Languages

Hey family & friends!

Sorry it took me so long to get online today. Transfers was today & it was a bagunça demais! (a mess haha) Im staying still in Antares with Sister M  & the other sister training leaders  so nothings changed haha but Im much happier now. Lately Ive been having a hard time seeing so many bars with drug traffickers, poverty, mistreatment of children, spouses & animals and hypocrisy here, but Ive recieved a renewed perspective that with the things I see here in this area is a way I can spread a little light, a little love & a little hope to the people here. That this could be my chance to serve until my lil hearts content, ya know? So Im much better, and thank you all so much for your prayers! They definitely work :)

This week I had a great experience in regards to the gift of tongues in the works ;) 

Long story short, Sister M had something in her eye that was bothering her, so we went to the Centro with Sister G to an emergency eye center.  While we were there, we noticed an Indian man who was struggling to talk to people there, and what language was he speaking? 

English 

I immediately went over there & asked if he needed help & he said he did. Well, he was looking for a clinic & we ended up bringing him to our bishop whos an eye doctor for an eye exam.

I translated English to portuguese, and portuguese to english for about 2 hours... 

It was exhausting but wonderful! He was super grateful, and even though he doesnt live in our area or have missionaries working in his area, I know he will always remember the little service we did for him, saving him from being scammed & helping him out :)

Gotta run! This computer isnt working to send photos but I'll send A TON next week when I have more time & I find a freaking functioning computer!

xoxo

love yall!

Sister VerHoef

Feliz Pascoa!!!

Oi gente! Tudo bem?? E aí como foi a pascoa de voces? Foi bom? O que voces fizerem? haha hows my portuguese? Pretty rad huh? #giftoftongues WORD. haha PALAVRA. okay, enough of this youth talk! 

Easter was pretty good for us here! We almost had another baptism but it fell through. Honestly, this Easter wasnt as spiritual as I wanted it to be. It seems like every sacred holiday here like Christmas and Easter is just another excuse to get drunk & eat churrasco. 

But thankfully Pday was today, and I needed a little spiritual boost. So I included in this email a link to a video on lds.org. Probably one of my favorites ever done in demonstrating the moment Mary saw the Resurrected Lord. Absolutely stunning, and the look of pure love in the eyes of both Mary and the Savior is perfect. 

So this is my simple yet unshakable testimony for you all, my dear friends & family, that I know that Jesus Christ lives. There exists many differences between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, many more significant than others, but one of the most important differences I love is the fact that we, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints worship & adore a living Christ. Not a Christ that is still suffering on the cross but a Resurrected Christ, not a Christ with a crown of thorns on His head but a Christ clothed inImmortality and Glory. Our Christ is not still lying in a tomb but is living. He has risen! How glorious are these three simple words in our human language? He has risen! O death where is thy snare, or grave where is thy victory?  I testify that our Savior lives, and He is ever aware of our needs and worries however insignificant or miniscule they may be. I know that 1820 years after His birth He appeared to an obscure boy in the woods of Palmyra New York, and that through this boy, the Restoration of His church, the church of Jesus Christ, was restored and is still on the earth to this day! I know it. As sure as I am breathing and living I know it. People may say what they wish about our church or our doctrine, but they can not say anything contrary to my testimony. This they cannot take away. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. A prophet like Moses, like Isaiah, like Abraham. I know that the power of God is here again on the earth to bless the children of our Heavenly Father. This is His work and His glory, to bring to pass the eternal life of man. ALL mankind has a chance to return to Gods presence in obeying and living the principles and ordinances of the Gosepl. and only ONE church has the complete Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. I love this Gospel. I know its true. There have been few things that Ive been sure of in my life, but the one thing thats never been a doubt is that this church is the true church of Jesus Christ. 

I love you all so much! & I wish you all a wonderful week! until next monday :)

xoxo

Sister VerHoef

He is Risen

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-10-021-jesus-is-resurrected?category=bible-videos-the-life-of-jesus-christ&lang=eng

Acts of Kindness

So this week we had ANOTHER baptism! 3 weeks in a row, this isnt normal. The Lord really is blessing us SO MUCH this transfer. This baptism is of Antonio, a 25 year old young man with tattoos who lives in the back of a bar. His circumstances are very humble, as you can already tell. When we met him he was sleeping on a door (yeah you read that right A DOOR) he doesnt have a cushion, he literally has a broken bed, a tv that doesnt work & no food. He eats at his work, and on Sundays when he doesnt work, he spends the whole day hungry. 

But yesterday he was baptized & from that point his life changed. Yesterday we got permission from Sister G (our mission presidents wife) to give him an extra cushion from our house. Edith (the crazy wonderful old woman we baptized LAST WEEK) drove us over there & brought (along with our cushion) a comforter, a pillow and a blanket for him. Another Irmao who baptized Antonio invited him to eat lunch & dinner with him yesterday or he wouldve spent the whole day hungry.

As we were leaving to say goodbye, after making his bed for him, the look on his face was just pure gratitude. The sweetest look Ive ever seen a man have on his face. As long as I live I will never forget that expression. 

And that got me thinking, how many of the people we see are silently suffering and we just dont know it?  How many people are barely hanging on by a thread? How many people are silently struggling to make ends meet but have no idea where to turn to if they can turn to someone at all? 

So my invite to you, my dear friends & family, is to pay more attention to the people around you. Does a colleague come to work with red, weepy eyes? Does someone you see on the street wear the bruises of abuse? Is there an acquaintance who never brings lunch to work or brings very little? These are symptoms of suffering. These are evidences of a broken heart. 

My invite is to serve the people around you. Those who are silently suffering and ease their burden a little. Offer them part of what you have. Pay for their parking spot. Do something kind. And remember that real service isnt giving of your abundance. Its, in your want, giving all you have.

Love yall!!

btw, got the bday package! Be sure to show nathan, connor & cole the pic I took here! I hung up almost all of their drawings! & when I played the picture frame in front of my brasilian roomies they were shellshocked! they dont have talking picture frames here so they were flipping out! haha 

xoxo

Sunday of 3 Miracles

Okay, so as the title suggests this Sunday was a Sunday of miracles. Definitely made up for the weeks of spiritual erosion Ive been feeling. 

I'll sum up my miracles this past Sunday from most amazing down.

1.) Remember Joelma & Jr? The mother & 9yr old son me & Sister S baptized in Centro Civico more than a month ago? Remember the blowup we had with them and the mountains of misunderstandings that led to her saying she will never go back to church or allow Jr to go back to church too? Guess what! I walked in to our stake center to watch Conference after scrambling around preparing for a baptism and the first thing I see is a blonde haired 9 year old race up to me and give me the biggest hug Ive ever gotten in my life! JUNIOR CAME TO CHURCH THIS PAST SUNDAY! My golden member family, Irma Eliane her son Marcelo and Gabi (Elianes daughter) brought him to church! Irma Eliane had a feeling to pass by there yesterday and ask Joelma if she could take Jr to church, well what ended up happening is that Jr called Eliane saturday night and asked her if they could pick him up to go to church! She of course said yes and he CAME! Joelma & her husband let him go!!!! Was definitely the best miracle I couldve asked. I have been praying fervently for them ever since I got transfered and Heavenly Father was incredibly merciful in answering. He came and hes in good hands with Irma Eliane & Marcelo :) 

Miracle #2:

Edith, the crazy mother of the 2 crazy sons Leonardo & Theodor who always hit on me, got BAPTIZED!!! Thats right! It truly was beautiful. She was the first one to be baptized out of 4 other people in between the sessions on Sunday. We are soooo happy. And even more special, our mission prez and wife, Pres & Sis G assisted our baptism of Edith :) 

Miracle #3:

I got to watch ALL session of General Conference in English. Definitely was much needed. I love Portuguese, and according to my comp & Pres G, Im fluent but Im really REALLY homesick for English. Heck, I majored in English so at times I really miss it. And General Conference came at a perfect time. 

So that, in short, was the highlight of my week. Im much happier now, and even though seeing the abuse of children and dogs, the mistreatment of wives, the drugs and alcohol that everpresent in this area still gets to me, I will always remember the smiling faces of these precious people who I will never forget. The people who entered into the waters of baptism & into the gate of eternal happiness. 

I love being a missionary!!! MIRACLES CAN AND DO HAPPEN! God has not ceased to be a God of miracles! 

Love yall so much! Beijos abraços

heres a pic of the baptism of Edith (in white) her neurotic sons, me and sister m and pres & sister g :) yes I am blonder now. everyone kept calling me Sister Barbie, and I finally got pissed and decided if they wanted a barbie I'll give em barbie and dyed my hair blonder hahahaha. Thatll show em right? ;)