Week 36 - You don't have the WhatsApp?

                                                        I found this !

Send pics of baby Arlen!!!!!! aww haha baby g is so cute!! ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD!! Throwback minha nossa!!! love that movie!! conference was great! I only got to assist one session in English because we don’t have any other American sisters in our zone or district, only 4 American elders and me, so I couldn’t just stay with the elders alone haha! I wanted to assist in English, but it´s cool to realize how much I have learned and know in Portuguese now, cause when I got to the mission, we had conference about 3 weeks after I got here, and I didn’t understand hardly anything...so yeah I have a lot to learn ainda but it´s just really awesome to see the work and help of the lord with the dom das linguas (gift of tongues). haha!!!

We have been praying and fasting to find families to help our branch turn into a ward and help our district turn into a stake...cause when that happens there´s more of a chance of getting a temple in Natal!!! WAHOOO WHEN THAT DAY ARRIVES, I WILL CRY!! There is a lot of opposition and people that don’t commit! they say they know what they should do but they just don’t do anything about it!! but really Heavenly father has blessed us so much , we have found some great families to teach! it´s just hard to get a whole family to go to church cause they are just used to working on Sundays and getting everything ready for the week on Sundays and minha nossa everyone is like no I need to make lunch I cant go to church in the morning if I have to make lunch....!!!!!!   Lunch here is sooo big, they start cooking at like 8-9 in the morning!!! it smells sooo good in the streets though hahah!! we are teaching a couple families really great.  I really do miss just worrying about my clothes and makeup before church, but now we run around to wake people up and try and get the motivated to go to church with us!! our church starts at 8:30! don’t have a lot of members, but the church is growing, just got to liven some people up here in the ward!! LETS GO PEOPLE!!! but yeah we had some opposition this week...for example we had one guy that straight up told us that we were wasting our time and that the scripture in the bible in Atos (Acts ?) that talks about false prophets is really talking about us missionaries and then as I got up and straight up left him and his loucuras (ramblings) behind he said that we will go to hell....haha after that I was just so angry at him and how he was disrespecting us that way...but then I started to think of the primary song I´m Trying to be like Jesus haha and then I started to smile and talk with more people in the street and invited them to church! It´s really important. What I’ve learning in the mission, is that in these moments it´s really important to keep on trying, to look up in faith and to remember that I KNOW this church is true and that I KNOW MY heavenly FATHER AND MY Savior love me, and just to keep on working! if we stay sad or angry, that´s what Satan wants, so it´s important to use the Atonement in our lives to stay positive and hopeful and to keep testifying of the truth.

I love this gospel, and I have faith that through the trials that I am having here in Sousa will help me get closer to my Savior and that the day with arrive when I get to see the fruits of my labors! I am truly so grateful to be a missionary in Brazil...I’m so grateful for this gospel, for the Book of Mormon and for the Atonement in my life!!! I love my family too...mom and dad, thanks for being so great! dad, your email to Scott and me was just amazing, it´s so nice to know that I have wonderful parents that have a strong testimony of the Gospel! Keep serving and loving others!!! manda um abraço para the Mowreys!! love them all!!

Funny experience: we were walking down the street and some guy pulled over and stopped on his motorcycle and he started to talk about WhatsApp (an application that everyone has here..like imessage on the iphone) and I was like oh no sorry we don’t have Whatsapp...haha he just looked at me like what are you crazy..?? then I realize that there was a guy behind me sitting in a chair outside his door haha the guy on the motorcycle was talking to him but I was just like in the zone walking and thinking to myself about stuff and I was just like minha nossa how embarrassing...but after that we started to talk to them and invited them to church and we are starting to visit one of the guys..haha funny how things work!!!

Can you guys send me a recipe of cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting...thanks!!! 

love you guys!! have a great week!!!

Sister Talentino

I love the sunsets here!

 Preaching to the cows!

Herbies everywhere!

week 35 -Sad to leave Mossoro!

So this week...minha nossa it was rough! So it started out like any other week...pday, on Monday! we relaxed in home...and after we went to go eat acai before we had a family home evening with a member.... that night I got sick. that same way! throwing up and all that good stuff....so yeah I think it´s the acai that isn’t good for me!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

worst thing that could happen...get sick because of acai!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO so yeah the next day I had to stay in home to rest and then when I go back to work with my comp, sister stadler, minha filha, we worked hard!

you guys remember me talking about Normando?? well he was interviewed to be baptized this week and he hasn’t been using drugs or anything!! he stopped using for 2-3 days in a row!! MIRACLES HAPPEN!!! so yeah on Thursday we went after lunch to go help Elder Aguiar and Elder Andrade in their area...we picked up normando so he could be with us and not just at home being tempted to break the word of wisdom again. When we got to their area and met up with them is when everything started to get crazy! Elder Aguiar started to say that they got a call from the assistants about how there would be an emergency transfer right now! I was like no way...you are going to be transferred wooahhah! (thinking that they would be transferred and not me) and that´s when Elder Harris turned to me and said that they all love me but that I will be transferred to sousa the next day. AAWHHAAATTTT! My mouth just stayed open for about 5 seconds trying to process what he was saying!! after that I started to feel the pain and the sadness. that I would miss he baptism of Normando that was marked for Saturday, all my recent converts here, Jorge, Carlos, Daniel. The people that we are teaching that would be baptized too, Alice, Eduardo, Douglas.....My FILHA sister STADLER! the district that I love so much..these sisters and elders! I was just soo happy and comfortable where I was at that point in my mission in Mossoró!...tears started to come into my eyes too! I started to talk to Sister Barbosa and she had an amazing idea! `let´s baptize Normando today..right now` I just started to cry...that was the ONE thing that I wanted to be apart of! they talked to the elders and then I talked to Normando! and I told him first that i would be going to sousa tomorrow...he was like aww really , good luck!! haha then I said and I would really like to be apart of your baptism!....he started to say aumm but I was getting ready for Saturdayaaaaaaaaaaa..then Elder Harris came in and started to say that you´re ready and some other things like that! Normando said that he would think about it...THE LONGEST MINUTE OF MY LIFE haha...then all of a sudden he said `BORA`haha let´s go!!

Let me just tell you that this was the most spiritual baptism that I have ever been apart of! I felt the true love and miracle of the power of the Atonement!! When he was baptized I had to go to the bathroom and I just cried and cried and cried! I knew that he was clean. Normando had a new life with NO sins! the power of the atonement is real!

I was like a fairy tell ending to my time here in mossoró! When I had to say bye to everyone, I cried and cried and cried!!...when I was crying I remembered a scripture, John 16>33...my Savior knows how I feel. And he suffered so that I can be happy and have peace in my life!

Sousa is so great. I’m struggling a little to be happy, but I know that when I start to meet more people and start teaching people I will feel more love for these people and for the gospel!! I love this gospel...I LOVED the talk by Holland!! KILLED IT!!!! hahaha I NEEDED conference this week! this week was rough but I’m so grateful for my trials so that I can get closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior and!

I LOVE THIS GOSPEL! it´s perfect! I love you all...oh I’m here in sousa with Sister Lerner again as my companion! haha crazy how things work!! But yeah, I know this church is true and that the power or the atonement is real I love my Savior and I love being a missionary!

BOA SEMANA!!!

ABRAÇÂO!

-Sister Talentino

week 34 - We have the same Birthday!

Natalie’s email

3/28/16

Looks like an awesome time!!!! I love our family!!!

So this week was a little rough! We had our Zone conference in Caicó so the other sister from our zone came over Wednesday night because we had to meet at the church to catch the bus at 4 in the morning to go to caico by 8. it was rough getting up at 3 but I was just like walking dead in the street to get to the bus haha! but the Zone conference was soooo good!! I felt the spirit so strong...`Presidente and Sister Soares gave really good treinamentos!! I loved every second of it! We watched a clip of Elder Holland’s talk when he is talking about Easter and the Lord´s sacrifice for us...minha nossa it was just such a powerful spirit that I felt really testifying of the love that my savior has for me!!!

We got back from the trip the same day, Thursday, at like 9 at night so we went straight to bed!! It was sooo hard to get up in the morning the next day, but the work must go on!!!!!!!

we had some miracles that happened this week!! (I REALLY WANT TO SEND PICTURES BUT I DONT KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY CAMERA OR THE COMPUTER!!!! UGH SOO ANNOYING...BUT IT`LL BE ALRIGHT)

so we had a baptism for Carlos this week!!! it was amazing, but so stressful because all week we passed by there to get his parents to sigh his baptism form. But they were never home or they just didn’t want to talk to us!! al week we were praying for his dad to be home and sigh the form and let Carlos be baptized!! Al week Carlos was like no my dad said more time ´mais para o frente´ and we were like nooooo, pray about it, don’t be desanimado (I hate writing in English, its hard cause I’m starting to forget some words) but yeah it was just a tense week! But Saturday Elder Harris went there to interview Carlos and try and help us et to talk to his parents to sigh the form!! We waited and waited and waited, but his mom was busy making food and then after she went to bed so she didn’t want to talk with us she didn’t even come to the door and his dad never showed up! So we had to leave because it was almost 9, and Carlos was like leave the form with me and I’ll get him to sigh it!! I was nervous, but Carlos said something after that and I was just like ahhh I love this boy...he was like we should say a prayer...! I started to cry. I’m just so happy that I am a missionary!! I could just see the happiness in Carlos´s life just by getting a taste of the gospel!! He´s going to be an amazing future missionary!!! Love him!! but yeah we let him keep the form and we went on our way! The next morning, we got to his house and I was just so nervous! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!! haha and WE saw Carlos and he came running to us with the ficha in his hand and he was like my dad let me be baptized, he sighed the form!!! I almost cried right then and there!! WAHHOOOO I was just sooo happy for him and you could just see the happiness in his eyes!! 

I just feel so privileged to do the work of the Lord!!

I love you guys and next week I´ll write a little more,

but just pray for some our investigators...Normando, Alice, Eduardo, Junior, João Vitor, Ricarlos, Livia!! 

`TENDE BOM ANIMO....`

Love you...happy Easter...enjoy conference this week with cheesy waffles and pajamas!!!

-beijão

sister Talentino