Zone Conference

       Hello everyone!!

       This has been a super awesome week! A lot of good things are happening in my area and I am so excited! Now I just have to pray that I don't get transfered on next Tuesday...haha But whatever the Lord wants for me I will gladly do! :) One thing that was really good this week was that we had a zone conference! It wasn't just our zone but all the zones in the ABC, I think it was like 4 or 5 total. It was really good though. It focused alot on teaching and how we can be better teachers and always have the spirit with us as we teach. Pretty much we had a super lesson on chapter 10 of preach my gospel. It was really great and I learned a lot and we did a lot of practices. President and Sister Tanner are so amazing and I always learn so much from them. I'm going to be really sad if I get transfered to the other mission :( They are so helpful to me! But anyways I just always love the conferences and meetings that we have all toghether. It always helps me get motivated to do better! Which we always have room for!

       Also this past week we have gotten a ton of new investigators who are all amazing! They are people who actually want us to come and teach them and participate in our lessons! It's so awesome! The spirit is always so strong in our lessons and I can tell that they are learning so much! Hopefully soon we will be able to commit them to baptism and they can make the next step!

      I know I say it all the time but I really just love being a missionary. As much as I miss my family, the language is hard, and I'm in a country much different then my own. I always feel so good and happy at the end of the day knowing that I am doing the work of the Lord! It really is such a blessing and The Lord is helping me with the things that are difficult. I really just feel like everyone should serve a mission because its the best thing ever!

       As for next week we are hoping to have a couple baptisms of some really special people. We are pretty much going to be fasting and praying so hard everyday! It will be my companions last Sunday in Brazil so we really want to make it special! :) And we just want these people to have the blessings that come from being baptized. We know that it will help them in their lives!

        I love you all and hope your week is wonderful!

       Com muito Amor,

       Sister Schwitters

My english class

 

 

 

 

Me with my English Class! They love me!

 

 

 

We just like to take pictures with each other!

Jordanoplis

        So I thought I'd write my weekly letter first this time! It's usually the last thing I do but then I'm always running out of time so I thought if I did it first that would be a whole lot better! Although now I'm probably going to spend all my time on this instead of individual responses...ahh...oh well! I'll just do what I can! :)

      So, this week has been...Interesting! Not gunna lie I feel like it's been kinda a difficult week, we haven't had a ton of success but a lot of good things happened so I think over all it was successful! :) And it was a fun week so I can't complain too much! ;)

      We have been working a lot to try and find new investigators! President Tanner has called this the month of miracles and we have been trying to really have more baptisms and visit more people. We just have been having a little trouble this week finding people who want to talk to us... But they'll come we just need to find where they are hinding! And the Lord is always there for us. The other day I had a good experience that reminded me that He really is looking out for me. We had gone down to Jordanopolis (the part of our area that takes about an hour to walk to) to visit some new people that said we could come back and sadly they all fell through and no one really wanted to talk to us. I was feeling bad becuase it seemed like we had walked all the way down there for nothing and it was the end of the week so everything was just piling up. I was really tired and did not want to walk back but we had too. We joking tried to think of someone who could give us a ride but there was no one. As we were walking back someone honks at us and usually we don't look becuase it probably just someone honking at another car or honking at you for another reason and you don't want to aknowledge them.... but as the car slowed down we realized it was a member of our ward there to give us a ride! I was so happy and really felt like the Lord recognized that I was feeling really bad and this was something that I needed! It may seem small but as a missionary its the little miracles that make all the difference! And because we got back into rudge earlier we were able to see someone we wouldn't have had time to see and it was really good that we went there because she was really sad and we were able to help her! It's times like these that I remember that The Lord always is looking out for me and knows me better then anyone else and how he really is guiding His work. It turned out to be a pretty good day!

        Also we have a new family that we are teaching! It's so exciting, they are people that we talked to on the street like a month ago and didn't really accept our invitation but we told them about our english class. Then this week out of no where they showed up and told us how they wanted to come to church!! And they actually came! It seems like one of the biggest struggles is getting people to initially come to church so it was nice that they had that desire and followed through with it! We are really excited to teach them.

      Sunday was a great day because it was Sunday! haha But also we had quite a few investigators at church and our recent convert was able to recieve the Holy Ghost and the priesthood! It was really special. It really made Sunday an amazing day. And we were able to have lunch and a family night with too different amazing families!

      So overall although this week had its ups and downs looking back at it now I feel happy and that we worked hard. We have been trying to make the most of this last half of the transfer so my compaion can really sprint to the finish! We have been trying to figure out what we will do for my brithday (which I know isn't THAT important!) But I'm excited for it. I will be on PDay so it has the potential to be fun but its also the day that my companion is leaving me so it will be sad at the same time! But we will figure out something cool to do!

       I love you all and hope you have an awesome week and everyday remember your blessings!!

TE AMO!

Sister Schwitters

Hangin out in the park eatin Pão de Queijo!!

We had a little birthday partyish thing for one of the little girls in our ward who just turned 8! We made cupcakes and Brigadeiro (This chocolate carmel thing) it was fun!

 

 

Another birthday celebration with Marina one of our investigators!

 

 

 

We're classy ladies! Lena was teaching us the best way to pose for pictures! haha



Um Irmão em nossa Ala rockin the snuggie! haha

The setup from our birthday party! All we really did was make the frosting...haha



Today we went to this place called 25 de março. Its pretty much a street with a bunch of shops kinda reminds me of SF or somthing but this guy was out there...not really sure what he is doing just a weird street performer! haha

 



I was so close to buying these but we decided against it... ;) haha

ITS THE BEST!

       Well the BEST thing that happen this week was our super awesome baptism and then talking with the family was a very close 2nd! haha Sorry guys but Baptism tops our communicating! BUUUT talking with you guys was so awesome! It just reminded me how great my family is and how lucky I am to have you guys! I feel so blessed to have a family that is so cool and funny! It was fun. I think its good that they give us a time limit because I really could have just sat there for hours and talked with you guys! But gotta stay focused and get back to work!

          This week we really had alot of good lessons and we were able to bring some of the members from our ward with us which is always better! When an investigator can have that person that seems a little more "normal" that they can connect with it just makes it easier for them to make the changes they need to in their lives. That support that wont leave like we will. Im so greatful for the ward here! They are really amazing and help us so much. It is a great blessing having them.

        We had a mission conference on friday that was sooo great! Elder Godoy from the 70 came and talked to us and it was really helpful and inspiring! He told alot of great stroies that really had you laughing while at the same time they were very spiritual and we were able to feel everything that he felt as a missionary. I learned alot of things and he taught us alot out of preach my gospel and it just made me realize even more how inspired it really is! Preach my gospel is amazing and teaches us so much not only about how to be a good missionary but also just how to build your own faith and conversion. I am definetly going to try and be a more preach my gospel missionary and really try to apply all the things that it teaches to me in my mission RIGHT NOW! I know that when I do that I will be blessed with sucess! :) It was a great day and I got some letters which obviously made me VERY HAPPY! We only get an opportunity to revieve letters maybe twice a month so when I get something its like christmas morning! haha I just love hearing from people!

        Now for sunday! What a great day!! I hope all the Mothers had a great mothers day and felt loved and appriciated! We had a special mothers day gift for one of our recent converts! Her son was baptized by her husband who is also a recent convert! It was so special! This family is amazing and I am so happy to be able to be apart of their journey! Its an amazing feeling to know that you have really made a difference in someones life and that they are going to be able to have the joy that we have through the gospel! ITS THE BEST!

         After lunch before we talked with our families we watched the movie 17 Miracles. That is such a good movie and I was really thinking about how much faith these people had and the great desire they had to follow the Lord and how greatful they were for the gospel in their lives. I think now when I get tired or don't want to keep going I just think how blessed I am to have the gospel in my life and how much I owe to my father in Heaven for giving me all that I have. It really can lift us up and help us go on!

        And then I got to talk with my family which I already said was GREAT!! :) This week has really been a blessing and I know that the next one and every one after that for the next 13 months will be a blessing even if its hard!!

I love you all and am so happy to be a missionary and for all that I have been blessed with!

I hope you have an uplifting week!!

TE AMO!

SIster Schwitters

Me and Malu with some sweet glasses!!

Just gettin excited!

 

 

 

Me and Sister Davis!

 

 

 

In jail...haha

Mothers day!

ANDRÈS BAPTISM!!!

 

 

 

With the family that gave us their name :)

 

 

 

Jackie,Thiago and Malu a very special and amazing family!!

 

Fun on PDAY!!!

The distrcit

 

 

Our true selves...haha

São Paulo Central Park

Hello Hello!!
So I´ll admit this week has been a little slow... I don't really know why because its been a really good week! I think its just because Mothers Day is coming up so I am excited! But who knows! I forgot to tell you last week but I totally gave my first legit talk last sunday!!! Man was it scary but it was also good! I dont think I made too many horrible mistakes but I definitly have alot of room to grow in the portuguese! haha It was really good though, I'm glad I got to do it. I feel like I learned alot just preparing which you always do! It was from Elder Oaks talk in conference about following the example of Christ. It was a good experience! And everyone told me I did really good so I'll just ignorantly believe them! haha :)

 

We taught a lot of lessons this week which was really good! We have some really special people preparing for baptism right now and it brings so much joy! I have to say I am really seeing a change in these people and what the gospel is really doing in their lives! It is just so inspiring! I love when we teach people who really want to do these things! Like the commandments of God and really have a happier life!! It's inspiring! :)

 

So one fun thing I did this week. We found this new family that we are teaching and they are pretty heavily involved in their Methodist Church. We went by the house this week and her husband wasn't there, he was at the church praciticing with band for Sunday. He said we should stop by. We had our lesson with her fairly quickly so we thought why not? Lets check it out, hopefully they won't hate us like most other religions do. haha So we get there and they are practing. Everyone was really nice and my companion who I love so much desides to tell them that I sing! So of course they want me to sing with them! Heres something you should know about Braziliians. They don't really let you say no! haha And especially as a missionary you have to do what they say! So I totally sang with a methodist church! haha It was pretty fun! I obviously didn't know any of the songs they were singing but I was about to pull out Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art! It was quite the experience!! haha

 

Yesterday was an awesome day! As much as I like my Pdays ive decided that Sundays are just the best days of the week! It was so awesome! We had a bunch of less actives that we have been working with come to church! It made me so happy and one of our investigators was there with his family! We had alot of awesome lessons and it was just a really spiritual and fun week! I LOVED IT! and next weeks going to be even better!

 

So pretty much being a missionary is the best thing ever! I love the work we are doing here and the joy we can bring into peoples lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ! There is no better gift we have that we can give than that of eternal happiness! I am so blessed to be here in this area and be meeting the people I am! I'm convinced that EVERYONE need to serve missions becuase it really is the most amazing thing!

 

I love you all and hope you have a GREAT week! And serve others and do the little things that bring you closer to the Savior!

 

Eu te amo muito! E eu tenho um grande testemunho sobre a felizedade que nos encontramos por meio O Evangelho!!!

Com Amor,

Sister Schwitters

Out getting pizza with Vera!

 

At Malou´s birthday party! Shes a darling little girl in our ward and her parents are super awesome!

 

 

 

 

PARABENS PRA VOCE!

 

 

 

Our pday adventure today! At a big park in São Paulo

 

 

The park has a lake. Its kinda like the Central Park of Sao Paulo.

 

 

 

LION!!

 

 

 

Rockin the Teeter Taughter... how the heck do you spell that??lol

 

 

 

The ZONE!

 

 

 

Eating at my first real Churrascaria! (what Tucanos is trying to be)