Monday, November 24, 2014

november 24, 2014 changing for the better...

good
this upcoming week already has tons of marked lessons and lots of potential :)
this is the rosario do sul district:)
bad
luan santana was close by rosario this week #thebrazilianjustinbieber 
when the sister training leaders come and it’s a crazy day and i didn’t take one pic :(
awk
when sister parrela’s in town, drops us off at lunch at lunch appointment but then decides to come in too and starts telling the member why she’s not feeling well and what she needs to eat or stop eating… then when sister parella leaves the member asks “so is she a doctor or nurse or something?” and my comp responds “just a mom and grandma...” hahahaha
when the prize for a passed cleaning check is corn flakes from argentina #whereistheicecreamyo ????
just me and my comp before we head out in the morning:)
awesome
when isaac was at home with lots of time and stuff i got like 2 letters in a whole year… in the past couple months, i’ve gotten 4 or 5!!!! #heischangingpeople
when the sister training leaders visit and i get to relive memories with sister marinho, my ex comp, and see her one last time before she goes home.
gaining my testimony of talking to people on the streets aka contacting (idk how to say it in english correctly) #itisabouttime
references from members #chachinggg
lunch with cleber and sabrina #goodfood #goodconvo #coke #icecream
when irmã nara sneaks me a bar of chocolate inbetween classes at church on sunday for me and my comp
teaching the kids at a FHE how to put on the whole armor of God:)

so this week was crazy. it seriously flew by. after lunch on monday i started thinking about how i can change and be better. i started thinking about what more we can do in our area to see miracles. so i talked to my cute comp and we decided on some things we wanted to start doing and made goals. then we thought of the blessings we hoped for in return. it’s a sort of covenant that missionaries do... i’ve heard of some crazy ones but ours was basic and chill. our part included talking to more people on the street, or doing more contacts. i’ve never had much success with this but i know we need to show our faith and that there are lots of people looking for the truth that we pass by every day. so.. tuesday we got started and daaaang. the Lord really blessed us. we met some awesome people and hardly got rejected. it strengthen my testimony lots. i felt so happy to know that i was putting in the extra effort and stepping out of my comfort zone and the Lord was preparing the hearts of the people in my path. 

another awesome experience, but sad too, was last night at a members house. the mom, or grandma, is the only really active member. it’s only been a year or two since she returned to the church.  her husband is struggling to return because he smokes. all of her 3 daughters wandered off the path during the time they were less active and are living with their boyfriends and what not, other than one that got married and baptized her husband, but they live far away from the church and don’t have a car but this one particular daughter has a rock solid testimony. the mom and daughter were talking about how hard it is to know how important something is while the others in their lives don’t even care. we talked about the plan of salvation and how they expressed the urgency that their family needed go to the temple and be sealed because Christ will truly return to the earth again and we don’t have much time.. but other people—the people they love don’t feel this urgency. (i understand sister. i understand.) and after all is said and done and our experience is over in this life there comes a time when we won’t be able to change our choices. The Lord knows the true desires of every person’s heart and in the end we will receive the kingdom in heaven that we deserve… even if it means for some, living forever apart from our family. 
it just strengthened my testimony of: do it and do it now!! because… we never know when it will be too late. until the end we have to try and follow the commandments because the eternal consequences of not turning to the Lord while we are here on the earth and know His plan will be hard to bare in the next life.

anywayssssss. 
i love you lots. 
have a great thanksgiving. were planning on buying a cheeseburger and fries and who knows maybe a coke #merica
my mom’s a babe and her bdays this week. 

it's going to be a great day! (on our balcony where we live in rosario)

have a super happy week k?

xoxo sister faldmo

Monday, November 17, 2014

november 17, 2014 introducing sister tenorio

good
downing 1 liter of ice cream on a hot day before we start fasting. 
bad
those finding weeks... i dieeeee. clapping doors, visiting less actives, doing anything to teach but still not having results. #testingmyfaith #bringiton
annoying elders... even worse when they’re your leaders #morelessonstolearn
awk
when you are looking for an address but it’s the wrong address but the person you need actually happens to be outside and you scare her because she didn’t know you were there but in the end it all works out because you found her actual house (ok this doesn’t really make sense maybe? but i just needed something to put in the awkward part.... but now telling this is really awkward)  
awesome
my new comp. HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES ME. sister tenorio is the best! i scored. i’m so excited for this time to work with her. 
so happy!!!!
anywayysssss. don’t hate me because i don’t have much to say. tuesday sister tenorio got here. i love her!!!!!! she’s 19. went to byu for a year before the mish. from texas. parents are mexican so she speaks spanish too! sometimes it’s awkward because i never know if she knows more portugese then me or if she’s throwing in some spanish??? so then we have to pull out the dictionary. the first two nights we stayed up way too late talking :)
speaking of sleep.. my body is dying. I’ve been SO TIRED. not just because of those two nights. today since it’s pday, i will do some serious napping. 
heading to church
this week we made some honest efforts to find new investigators but as for now--nothing. but this week will be different. two of our investigators went to church! ok, it was the other branch but i’m still super happy. they’re awesomeJ two siblings. we are teaching their family but their mom is super strong in the church she goes to. but just wait :) 
anyways. that’s about all homies. help the missionaries and maybe give them some chocolate too. 
loveee youu. have a great week :) 
xoxox sister faldmo

a selfie of a few missionaries in rosario:)


futbol na chuva (im so brasilian...)‏ november 10, 2014

me and my comp before transfers in front of the rosario sign:)

good
i will stay in rosario do sul for 5 more weeks with a new comp! 
i love love teaching the plan of salvation. the end. 
bad
a bff sister saito is going home this week!! it wasn’t planned but because of the number of new missionaries she has to go home 5 weeks early with one other sister. this is super super sad. 
awk
had a super weird things happen this week. almost had a miracle baptism, but then everything fell through in less than 24 hours. it was super stressful. but.. for now we just have to trust in the Lord and his time. 
when your family goes to the bahamas without you. 
giving a tour of the church to mykael & aline
awesome
when people get married!!! aka the elders' investigator and his wife. 
congratulations to mari and edson on their marriage!

ok so i know this letter is super lame. this week was kinda lame too. no jk it wasn’t lame but if i told you all the details you would think it was lame.  the cool thing is i turned brasilian this week. we went to the church to celebrate the last pday of two elders in my distrct and they wanted to play soccer. i was in flip flops and it was raining but what the heck i tried my best. basically,  truth be told, i’m horrible! but the good news is we played one game that was the americans vs the other countries in our district and the americans won!!! also, my comp is boss and plays better than all of the elders!!!
weeee are the champions of the world... or at least the rosario district:)
our soccer field:)
i’m happy i will stay here. when transfer calls were getting close i started worrying that i would leave. i didn’t feel ready and didn’t want to leave an area without being a part of a baptism. our teaching group isn’t huge but has potential so i am happy that i can work super hard these next weeks and have some success i hope :) also super happy bc my friend from my provo mtc district is coming to our humble city of rosario! yay for friends. 
RIP... he's going home.  #missiontradition


trying to copy my companion's favorite picture pose:)
so yeah. that’s all i have to say . but. i know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church upon the earth today. i know there is power in prayer. the Book of Mormon is how we can know. i love teaching restored gospel principles to people who are super faithful and great people but their church just lacks these principle that have been lost but that we have. it opens their eyes and it changes everything. 
another successful family night here in rosario
have a fabulous week and don’t forget to wish my sammy john a happy bday on november 11. 

te amo!!!!! xoxoox sister faldmo

Monday, November 3, 2014

happy halloween november 3, 2014

look at this tree in the streets of rosario!!! isn't it amazing?? :)
good
we got an awesome reference this week. the wife is strong in her church and has a ton of faith. she was thinking about everything we taught you could tell, but had a hard time because for years and years she’s followed another church and now she’s realizing her church might not be true. excited to see where things go with them. also a good sidenote is they have a little market in the front of their house and always give us treats and pop after teaching appointments. #winning
helped the youth get the church all cleaned up and ready for their halloween dance:)
no bad!!!!
 
i am constnatly getting drenched in brazil!!!
awk (start then turns awesome)
dia dos mortos aka we went to the cemetary.  what did we do there? we talked to people about the plan of salvation. at first i was super worried people would be offended but actually people were very receptive and it was a great experience. 
awesome
i received the happiest phone call saturday night. THAMIRES WAS BAPTIZED! remember thamires from cruz alta?? 14. smoked. is like my little sister. sister rodrigues called and let me talk to her. i am so so so happy that she finally committed and was baptized. she was so happy and so cute. i told her i would see her in january before i leave my mission and she said  “you know january really isnt that far away? in young women’s we are already planning activities for january” i died from joy and happiness!!
THAMIRES WAS BAPTIZED!!!  please everyone know how much i lover her:)
inspiration, leaders, and the priesthood **
i think... a miracle might happen and cute sabrina (yeah i didn’t even know she was our investigator too!! haha.) might be baptized this week. she’s 8 and her siblings are members but lately she’s been going to church all alone! to be honest, i have always felt a special love for her. but, who wouldn’t? she’s so cute and strong. i didn’t really know her story but now we do and know that she needs to be baptized!! woohooo. 
this is lariane in the middle, my homegirl in rosario do sul

**so this week my zone leader called to ask how things were going. one of my zone leaders was in the ctm with me so we get along well and i’m not afraid to tell him what’s really up. i told him about some problems I’d been having and he gave me a section in the doctrine and covenants to read and asked me how long it’s been since i read my patriarchal blessing? it had been a couple weeks since I had read it, so he told me not to just read it but to study it too. (a patriarchal blessing is a blessing that members of the church may receive from a church patriarch.  It is a personal blessing that is given and becomes like scripture just for you! it tells you about some of the promises and blessings that Heavenly Father has waiting for you—it also tells you of things that may be your weaknesses that you’ll need to work on) the section in the doctrine in covenants he made me read was perfect for what i’m going through and of course reading my blessing is like the best thing you can do to feel Heavenly Father’s love for me individually. 
oops! ju ju got ahold of my lipstick!
another side note. this ward has some of the cutest men. ok don’t take that the wrong way. but seriously!  i just love them. the other day i saw two men in white shirts and ties walking in the road.. but, it wasn’t the elders. it was the branch president and another member visiting members. (lots of the members don’t have cars so they were just doing their thing.. walking like us!) also there’s another member, he’s deaf but EVERY SUNDAY he is there. there is no one to translate for him. He comes to partake of the sacrament and to just feel the spirit.  he can’t hear anything. he also went to ALL of the sessions of general conference. then there’s another member with disabilities. but he always bears his testimony. it’s a little hard to understand but the spirit is so strong! when he bore his testimony last week it was the one that touched me so deeply and made me cry. 

anyways… i know this letter is all over the place butttt. that’s that folks. things are going. this is the last week of transfers.. we will know what will happen friday. i’m a little nervous! but, let’s not forget that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth today. it is there waiting for the seekers of truth. 

dienifer, my comp and me before a family night at betas:)
last treinamento from elder session (he goes home next week)


i love you all lots. send me letters and stuff k? haha. 

xoooxoxoxo ash aka sister faldmo


ok, here's the story:
sick sick sick i thought we were going to eat this.. i almost got sick, but then i found out they were just preparing it for another meal. now i kinda regret it because a picture like this would have been cool but i saw it and went far away and just let the other missionaries take pictures with my camera haha.