty sure its just ACNE" and he said "No Sister, it's toxins, you need to detox your body, take this supplement and it will clear it right up" BRASILIANS ARE VERY FRANK and Sister Hannah and I laughed about it for a long time after and my forehead doesn't even have that much acne people and for the record I took the supplement--Ill give you guys an update next week on the forehead situation. HAHAHA 

Have a great week
Love you

Sister Jolley 

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Napoleon part 2



HI FAMILY!!!!!!!
                              
This week was full of hilarious happenings. And full of miracles! This week NAPOLEON GOT BAPTIZED! And we went to the temple and had a a zone conference with Presidente and Sister Campos and it rained sooooooooooooooooooooo much. Also I got my hair cut for the first time in 13 months. BLESS UP

So lemme tell you about the baptism of Napoleon. On Saturday he got interviewed and funnily enough our district is just Americans so Sister Hannah and I told our District Leader that he was the real life clone of Napoleon. And he agreed and PEOPLE HE IS. It's sooo hard not to laugh when we teach him cuz he’s hilarious but he just doesn't know it. This week he asked us "umm so like if I do all the stuff you ask me and get baptized and then go live in the wilderness for the rest of my life so I don't have temptations will I be saved" We had to inform him that sadly that isn't the case.  Anyway Sunday arrived and we  had his baptism service. And it was  incredibly incredibly spiritual. Sister Hannah and I sang Come Thou Fount in Português and English and the testimonies and talks were really good. BUT the actual act of the baptism was just too much! The water was freezing because the heater is broken and when he and the man who would baptize him went down in the font they started yelping and then he was baptized and sprang up .05 seconds later gasping for air like a angry cat leaving the water. I'm glad I spend all of my youth learning how to not laugh during sacrament meeting with my sister because all 6 years of practice were put into action. BUT I managed to keep a straight face. 


Business 101 with Sister Jolley and Sister Hannah:
So during a lunch appointment we had this week this member told us his plans that he and his wife have to make and sell dog coats and then he said 'this is a fantastic idea because right now we’re in a huge economic crisis here in Brasil BUT even during the crisis people will wanna buy dog coats because people just love their critters” I decided I wouldn't share my opinion on the matter but Sister Hannah and I had a good laugh about it afterwords.

Yesterday we had our branch conference and I got to be the branch pianist and the choir pianist and if you guys wanna know how it went I'll just tell you that it's quite possible that I played better than they sang. And given the fact that missionaries don't have much time to practice sheet music and that I haven't played the piano in a few years  you can just imagine how it went. But the whole branch was like amazed and I tried to tell them that I played half the notes wrong but they didn't believe me.

line of the week
Member “Sister it looks like you've lost about 2 kilos”
Me “ yep” and just thought “how does she know I've lost exactly 2 kilos since I got here”
Her husband “ I think we should tell all the girls that they lost weight because it makes them happy doesn't it,                         Sister"
Member “I'm drinking salsa tea to help me lose weight”
You gotta watch out cuz the members always have an eye on you


hahah have a great week!!

love,
Sister Jolley