Baptisms!

Hey family :) 

Guess what :) We had baptisms this week!! :) Brenda Maria and Claudianna prepared to make a covenant with our Heavenly Father for the last 2 weeks and were baptized yesterday :) 

It is just the best feeling :) Brenda Maria and Claudianna are new friends really. Its been super cool to see their progress, and see their interest grow in the things theyre learning. Every time we went to visit Claudianna and asked how the reading went, she smiled and said good I read the whole thing :) and when we suggested something else for her to read her eyes lit up and she was like more?? :) After the baptism the bishop gave her a new set of scriptures and a picture of the future fortaleza temple :) She has 2 young daughters that will have the chance to grow up with the gospel too. 

Brenda Maria is so happy :) her membership in the church just opened up a whole new world of friendship and support for her, and the youth are awesome and included her in their group right away. She told us that before she started going to church she had 3 friends at school, and stayed at home a lot because she takes care of her 3 younger siblings. Now shes going to seminary and has a lot more friends and joined the choir :) 

There is a whole big world of friends waiting for people who decide to serve missions. I really have a tender spot in my heart for these people now and I´m really grateful Heavenly Father let me know them. 

I just cant describe how many blessings we had this week. Sister Zeller and I were pretty much adopted by a senior couple in the ward as their new grandaughters :) On Monday the Family Home Evening we planned with some investigators fell through cuz there was a death in the family. Our cellphones dont have minutes cuz contracts here in brazil are different, so we use payphones. But you have to use a calling card with credits charged on it, and we dont have one at the moment cuz they dont sell them within our area limits :p  so we went to talk to our Ward Mission Leader, and Irma Cidinha and her husband pulled up in the car and ask sisters are you busy? :) we´re here to give you a ride. And they took us to McDonalds and the best icecream place ive ever been to called 50 sabores. It was the first time sis zeller and i had mcdonalds in brazil :) and im never going to forget the icecream at that place :) Irma Cidinha is a blessing. She went with us to a lesson with Claudianna and gave her 2 dresses that didnt fit her any more. Claudianna wore one to her baptism :) and Irma Cidinha made a cake and took it to the baptism too :) 

Please find a way to spoil your local missionaries and spread the happiness because when members help with the work or do something nice for us and it doesnt compromise a lesson, it really makes us feel soo loved. Also, we actually like doing service :) so when missionaries ask what they can do to help, if you want to schedule with them, you can tell them to cut the lawn or help plant flowers or sweep or whatever. Its like a sign you trust them and are comfortable enough to let them help right away :) 

Theres 3 sets of sisters in my zone :) our leaders give really good training and the mission president is really caring :) When I think about telling him how the week went each week or how an investigator is growing, i compare how he accepts the work I do with how my Heavenly Father is accepting the work I do, multiplied by a bagillion ;) 

In my testimony yesterday I felt a confirmation really strongly that I know that my family is being taken care of while I´m here serving a mission. Ive gotten a more tender love for you guys while ive been here in brazil. Its a lot stronger than it was before. Part of it is that im more grateful for each of you and part of it comes with understanding the plan of salvation a little better and realizing that we´ll be together forever. But you guys are really awesome and important to me :) youre in my prayers. Im excited for you to come visit brazil and pick me up :) We´re gonna be a lot stronger friends when im done here, and then we can keep becoming better friends :) 

:) lots of love! Sister Miess