September 24, 2012

This is me...always running...funny, funny Sister Empey!  (nice neighborhood - very clean- Mom likes that!)

Hello!  Like always, I am running to finish this letter in the one hour mark. But oh well. Its all good.

This week was a super good week. Tuesday, we made a cake for Sister Huinao and another elder in our district. They had their birthdays this week. But the cake was super strange!!!! Super super strange. And it tasted funny. But the funny thing was that the elders... ate it all the same.

Anyways and we had the conference with Elder Godoy this week. It was super good and it was a lot of fun. It was fun to see all my friends and stuff. The night before, we had 4 extra sisters sleeping in our house. CRAZY! And the Conference was super good. Elder Godoy asked to interview me! How nerve wracking. During the interview I got all hot and sweaty really fast. Haha it was funny. But it was super cool.  I was the only sister that got interviewed.  The conference was really good and we learned a ton!

I dont know what else happened this week...it was a pretty good week. Oh! We gave talks in the ward yesterday. Everyone loved the talks a lot! I talked about missionary work (really was there even a question) and sister huinao talked about Jesus Christ and she sang, "I know my redeemer lives" at the end. It was cool and the spirit was really strong there. Wahoo!

Also, there was a less-active family that came to church yesterday. THEY LOVED church! They said they were really happy and it was a good experience for them. They hadnt been to church in like a year! Holy cow. Really cool. The whole ward was super happy they were there too :) Good times!!!
That sister of our new convert baptism is getting baptised this weekend.  Wahoo!!!

Anyways...times up!

Love you all! Have a fabulous week!!!

-Sister Empey

[Ps:  I have to share with you this totally funny thing...I can just picture this!  Sister Empey shared a short story and pictures with me and I just have to share it with you...this is SO Katelyn!!! 
"The story of the butterfly. Ok...this butterfly was HUGEEEEEEE! With it flying, it was the length of both my hands. And I woke up one morning this week...with this thing in our house. I walked out lazily out to where I do my excercises and this black thing started flying. I got so scared (because I never saw something that big - like a butterfly). So I thought it was a bat. So I ran into our room (away from this thing) and jumped onto Sister Huinaos bed! And I covered myself with a blanket. Haha I really could not not not leave with that thing flying around....the end of the story....we both got scared and we THINK she found her own way out because we didnt have the guts to kill it or get near it...... :)"  The more we stared at this picture, we realized that Sister Empey DID find her "butterfly"!  It's a giant moth!  I would run and hide too!!!

My Zone "cleaning up" after the Conference



My District this week!

Me and Sister Marques at the Conference with Elder Godoy

 

 

Monday, September 17, 2012

Hello family and friends!

This last week we had a couple of miracles...among others. Well first of all. We had a baptism yesterday! His name is F. And he´s great. We helped him a lot this week. You know that when you dont accompany people, Satan does. So we visited him every day to get him prepped for baptism. Last Sunday he said he prayed and received an answer to his prayers that he should be baptized. So logically, we helped him to get ready :) Anyways. It was super cool. And he has a really cool personality. He is 28 years old but he looks way younger than that!  But hes great. He had a lot of difficulties this week with some people. There was a lot of people that said he shouldnt be baptised and he was making the wrong decision. But he was seriously super strong in his decision and he knew what he wanted. He wanted to be baptised! Wahoo. So obviously...we helped him with that :)

Also, we had another miracle with one of our investigators. She is super special. Her brothers were baptized a couple of weeks ago, but she was delaying it a little bit. So anyways, she said that she doesnt want to get baptized right now and everything, and she said she felt like she isn't recieving answers. But this weekend, she wanted to go to Curitiba but didnt have the money. So she prayed really hard so that something could happen so she could go visit her friends and family. Welp...her boss gave her money early. And she felt this was an answer to her prayers. So she told us that when she gets back this week, she will get baptized. Because God does answer prayers!!!! Anyways, really cool!

Sorry this is so short. I want like 3 hrs to write to you alllll...but cant! So this week we are having a visit from Elder Carlos Godoy. We are all super pumped and preparing for it for this Thursday.   Love you alllllllllll!!!!  The gospel is true!

Have a fabulous week!

-Sister Empey

PS: General Conference is coming up! And maybe Ill get to watch it in English this time! Wahoo!

 

Our our awesome baptism yesterday. (the younger guy on the left) Wahoo!!!

 

 

 

September 10, 2012

Hello everyone!                                                                                                                                                                                        Not a whole lot happened really exciting this week. I found a cooking store with powdered sugar and chocolate chips! I was SUPER giddy about that! Thats about it haha. But I decided to spend it on sending pictures!

..lifes good in Brazil!!!! Dont forget that Im still smiling, laughing, and doing the work that I know I need to do! :)

Love you allllllll!

Sister Empey

(Sister Empey spent all the rest if her email time sending us pictures...so here they are!)

Hey, I'm picking oranges!!! :D

These are my amazing, stylish running shoes that Mom just sent me.  Don't  I look fabulous?!

The guy in the black tank top is our latest baptism.  "Hes the coolest guy ever!  And his brother next to him was baptised like 3 days before we got in the area. They are on fire. Really cool!"

This is my care package from Irene and Sara...love themmmmmm!






..

September 3, 2012

MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My email got deleted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111 Oh no! And my hour is up! How horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Im so sorry I dont know what to do! Its gone forever! Ill write a hand written letter this week and send it to you! I HATE technology sometimes! IM SORRRRRRRYYYYY!

But really quick! We batized a kid this week! He has 19yrs and he wants to serve a mission in a year! YAY! We are going to help his sister be baptized hopefully in a couple of weeks. Hes suuuuppper cool! Love you!

Again...Im so sorry!
Love,
Katelyn

A note from Mom:  This week Sister Empey received two packages, one from her dear friends Irene and Sara, and the other from our family!  In her words, "I got a package (medium size) from Sara and Irene!!!!! How awesome huh??!?!?!?! Oh how I love them!"
We sent her some comfortable shoes that she desperately needed for her back problems.  She has been suffering for several months now and has received quite a bit of very specific treatments to help alleviate her pain....all of which have not helped :(  Sister Empey is becoming discouraged... I can tell, but she won't admit that (she's quite stubborn).  More than anything, she has a great desire to serve and to continue on with her mission until the end;  so she is living with the continual pain.  She is having an MRI tonight.  Please...if you could remember her in your prayers, and pray for Heavenly Father's sustaining Holy Spirit to be with her.  She's tough, and I have no doubt she'll make it.  I have great faith in the power of prayer, and the sustaining power of love that suppresses all fears and embeds deep in the soul -giving you the power to go on.
My love to you all for your continual love and support,
Jennifer

Monday, August 27, 2012

Hello family!

This week was a crazy one. I think I could just talk and talk about this week:) Lets see what I can get in in a short amount of time.

So I got transfered. I have a new companion, Sister Huniao. She is from Chile. And she has 4 months in the mission. She just finished being trained. Its been a learning experience for us so far, but its been good. Its actually really funny because I think of her as a Brazilian. Because in my mind, if shes not American, shes Brazilian! But I also forget that she has trouble with Portuguese still. Haha its actually really funny because she tries to say something and then she starts talking in spanish. And her Portuguese is REALLLY fast because she talks fast in Spanish. Haha its just really funny. Her accent is really fast. I forget that Spanish is hard too, to get translated to Portuguese. But shes still probably at where I was at when I had like 8 months in the mission. Oh...that was like 2 months  back....haha

So we opened a new area. And we moved into the house that was habited by elders.......enough said.....WOW...the house was SUPEEEERRR dirty. They left SO much stuff. They left so much stuff there that I called Sister Tavares to ask where we should put their clothes they left and stuff, and she got really mad. And sent the zone leaders to our house to take all the trash, clothes, and all other things and throw it away. And thats not all! Haha after that, she was mad enough that she took money out of the account of those elders that lived there before us and had someone come clean the house before we could live there. Haha it was really funny. But the house it great now! It will be a work in progress with the cleaning, and repairs that we will need to do. Ill give it until the end of the transfer. The end of the transfer...it will be great. Ill send you all a picture of our view from our doorway next week. I havent taken the picture yet. :)

So we met some members this week. We live on the same street and actually really close to a member familly. And they have an ice cream shop. Free ice cream whenever we want. So much for losing weight.......And we also met another family that I just love. They live on the very edge of our ward. And they have a bit of rough land :) So it reminds me of home a little bit. The air is a little thinner...dirt exists :) Anyways its pretty cool. And the mom is always cooking something delicious. She loves us already! I can see why...those elders....haha jk. Anyways, she is my new mom in the mission. I love her. And she and her husband love talking to people about the gospel. She is the BEST member missionary. Shes already helped us with a family and will continue to do so. Shes given us a lot of references and already went to visit investigators with us. Ya...she pretty much rocks in the mission world :) Anyways.....ya...

We had lunch (you know like lunch that missionaries have with all the members...like every day) with President and Sister Tavares. A little strange...but the food was SUPPPPPPEERRR good. It was great. It was cool just to sit in their house and just talk like they're normal members. Na....theyll never be just members to us haha. They're awesome.

Also, we had Stake Conference yesterday. Whoop whoop! I saw a lot of members from the first area where I served (same stake). It was awesome to talk to them and understand everything they said. Ya...time passes by really fast. I cant believe it was 6 months ago that I left that area. CARAZZZZY!

 

[Yea!!! When she was there last, she was fresh out in the mission field and couldn't understand anything! It is an incredible blessing how these missionaries pick up languages so very fast!]

Anyways....the 1hr is up.

Love you allll! Until next weeek. Hope this week will be a good week for all of you!!!

Love,

Sister Empey

A package from Sister Empey!

Last Monday we received a most wonderful package from Sister Empey!  When we first saw it, we were shocked that all the contents were there, because it was ripped and gaping open.  We knew from her letter inside that most, if not all of it, had made it's long journey clear from Brazil!  She had selected sandals for her sisters and me, and flip-flops for her Dad :)  She also included TONS of Brazilian candy that were some of her favorites, quite of few packages of Brazilian "koolaid", and a precious cd of pictures clear back from the beginning of her mission!!!  Here are just a few selected by me.  I hope you enjoy!

Sister Empey and friends.  I love this picture of her!  She's doing what she does best...loving people :)

Packages and letters from home!!!

Delicioso!

 Sister Empey is always mentioning how she loves to cook and learn Brazilian dishes from the members!

All the homes have gated entrys.  When you want to enter, you clap your hands (instead of knocking on at the door)

For Sister Empey's birthday, we "inked" the little hands of two of her little nieces, and measured ribbon the length of their armspan...with a note saying they were sending a BIG HUG for her birthday!  She LOVED it!!!

Your guess is as good as mine...any ideas???

Sister Alisha Checketts and Sister Empey on a very rainy day :)

Ummm, not sure what this is...Maybe Sister Checketts knows?!  Maybe it's related to the picture of Sister Empey's leg below!

This picture disturbes me...both legs were the same!  Mosquitoes?



This is a beautiful view overlooking the city of Londrina

August 20, 2012

Hello family and friends!

Welp....Im getting transferred AGAIN! So me and Sister Bullen won´t be together for another transfer. Im getting transferred to another area in Londrina. Haha I think Im going to stay in Londrina for all of my mission. Or close anyway. So I moved back to an area in the Londrina Stake. And me and my companion (I dont know who it will be yet, but not Sister Bullen) will open an area! Ahhh! It was open but for Elders. So we have a new ward and all that kind of stuff. So the area is called Centro Civico, in the central part of Londrina. And guess who is in our ward?!?!?!!? President and Sister Tavares! And now I dont have a choice! I HAVE to work hard and I have to have investigators at church and we have to be on our best behavior. How nerve WRACKING! And you know how there is a member in the ward that always cooks for us every week. Welp....we had lunch with Sister and President Tavares this week in their house. Haha I never thought that would happen. Anyways....things are always moving and changing huh? Im going to miss our ward. Its a great ward and they always cook really well. Oh Im a little bit nervous to open an area for sisters. I hope they like us!!!!!

Also, this week was a little different. There was a lot of things going on. Friday, we went to Londrina for the WHOLE day. We went to a couple of doctors appointments for my back. And I did my first session of Acupucture. CARAZZY! And we had lunch with the President and Sister Tavares because we were going to these appointments with Sister Tavares. And I received a priesthood blessing from President Tavares and the Assistants. I won´t lie, I felt the power of the Priesthood. It was an experience really special. Also, I felt the humility of the President and the power that he has. That all men (+12 years) have. He talked a little bit about Jesus Christ and how he accomplished a lot of miracles during his ministry. And how he gave that power to the apostles to do the same miracles. And how we have that power today. That men have the power of the Priesthood to have miracles happen in our lives. It was really cool to think about. The only difference between us and Jesus Christ is our faith and our dignity. I know the Priesthood is real and that miracles are possible in our lives.

So it was a special and different kinda day and I told Sister Bullen that she shouldnt expect a day like this again in the mission haha.

Also, there was 2 families that are inactive that were at church Sunday! It was super cool! I was super happy to see them! It was really exciting for me to see them. Also, all of the returned missionaries in the ward (and us) sang in a choir yesterday for a special musical number. Oh it was SOOOOO cool and everyone cried haha. It was really really awesome. They all brought their name tags and wore their name tags. And the thing that was funny was that they were so proud of their name tags and that they were missionaries, a lot of them kept them on until the end of sacrament meeting. It helped the young men to get excited for missions too. Anyways, it was cool.

Another hour gone. I love you all and I hope that this week is awesome for you all!!!!

Good luck!

-Sister Empey