Cate Mission Weekly Letters

Olá galera!  We had a huge miracle this week! Tuesday night we were in our apartment contacting people when we got a bunch of audio messages from our friend Luiz telling us he was ready to be baptized! He said he couldn't keep ignoring the answers he was receiving! He was baptized yesterday and it was a spiritual highlight for sure. His parents are very much against the church, but he knows he made the right choice! This week after Zone Conference we were taking an Uber back to our apartment. After discovering we were missionaries, our driver asked us "Have you ever had an experience with God?" We told him yes and we each shared a quick experience. After sharing,  he proceeded to tell us that he used to be a super rich rapper/producer but then one day he died. While he was dead, God told him that he needed to go back to Earth, leave the city where he lived, and preach the gospel through his music. So look out for the Brazilian version of Jesus is King that will be coming ...

Oi gente, tudo bem?? I had the unique experience of being chased by dogs this week. We were walking home from the chapel one night and I heard some barking behind us. Honestly, I am pretty used to that at this point, but I had the feeling to look behind us. When I did I saw two giant dogs running towards us. It is times like these when I forget my companion doesn't speak English as I turned to her and said, "Those dogs are chasing us, we gotta run!" Luckily, actions speak louder than words and she caught on pretty quick.  Wednesday was Elder Lago's birthday, so we had a little party in the mission office! I promised him I would make him American food, so I decided on classic chocolate chip cookies. After buying all the ingredients, I realized that we didn't have any sort of measuring cups. So I just kind of guessed and went for it and the cookies actually turned out good! Also a few weeks ago, we decided we wanted to celebrate Christmas in the office. So we decora...

Oi gente!! Tudo bem?? I learned this week what the wires in our shower do! They heat the water. Monday night, my companion was taking a shower, and then all of the sudden I heard a pop and her yell "tá repreendido" While she was showering, the wires in the shower exploded-yikes. The next morning I went to take a shower and the water was freezing, and then it all made sense in my head. As sketchy as those wires are, I really am thankful for them haha. We were also invited Reginaldo and Elizandra to be baptized this week, and they said yes! They are probably two of the most humble people I have ever met. They both don't really know how to read, but they are trying to read the Book of Mormon. They are willing to change every aspect of their lives so that they can get baptized. There are a few complications with helping them get married, so any prayers on their behalf would be greatly appreciated!! And finally, this week I was very grateful for the ability to unsend voice mes...

Oi everyone! First off, I hope everyone had a great Mothers Day! I am so grateful for my Mom and all the things she has done for me! And yes, it was Mothers Day here in Brazil as well. One of our investigators was very kind and wished us a Happy Mothers Day because he wasn't sure if we were Moms or not. I guess he just wanted to make sure he got all his bases covered. I learned a very important lesson this week, which was if you like what you're eating but don't know what it is, don't ask. A kind member in our ward dropped off lunch for us and it was pretty good. Part of the lunch were these things that kind of looked like onion rings. They were pretty good and as I was eating them I made the mistake of asking Sister Queiroz what they were. She told me it was deep fried pig skin. I wasn't too hungry after that. Ignorance truly is bliss. We also had a huge breakthrough with social media work! We had a devotional with all the social media specialists in the country an...

Oi gente!! Today officially marks 11 months of me being a missionary and 1 month of being in Brazil! I can't believe how fast it is going! This week, Sister Queiroz and I got transferred together into the city of Valinhos (my sixth area). It is a pretty large city, about 25 minutes from Campinas. It is so pretty, but also super hilly-to the point where our uber driver laughed when we told him we go everywhere on foot. We cover three wards, which meant yesterday we were at the church building from 8am to 6pm attending church meetings and meeting with our investigators! It was a little wild and I was exhausted when we finally made it home, but also a spiritual highlight getting to meet a bunch of different members and hearing them bear their testimonies!  On Friday, I got to take a trip to the city of São Paulo itself to take care of some things with my visa! I got to be companions with Sister Matthews for the day which was pretty fun! I think we drove the Elders a little crazy with ...