SUPER Brasil!

This week was pretty dang awesome! Why? WE HAD A BAPTISM!!! :) It's been quite a while since I've had a baptism so I was really happy. Giovani who we started teaching when I got here was able to be baptised on Sunday and it was so special! He was so prepared! At first we thought it wouldn't be until March but then he decided all on his own that he wanted to be baptised on Sunday. Clearly we were happy and all for it. No use in waiting to recieve blessings from Pai Celestial. The baptismal service was really great! The spirit was strong and President and Sister Tanner even came! It was cool because his whole family is already members but he never wanted to get baptised but then his moment came. So his whole family was able to participate in the service. Unfortunatly I had to play the piano which I also played in Sacrament meeting... It wasn't very good but I did my best! Hopefully by the time I leave this area I'll be super good! haha I'm just happy to help using my talents. 

Apart from the baptism this week was full of parties and cake! haha In the beginning of the week Sister Leite was leaving so we had going away parties for her. And then a ward party, a baby shower, and a birthday party. Unfortunatly brasillians make really good food and desserts so I ate way more then I should have! haha Me and Sister Moura already decided that we pretty much need to fast this whole week! haha ;) 

We spent the majority of our time this week preparing Giovani for his baptism and helping and getting to know the members of our ward. This ward is really awesome! They are all so sweet! I love them all already! I really hope this is my last area so I can spend the next 4 months with them! It feels really special.

I am just so greatful to be here serving a mission! And we can all feel the joy of missionary work! Just help out the missionaries in your ward! It's the best feeling ever! 

Well I love you and hope that everyone has a great week!!! :)

Com muito amor,

Sister Schwitters

Showing our dislike for the Corinthians! (A soccer team) haha SÃO PAULO ALL THE WAY!!! SPFC! 

BAPTISM OF GIOVANI! 

With his mom, so presh!

Rockin the Tie president gave him! 

SUPER Brasil birthday party! 

Mini cupcake with flag! Totally want these at my homecoming! haha

COMPANHERIAS! 

Mixing my witches brew! haha 

Our little friend!

Last lunch with Sister Leite!

Jardim Climax

Well I've been transfered!! I was really sad to leave Santo André because I really liked it there but I know that the Lord knows exactly where I need to be. I enjoyed my time in SA 4 even though I had my difficulties I learned many things there. I am now in an area called Jardim Climax! It is actually an area that Sister Larson, my trainer, passed through. Its awesome, I love it already!! Its really small which is good and bad! I'm happy because big areas were making me crazy but at the same time small areas are hard because the majority of the people have already heard about the church! But there are definitly more people to be found here and I am really excited to find them! And the ward is awesome! I'm getting to know a ton of amazing people I just know I'm going to Love it here. 

For now I am in a trio with the two sisters that were here the transfer before Sister Leite and Sister Moura, both brasiliians. But Sister Leite is going home on wednesday (2 days) she finished her mission so it will just be Sister Moura and I. We have been having a blast together! They are both super awesome! It wont be the same without Crazy Sister Leite! But I really think that Sister Moura and I are going to learn a lot from one another and have tons of adventures! She has about 4 months on the mission so I hope I can teach her a few things and I know that she will do the same for me! :)

This past week has been pretty good! We have an investigator that we are preparing for baptism named Giovani! He is really awesome and wants to get baptised this sunday! Hopefully it will all work out. He is SUPER prepared. His whole family are members and he has quite a bit of knowlege it just wasn't his time until now! But he is learning and growning so much just in this week that we've been visiting him! 

I am excited for what this transfer will bring! I have a feeling it's going to be great with many miracles and blessings! As long as we do our part and work as hard as possible! 

I love you all and hope that you have a great week! Sorry this is a little short I'm running out of time! But until next week! (I'll probably be getting on earlier just a heads up! )

Com Amor,

Sister Schwitters

Broken Hearts because of transfers! Miss them so much already!

Sister Melo and I! Love her!! She went home this transfer which is so weird because she has been here with me my whole time here! 

Esperando o momento a chegar! 

Goofs! 

Visiting some cool members! 

Reunited with Sister Jeronymo!! 

Me and my new companions. Sister Leite and Sister Moura dos Santos! Sister Leite is going to leave us on wednesday! 

Family night! Good times! 

Happy Valentines Day.... in June

So proabably the most exciting news of this week is the fact that I'm going to be transfered. It's a bittersweet feeling but I know it's for the best. These last three weeks in our "trio of love" as we like to call it, have been amazing! Sister Schooley and Robinson will be staying together so I'm just going to leave which is sad but I know there's somewhere else that I'm needed! I have also been called as a Sister Tranining Leader again. Maybe it'll stick this time! haha but I'm actually pretty excited because I really like being able to help the sisters in anyway I can and go on divisions with them! And if all works out the way I'm hoping I'll be living in the same house as Sister Beck my querida filha! So that'd be cool but you will have to wait until next week to see what happens! haha

This week we found quite a few new investigators and were able to invite them to be baptised but they didn't come to chuch which is always dissapointing. This seems to be a problem throughout the mission which is why our LZ's gave us a training on how to help our investigators really see the importance and have a desire to come to church. It made me think alot about why I like going to church and the feelings I feel there. Apart from taking the sacrament which is clearly the most important part I just always feel the Love of God there. It is such a sweet and special spirit with the hymns, lessons, speakers. I think one of the ways I grow the most is through learning in church. It is such a blessing which I hope to never take advantage of. 

Well sorry this is short but I want to try to send some pictures which I'm sure you like better anyways! haha But I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week! Happy Valentines Day on friday! (Its not until june here in Brasil) But I'll celebrate anyways! haha

Deus Abençoe!

Com Amor,

Sister Schwitters

Sad faces for transfers :(

And I should note we look like crap cuz we were working out! haha

Sister Robinsons birthday cake at district meeting! She turned 24! woo!

We're super cute...hhaa

Me and the schoolster! :)

Rebeccas birthday! (we live at their house!)

A couple young men who just think they're SOOO cool! ;) haha

A little better of a shot! haha

Smelling the flowers...

And then hiding behind them...

Okay, we may have just done a photoshoot with these flowers...haha

Poor santa...thats all that was left of him! haha

 I really am convinced we are the most beautiful sisters in the mission...haha

Chillin at the bus stop!

Call me maybe! 

Trio of LOVE!

Awesome family! I'm gunna miss them so much! 

My english class! They were super awesome! Dispite their horrible teacher! haha

You'll never know... ;)

Yolanda and Daniel and their cute baby kate! 

The sisters! woo! 

The most successful photo I have of our zone... Gunna miss ya Santo Andre! 

Hot Hott Hotttttttttt!!!!!!!!!

So this may or may not be short becuase the computer I'm currently using is being really slow and is making me crazy!! But apart from that this week has been awesome! We worked really hard and had alot of little miracles happen! The only bummer thing this week is that it has been SUPER hot! Like the hottest summer they've had here in years! And of course its the one that I'm here as a missionary... but we are just trying to drink lots of water and not die! President changed our study times so that we go out in the morning when it's a little cooler and then after lunch when its at its hottest we can stay inside studying. Gotta have healthy missionaries! 

So one of the goals we were working on this week was talking to more people in the street so we could find new investigators. To make it more exciting we made a game out of it. We each had a word that we had to use in all of our conversas. It was pretty entertaining. Some of my words were Ice Cream, shoe and plant. It was interesting to fit them into gospel topics! But it made doing conversas, somehting I'm not the best at, more fun and I was more excited to do them. And it did provide some new investigators which is always important. 

Also this week our district leader and his companion came to our area to work with us and help us out. At first I wasa little  wearly just because that would mean 5 missionaries going up to someones door which just kinda makes us look like a cult but it actually turned out really well! We met this woman who was a reference we recieved from missionaries in another area. We taught her about the restoration and she accepted our invitation to be baptised. I probably wont be here when that moment comes but it was just nice to hear someone who was willing to make a change in their life. Our area had been bringing me down a little bit because we had almost all our investigators let us go, and then just when I needed it the Lord put an elect in our path. 

I know that the Lord is guiding this work and although sometimes it may be really hard and we may feel like we aren't doing anything we are making a diference. We are the Lord's army and whether I am bringing people to baptism or just planting seed of truth in their hearts for someone else to harvest, it is the same. As long as I am doing my best I know the Lord is pleased with my efforts! :)

On a more fun note our companionship or trio is awesome! Even though we only have 3 weeks together we are livin up every moment. We laugh like nobodys business which makes being a missionary alot easier. I once heard someone say If you're not having fun on your mission your doing something wrong! Its so true and I do all that I can to keep a blaance. 

Well I love you all and pray that it cools down this week so that I don't die and I hope that you are always looking for opportunities to share the gospel with those around you! It is the greatest feeling in the world! Even if people don't accept your invitations! Just keep being an example!! LOVE YOU!!

Sister Schwitters

Trios

Well this has been quite an interesting week! Very entertaining! I guess I mentioned it last week that  we lost Sister Jeronymo and gained Sister Robinson. Well pretty much the three of us have so much fun together. I dont think I've laughed as much in this past week as I have my entire mission! We may only be together 3 weeks but its going to be an awesome three weeks I can already tell. 

We have also had a few little miracles together. We found a menos ativo family that has a daughter who was never baptised and they actually have a desire to come back to church! We are so excited to teach her and they are just a really sweet family. They just appeared in our english class and then we went and visited them. We are also trying to be better about inviting people to be baptised. I know that people will never progress unless we ask them so I am feeling really good about the work we are doing this week. There is so much potential and we are working really hard to be able to have a baptism before the transfer ends becuase I'll probably go to another area seeing as I've already been here 3 transfers but you never know. We'll have to see what happens!! Anyways it has just been a really happy week! 

On tuesday we also have interviews with President Tanner. I love interviews it always makes me feel good and gives me a renewed excitment to be better! And President and Sister Tanner are just amazing. I know that I say it all the time but they really are just so loving and so willing to help us be better missionaries. I know that one of the reasons I was sent to this mission was for them. President gave me some good ideas of things that I can do in my area that were really helpful. This area has been a bit difficult but I know that there is potential here and as long as we work hard we will be able to find those prepared for us. This is such an exciting work and everytime I find someone willilng to listen to us it is so exciting that I can help them. I know I say it almost every week but its true! I just love being a missionary!!! :D

We get a weekly mission email and last week President said something that I really liked. He said that our mission is like a story and we should look at where we are in the story and where we want to go although clearly he said it a lot prettier than that. But with that and my interview I have been thinking a lot about what I want to acheive on my mission and how I want to end. In this time I have left I really want to do all that I can to see miracles and I know that they will come when I am working as hard as I can, being completly obedient, and recognizing his hand in all things. There are so many things that I want to become and the potential I want to fulful as a missionary and I know that the Lord will help me. I am focusing on dilligence. One Christlike attribute that I feel I need to work on. This is what will make me happy and feel like a successful missionary. I also know that it will make the Lord happy.

One last thing that has helped me a lot this week was remembering the Love that Heavenly Father has for me. That knowlegde is what helps me get through every hard moment. He is guiding me and lifting me when I am down. Helping me be a better person and missionary. I was reading President Monsons talk from the Relief Society Broadcast this week and this part really touched me. 

"My dear sisters (and brothers...haha) your Heavenly Father loves you - each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearence, by your  possessions or by the amount of money in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there."

I know that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us and when we cling to that love and let it empower us we can do all things. I love you and thank you for all that you do for me and I hope that you all have a wonderful week full of love and happiness!!

Eu amo vocês!!

Sister Schwitters