This week was good... definitely different since it was my first week in a new area, but I have already learned a whole lot.
Cristalina, Goiás!! A cute, cozy town. Everybody here has some connection to a farm... either they're farmers themselves or they come from a farming family. (Yes, here is the middle of nowhere;) I have definitely had to adjust because here with a population of 55,000, it's super different than Brasília... I'm still not used to walking down the street and everybody knows everybody!! It's that small.
Embarrassing-in-the-moment-
And yes it's full of crystals :) Where normally you find little pebbles on the ground in the sidewalk cracks here it's crystals <3 they're like glass but not as clear. I love 'em.
So here in Cristalina it's not a ward... and it's not even a branch... it's a GROUP. There have only been missionaries here for the past 7 months. Right now in our group it's 4 sisters and 2 elders. Our church meetings are in a little white beat-up house, the Elders live in one end of the house and in the other end there's a pulpit, a chalkboard, and church benches & wooden chairs. Yesterday was my first sacrament meeting in the mission field that wasn't held in an actual chapel. The Spirit was super strong. <3
There were 34 people in sacrament meeting yesterday, and 6 Irmãs in Relief Society. #superhumbling
On Saturday Sister and I were walking up the road (loooooots of hills here, i'm gonna die o.O ;) and she, out of the blue, said "let's go to this house" so we went and they were super welcoming (the beauty of Goiás, Brasília people are nothing like this) and were happy to hear our message. 2 sisters whose mom had died about a month ago... and we taught them about the Plan of Salvation and invited them to church. They said they would go.
And they were there!! Yesterday was morning was suuuuper bitter cold, and Sister Costancio said that the past weeks when it's been cold, the investigators haven't been coming to church... but they came!! I was so so so so happy to see them there, it was truly a testimony-builder to me of the faith that they have in the Lord and in the Spirit that they felt. I'm excited to go back there tomorrow <3
Still adjusting to the cold... everybody here is like "but you're from the U.S., how are you not used to the cold?" Ummmm I started in PALMAS, TOCANTINS where it's a bajillion degrees Fahrenheit and 1000% humidity, that's why. You kind of get un-used to it. ;) I never imagined I would want gloves in the mission. #
And we had a family night last night in the house of Nivaldo, a recent convert... it was so great! We taught about putting on our spiritual armor, and had Diego (a little boy) put a pot on his head, hold a pan in his hand for a shield and a spatula for a sword... the spirit was super strong as we testified that we have to strengthen our testimonies within our own homes.
I've been reading the conference talks lately, and I'm not surprised at all at how much the apostles talked about the FAMILY. Heard about the new law that gay marriage is now legal in the U.S.... the Lord already saw this coming. I know that the apostles and prophet will be testifying more and more of the family as the Second Coming draws nearer. #
May we all raise our voices for the cause of family. May we remember whose side we are on. May we remember that God will always be the winning side... we just have to choose to be on His side. And we will win.
I'm grateful every day for the things I am learning here. It's funny, sometimes I say to myself and to the Lord, "Seriously... I had to come all the way to Brazil to learn this??!" Everything happens for a reason. ;)
Amo todos vocês, espero que todos tenham uma boa semana!! Nunca esqueçam fazer as coisas pequenas... elas não fazem uma diferença, elas fazem A diferença.
Muito amor!!
Sister Hill
p.s. I forgot a cool detail...
we teach Seminary here!! and i get to teach an English class once a week :D i love this so much... <3
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