October 2017 – Sister Aundrea Evans In Sao Paulo

A Semana Que Voou (The Week That Flew)

October 30, 2017 dreainbrazil

This week really flew by. Time is flying by. Which is weird because I got sick this week. For the first time in my entire mission I got sick. I literally was unable to speak for 2 days straight. I completely lost my voice. But it´s okay, I’m better now.

This week we decided to be creative and we went and played my ukulele in park and invited people to church. It was fun and worked well. And then I lost my voice ha-ha. But this same day we found a ton of new people which was greatly needed as I would be out of it the rest of the week. (God knows what he´s doing) but yeah. Then we contacted this guy Carlos who already read the book of Mormon in its entirety, and he is a reference form the stake president. I’m excited to work with him and his family. Speaking of families, we are finding a lot of people who have great potential, but aren´t married and live together. So I guess we´ll be planning a bunch of weddings this transfer.

It´s getting harder for me to write things in my journal, so if anyone has ideas of what would help, that would be wonderful.

I’m in a weird but cool phase in my mission where I finally know how to do things, but also I’m trying to learn to do more things, and better, and I realize that I don´t have much time, which gives me this huge desire to just focus everything on the work. It´s like, it´s now or never, this is the only time I will ever try so hard to get people to church in my life, so just go for it.

I know that this church is true, that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ exists on this earth today. I know that only through faith on the Lord, repentance, baptism and the receiving of the Holy Ghost by the authority of the priesthood, and enduring until the end can we return to live with our Father in Heaven. I know that He is perfect, and wants us to be like Him, and has prepared a way for us to be like Him. The journey may seem long, but it really just flies by. Take advantage of the time you have. These are the last days. I know this because I am seeing the signs, and I’m working hard to make sure the end gets here faster, because the Lord will not come until every creature has heard His name. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE THE DAY OF YOUR REPENTANCE. TODAY IS THE DAY OF OUR SALVATION.

Boa Semana

Sister Evans

the mark of my mission. I don’t think I can get blacker than this. I might switch shoes because this mark could actually be embarrassing in the future.

Creative contacting in the park

Lots of stairs…

First Week in the Big City

October 27, 2017 dreainbrazil

So… I was transferred from Eden, Sorocaba to Engenho Novo, Barueri, a giant city next to the city São Paulo our area shares a chapel with the Elders in the area next to us. Which is new for me. I’ve always served in little isolated cities with no other missionaries to be found, but now I’m in this HUGE place that has favelas and hills and stairs galore. Also, the heat is different here. It´s still hot, but not as hot as Sorocaba. And even so, I got a sunburn. I haven´t been sunburned in like 8 months. What?? But it´s great here. And guess what!! There´s Hattians here too!! I still get to practice my creole!!! Woohoo!!!

But anyway, my comp is Sister De Paula, and she is super cool. She´s a little older, and was baptized just last year. She´s traveled around the world already, lived in the US for a year and a half, and was an English teacher for little kids. She´s got some great stories, and really knows how to work with people. I feel so blessed to have her as a comp. this is her 3rd transfer and I’m her 2nd comp. but she basically knows everything already. She could be training right now. She´s basically training me. She´s so awesome.

Anyway, this week was pretty long, but also flew by, if you know what I mean. It was hot for half of the week, and the other half was cold and rainy. I will never understand São Paulo´s weather.

I learned this week that the way to know if the Lord is pleased with us is if we are being blessed. for example, we didn´t have a baptism this week, which I normally think of as our reward, but we were given a ride home by some members, and our ward mission leader gave us fruits, and we had 7 investigators at church… we only brought 1 with us. It was a miracle. I know that the lord works in mysterious ways, and when we look for the tender mercies in our lives, we can know that we are loved by a Heavenly Father, and He is pleased with us.

Love you all!! Boa semana!!

Sister Evans

My first time in the big city- great view!

Favellas of our area

One of the staircases of death in a favela- yes we climbed it!

Me & sister De Paula

This week was really fun!

October 20, 2017 dreainbrazil

It was. Really. I also figured out that my comp and I are actually not companions… we´re sisters. We joke like sisters, we bug each other like sisters, we get annoyed with each other like sisters, and we argue like sisters… it´s great. I actually love her so much, and now we´re being separated because transfers happened and I’m going to the big city São Paulo and I’ve never served in the actual city part and I’m kinda scared. I don´t know how to say the name of the area, but my zone is Alphaville/ Barueri. I also don´t know my companion but her name is sister de Paula and I think she´s newer. But idk.

I’m nervous and really sad to be leaving Eden. This area has truly become my family. Converts that have become my brothers, members that are actually my aunts and uncles and mothers and friends and this really hurts. But I know the Lord has more things for me to learn, and so I gotta just trust in Him.

But this week was a miracle. I forgot to write last week that we found this golden family. a mom, a 16 year old boy, a 13 year old boy, and a 7 year old boy. We worked with them all week, and they were baptized yesterday!!! I don´t think I’ve ever felt so happy in my life when I saw all of them come up out of the water. Wow. They had been studying for a realllllly long time with another religion, and we showed up and invited them to church. The 16 year old, João, read and prayed the first day and hehad his firm answer that he would follow and be baptized. The mom, Rosie, and the 13 year old, Mateus, had a few more doubts, but we helped them understand better, and they loved going to church. Rosie has passed through a lot of crap, and is still passing. But she is amazing and really understood why the church is different. She loved that there are programs for her kids and her, to help them grow and strengthen them. She also told us how she thought it was so cool how we have a little bit of everything. Every church she´s been to, she a saw a little bit of each all in ours. And I almost cried when she said that because that´s what I’ve been trying to tell people for the past whole year. And it was the most beautiful baptism.

But also, what we didn´t know, was that yesterday the whole city of Eden would be having a water shortage. When we got to church, our ward mission leader (who usually fills up the font for us) hadn´t filled it, and told us that it won´t work because there´s no water. And then we were like oh heck to the no and I remembered the story of when Jesus multiplied the bread and fish to feed the multitude and I thought, well, miracles still happen right, and if Christ can multiply bread and fish, he can for sure multiply water. And so me and my comp went to the font, said a prayer invoking the powers of heaven, and turned the knob. We went to participate in church and we went to check on it a couple times, and it filled perfectly, and also super quick. It was literally a miracle. And then we had 3 baptisms Linda’s maravilhosas.

But I know that we have a heavenly Father who loves us and helps us more than we even notice. I know that this gospel is true, and that Christ leads this church.

Love you all! Boa semana!!!

Sister Evans

the beautiful golden family that were baptized this week!!!!!

I learned how to make this ice cream on accident that is actually the same as a creamie. guys. what. i will make it for everyone when i get back. so good. literally how they make creamies.

Loved Conference

October 3, 2017 dreainbrazil

Conference this weekend was just what I needed. Wow. I learned a lot, and was comforted, but at the same time, encouraged to be better. My questions were answered, which was cool. I love conference. Conference always reminds me that I am loved by my Father in Heaven, and He wants to help me.

This week we didn’t have much time to work, so we really had to take advantage of the time we had. We had lots of appointments, but didn’t get a whole lot of new people to teach. But we made a list of people with potential and we´ll be visiting them this week as part of our finding efforts.

ah but Saturday before conference, a couple from the ward (that are probably a couple of my favorite people in the world) made hamburgers for lunch and I almost died but then they brought out a soda drink called Guarana Jesus and then I actually died and went to heaven. It´s pink, and it´s divine (haha get it).

This week I really learned that we are never alone. God is always watching out for us. Even when it feels like He´s nowhere near, or not seeing anything you´re going through, He is. He knows you better than you think, and knows exactly how to help. One quote that I like that someone said a while back is that the thing that will surprise us most when we die is how well we know God´s face. I like to think about that because it helps me pray more sincerely and talk with him and refer to him more personally.

I know that god lives and loves us. We are never alone.

Amo vocês!! Boa semana!!

Sister Evans