30 Jan 2012

Hello Family and friends!

I made it a transfer! Transfer week in the mission and its been crazy at our place and will continue to be so for another day. Im staying in this area, dont worry :) But 3 sisters stayed at our house last night. 2 are leaving for home and the other is getting transfered to another spot. So we are in a three some today. The reason why our house is being used is because our house is the closest house to the Mission Office/Home that has sisters at it right now. So we are also getting another sister tonight who will be training a new missionary starting tomorrow!

This week also marks my halfway point with my training! 6 more weeks and we can do normal stuff and not all this extra studying and stuff. Im excited for that :)

So one of the APs called this week and said I have a package marked on it CANDY. So they said that they need to take tithing out of it. So 10% of the package will go to them. Haha I threatened them dont worry :)

So I need to tell you a story. It is about 2 investigators. One has a baptism date set for this Sunday! Im super stolked. The other one has a baptism date for Feb 11th. Igor is awesome. He is 14 yrs old and missionaries have been teaching him for months. And he hasnt excepted baptism yet. But he goes to church every sunday. So we teach him, talk about the importance of baptism, etc. In any case, we started teaching his cousin, Mariane. Mariane is 16 yrs old. So we taught them together. Mariane is incredible. She is Catholic, but she has felt she wanted a better relationship with Heavenly Father and she has been searching other churches to find it. Well she went to a FHE with a bunch of people at her cousins house. It was great. We were there. We talked to her afterwards and set up an appointment the next day. The lesson was awesome! And by a miracle in itself both Igor and Mariane accepted baptism! And both are really really excited. Theyre talking about who they want to be there and everything. This just goes to show you that when we teach, it has hardly anything to do with us and everything to do with Heavenly Father and the Spirit. And how he prepares people. When he prepares people, its pretty simple as long as we do our part and be worthy of the spirit. So really cool! Ill make sure to send a picture. Pray that everything goes well with these baptisms!

We had Stake Conference yesterday. It was in Central Londrina. Im not going to lie, it was pretty good...even if it was all in Portuguese :) It was fun. Because I love Central Londrina, its beautiful and exciting too :) In any case it was good. An area authority came? I think Elder Edson Ribeiro. It was really good. And Presidente and Sister Tavares shared their testimonies too.

Lets see, what else can I tell you? Oh so this language thing....haha. It´s ok. It takes a long time. And I have a really bad accent. I REALLY hope that goes away. The problem is because I have such a big accent when I talk, some people dont understand me...OR dont pay attention to what Im saying, instead, they pay attention to how Im saying it. And its discouraging a little bit because I think Im delivering the message good, but really...not really...haha. But Im trying and I know it will click...I just dont know when...so I keep on practicing and learning more.

Man I dont know what else to say...so I think thats it for the week! Im excited to see what this week is going to bring for me and my comp! Probably more crazy stuff...I feel like things happen all the time that keep us on our toes...Im not exactly sure why...haha. Anyways I love you all and until next week! Good luck with everything and the church is true!!!!! HA

Love,
Sister Empey

Sister Empey killing her first cockroach. Yuck.

Making salgado's.

23 Jan 2012

Sorry family and friends!

This is going to be a quick email today! The internet in all of Londrina went out! So its up and going, but its like 5:45 and we need to get to work at 6. I got more letters due to a zone conference in Central Londrina. It was super fun and it was kind of last minute so that was even more fun. It was with elder Tobias....somebody kind of important in the church, and area authority maybe?

So quick email. Guess what family?! Our mission president and wife said that p-day can be spent taking a nap! So thats what Im doing next week! Ha! Maybe...

So today for p-day we spent the afternoon at a members house. She taught us how to cook a fancy food called salgado...so now Im going to be a brazilian cook! There are super good!

Also guess what?! I passed my 3 month mark! Whoot!

Also, we decided to give flowers to a less active member in the ward...it was sister checketts idea. And she has cancer and has like 8 kids. So it was fun to go and visit her and give them some bright flowers :)

Ahhh! I gotta go! Sorry this is so short! Definitely will be longer next week! Im so sorry! Back to work I guess!

Love you all and Im praying for you all!

Love,

Sister Empey

16 Jan 2012

Hi all!

I got my letters and packages!!!!!!! Thank you all! I am still
continuing to read them. One of the APs came to our district meeting
this week and he said that he thinks I probably had more letters than
anyone else in the mission. Haha. I made sure to let my district
leader know that I actually do have friends haha.

Sister Empey finally gets Christmas!

Anyways, this week was kind of hard. We had 3 potential investigators,
one of which was Carla, that could have gotten baptized this Sunday.
Ugh, kind of disappointing because she said in her head she was
already baptized and she doesnt need to be again, regardless of what
we try to help her see. 2, a 14yr old boy. His mom is Catholic and she
has to agree to the baptism. But she thinks hes not ready. And another
guy, 21 yrs old says he isn´t ready for baptism. So it was kind of
frustrating.
Its kind of slow going, but me and Sis Checketts feel renewed and want
to make a difference in this area. We have been told since...well
since the MTC/CTM (I think) that our goal should always be we need to
leave an area better then we found it. And honestly, I dont see a HUGE
improvement since I got here. And I dont know how long Im going to be
in this area (Im thinking another 8 weeks or so) so we need to make
sure to get to work. There is soo much to do.
Carla, a quick story about her. She had been thinking about religions
and stuff and she has been separated from her husband for a year.
Anyways...by random chance we knocked on her door and she let us in.
Later she told us that we were the first people that she had ever let
into her house (that she didnt know). Sis Checketts said the lessons
we had with her were some of the most spiritual she has ever had. Oh I
just love Carla. I thought for sure she would get baptized. I know she
will...but right now...no. Which is sad. Maybe before I leave? There
is a lot of people to visit, but I really want to keep in contact with
her because she is SOOO close. She has faith and knows that Heavenly
Father has a plan for her, I just cant wait for her to be apart of the
church....someday I hope!

Lets see...what else can I tell you? We are trying to help a family in
the ward right now. The father is a recently re-activated member in
the ward. They have a son,4 and a daughter on the way. The little boy
is hilarious. The other day he told us we needed to talk the right way
in Portuguese and he would teach us. Anyway, the wife is not a member.
And she doesnt have a desire to be. But honestly, I think she is
ready...so we have to go slow, but we are going to keep on working
with her.

Oh I have another story. Its about this teenager...I think? Sheesh
people in Brazil are so much different ages then I think. For
instance, we have 2 teenage boys investigated the church right now.
Both are 14 and BOTH I swear should be 18! Another investigator is 21
and I swear he was like 18. Haha. Anyways, so Fabricio. He has a
mother who is a member. A father who passed away like 2 months ago
(and I think he WAS a member, but decided to be atheist?). Anyways, so
their 2 sons are not members of the church. But Fabricio is really
interested. He loves to study and he has read through the WHOLE Gospel
Principles manual! Crazy huh?! Haha we dont even need to teach him any
lessons because he knows everything! JK, we still do. The only thing
he is missing is praying about the church and asking if its true.
Anyways, yesterday we came over and answered some questions and talked
a little with him and his gf and his mom. And then they made fresh
orange julius for us! And popcorn!!! Mom I got popcorn on SUNDAY! :)
It made me really happy.

Also...because of all the sun Ive gotten here, people ask me if Im
brazilian. Haha and then hey hear me talk....ya...about that..haha.
But I thought it was kind of funny. There are a lot more white people
here then youd think. So I dont stick out too bad. But Sis Checketts
kind of does...you dont see many red heads in this area of Brazil I
think haha.

And guess what?! Every day for the past 2 weeks my body thinks its
funny and I wake up at 6:03 or 6:04 EVERY morning. So annoying. I can
stay and enjoy my bed until 6:29...I have no idea why it thinks its
time to get up. So annoying. Also...its been raining for like a week
straight. Its a nice break from the heat...but still...we have to
learn to be a little creative so the things we carry in our backpacks
dont get wet (putting stuff in plastic bags and such)

So this is the deal. Im here. And I know the church is true. I know
that it can change lives. And I know if I try my hardest through the
good times and the bad, and I try to do my part (follow all the rules,
etc), that Heavenly Father can use me. Thats my goal on my
mission...to be able to let Heavenly Father use me the way that he
needs. If there wasnt work to be done here, we wouldnt be here! So
here we go.

Here is to another week. I love you all. Thanks for your continuing
support. I hope you are all safe! Ill talk to you all next week!

Love,
Sister Empey

9 January 2012

Hey all!

So this is the deal. I think, I honestly think I will die before I get my package and letters. Seriously. But never fear, I threatened (in Portuguese mind you) my district leader with his life if I didnt get my letters and packages and stuff tomorrow at the district meeting. And then he said he would make sure he got everyones stuff but mine....hmmm... I might hurt someone...

Um I have an issue. My comp says she loves working with me. I dont even understand why. I mean, I complain, I cant speak Portuguese, I dont know whats going on, I miss home, Im always a wimp about everything. Which means if she loves working with me, Im a LITTLE tad worried about the rest of my companions haha. But oh well. Shes great. She keeps on telling me it WILL get easier and I know it will. I think the problem Im having right now is this. If any of you know anything about me...ok all of you do :) I love to a) talk b) help people c) make people feel comfortable d) make people laugh. And of course a few others. But I cant do ANY of that right now! So it just feels like Im not really doing much good here right now haha. But oh well...on I go right!

Also..let me tell you about suco. Ok you say this word like...you say soup. But you replace the p with a c and kind of have a really quiet o attached. Its the equivalent of like kool aid or tang. And they have so many flavors! Its so good! BUT...I figured out this week (or maybe last week why its so good). Not only does it have sugar in the powder...they add more sugar...I swear...like its sugar. Usually like 15 cups of sugar are added! Ok not that much but I think almost 2-3. I dont really care, I eat it anyways.

So Ive been thinking a lot this week about what kind of missionary I want to be. At the end of these 18 months what kind of missionary can I say that I was. We were reading in PMG about the spirit this week. And I want to use the spirit more. Its like what we have always said. EVERY person is different. We can use kind of the same patterns, but the way the person reacts and all that depends on the spirit. I can tell them everything I know about the Restoration, but if I dont ask questions and kind of let things go different for every person, then the gospel means nothing to them. So my goal is while I constantly need help with the language, I want to be able to use the spirit. Its not about me being able to say everything perfect, its about me and my companion and the spirit we have touching the hearts of the people. Its not exactly the same for every person. So...thats my goal!

Remind me to tell you you about Carla next week!

K love you all! Just plugging along in Brazil! One week at a time!

Ate proximo semana!

Love,

Sister Empey

Sister Empey with her companion Sister Checketts. Soaked to the bone!
"Where's their umbrella?!" - Mother.

I'm pretty sure that dress is supposed to be brown. At least it was when she left!

2 January 2012

Done with week 2 people!

This week was pretty tough too! Gosh dang it I didnt get ANY packages or letters. Im so annoyed. Oh I hope sooooooo much that I get them tomorrow!

Oh my gosh...this week Ive had to walk in POURING RAIN! And I am currently soaked to the bone!!!

Also, this week Sister Checketts and I got locked out of our house. The key wouldnt open the lock! So we waited and waited (oh also, our cell phone was dying). Eventually President Tavares actually showed up with his son to try to help. Nada...finally at 11:30 we were in our house and 90 reies later. Ya it was an interesting night....

Another story, so we taught this guy that doesnt have any teeth. So not only can i not understand normal people, I wasnt even about to try to understand him! In any case, I didnt talk much. So we asked him to pray about our message and we would come back later. Well that night I guess he had a dream and me and Sister Checketts were in the dream. Sister Checketts was really far away and I was right next to him. And I guess he was falling into a huge hole and God told me to pull him out so I did. Well he was telling us this dream, I didnt understand at all...and I thought he was yelling at me because he was kind of yelling at us. I guess he kept on saying that we had power and he knew I specifically had power. I didnt know what he was saying. And he would ask me questions and he wouldnt let Sister Checketts explain it in a different way. It was so depressing because I just didnt know what to say. I eventually said that I didnt know the meaning of his dream but I do know that he can be helped and follow God by being baptized? Haha Ya that was about it. He didnt go to church but we saw him in the street and we gave him a lesson about the WofW. He said he would die before he gave up drinking and smoking. Haha so we cant do anything else for him. We in the missionary language "cut him". We are too busy to keep on trying with him.

Also, I met an Elder from the Columbia Basin ward...Elder Ellsworth. Hes freaking awesome. Anyway...it was good to talk to him. He came to our District Meeting on Tuesday and he told me to hang in there. That the first transfer he didnt like at all, but then after that it got easier. That I just needed to keep on going. So that was nice.

So Ive decided I dont like holidays anymore. It makes me miss home even more. And everyone is busy with family stuff. People just arent around! And fireworks are crazy here. Christmas and New YEars they are let off everywhere. They wake me up because theyre like in my back yard. It was actually REALLY annoying because I couldnt sleep.

Also, I need you guys to try something. It my new favorite thing and because Brady likes Jell-O.... :) Try it with condensed milk on the top of Jell-o..or even better sweetended condensed milk :) Its good and people do it a lot down here.

No pictures this week, maybe next week.

I love you all! And I miss you.

Anything else?!

Cant wait until next week!

Love ya!
Sister Empey