Reap While the Day Lasts

Hello!

This week was wonderful. Nothing crazy happened except for many inspired studies that obviously make the week much better. :) 

We found a couple, K and A, who WANT to get married and start a new life in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been visiting them and they even went to church this week. It is beautiful to see. Reminds me of King Lamoni when he talks about giving up all his sins to know Christ. I see that in A as he tries to stop drinking and smoking. He has the faith to stop so I am confident that he will. 

Wonderful news! R and S will be getting SEALED in the temple most likely November 2! And they invited me to go! So I will be asking President and hopefully I can! I am so excited. It will be so beautiful! Ive been praying that this would happen before I leave and today she sent me an email. Nothing is better than seeing recent converts committing to the gospel and taking such important steps to their salvation. 

I am very happy. I have 9 weeks left and all I want to do is work. So that´s what we will do. My companion is wonderful. She is spunky and happy and energetic and a little crazy. So she is perfect. :) I love her. She is the best.  Will ask president to keep us together until I leave. The best part is that because she is training we get to do lots of specific studies together that are really neat. Its funny how even with already doing them many times.... I still learn something different each time. That makes it a lot neater when you are watching the episode from the district for the 100th time. haha. 

A young man here got his mission call to Porta Alegre Brasil! Here they read their call in front of everyone during sacrament. He was so nervous he was shaking! His story is neat....his mom isn’t active and his dad left their family years ago. He was inactive too for a long time but when he was 16 decided to come back. He was watching conference and felt really strongly that he needed to serve a mission. So he prepared and put his papers in. He is doing everything kind of alone...but the ward is helping and he is confident and strong. It is amazing to see. Takes a lot of courage to leave without family support.

Well I love you all! Have a good week!

Sister Heyer 

Everything is awesome!

T and A were baptized!!!! :D It was awesome. The ward totally took over everything. They made a slide show of pics and organized everything and brought cake and food for afterwards. It was a very quick and simple but beautiful baptism. They are very happy and of course, so are we. :) 

My companion and I are well. We have marked a few more baptisms and are in the process of helping one couple get married so they can be baptized the first week of November. They came to church this last week as well and loved it. :) We are very optimistic and are just working on surviving one day at a time. I’d be lying if I said that I am not exhausted or anxious to get home....buttttt I am happy and well and like I said....one day at a time. Just working to do my best and finish out strong. I now have 10 weeks left. But that is still plenty of time to make a bigger difference here in Itatiba. Vamos lá! 

We found a 12 year old girl who immediately loved the church.....she came to the baptism and to church and has already marked a few fun nights with the other young women including the movies this Wednesday. Crazy. hahaha. WE JUST FOUND HER and the ward likes her more than us. I love that. We were super happy. Now to work on getting the rest of her family to come! 

Remember that family I commented are my Brasil family and that they threw a party for me on my birthday? Well THIS is the dad´s story. It was published in the Liahona. It is amazing. Please read!

https://www.lds.org/liahona/2004/03/latter-day-saint-voices/find-the-missionaries-for-me?lang=eng&query=luis+sa+find+the+missionaries+liahona

Have a good week everybody! I love you all!

Sister Heyer

Almost forgot…

I gave a training this week in our zone meeting that I would like to share with you all. :) 

I talked about Lilies....how they grow in dirty waters....how they are made to grow and blossom in difficult circumstances but that they always come out on top (literally) and are beautiful. And I read D&C 88:19 about fulfilling the measure of our creation and Genesis 1:26-27 that we all know so well that says God created us in His image....to BE like him and to DOMINATE. I made a puzzle of a Lily and gave each person a piece and showed them that each piece is different and doesn’t really seem like anything big or important....but that without each piece the puzzle would never become what it was made to be....a beautiful painting. I showed them the original painting of the Lily and talked about their individual importance. I think it went alright. Everyone kept the puzzle pieces at least so I hope that was a sign. haha. 

It was fun to study for and I felt the spirit really strongly. :) Anyways. Have a good week!

There will be water in Itatiba!

T and A will be baptized this week! :D Saturday night. They are so excited and so are we! :) 

My new companion is Sister L. She is Brasilian from Natal. Wayyyyy up north. She is AWESOME!!!! She wants to work work work and so do I....so we have been running around like crazy all week. She will definitely run me into the ground but that’s okay....despite the physical and emotional exhaustion of it all I am very grateful to make the best out of these last weeks! She is a blessing. Not to mention she has a powerful testimony and the cutest accent. You would all love her. She is so little. She reminds me a lot of a mini Brandão, my trainer. 

We have expanded our teaching pool and are excited for a new week of work! Tomorrow I have to give training in the zone meeting to motivate them all. How do you motivate 38 people??? -_- hahaha. So that will be my challenge tonight to put together. 

This week was awesome! My birthday was wonderful. We ate lunch and celebrated with my Brasil Family and I was able to see a dear friend from Jaguariuna who came up to visit and celebrate with us. Apart from having my face shoved in the cake.... It was excellent! Afterwards we had a few great lessons and a very fun family night with some less actives and members where they embarrassed me with lots of singing. ;P When we got home I got my face shoved in a cake again.....but thankfully was spared the raw egg over the head tradition. It was very fun and overall an excellent 21st birthday. :) Even though I feel old. 

I don’t have a lot of time today unfortunately because I will be going to Campinas for a meeting.....but next week I will make up for it in the details. I love you all and hope you have a great week! 

Sister Heyer

It's another girl!

Yep! I stayed in Itatiba....and I will train again! I am so excited. As much as it is a challenge it is also so wonderful to feel really needed and to have the chance to help someone on this crazy journey that is a mission. I am very nervous but I am very excited to not make the same mistakes I did the first time. (I wonder if that's what my mom felt like when she had Dorey....the first one didn't turn out exactly what I planned but now I know how to fix it! ;P hehe) 

Also I am happy because I will stay for my birthday! A dear friend from Jaguariuna who is the daughter of the best family in the world here in Itatiba will drive up with her family and her NEW BABY to see me on my birthday. Her mom is going to make us lunch and everything and I will get to see her after many months. I am very excited to have a brasil family to celebrate with on my birthday. We also have lots of lessons marked. MIRACLES HAPPEN. :)

T and A will be baptized! On September 14th! They chose their own dates and are finally firm in their decision. I am very excited. 

I had a neat experience this week to witness the baptism of our ward mission leader's 8 year old daughter. It was so sweet. She cried when she came up out of the water and cried through the whole confirmation. She is a very special little girl. You just look at her and FEEL that she is destined for great things. She is the same little girl who took the time to pick a friend to share the gospel with, look up her address on google maps, write it down, and pass it to us. It is the most treasured reference I have ever received. She was so cute. She said "I just KNOW that she could be baptized. She doesn’t say ANY bad words! And she is almost 8!" Moved me to tears. We really can learn from the example of little children. Nothing is more precious or holy than a little child. 

I am excited to see what comes in these next 12 weeks that I have left. I know it will be a challenge but I am content. I am excited and happy. And old. -_- 21 snuck around the corner. ;P 

Have a great week everybody! <3

Sister Heyer

SO CLOSE!!!! 

https://www.lds.org/church/news/elder-holland-reports-brazil-is-a-nation-on-the-move?cid=HPFR082914380&lang=eng