Another Week of Awesomeness!!!- Letter #11

Bom Dia Familia e Amigos!!!!

Mission life is so incredible... wow! I love it here in Brazil! Every morning when we leave our house I say ´Bom Dia Brazil!!!!!´ its fantastic! There were some great things that happened this week! :D

Last Monday was INCREDIBLE! :D Some of my zone got together and had Charrasco! Mmmm Brazilian Barbecue! Was fantastic! AND!!! Played some futebol! :D First time in Brazil! Oh yeah! It was great! But the best part of the day was that night! We taught Carla, Raphaela, and Victoria... the teenagers we met last week... and it was great! We talked about they felt about the restoration video we showed them last time, and they all felt it was true! O yeah! Missionary work is cool! And we explained about the importance of the Holy Ghost and Baptism and guess what.... Yours truly did the inviting! AHHH!!!! It was so cool! Invited them to be baptized, and they said yes! :D It was so neat! This week was tough connecting with them but... we´ll keep trying! Its fantastic to see the potential in all three of them! Really... I learned this week, just a little glimpse, of how Heavenly Father sees us.. we all have SO much potential for our lives here on earth, and after! I love the gospel!

This week we had a Zone Conference, (first one!) and wow! FABULOUS! Elder Godoy, the General Authority and Presidente Ferrin! It was so amazing! I loved the advice and the message they both shared!

And a weeding this past saturday! of the recent converts my companions were working with! It was so fun!

Every day being out here I notice how fantastic it is to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints... and this is HIS work... there are a lot of other churches here... everyone belives in God and Christ... but its great to ask them what they do to show their love... you can see the wheels thinking as we explain that this chruch is Christ´s church, his original! I love it so much! I am so grateful for the testimony of the Gospel! I know its true with all my heart!

I love you so much!!!!! Have a fantastic week!

Com Amor!!!!

Sister Waite! :D

p.s. THANK YOU!!!! I got mail this week!!!! :D Yahoo!
-Mom, the package was FANTASTIC! thank you thank you thank you!!!! (Congrats Mecaela and Lachoneus!!!! I am so happy for you!!!! Got your invite :D)
-Thank you SO much Uncle Alan and Aunt Tammy! The card was great! Thank you for your support!
-Thanks Dad! Got your letter!
-Grandma! Got your letter too!!!! Thank you so much! I love hearing about you and Grandpa!
-Sister Hirst... you are AMAZING! thank you for your letters, they mean so much!
-Thanks for the letter Austin! Got it and will respond soon!


PICTURES
1, This is for Rhett! Please translate for everyone... oh man... hilarious! :D
2, How pretty is this flower!!!! :D in the distance are my companions... oh yeah! We´re missionaries!
3, WOW MOM!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved the package! Yay for swedish fish! And Mickey Mouse! Thank you! I love you so much!

1, loving the flowers here! behind me is one of the neighborhoods in my area!
2, this is Joyce... she is so adorable! she is 5 and helps me learn portuguese... she was full of energy the night of the wedding!
3, Jozy and Dhones! Her hair was FABULOUS! It took the stylist 4 hours to do! Her hair is so long! She looked beautiful! So much support from the ward was there, it was great!

Hola!!!!!!!-Letter #10

Oi Familia! Oi Amigos!

first thing first.... i am in the city of São Jose Dos Campos... in the baehho of morumbi! hahaha so NOW look it up on google earth. -and yes, i learned this lat night, i'm grateful for my companions... they know where they are and what they are doing... and saying! hahah

this week has been great! first pday in the field last weeks was neat... going to the supermarket and seeing an avacado the size of my head!!!! seriously... i love brazil! We have lunch everyday with an irma in the ward, its amazing to see the faith of the members here! they all come from different situations and stories... like everyone! but hearing their conversions stories just builds my faith! wow! i am so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission! its fantastic!

this weekend is a wedding for one of our recent converts! well.. i can't claim helping them, but I'm playing ´´only hope´´ when she walks down the aisle... haha they were legally wed the day of their baptism, then a few days later i came, and now i'm helping with the big party. haha its fantastic! their story is really neat! our investigators now are really neat as well! 3 teenagers and another 27 year old... they all are very interested and curious about the church... ah!!!! i love being a missionary! so much! 

one thing i have lerned this weeks is patience.... wow! patience is needed every single day, every situation, and in yourself! the language has been tough... its frustrating to not know anything what people are saying... i just need to have more patience... this will come... i can do this! I learned that patience is allowing heavenly father's time take place... and submitting to his will.... its fantastic!

brazil is phenomanol! please look up where i'm living... it will answer a lot of questions! you are fantastic! 

Até proxima semana!

E com muito muito muito amor!!!!

Sister Waite

p.s. photos... me and companions our last night at ctm. me and my instructor irmão costa! he is amazing!!!!! then us on the 4th of july! i will send´´older´´ photos throughought these next few weeks to catch you up! oh! thats with pres and sister degn... mtc pres! i love you!

ESTOU AQUI!!!!!!!!!! :D- Letter #9

Oi Familia e Amigos!!!! Tudo Bom?!?!

Woot woot! I am OUT of the CTM! Where did those 9 weeks go? I am so grateful for the experiences I had at the CTM. I´ll miss my companions, but they´re off to João Posoa and Salvador! And I am here... in Morumbi!!!! (google map it... its fantastic!)

My new companions: Sister Faulstino and Sister Reis! I am so grateful to have both of them! :D Sister Faulstino is from Salt Lake, but is Brazilian! She is fluent in both Portuguese and Enlish... which is a big help! My trainer, Sis Reis is from the state of São Paulo about 7 hours drive away, is so kind and understanding. They both are down to earth really great missionaries! I´M A MISSIONARY! :D Its fantastic! being swallowed in Portuguese and picking up only the gist of the conversation.

Back up, I´ll start from the beginning... bus took us to the mission office, about 40 minutes drive, at 6:30 in the morning. When I arrived at the mission office the Elder there helping us passed out the mail that had collected for us while we waited for the President to arrive. After he passed out a few of the other missionaries mail, he goes back to the office and calls something out in portuguese but I here the words:... Sister Cartas está aqui! ? what? What does that mean... he comes out with my CHRISTMAS for the summer! Lots of mail! And a package!!!!! WOW! Sister Cartas for the morning.... cartas means letters, as in the mail letters. SO FUNNY! 

THEN!!!! the exciting moment, I met my Mission President! :D President Ferrin is SO nice! I love him! He interviewed all of us, met Sister Ferrin and then went to his house for some training. Wow, amazing apartment! Sister Ferrin is learning Portuguese and gave me a big hug saying what a relief that I could talk to her that day... cause I was with two brazilian sisters and she felt bad she couldn;t communicate with them. I love it! Wow!

It took a monteral for about 20 minutes, an hour bus ride, and poof! I´m here in Morumbi!  Companions are VERY helpful! I´ve been pretty quiet this week, but when we are by ourselves I´m asking questions and what words are, but I´m understanding the gist of the conversations that we have had... mostly I had a deer in the headlight look for most of the days...:D love it!

I HAD MY FIRST LESSON! The next day, we met with Alessandra. First, before I explain how the lesson went, I want to explain my first reactions for the city of Morumbi.... Humbling. Wow... So many people, of ALL different economical differences... the living situation in general... the best word to describe is humbling. I´ve never seen a place like this before, I love it so much! Nervous at first looking at the living conditions, but now... its amazing! Anyway, Alessandra is fantastic... Even though I didn´t really understand half of what my companions were saying, I could feel the spirit! They were teaching about faith, and then Sister Faulstino turns to me and asks if I knew how to teach the Law of Chastity... woah! Uh... yeah?! I told her no because I didn´t know Alessandra´s situation and what not... but after she taught about it, I testitified! Oh yea... and I prayed. I´ve prayed at all of our appointments so far and at church. I´m grateful for Prayer. Even in my personal prayers, the broken portuguese makes sense to Heavenly Father! 

I´m so grateful for that! I love this gospel, I love the work. The days are a LOT of walking, and clapping in front of the houses!!! AWESOME!!!!! It´s been a favorite part of the process... something I can do. Clap to see if the investigator is home. :D 

Happy Birthday this week Grandma!!!! :D Have fun starting up school Mom! I love you so much and am so grateful for you! You are the best!!!!! EVER!!!!!! 

Com Cainho,

Sister Waite! :D

p.s. THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! My Christmas at the Mission office was fantastic!


-Sister Lambourne- thank you for the note!


-Natalie and Rhet Hall! THANK YOU! I loved your letter!


-Tyler Nicosia- in process of responding!


-Jessica Roylance- Pedigree


-Rebecca Waite! :D -it did find me! You´re so cute, thank you! loved the story!


-Chad Healey! loved the letter! thank you for the encouragement, and yes! I will write some experiences for ya!


-Sister Hirst!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!! I finally got all of your letters, you are fabulous!!!! Thank you SO MUCH!!!!! I love them!

-MOM!!!!!! the package was fantastic! I LOVE the ensign! Thank you SO MUCH for the hand sanitizer/lotion... i will definitely use it! :D You are the best mom! ;D Thank you for the letter! and quotes! Just what I needed! I love you

P.S. Pretty sure I get the mail ever 6 weeks, transfers, unless some one goes to the office and brings it back. It´s because Im so far away... thats alright though! I love you and am praying for you! I love you!

Pictures: Me in front of my new home for the next 6+ weeks! :D Yay! and with President Ferrin and Sister Ferrin when I arrived! Hope all is well! I love you!

ADDRESS UPDATE

Sister Waite is leaving the CTM! With that comes and address change, so here is her new address for letters!

Sister Jocelyn Michele Waite

Brazil São Paulo East Mission

Rua Caa-Açu, 229

Belenzinho, São Paulo – SP

Brazil  03171-020

Thanks for the love and support!

Last P-Day in CTM!!!!-Letter #8

Hello Family!!!! I love you!!!! Hi Friends!!!! Hope all is well!!!!

 

WOW!!!!! I'm officially going to Sao Paulo East Mission on Tuesday! I cannot wait! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!

 

So, this monday was a great day, want to know why! Because I thought the rest of our district were going downtown to proselyte, and we would stay back and study because we leave a week after them, a week behind right? But! Boom! WE WENT WITH THEM! What a wonderful suprise! On the bus ride there, a man sat down by me and we chated for a bit, -slaughtering portuguese while I'm at it- but he was really really kind and knew some english so he would help me! when i got stuck on a word he would ask me for it in english, than tell me what it is in portuguese, and so on and so on.... man. So cool! He thought I was Brazilian the first few minutes because I didn't have an accent... but, then he realized fast my vocabulary. Bah! It's alright, he asked why i was in Sao Paulo... :) Well sir, let me tell you! I bust out a book of mormon and we went on and discussed religion. I told him I'm here to teach people about Christ's Gospel and this book, he got really intersted! Yay! I was explaining about the book of mormon and just started talking about Joseph Smith when our stop came... NOOOO!!!! So I hurried and told him he could keep the book, and READ IT! :( didn't get a chance to tell him to call the number, or explain what a difference this book has made in my life... bah! I'm praying he'll read it, he WAS interested so... Hopefully! The rest of the time, poof... difficult! Busy busy people everywhere, not interested, or no time... It's alright though!

 

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

 

So, my district left this week, and Elder Krause moved to a brazilian district (he's definitely ready for it) so, it's me and my companions for the rest of the week! We make our own district! I'm sure going to miss them, I LOVE my companions so much! Crazy its the end of the CTM for me... ah! Just know that I won't be sending news for about a week and a half because... BOOM! I'M A MISSIONARY, out of the CTM on Tuesday!!!! Excited, nervous, and pumped!

 

Lots and Lots of Love,

 

Sister Waite

 

p.s. THANK YOU FOR THE LETTERS THIS WEEK!!!!!

 

-Grandma I recieved your letter, and am replying this week! look for the mail!

-Mom, I LOVED your card, and your letter about Greg, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

-Jessica and Derek, you two are the best! Art + Letter = FANTASTIC!

-Dad, I got yours too! Thanks for the email!

-Jenny Lowe Woolley!!!!!!!! I got yours too! :D I love that you're married! yay!