And Happy week of Mothers Day! This holiday takes on a whole new meaning for a missionary and I am really hoping I can talk with my Europers. If not, Rach, John, Jess and I will have a party all on our own.
But all is well in Vilia Sonia! I am happy and my companion is great! I thought Sister Valente was a hard worker... turns out she learned everything from my current companion, Sister Dantas because they were companions in Campo Limpo before I arrived. She is unstopable and we work so hard. My body seriously aches every night but we are having a lot of success, especially relative to the area. Turns out zone Sao Paulo is the most dificult in our mission because everyone that stops to hear our message doesnt live in our area. But we are seeming to find some solid ones regardless! We are currently having family home evening with different families most nights of the week and it is so neat for our investigators and members to see how happy a family can be with the gospel in their lives. Sometimes we forget just what a blessing the influence of Christ is in our lives until we spend some time observing the ´real world.´
I met one of the most incredible women this week named Sueli. She is actually a member and I am absolutely inspired by her. She is about 45 and she is completely alone. She served a mission and lived in the states for a long time so she speaks Portuguese, English, and Italian. She is smart and wonderful but for whatever reason she never got married! I seriously can not figure it out. Ironically, she works in the call center at Azul! But she loves missionaries with all her heart and she would seriously do anything for us. She does not have a lot of money and lives in a teeny little house but when we visit her she opens her fridge and generously offers us anything and everything that she has.
This week she signed up to feed us. She did not have time to make something so she took us to the mall and insisted that we get whatever our hearts desired. She kept piling things on to our plates and was so sad when we did not want a second plate. Then, to our surprise, that night she showed up at our apartment with bags and bags full of all the necessities including fruit, milk, cereal, cake, pasta, sauce and so much more. We dont have to buy groceries for the rest of the transfer! And so we stopped by and shared a message and sang for her.
She told us that she loves to associate with the missionaries because ´´there is no one else that radiates the same spirit of God´´ as us. She told us that her, who she used to spend all of her extra time and money serving, recently passed away and she feels a void in her life from lack of service. She thanked us for the opportunity to let her serve to heal her broken heart. Wow! What an amazing women!
I am so grateful for the wonderful people who work so hard to make us feel at home here and help us with our efforts to share the gospel. I love all the wonderful people I meet here who almost fill the void of my incredible family back home. But only almost.
But family, I miss you so much and no one could completely take your places. This week I am especially thinking a lot about you, mom. During one of my first few weeks of the CTM I was reading about Helaman´s strippling warriors and I got to the part about those brave little boys taking comfort in the things their mothers had taught them. I did everything I could to keep from sobbing on the spot. But since then I have thought a lot about the things I never doubted because my mother taught me. Here are a few:
1. A little creativity goes a long way.
2. It is essential that you show the people you love that you love them. Frequently
3. Everyday may not be good but there is something good in every day.
4. Looking your best is the first step to feeling your best.
5. Kindness begins with me. (Katie and I had to sing this primary song a lot growing up. But I guess it helped because we are great friends now!)
6. Our best is enough.
Prayers do work. Sometimes we just have to wait a little while to reconize our answers.
7. If you are prepared, you will not fear.
8. Our family is a gift from heaven. How we treat our family is our gift to heaven.
9. Where much is given, much is expected.
The list could go on and on. But in conclusion, mom I am so very grateful for you in my life. I am honored to be your first born and the reason you became a mom. Thank you for your love and support for the last 21 years. As Abraham Lincoln said, ´´I owe everything I am or hope to be to the example and teachings of my mother.´´
Happy travels and boa semana!
Sister Lauren
Hi Sister Neeleman. My name is Amy and my son was recently called to the Brazil Sao Paulo West mission. He reports to the Sao Paul MTC on August 20. I have been searching for information on the mission and have not had much success. I guess mainly because it is a relatively new mission. I stumbled across your blog and have enjoyed reading about your mission experiences. I wanted you to know that I have started a Facebook Page in hopes of creating a place to share and learn from other missionaries in this mission. I was hoping you (or your parents, family or friends) would like to join. If you are interested please follow this link. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1494781584070890/ This link will get you to the page for Brazil Sao Paulo West Friends and Family. Request to join the group and then we can all start sharing. Thanks. I hope to hear back from you soon.
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