January 26, 2016

Weekly Update:

A while ago I talked with a man who was pushing a stroller with a baby and asked if we could pass by and share a message with him another day. It never worked out to talk to him until this week, and he let us into the apartment. He was home with his two little girls, Bruna and Victoria 1 and 6 years old. Bruna turned 1 that day! Shortly after Rafael´s wife, Juliana, arrived with her sister. We then shared the message of The Plan of Salvation. It was a lesson really guided by the Spirit. We explained that our families can be together forever. The spirit was very strong and Juliana and her sister cried because they too felt it. 

Two days later we had a transisson from the leaders of the church and afterwards the president pulled me aside to let me know my grandma had passed away that morning. But it´s ok because I know that my family will be together forever! My grandma was the sweetest, most caring person ever and now she is resting and being taught the gospel. I´m very grateful for the opportunity I have to share with people that death isn´t the end, really the beginning and we have such hope because our Heavenly Father loves us and our families. When we returned and talked about the Restored the Gospel with Juliana and Rafael, Juliana explained that at the time I made the contact with Rafael they were looking for a religion for them and that the day we taught them she thought she was going to arrive and have a fight with her husband, but instead we were there and talked about how our families can be forever! I know the Lord is preparing people for us and that everything is in His time. But it was a tender mercy to teach this family before my grandma passed away, to really feel the Holy Ghost testify about the Lord´s Plan of happiness.

Feast before the transmission for the missionaries. The meat guy gave me a little of 

every type of churrasco - didn´t finish!

January 18, 2016

Weekly Update:

Our investigator Pedro who we were pretty pumped to get to church and get baptized went to work to in Salvador for 1 month, which is too bad, but he said he´ll look up a church there and visit there so in one month só agua! 

This week we started teaching Carol. It is interesting to see how the Lord gives people chances and prepares them for the gospel. She ended a relationship with her boyfriend a little more than a week ago and told us she really wants to give up her drinking and smoking problems and start her life de novo. We shared Alma 7 and explained that though Jesus Christ this is 100% possible. I´ve really learned that each one of us individually needs to use our agency to choose Christ and have a desire to follow His example. Sometimes we don´t have much desire but if we humble ourselves, the Lord can strengthen us and change our desires to have a happier life! It really is a blessing. She works in a salon so we brought a member Ana Claudia who also works in a salon to teach one night. It was pretty funny because they talked a while about nails and after that about bad boyfriends haha and everything comes back to the gospel! 

What is tricky here in Brazil is that so many people live together years and years and have kids but don´t get married ah! Frustrating We´re teaching a bunch of couples that need to seal the deal. We taught Robson and his family and they gave us awesome cupcakes which was legal. 

Last Sunday we brought a mom and son to church, Mario and Theresa. He has 24 yrs but is really dependent on his mom and his mom who does not want us to teach Mario anymore, wouldn´t let us in. So we asked a recent convert of three weeks Duke to call Mario to see if he could get him to church. Basically Duke is awesome and said he could hook Mario up with a job and he could stay with him at his house if he wanted! So we will see what happens. Duke was a super super eleito. He read the Book of Mormon in 6 days, is reading Jesus The Christ, and is finishing up Preach My Gospel. This Sunday during Gospel Principles class we talked about Jesus Christ. Duke shared his testimony that was really special. His wife died a year ago and he said how he can talk forever with the Elders about it, but they or anyone will never truly understand. But that Jesus Christ knows us perfectly, knows and felt every joy and pain that we feel and through Him we can find peace because He knows what we´re going through and he knows how to help us. 

I hope everyone is doing well, I love you all

Abraços

Sister Haggard 

January 11, 2016

Key chain I sent to Ben for Secret Santa!

January 4, 2016! Happy New Year from Sao Paulo!!!!

Weekly Update!

HAPPY NEW YEARS! 

So this week was pretty interesting. Terça Feira I got my new companion Sister Lockhart. She is very nice, from North Carolina. Our house also got two more sisters! The house is very small, but it´s always more fun living in 4. Three Americans and one Brasileira waiting for her visa to head to Florida.  It was pretty funny driving to the temple for the transfer because the Irmã that gave us a ride is not an expert driver we’ll say, and it was raining and there are a lot a lot of hills in Perdizes. So we were having difficulties getting up a hill and the Irmã was giving a bunch of desculpas "This is an awful car!" "There´s oil on the road, there’s oil on the road!" and the elder sitting next to me "There´s no oil on the road!"- in English.  But we made it to the temple and got our new companions.

The president completely changed our zone and I think the changes will help. 

This week was pretty difficult because more people travel out of the city for New Years than Christmas! It was pretty weird. The streets were empty and nobody was home. 

For New Year´s Eve the President wanted all the zones to get together at a chapel and have a little party so that was great. We ate pizza and ice cream and the boys played some soccer. 

Here 2 or 3 million people get together at Av Paulista for New Year’s night. At midnight people lit fireworks. Here New Years and after Carnival are a lot bigger holidays than Christmas. 

We passed by Lidia, but she says she doesn´t have time to have church in her life right now. Although things didn´t work out with her this time around, I´m really grateful for the time we spent together and the opportunity to get to know her. It is sad when things don´t work out because I know how much the gospel can help everyone. People think that they can´t focus on religion or come to church because of a problem, they don´t have time or are working, but the gospel will only help resolve and deal with the challenges of life. We were talking to an Irmã in the ward and she said that now that she is a member, her problems haven´t gone away, but now she knows how to deal with them because of the gospel and receive so many more blessing in the end. 

One investigator Pedro said he finally got a job interview for a job that would enable him to come to church because he doesn´t have to work weekends. He already has a really strong testimony about the Book of Mormon, The only thing stopping his progress was coming to church. It really is a miracle. We´re hoping everything works out. 

It was pretty tricky finding people to teach this week. Yesterday we said a prayer, and after we stopped in front of a house and asked to use the bathroom. The owner Maria let us in and while one was in the bathroom (demorou) I gave a pamphlet about the plan of salvation and when she got out of the bathroom we switched places and next week we´ll return! It was an answer to our prayer.

Also this week I talked with my lovely beautiful family :) 

Até Mais!

Sister Haggard 

The Fam

Some of the buses were fancy.

7 months on the mish!  Camino ate o po!

Perdizes

There is a park in our area called agua branca and it's pretty. 

New Year's Eve festa.  Pizza!

New sisters in the house!

Sister Lockhart and the bus!

December 28, 2015

Weekly Update:

So here Christmas Eve night is bigger than Christmas. Christmas is celebrated a lot more in the states too. New Year´s Eve is the big holiday. But here lots and lots of people travel during the week of Christmas until after the new year. 

I had a great day Christmas Eve. That morning we went to the famer´s market and bought fruit-mangos! We visited the people who we knew didn´t travel and sang Christmas hymns. We practiced Jesus in the Manger a lot and Silent Night, Silent Night Sister Conde doesn´t like too much haha. We visited Vilma an ex investigator who is now an investigator hopefully. We gave her some cookies and sang for her. She lived in Japan for 28 years and her husband lives there but she lives most of the year in Brazil because she likes it here. She was a singer so we were a little embarrassed with our very off tuned songs but it was great. She gave us Japanese fans for a present. That night we went to Lidia´s house. There was churrasco and a bunch of sushi. It was my first time eating fish raw and it was good! There was Lidia, her parents and her uncle and cousins. In total there was 10 people. It was really nice. The night ended a little short because one of Lidiás dogs bit her uncle- they are guard dogs to protect against robbers and he went out to see them because he likes dogs- so everybody said bye and went to get him a couple stiches. But afterwards we talked with Lidia and her parents a bit more, they don´t really support Lidia in the church, but are so nice. Lidia is such a great person too. It was a great night. Afterwards I opened up my presents :) 

Christmas we went to a member´s home to eat lunch with the elders. Everybody skyped their families. My family was on a cruise so I didn´t get to skype them on Christmas, but I will tonight Woo Hoo!! 

On Saturday we talked with Lidia and taught her the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity at the church which went super well and afterwards she stayed and watched the baptism of two of the Elder´s investigators. It was a great experience and she seemed to really enjoy it.  Lidia was scheduled to be baptized this Saturday, but Sunday morning she sent us a message that she didn´t have time to continue with the church right now. So we´re going to pop by today to talk with her and help her see the importance of baptism and the gospel in her life! 

Yesterday we received news that Sister Conde was transferred to the interior. Sister Conde was a great companion and daughter.  We were both sad she got transferred. I will receive Sister Lockhart who is an American. We´re going to destroy Perdizes!!

I´m so grateful for my family and for the birth of our Savior so I can be with them for all of eternity :) 
Feliz Ano Novo! 

Sister Haggard

Stadium of the Palmeiras which is down the street where we live.

Christmas with Lidia and her parents after the others left.

Our water got turned off last week for a few days because the elders forgot to pay an old bill and one day it was raining really hard so I took a video and picture and in the picture you can see the guy who came to turn our water back on hahaha.  If I hadn't been taking a video I wouldn't have been able to hear or see that the water guy came by and to let him in, so it was a miracle!

I also made cookies for the festa at Lidia's that didn't turn out too great but everybody liked them, so I'm grateful they don't have too much to compare the cookies with.  :)

Sushi!

One investigao gave us Japanese fans, so it was a very Japanese Christmas in Brazil!

Lola, an investigator of the elders - she's really awesome.