BATISMO!!

Abinádi...

since we are both new in this area, we know basically nothing about anyone or where anyone lives or anything. SO we got a list of all the members and went to one neighborhood and started visiting them all and almost ALL of them are inactive so it was really cool. BUT the first couple people we visited basically laughed at us the whole time so we were feeling pretty bad, BUT we´ve been reading the book of mormon together and we had just read about abinadi so we decided ``enough with the cute little happy messages! lets be bold like abinadi!! THIS IS SALVATION!!!`` so our next lesson we didnt beat around the bush at all and we just told her how it is and wow the spirit was SO strong! it was awesome!! 

andddd i dont really remember anything else exciting happening during the week.. just a lot of walking and a lot of rain..... 

BUT theres this lady in our ward, Carmem, that WE LOVE! shes so hilarious and crazy and she gave us a note to pray about this lady, Vivane, to know if we should visit her so we went to her house and all prayed together and felt really good that we should go there so we marked to go there sunday. 

and now for sunday: we got to church all bright and early and looked all nice, we even joked that this was the most we looked liked women our whole missions (since now the chapel is 5 minutes away instead of an hour) and we were sitting there greeting everyone as they came in and bishop comes in and talks to us for a minute then leaves.... then comes back about 2 minutes later and says ``oh sisters, i need two talks for today`` WHAT!!!!!!!!!! so we go sit on the stand and i was completely calm. not one little nerve in my body. and i dont remember anything i said so i hope it was good. hahah THEN we had lunch with some members, Taisa and Moroni, and moroni´s dad, Mario, joined us, and then after we shared a scripture and whatnot and then Mario said ``you know what meninas.. ive been a member for 40 years and its been a long time since i´ve felt the spirit that strongly during a sacrament meeting as i did today during your talks. and i feel that same feeling now.`` so that was really cool and we high fived! AND THEN. we went with Carmem to Vivanes and her husband came out and was whispering and was like ``my wife doesnt want you to visit right now. sorry`` and so we gave him a little card with our number on it and were like ``ah tudo bem! we´ll mark another day!! Tchau!`` and so we went and taught Giselle, who´s SUPER cool and SUPER ready for baptism but still hasnt accepted, but anyway we taught her about the plan of salvation and it was super awesome and after we parted ways with Carmem and then the phone rang... so i answered and didnt understand anything, so i handed it to sister pence and it was Vivane and she went off! She told us that we are ``NEVER welcome to her home and that she already knows everything were going to tell her and that she knows more about our church than we do and that we can be assured that whatever feeling we had to visit her was NOT from God. Tudo bem? tchau.`` and hung up.............. So we decided it was a bad idea to try to be like Abinadi.. haha 

but then last night we were reading the book of mormon again and we read Alma 8:11 and sister pence just says ``vivane.`` and so we read the rest of the chapter and then just sat there for a minute and then looked at each other and said ``we need to go back`` but dont worry! were gonna find a full proof, safe, loving way. and we are confident the Lord is going to soften her heart. :) (and hopefully soften the blow of her punches too. haha jk) 

but then this morning we were walking to the market and it was POURING rain and this car turned down the road we were on and then when he was close to us he sped up and splashed water all over us and we looked at each other and said ``i bet it was vivane...`` hahahaha it was really funny. 

ALSO we were trying to make hot chocolate but it tasted really nasty so i grabbed the sugar and asked sister pence how much we should put in and she said ``just a clump`` so i started pouring it and then the bag like folded weird and DUMPED about half the bag in the pot. hahahahaha but it tasted better :) and it looked like rootbeer. hahaha but it was really funny

thats all. 

tchau tchau :) 

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kermintina, chocolate cake, and more miracles

TRANSFERS!! wahoo!! sister Pence and I both got transfered together to Bandeirantes!! (its like 15 minutes away from our old area.. haha) BUT we are the only missionaries in this area so we have nothing to work with. the elders that were here before us didnt even leave us a map... haha 

but our first day here we got calls all day from people in the ward welcoming us and saying they want to do visits with us and everything! (mostly just the young women since they havent had sisters in the ward for over 2 years) and then the rest of the week we basically just walked around lost and miraculously we found our way to every appointment and lunch!! We definitely had some divine help!! 

so, every day we switch off who´s in charge of answering the phone and stuff and so one day when it was my turn we got a call and it was a referal and hahaha i thought the name of the referal was something super weird like ``kermintina`` so i called this lady and made an appointment for the next day. so we go there and whats her name? Elza. hahahahahaha kermintina??? hahhaha this is why i should never be in charge of the phone. BUT elza lives alone because her husband died 7 years ago and shes still super sad and lonely. she has kids and about 25 grandkids but i dont think they visit her a lot. she just waters her plants and said ``i love to bake but i dont ever have anyone to share it with!`` and then she gave us a chocolate cake!! it was awesome! then she came to church yesterday and i bore my testimony (okay, i TRIED to bear my testimony...) and at the beginning i said ``sorry. i dont talk portuguese very well`` and then when i sat down elza hugged me and said ``you talk portuguese very well my child!`` then when church was over and she was leaving she gave me a big hug and said ``I love you!`` and she loved church and it was awesome! I LOVE KERMINTINA!! hahaha also that night when we were praying, i was saying it and i was asking Heavenly Father to bless and help Elza and when i said her name sister pence and i started laughing and i felt bad but i sure Heavenly Father was chuckling too :) 

also the first day we were here we got a call from a girl,ho is going on a mission in april and she said ``im leaving in april so i have nothing to do so i can do visits with you guys everyday. also i have a baptism for you.`` wow. thank you.. haha so the ``baptism`` she had for us was her sister in law, so we made an appointment with her for 9 in the morning becasue she works in the afternoons until late. so we get there at 9 and start clapping and no one comes........ so we call her name and all the other stuff brazilians do and still nothing.... so we decide to visit some less actives in the same neighborhood and we go there and... nothing. so we decided to sit and read the book of mormon since we were missing our study time and there was no point in walking all the way home and then all the way back for lunch. so we sat down and sister pence asked me to say a prayer so i did and i said ``please help us to know what to do. amen.`` DO DA DOO DODADOLADADO (thats our ringtone) LITERALLY THE SECOND I SAID AMEN OUR PHONE RANG!! it was spooky. and it was the

sister in law of the girl going on a misison and she was like ``SORRY! are you guys still close by?? can you come back??`` so we did and we sit down and she starts telling us everything she knows about our church and then she goes ``but i really want to know about baptism.`` so we taught about that and shes going to get baptised on march 13!! haha it was awesome but we literally didnt do anything!! and then she gave us cake! so it was good. i think i might gain a little weight in this area. haha

also we´ve made it a goal to take at least one picture every day so we´ve got a lot of pictures in our house right before we go to bed. hahaha also when we got to our apartment, there was a room just full of all the clothes and shoes and stuff elders have left behind... so naturally that room smelt awesome. 

TCHAU!!!!

sis lloyd

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