Ultima Semana ao CTM!
Tudo ótimo aqui! Wow I am so excited to think that this is my LAST time that I will be sitting at this Internet cafe! This is my last week at the CTM and I am ready!! well... ready to leave that is. My Portuguese is still lacking, and I could still know the gospel better, and I still could work harder... but I am ready to leave regardless! I feel like the 2 months have gone quickly here, and yet at the same time, I feel like I have lived here for quite a while.
This past week has been quite exciting, (ok at least in the CTM sense of exciting) It was a busy one.. We went proselytizing for the last time on Friday, somewhere in Sao Paulo. I have no idea where. Oh by the way, Michael I think mentioned a little about how unusual this city is- and I would have to second that. In the United States, and generally other big cities I have seen around the world, have a big center of skyscrapers. Here in Sao Paulo, there are lots and lots and LOTS of skyscrapers, but they are randomly everywhere. I cant really tell where the center of Sao Paulo is... there is just a lot of CITY everywhere, and even tough we go out as least once a week into the city, I have never really gotten my bearings. It’s a wild place.
Anyway, we went somewhere in Sao Paulo, and went proselytizing for the morning... it was so much fun!! And so much more productive then the other times! I understood what people were saying! And I had much longer conversations with people, which was awesome! I talked to one man for a good ten minutes, and gave him a quick first lesson- a little bit about the restoration, but mostly about Christ. He said he believed in God, but not in Christ... and so I shared with him my belief in Jesus Christ, and the importance of Jesus Christ in our day to day life- that is the way that I find strength and meaning to my life. The spirit was there, and I just that it touched him and motivated him to call. Brazilians are soo sweet! I continue to be amazed at how open, affectionate, and loving perfect strangers are. I had a cute couple offer to buy Sister Donaldson ice cream and me after we finished testifying to them. They were genuinely disappointed when I didn’t accept! Haha they are great!
Things continue to be a little crazy at the CTM. We had another game night last Friday night- great fun! We were able to round up pretty much all of the Brazilian sisters this time, and we played a game called Honka (snort) which is a really really fun game. A way different variation on the Snort game which my family plays. A lot of fun! And the Brazilians loved it! I have had Brazilians coming up to me since then asking everyday when we are playing next! Haha. It’s great!
I hope that someday I can learn to show as much love as these Brazilian sisters do... and in a way that is genuine and sincere like them. They are just such incredible sisters- and they have sacrificed soo much to be here on a mission, and their families too... wow. I am constantly humbled when I think of the circumstances that many of them have come from.
Oh and being the oldest Sister Missionaries here at the CTM definitely has its perks- on Monday, Sister Cardon took Sister Donaldson and I, and two other awesome sisters out of the CTM on a special trip! We went to a supermarket, and she taught us some basic survival shopping skills (i.e. which chocolate is best) and then later that afternoon we went to her apartment and made chocolate cake. That night we shared it with all of the sisters and had a huge party- it was an American gift to all of the Brazilians, if you will. It was so much fun, and it was just another fun thing to help the Sisters bond! Sister Cardon is an incredible lady, President Cardon and her have adopted 4 Brazilians- and so we talked a lot about orphanages.... She is awesome and has done so much in her life. The thing I love the most about her is that she is crazy! She has such a great personality, and I had such a fun day being with her.
Well, time is winding up, and I need to go. Sister Donaldson and I have to go run a bunch of last minute errands for our last week here... I am looking forward to this week- I am quite sad to leave many of the sisters here- I absolutely love many of the American Sisters, but at least I will get to see them after the mission... It is harder to say goodbye to many of the Brazilian sisters, whom I will have no idea when I will see again. But, as one of the Brazilian sisters told me this week- we will have a huge CTM barbecue reunion in heaven! Count me in! I will design the fliers or something...
Anyway- I dot know when my Pday will be next week, so I have no idea when I will email next- but I am excited... I just want to quickly testify how incredible this work is, and how richly blessed we are with the gospel. This last week my district had a testimony meeting in complete Portuguese, and as I sat there listening to all of us bear witness in a complete different tongue- I felt overwhelmed with the spirit. The power in that room was so incredible- all 10 of us have been richly blessed by the spirit in our ability to learn and speak this language, and in the growth of our testimonies as well.
I know, and I testify that this gospel is true. I am overwhelmed by the feelings I have for this gospel, and the love that I feel for my Savior. Each day as I testify of Him, my conviction and awe of Him grows- I kneel more fervently before Him, in humility of that which He has done for me... I know, that as we kneel before Him, He does not leave us kneeling there- no. He pulls us up to Him. He walks besides us, and even carries us, as we need it. I testify that He lives!
God bless each of you, eu amo vocês!
Love
Sister Melanie Monroe
This past week has been quite exciting, (ok at least in the CTM sense of exciting) It was a busy one.. We went proselytizing for the last time on Friday, somewhere in Sao Paulo. I have no idea where. Oh by the way, Michael I think mentioned a little about how unusual this city is- and I would have to second that. In the United States, and generally other big cities I have seen around the world, have a big center of skyscrapers. Here in Sao Paulo, there are lots and lots and LOTS of skyscrapers, but they are randomly everywhere. I cant really tell where the center of Sao Paulo is... there is just a lot of CITY everywhere, and even tough we go out as least once a week into the city, I have never really gotten my bearings. It’s a wild place.
Anyway, we went somewhere in Sao Paulo, and went proselytizing for the morning... it was so much fun!! And so much more productive then the other times! I understood what people were saying! And I had much longer conversations with people, which was awesome! I talked to one man for a good ten minutes, and gave him a quick first lesson- a little bit about the restoration, but mostly about Christ. He said he believed in God, but not in Christ... and so I shared with him my belief in Jesus Christ, and the importance of Jesus Christ in our day to day life- that is the way that I find strength and meaning to my life. The spirit was there, and I just that it touched him and motivated him to call. Brazilians are soo sweet! I continue to be amazed at how open, affectionate, and loving perfect strangers are. I had a cute couple offer to buy Sister Donaldson ice cream and me after we finished testifying to them. They were genuinely disappointed when I didn’t accept! Haha they are great!
Things continue to be a little crazy at the CTM. We had another game night last Friday night- great fun! We were able to round up pretty much all of the Brazilian sisters this time, and we played a game called Honka (snort) which is a really really fun game. A way different variation on the Snort game which my family plays. A lot of fun! And the Brazilians loved it! I have had Brazilians coming up to me since then asking everyday when we are playing next! Haha. It’s great!
I hope that someday I can learn to show as much love as these Brazilian sisters do... and in a way that is genuine and sincere like them. They are just such incredible sisters- and they have sacrificed soo much to be here on a mission, and their families too... wow. I am constantly humbled when I think of the circumstances that many of them have come from.
Oh and being the oldest Sister Missionaries here at the CTM definitely has its perks- on Monday, Sister Cardon took Sister Donaldson and I, and two other awesome sisters out of the CTM on a special trip! We went to a supermarket, and she taught us some basic survival shopping skills (i.e. which chocolate is best) and then later that afternoon we went to her apartment and made chocolate cake. That night we shared it with all of the sisters and had a huge party- it was an American gift to all of the Brazilians, if you will. It was so much fun, and it was just another fun thing to help the Sisters bond! Sister Cardon is an incredible lady, President Cardon and her have adopted 4 Brazilians- and so we talked a lot about orphanages.... She is awesome and has done so much in her life. The thing I love the most about her is that she is crazy! She has such a great personality, and I had such a fun day being with her.
Well, time is winding up, and I need to go. Sister Donaldson and I have to go run a bunch of last minute errands for our last week here... I am looking forward to this week- I am quite sad to leave many of the sisters here- I absolutely love many of the American Sisters, but at least I will get to see them after the mission... It is harder to say goodbye to many of the Brazilian sisters, whom I will have no idea when I will see again. But, as one of the Brazilian sisters told me this week- we will have a huge CTM barbecue reunion in heaven! Count me in! I will design the fliers or something...
Anyway- I dot know when my Pday will be next week, so I have no idea when I will email next- but I am excited... I just want to quickly testify how incredible this work is, and how richly blessed we are with the gospel. This last week my district had a testimony meeting in complete Portuguese, and as I sat there listening to all of us bear witness in a complete different tongue- I felt overwhelmed with the spirit. The power in that room was so incredible- all 10 of us have been richly blessed by the spirit in our ability to learn and speak this language, and in the growth of our testimonies as well.
I know, and I testify that this gospel is true. I am overwhelmed by the feelings I have for this gospel, and the love that I feel for my Savior. Each day as I testify of Him, my conviction and awe of Him grows- I kneel more fervently before Him, in humility of that which He has done for me... I know, that as we kneel before Him, He does not leave us kneeling there- no. He pulls us up to Him. He walks besides us, and even carries us, as we need it. I testify that He lives!
God bless each of you, eu amo vocês!
Love
Sister Melanie Monroe
posted by Bev at 11:37 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home