I'm Coming Home

2/09/15

WWWWoooooooWWWWWW... What a crazy mix of emotions I´m feeling right now... I've already left my area and I´m here in Porto Alegre awaiting my fate...

Last week was awesome. Sister Cabrera and I had the chance to go to the temple with the leaving group of missionaries. It was amazing, and spiritual and full of pictures and good times. Unfortunately Sister Cabrera has all of the pics on her camera...

We were blessed with yet another wedding that we put together all day Friday. It was BEAUTIFUL! But talk about trunky... I have to say that planning weddings is just about the worst thing that a soon to be return missionary could do... haha

But it was a beautiful day. Unfortunately Karine had to postpone her baptism one more week because of health problems... But at least I know that she´s going to be taking this important step next week. I'll be sure to keep track on facebook!

I´m getting super excited for my homecoming, but I haven´t been able to sleep for the past 2 weeks, so I think the first thing that I need to do is take a 5 hour nap!

Tomorrow we have interviews with President Wright... :D Then it´s time to head back home.


I love you all, and I´ll see you soon! Whether it be in person, facebook or skype.


Love, Sister Stevens

Tchau Tchau For Now Now

WOOOOOWWWWWW.... I´m freaking out just a little bit. I think that this might be the very last email that I send home.

Next week I´ll be heading to Porto Alegre on Monday and I don´t know if they´ll give us a chance to use the internet...

Well, other than the fact that I´m really nervous, Sister Cabrera and I are working our tails off and seeing we´re seeing the miracles!

Last week we had 2 more amazing baptisms! Remember Pamela, the young woman that we baptized last time? We were blessed to see the baptisms of her Grandmother and her cousin! It was an awesome Sunday afternoon and another special baptism.

This week is full of activities. Today we´re heading to the temple with President and Sister Wright, Friday we have the Wedding of Karine and Rafael and Saturday we have Karine´s baptism. Sunday is my last day here in São Leopoldo...

I´m looking forward to this week. And I´m looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Love, Sister Stevens


Pics from the baptism... Maria doesn't look all that happy, but I promise she is! haha She doesn't smile in pictures...

Wedding!

1/26/15

Wow, what a week! It was awesome, but also very, very stressful. We had miracles, we had weddings, we had surprise trips to the foot doctor in Porto Alegre, and we even had baptisms! Woohoo!

Unfortunately I don´t have very many pics from Viviane and Jaime´s wedding because the Bishop had them on his camera and didn't have a chance to send them to us... But it was an awesome event. Sister Cabrera and I decorate the cultural hall full of hearts and flowers and it turned out really well. It started out stressful when no one showed up at the church to help us, but then the Elder´s and two of the Relief Society sisters showed up to help us after lunch. Man, I wish I had the pictures to show you. It was a lot of fun, and I even caught the boquet and the end! haha Maybe you've already seen the pics circulating on Facebook! haha

At the courthouse!

The Bride and her Father-in-Law waiting to enter

The Bishop and the couple

The happy family: Viviane, Jaime, and Sofia

After the wedding

 But even better than the wedding on Saturday night were the baptisms that we had on Sunday after church. After an awesome sacrament meeting where we had 7 investigators, we were blessed to see 2 amazing baptisms. The baptism of Viviane Aparacida Quevedo Messer and Pâmela Vitoria Sanches. It was a beautiful baptism full of emotions!

I´m getting excited for my home coming, but it´s coming a little too fast for my liking!

Anyway, I hope you have a perfect week! Oh, and pray that all goes well for Sister Cabrera and I.  We´re planning the baptism of Pamela´s Grandmother and Cousin. Maria and Eduardo.

 

I love you all and see you soon! 

 

Sister Stevens

Mawwiage is What Bwings Us Togeva Today!

1/19/15

Hello family and friends!!

It´s been another great week here in the South. Sister Cabrera and I are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. We have so much to do and so little time! Last week we found an amazing new investigator. Her name is Pamela and she´s 13 years old. She went to church yesterday for the first time, and also a family night at the Gonçalves house in the evening. She´s really special. We taught her a few times this past week and she told us about her experience when she prayed about our message. She said that she prayed after we taught her the first time, and that she didn´t feel anything... But then she decided to pray again the next day to ask the Lord if this really was His church. Pamela told us that when she prayed the second time, she felt something different, and she felt a desire to cry. It was so cool to hear her talk about the experience that she had and recieved because of her faith. It really impressed me, because there are so many people that we encounter throughout the days that are so closed off that they won´t even accept the offer to say a simple prayer... And here we are with a 13 year old that had enough faith to ask God 2 times if our message was true, and if this really is his church. Sister Cabrera and I will visit her again tonight and challenge her to baptism. I pray that everything works out. She´s a great youth!

This week Sister Cabrera and I have our first wedding! The couple will marry on Thurday at the courthouse, and we´re planning their reception for Saturday night. And then the real "big day" will be on Sunday when Viviane gets baptized!!! She´s so excited for her baptism! And you know how it all happened?? Because she was invited by her nephew to watch the primary program at church! Her first Sunday going to church was also our first Sunday here in São Leopoldo. She loved the church so much, and she felt something special that day during the primary program that she wanted to keep coming back over and over again! She´s amazing! It´s also amazing to see how inspired children can be... A simple invite from a child will bless the life of this family...

I´m so excited for this week! I know that it´ll pass by fast because of all the excitement. Unfortunately. My time is getting dangerously close to the end... So close that I got my itinerary in my email today. I´ll be flying in on the 12th. But at least I´ll be ending my mission on a lot of great notes! There can´t be anything better than weddings and baptisms!

Anyway, I love you all and i´m excited to see you all again soon. 

Love,

Sister Stevens

Happy New Year

1/05/15

Bah, como o tempo passa rápido, né?

Man, time goes by fast, doesn't it?

Happy New Year!!!

Wow, it's hard to believe that 2014 already flew by. And where have I been for all of it? Oh, that´s right, in Brazil! I can´t believe it!

It's been a good start to the new year. Sister Cabrera and I have met a lot of great people already. We´re already seeing some of the miracles that´re going to happen this year in São Leopoldo! It´s so great to see how the Lord literally puts you on the right street at the right time to talk with the right person. I have a goal this transfer to really be guided by the spirit more and more. To be more sensitive to the whisperings of the spirit so that I can take advantage of the rest of this short time that I have left.

I´m not counting or anything, but, I only have 5 more p-days after this one! I´m trying to trick my mind into thinking that I have a lot more time than I do, but it´s not working very well. Every day someone reminds me that I´m going home soon.

For example, there´s this cute little young woman in the ward that always helps us out, and yesterday she pulled me aside at church to tell me how much she was going to miss me! WHHHAAAAA??? I still have weeks! This can´t be starting already!

Everything that I do, or that happens, or even the music I listen to makes me feel nostalgic. Nostalgia for the mission... It´s so weird. The mission hasn´t even ended yet and I already miss it! What am I gonna do when I get home?! haha Get ready for it, and start buying a year supply of tissues, cause I think I´m gonna cry a lot. Oh, and don´t be too surprised if I hop on the next plane to Brazil!

I hope that everyone had a great new year celebration. While you were all partying it up, I was knocked out dead asleep in my bed! I was pooped and I couldn't even stand the thought of staying up until Midnight! How weird is that right? The girl that would party it up until 4am dies if she sleeps after 10:30... I´m sure I´ll get over that pretty fast when I get home though! haha

Anyway, I love you all and I hope you have a great week!

Tchau,

Sister Stevens

New Years Eve dinner with the Goncalves family

Our first lunch of the year

The Last Transfer

12/29/14

Wow, what an amazing week and a great end of the year. It was amazing talking to the family on Christmas even though we had problems with the sound and I couldn't hear you guys for a while! Makenzie is so stinking cute! I can´t wait to hold her in a few short weeks.

This week was great. Sister Cabrera and I were blessed with many miracles and the best of all (other than talking with our families) was our baptism yesterday afternoon! After a few weeks teaching David, he was baptized. He´s an 11 year old young man. We´re teaching his family, and he decided that he wanted to be baptized rather than waiting until next month when his mom would be baptized too. It truly shows the great faith that many children have. Next month his mom and step dad will be married and then his mom will have the chance to be baptized too. I´m so excited for that! They´re an amazing family! 

 

Sister Cabrera and I are excited to work our tails off for the next 6 weeks here in São Leopoldo. Yep, that´s right, I´m surprisingly not being transferred this time. But President has released the 2 of us as Sister Leader Trainers. Yay, a break before I "die!" It was awesome to be given the chance to be Sister Leader Trainer, I learned a lot from all of the Sisters and the leadership meetings, but now Sister Cabrera and I will be able to save a lot more money and work a lot more in our area! We´re definitely gonna need it this transfer, especially with 2 marriages and lots of baptisms! It´s gonna be the best end of the mission transfer ever!

I hope that you all had an amazing Christmas and that this week's New Year´s celebrations are safe and fun. I love you all, and I´m getting excited to see you all soon... Well actually, I´m excited and scared! But I´m sure I´ll get over the scared part after a while!

Tchau, até o próximo!


Sister Stevens

Christmas Eve

  

Christmas Eve

District Meeting Christmas morning

 

Christmas lunch with the Goncalves family

Mamai Alzira Noel

  

Christmas lunch

 

Feliz Natal with Sister Cabrera

Merry Christmas!

12/22/14

Wow, What a week.

Christmas is getting ever closer, and the inner child in me is getting excited. Even though it´s hot and nasty here and doesn't feel very much like Christmas.

The work is going well, and Sister Cabrera and I almost had a beautiful Sunday afternoon baptism... Until a rain storm decided to come in and the Church didn't have any water to fill up the font. Like good missionaries, we tried to make it happen anyway. We had somebody´s pool all lined up and ready. But we all know how hard the adversary works when you have a baptism and it didn't end up working out. The rain wouldn't stop and the family decided to wait until the next week.

But other than that, we had a great week. One of our investigators marked a day to be married! Yay! She´s going to get married on January 22nd and baptized on January 24th! I´m so excited! It´s so great to see how the Lord is preparing his children to accept the gospel and the commandments. I just hope that I can stay here next transfer to be here for her baptism.

Speaking of transfers, next week is transfer day... I think that I might go, but we´ll see what the Lord has in store for me. I only have 7 more weeks... Wow... It´s getting close. I have a lot more work to do and only a little more time.

But anyway, I love you all and I wish you a very merry Christmas! Full of cold, hot chocolate, Christmas music, and the love of Jesus Christ.

Love,

Sister Stevens

"At all times and in all places..."  Making contacts on the street with a bus accident and ambulances in the background... I had no idea that my companion was taking a picture.