Brasil

Hello Everyone!

I cannot believe that we are already halfway through the month of September! I hope you all had a fabulous week! This week was pretty uneventful again, life just keeps moving here in Brasil.

First a funny/gross story- Sister Lopez and I were teaching a 17 year old girl and she has two huge dogs, like HUGE dogs. One of them is part pit bull and the other is a full bred of something that I can´t remember, but when they stand on their two legs they are just up to my shoulder. They are also crazy heavy, but very loving, they just go a little crazy when we come over :) Anyway, the owner had given them each a piece of bread to calm down a little and one of the dogs walked up to me and coughed up some of the bread he was chewing onto my skirt... Sister Lopez just looked and was trying not to laugh and I was trying now to get too grossed out. Don´t worry, the dog ate it again, so there was nothing left. Needless to say when I got home, I threw that skirt in the wash :) Good times on the mission :)

This week we also had a Branch Talent Show which was fun and us sisters always go to every branch activity whether we had investigators there or not because we are really part of the branch here, especially when the branch averages on 60 people every Sunday- and we are 4 of them! I love being apart of the branch though even though it is small, but I know everyone by name and everyone is so sweet.

Yesterday I had a little bit of a culture moment again. The son of a recém convert (she has been a member a little more than a year) passed away yesterday morning so the other sisters went to her house instead of church of help comfort here. After church and almoço Sister Lopez and I went too and stayed there the whole day. I don´t know if every death is like this because it is the first one I have really been apart of in Brasil, but he died, they had a wake, funeral and burial all within about 12 hours! I guess it is nice, because you can move on quickly, but it is alot. It was an emotional day yesterday for us and I didn´t even know the person who died! I had a lot of time to think yesterday and it is so hard to see the heartbreak that seperation brings, espcially when unexpected, but I thought that maybe that was what it was like for each on of us when we watched loved ones and friends come down to earth and be born while we stayed up in the premortal world until our time. Just like death here on earth, in heaven we knew that we will be able to see our loved ones again, we may just wait years here on earth and then years after when we meet in the spirit world after we had died. Seperation is always hard, but we had the assurance from a loving Heavenly Father that this life is not the end. Each one of us one day will leave this earth for a better world, one without suffering or pain. I know that this is true. Our loving Heavenly Father made a perfect plan for each one of us that allows us to grow, that be with our families forever.

Well, not much else exciting happened. I had a Zone Conference tomorrow in Aracaju which means that I can see some of my friends who are in other zones, that we are getting up really early tomorrow to get to the church by 7:30 in Aracaju, but it will be a good day :)

I know that this church is true. I know that we had a living prophet today. I know that the priesthood power is real, that it can bring miracles. I know that we are never alone here on this journey of life. I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants the best for each one of us.

I hope you all have a great week! I love you and miss you!!

Com amor,

Sister Chilson

The Church is True

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous week! This week was pretty much normal for us here, just teaching, eating and sleeping :) This past Wednesday we had the mission tour with the general authority. We had the meeting in Aracaju with the rest of the elders in our zone and a few other companionships. We up at 5:15 to get ready and get there in time and then things started late... but we were there on time :) The meeting was good. It is always amazing to hear general authority speak and we learned alot of things of how we can become more productive in our work. Our mission president also used this time to change some rules in our mission, which ruffed the feathers of some people. It was nothing major, it is just hard to change :) This Saturday there was also a wonderful Relief Society activity about virtuous women. I don´t have time to explain it all, but there were women who dressed up like virtuous women from the scriptures (Eve, Sarah, Mary, Ruth etc.) and talked about the faith and such they had and then the actual RS sisters shared their testionies. It was to show how we are all important, all of us have faith and just because these women in the sciprtures did these amazing things, we are all the same. It was such a great activity and I will be keeping it in the back of my head for when I come home and have a calling in Relief Society  and we have to plan an activity :) I just wanted to share a quote this week from Preach My Gospel about hope. I don´t know what the exact words are because I was too lazy to go through my suitcase to find my English PMG, so I just tried my best to translate it in English from Portugues :) But more or less it says- Hope is the trust in God´s promises, faith that if we act today, the desired blessings with come in the future. James E. Faust. Hope can be dificult to have, but we can cling to the faith that we have, the examples in the scriptures that God´s always keeps His promises and that if we do the right things now that all with work out for our good and we are promised we will have eternal life in the world to come- happiness with our families without end. I know that this church is true! I love you all so much and hope you all have a fabulous week!! Com amor, Sister Chilson   Pics   Pizza Sister Lopez and I made my district right now (4 americans, and 4 brazilians) When Sister Lopez and I bough açaí açaí Us 4 sisters and the conference this week

Setembro!

Hello Everyone!

Happy Labor Day! How is it already September... School will be starting this week... Man, how time flies!

This week was a pretty normal week again. The entire town of Itabaiana celebrated the birthday of Itabaiana, so it was a holiday, everything was closed and the only people in the streets were the ones drinking... needless to say we tried to visit some people, but then headed home until we had our reading class because no one wanted to talk with us. There was a concert in the afternoon/at night and there was a amusment park too. I was right about one thing about Brasil before my mission- that they like to celebrate and big. The phrase ´go big or go home´ yeah, that´s Brasil :)

This week I celebrated 10 monthes of my mission and Sister Lopez and I went to eat açaí again. I took a picture this time. It is dark, so may be hard to tell, but hopefully you can get a better idea of what it is. I ordered açaí with cashews and sweetened condenced milk- yum!! I love açaí and it actually has some good health benefits too. Well, maybe without the sweetened milk, but whatever :)

Everyone here has a hard time saying and remembering my name, so I usually just end up ´sister´, but yesterday the brach president asked me to say the opening prayer for sacarament meeting. I was waiting to see how he said my name, and without hesitation he said ´sister chilson´´. After he sat down he gave me a look like ´was that right?´ I smiled and nodded and he gave the biggest smile in the world like he was so proud that he got it right. Then I just laughed. Good times in Brasil :)

Yesterday we were walking in the street to someone´s house and there was an older woman with popcorn that she has made and she was sitting there with two other people and as we passed by she told us to take some. Yup, we just took a handfull of someone else´s popcorn in the street. She was so persistent though and it smelled really good. That describes two things different about Brasil- first that people live in the street here. Especially after the sun goes down, people are just sitting in the street talking, eating, or whatever. Also, it shows how Brasil people love giving. Especially here in the NE, people always offer food, even if they have almost nothing, they always offer food to us and always tell us to eat until we are full. It doesn´t matter how humble they maybe, but they always give. I love Brasil and it is such a wonderful example of selfless people giving to others before themselves.

Well, I guess that is about all for this week. I know that this Church is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today. We have a living prophet who speaks with God and then tells all of us- how amazing is that! We can know exactly what Heavenly Father wants us to know and we will have the opportunity to hear from the prophet, apostles and other leaders in about a month! How blessed we are!

I hope you all have a fabulous week, a wonderful, relaxing labor day and if you are starting school this week- good luck! I love you and miss you!

Com amor,

Sister Chilson

Life in Brasil

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a fabulous week! I cannot believe that we are reaching the end of August! For some reason September feels really close to the end of the year... Time is going by so fast!

This week Sister Lopez and I were walking down the street and there was a little boy who stopped and pointed at us and said ´Jesus`. Sister Lopez and I just looked at each other and smiled. A few weeks ago too we were sitting on a park bench and two women walked by with a little boy who was probably a year old. He was walking, but he wasn´t walking really well by himself, but anyway, he was walking and then all of the sudden he stopped right in front of us and just smiled and stared. We smiled and waved too and they kept walking, but he kept looking back at us. I got to thinking with these two experiences about how children are pure, they don´t have sins like the rest of us and they are much closer to heaven then we are and how they can see the light of Christ that is in us missionaries. They recongnize that there is something different about us and how we have part of Christ with us as representatives of him. It was a sweet experience to see the meekness and humility of a child.

This week the Relief Society President made pizza that I could eat when we had almoço at their house! It was so sweet of her and was so good! Then later that day Sister Lopez and I tried to make some with the recipe that she had and it turned out pretty well! How I have been missing pizza!

One of the things I am so grateful for about serving a mission is because I am able to see great leaders and learn from their example. As a missionary I work with the branch president, and other leaders more and I have been able to see great leaders who care and who selflessly serve other before themselves. I will work with leaders of the church for the rest of my life so I am greatful now for the time that I have to watch and learn from good (and bad) leaders :)

Well, that is about all for this week. Life just keeps on moving here in Itabaiana :) I cannot believe that in a week it will be September, on Saturday I will hit my 10 month mark and that it is already week 3 of this transfer!

I know that Jesus Cristo is our Savior that he lives and loves each on of us. I know this church is true with all of my heart.

I hope you all have a great week! I love you and miss you!

Com amor,

Sister Chilson

Time Just Keeps Passing By

Hello Everyone!

I feel like I say every Monday, Ìt is P-Day again already?!´ Time is going by so fast! I was thinking about how August is half over and everyone will be starting school again in a few weeks! I still feel like it is May or something...

Anyway, nothing super amazing happened this week, just teaching, eating and sleeping. It is so funny, there are some days when at night we plan, shower and don´t feel like eating so we go to bed at 9:45 or something... us sisters are getting so old! We are so happy when it comes time to sleep at night, it doesn´t really matter what hour it is! We walk alot though and are constantly doing things, so I guess it makes sense :)

They are getting ready for elections here in a month so that means propaganda! Which means cars with speakers going through the streets and you cannot hear what the person next to you is saying, and the occaional fireworks, and no not just at night, but anytime of the day :) But life is good here :)

This week in the reading class we were talking about people names and sounding them out. Then it came time for my name... She asked, what letter makes the ch in my name which is more of a sh sound here and one of the people said ´X´because x here kind of makes a sh sound. It was so funny, but maybe they will be say my name now... To so many people I am just sister, or her, or something like that. It´s all good though :)

I also thought I would share what I ate for lunch last P-Day. doesn´t it look good? And it was realy good, we just need sour cream and totilla chips which they don´t have here, but we make do.

Well, not much else exciting to share this week... I will try to have better stories next week :) I know this church is true. I know that Jesus Cristo is our Savior and that He loves each one of us. I know that personal revelation is real and that the heavens are not closed; that Heavenly Father talks with His leaders and each on of us. I love this gospel!

I hope you all have a great week!! I love you!

Com amor,

Sister Chilson

Awkward Moment, Chili, and Transfers!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a great week! We found out about transfers last night and... *drum roll* us 4 will stay here together for another transfer! We are excited! Hardly anyone was transfered. Presidente is still getting to know people, so he didn´t change much. I only have this transfer and 5 more left in my mission... I have already done 7 transfers... What?! Time goes by so quickly!

So the awkward moment this week was went we were teaching a woman and we started talking about the Word of Wisdom and how it talks about things we should and shouldn´t eat and then her neighbor comes out and gives her a cup of coffee! S. Lopez and I just looked at each other and kept going because we couldn´t turn back now. We got to the part about coffee and she was like, Oh, I know it is good for us and she said she would stop!  Woah! There was that moment when S. Lopez and I just looked at each other though and wondered what should be do... I was all good though :)

Also S. Lopez and I made chili this week without a recipe! We were walking home one day and I don´t know exactly how it started, but we decided to make chili. We thought about how we ate it at home and fumbled our way though and estimated things and thought about what things we could substitiue here for what we have at home and it worked! We tried out best and asked each other Does things seem right? multipe times, but it turned out really good, so now we are doing to try some more things. American companions... love it! :)

Well that is about all for this week! I hope you all have a fabulous week! I read a quote from a conference talk this week that I love. It says ´Prayer doesn´t change God. It changes me.`I realized that is so true. That God is not going to change His plan depending on what we ask and pray for, but prayer humbles our heart and turns our will more to God´s.

I love and miss you all so much!!

Com amor,

Sister Chilson

August, 9 Meses and Americans

Hello Everyone!

I hope you had a great week this week! This week went by so fast and I have no idea where the time went. I was talking with out District Leader on the phone last night and he of course asked how our week was and I was just like Élder, I have no idea what happened this week. We worked hard and it just flew by´. Anyway, Happy August! I feel like this year is almost ending! I have no idea where the time goes... Speaking of time passing quickly, I hit the 9 month mark of my mission this week- halfway!! What?! It is so strange to think that I have less time here left than I have already done. I really am no longer one of the young ones! To celebrate, Sister  Lopez and I ate açaí together. We don´t have it in the states, so you are just going to have to google it. It is a type of fruit that get´s mashed up, but it is cold too and kind of has the consistency of ice cream... I had mine with cashews and sweetened condenced milk... my goodness it was so good! It is right across the street from the church so we maybe visiting there again... :) Sister Lopez also made ice cream for me! It is the flavor goiaba (I attached a pictures). I was so good too! Oh, I love my companion! :)

This week we also had the priviledge of living without water and gas for days. Gas is what you use to use the oven and stove. There is a tank filled with gas that sits by the stove and you can turn it on and off. It is expensive so we lived about a week without it, we bought more this morning. We also lived without water for 3 days... The adventures of a mission :)

Sister Lopez and I were walking yesterday in the street and a women asked us Áre you americans?´ in English. We said yes of course and talked with her for a little while. They are building a Baptist temple in our area. She had such a thick southern accent (she is from Mississippi) and Sister Lopez and I tried to speak English with her, but it was SO hard! We were literally transalting things from Português to English... I might actually have to get a translator to talk with my family at Christmas... that or start practicing my English now... :) She said there is a group of people coming from Alabama to help this week and we could stop by if we wanted. Maybe we will to practice our English. It is so weird and funny to hear English!

Well, that is all for this week! Also I attached a picture of our house. We are number 1333. 1333A lives above us and we live in the bottom. I love our house :)

I hope you alll have a great week! I love you and miss you so much!!

Com amor,

Sister Chilson