Shock

8/25/14

Wow, I just have to say that I am writing this email completely in shock. Let´s see if I manage to write in a way that makes sense... I just received a call from President Wright. It was pretty strange, especially because the first thing he said was, "Sister Stevens, sabe que eu tenho muito confiança em você..." (I have a lot of trust in you)... First off, you KNOW that something hard is about to happen when Pres. Wright says that to you. And let me just say, the next thing he told me was, Sister, you are going to be the new Sister Leader Trainer... WHAT?! I´m dying inside!

Tomorrow is transfer day, and I've been feeling for days that I would be transferred. So, when I saw my name on the transfer list, I was completely calm. But then came the shocker, the call from President. So, Sister Leader Trainer is a little bit (or a lot a bit) different from just being a normal trainer. A Sister Leader is almost like an assistant to the president. We have so many sisters serving missions now in the world, that we need to have leaders that watch over and make divisions with the sisters. So, I guess for some reason the Lord wants me to do this for the next little while.

I´m in shock, and I´m freaking out a little bit!

But anyway, other than that, Sister Sallum and I had a really great last week together. We had another miracle! A baptism! His name is Luã and he´s 14 years old! He´s amazing. Sister Sallum made a contact with him on the street 2 weeks ago, he went to church with us on Sunday, and last Sunday night he went to Evandro's baptism saying that he would like to be baptized too. He´s so cool! We visited him every day this week, talked to him mom, and "taught" him everything he needed to know before baptism. What I mean by "taught" is that he already knew everything, and he didn't have a problem with anything! He came prepared. He´s a really sweet kid.

His baptism was yesterday afternoon. A hot "winter" day here in Rio Grande do Sul... Everything went as well as possible for a baptism day (nothing ever goes smoothly), and he had a great experience. I´m so happy for Luã, and that we were blessed to know him this last week here. It was a miracle baptism!

I´m excited and scared for this next transfer, but I honestly know that I´m heading where I need to be. I know that President Wright receives revelation, and if he felt that I needed to be challenged with this new responsibility, vou la! Just send a lot of prayers my way! I´ll be needing them!

I love you all, and I love the mission. I know that Christ lives. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God, and that when we listen to his voice, and follow his councils, we´ll be blessed.

I hope you all have a perfect week! I love you all


Sister Stevens

Adventure Time!

8/18/14

Wow, what an adventure this week has been. It was full of deathly illnesses, almost broken bones, and trying to break into apartments. Oh, and not to forget, pajama parties and robbery too. Oh, let´s just say, it was a pretty exciting week here in Brazil...

It all started off with the thing that all missionaries LOVE. Our investigator, Evandro, was sick. Sicker than a dog, sick. And we were trying to visit him for DAYS. Starting on Monday, we went to his house trying to see how he was doing, we tried to visit him, invite him to Family Home Evening, etc, and we heard nothing. It´s the worst when your golden investigator disappears for days, especially on the week that you planned a baptism. It was a rough one. Sister Sallum and I felt like maybe he was avoiding us... Which was super sad, because he´s such a cool guy. So anyway, Sister Sallum and I just continued on. Trying and trying to visit, but by the time that Wednesday came around we just about gave up on the idea of a baptism.

On Thursday we had a miracle division. 2 young women from the other ward said they wanted to help us out. It was an intervention from God. Sister Sallum made contacts on the street with a million different people, and I had a chance to go and visit Evandro. Wow, let´s just say, the adversary really didn't want us to get to his house, especially because I sprained my ankle really bad when we were turning the corner to get to his street. But it´s a good thing that we didn't give up, because when we got there, Evandro was feeling a lot better. And even more miraculously, he had prayed while he was cooped up inside his house... he told us that when he was praying about if he should be baptized, he felt a really great feeling deep down to his core, and that he knew it was an answer from God... It was so amazing to be there at that moment. I just asked him if that means that he would be baptized, and he said yes. He was telling us more about his sickness, and how it was to be stuck at home, and I just marveled at how Heavenly Father works. Because of his sickness, he was stuck inside his house alone, and he finally prayed. Because of his sickness, he couldn't smoke for days. I had been so worried because we hadn't talked to him since Saturday, but Heavenly Father was taking care of him for us! Heavenly intervention is so interesting at times, isn´t it? Evandro is amazing! We visited him every day for the rest of the week and on Sunday night at 6:30 he was baptized. He cried, he was so happy. I couldn´t stop smiling. I knew that I returned to Fernandes for a reason. And if I´m transferred from here next week, I know that this was it. To help Evandro prepare for baptism. He was my investigator the last time I was here.

Everything was going perfectly, right? Our baptism ended, we were heading out the church doors and down the street, when all of a sudden we realized that we didn't have our keys with us... Oh no! We ended up calling the Bishop, returning to the church, removing everything from our bags, and nothing. We didn't have a single key! There was no way for us to return home. But there was a little girl that we've been teaching for a long time that was at the baptism. She´s about 10 years old, and she had been playing in our things. I knew she had taken them, because she has a really bad habit of lying and stealing... So we ran to her house, and she told us she had given them to one of the brothers of the church. So we ran to that brother´s house, just to find out she was lying. Then we ran to someone elses house and they didn´t have the keys either. Then we ran back to the girls house and she said that one of the other brothers from the church had them. Then we called, and they didn't have them... So all in all, she was lying! And we were stuck without keys... This is where the pajama party comes into play. Sister Sallum and I ended up sleeping at a members house! Woohoo! It was actually kind of fun and exciting really. We were on such a high from our amazingly amazing baptism that it almost didn't bother us that we would probably have to spend hundreds of dollars (or actually reais) to replace all 10 of our stolen keys.

Let´s just say, this p-day was full of a lot of fun and interesting key searching parties, and activities and wild goose chases! But all in all, the mom of this little girl picked her up from school, and we brought her to the church to "find" the stolen keys. But even though she stole and lied about the keys, we were just relieved to finally have them back. And now, I´m super tired, and I hope that my email makes sense!

But anyway, I feel so blessed that my amazing friend Evandro was finally baptized! It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I know that the Lord really does watch over us and bless us. Everything always works out for our good if we just put our trust in the Lord. Even when things are going crazy! Just have faith.

I love you all! Have an amazing week!

Love, 

Sister Stevens

Ps - Best. Baptism. Ever. I´m still smiling!

6 More Months to Live

8/11/14

Hellllooooooo!

How is everyone doing this fine Monday afternoon? I just realized that as of today I have exactly 6 months left of the mission. I will be returning home and stepping my feet back in the good ol' USA on the 11th of February 2015. It´s so crazy to think that i`ll be coming home so soon. But anyway, This week was a great one. We had the privilege of going to Porto Alegre for a mission tour. Elder and Sister Leal of the seventy came and gave a conference for all of the missionaries. It´s always amazing to spend time with the other Elders and Sisters and learn new things. I love being on a mission, because I feel like I've learned and grown so much spiritually and mentally.

This week was full of the same old same old. But Sister Sallum and I are really doing our best to apply the amazing things that we've been learning and start some miracles up in this sad little town!

We learned a lot about faith and obedience this week. When we really trust in the Lord and do all that we possibly can to be righteous, the Lord will then bless us with miracles. But if we feel like we´re asking the Lord something with faith and it doesn't come to pass, many times it´s because we´re not really in accordance with the teachings of God. Because like the scriptures say, "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." But the only way that blessings (and miracles) are predicated in our lives is upon our obedience to the laws of God.

So many people ask and complain and wonder and say, "Why hasn't God blessed me? I´m a good person, I do this, I do that..." But since we believe in a perfect God, he literally can´t bless us completely without our obedience. We have to obey all the commandments, not just some if we want miracles to happen in our lives.

I´m grateful for my new perspective this week. I feel like I´m getting to a new level of spirituality that I didn't really know was possible for me, but is! It´s so cool how much you learn and change and grow on a mission.

I´m so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I know that this is the only true church on the face of the Earth, because we only have one God, we only have one Christ and they only have one path. This is the same path that leads us to Eternal life and happiness, and we can only find that true path in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know these things are true, and I know that you can know through prayer, scripture study and going to church. These three fundamental things bless us with the spirit of the Lord, and lead us to his true path.

I hope that you can all learn this for yourselves, and that you can gain a testimony of these things. There only exists one church that is true, because Jesus Christ only established one church that was true.

I love you all, and I hope you have an amazing week!

Love,


Sister Emily Stevens

I Feel So Loved!

I just LOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE all you guys so much! Thank you everyone for the birthday cards, emails, presents, wishes and love! You are all so amazing. It´s hard to believe that it´s actually my birthday tomorrow, because it´s so stinking cold here! I´m still not used to the whole switched seasons thing. But anyway, I´m so grateful to have so many wonderful people in my life. Thank you for everything.

It was another good week here in Vila Fernandes. We walked, and walked and walked and walked, you know, like the pioneers. Which is fitting, since this week was Pioneer day in the USA. We talked and talked and talked and talked. And I also thought of a new way to make a contact with rude people... It´s called the "oh, if you´re going to ignore me and keep on walking, I have every right to walk right along side you and say what I was going to say!" Yeah, it´s kind of a long title, but you get the idea.

This week I was able to have an awesome split with Sister Betti, Sister Leader Trainer. She´s from Argentina, and super funny. We got to strengthen our relationships with even more families here in Fernandes, and we had an awesome Family Home Evening with American pancakes and peanut butter last night! I love this area, with all of it´s difficulties and all!

I´m excited to celebrate my first and last birthday on the mission. It´s sure to be great, and just like any other day on the mission! Maybe my district leader will switch it up and bit and call to wish me a happy birthday or something! haha

But nothing incredible really happened this week. We taught a lot of lessons, but nobody is really progressing. We´re in that stage of just getting to a new area, and trying to weed out the people who actually want to hear our message or not. But we´re really learning a lot.

But anyway, I love you all and I hope that all is well!

Have a perfect week, and thank you again for all the love!

Love,


Sister Emily Stevens

Me, Sister Betti, My companion (Sister Sallum), and Sister Oliveira

Sister Betti and Me

It's a Little Bit Old...It's a Little Bit New

7/21/14

WOOOOWWWWW, it´s crazy how things work and change here on the mission. Transfer happened last week and, as always, I had to drag my suitcases by bus and train to get to my new area. Or maybe I should say, my old area.... I returned to FERNANDES! I was in shock for about two days that I returned here. Actually, I think that I´m still in shock! I closed this area for Sisters, and here I am a few months later opening it for Sisters again! I´m feeling a bit trunky, because I feel like I've returned back home.

It´s really cool though that I can be back here for a while. I guess Heavenly Father is giving me another chance to do something that I didn't do when I was here the first time. I´m finishing up the training of my new companion, Sister Sallum. She´s from Florida too! And she´s super sweet.

This week were doing our best to help my old investigator Sergio. He´s been receiving the missionaries for at least the past 20 years, but he´s never been baptized because of his problem with smoking. He never manages to stop smoking! But this time, I've got the faith, and we´re going to help him stop. Please pray for him, because it´s gonna be a tough one! But thanks to my birthday package that I got this week, I gave him 2 (inspired) packages of gum that he can chew when he has a craving.

Anyway, I´m loving my new old area, and I´m so excited for my chance to work here with my new companion. She fresh and full of faith! haha

I hope that everyone is doing well, and blessing the lives of the missionaries!

Have an amazing week!

Love, 

Sister Stevens

Oh, and thank you for all the cards and the birthday package! I love you all!

 

The Gospel in Brazil

7/14/14

The church in Brazil has grown in remarkable numbers since it first began here. There´s an awesome talk in the Ensign this month about the growth of the church in Brazil. You can find the article here.

 It started with just one family that moved to Brazil, and look where it´s come. If all of us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ would share the gospel with those that we know the church would grow even more. Look at what can happen in just a little bit of time, and with just a little bit of effort.

"The Lord uses the unlikely to accomplish the impossible..." Russell M. Ballard

Love you all. Share the gospel. Be like Brazil!

This is why I love Brazil. It's so pretty!

It's Transfer Time...

7/14/14

Hello, I´m going to write a short letter for all of you today, because the computer that I´m using is having a lot of problems and keeps shutting down.

But just so you know, this transfer has come to an end. And what is the fate of Sister Stevens? Sister Stevens will be.............Drum roll.......................

Transferred! Again! Woohoo! And I´m not training! Woohoo (again)!

This was an interesting transfer, that´s for sure, but Sister Oliveira Souza and I learned a lot. And, we were blessed with a miracle too! I´m grateful for the time that I spent here. It wasn´t easy, but nothing in life is. But even though it felt like I didn't have much success, I know that the Lord was helping me to understand more about the Atonement, and about patience.

I´m excited for this new transfer. It´s going to be another opportunity to learn and grow.

I hope that everyone back home is doing well.

Love you all!

Sister Stevens