YESSSSS, NOOOOOOO

So I am getting transferred... they are taking the sister missionaries out of our ward. Our mission is apparently getting smaller so they have to close some areas and since our ward had 6 missionaries they decided to close our area for sisters. 

Happy news though--I saw so many miracles this week! It was incredible. First, JILVAN got baptized by Wellington,who got ordained as a priest last week! Jilvan(14) is the brother of a recent-convert here(Ivania,19). We have been teaching him really consistently lately and he has been going to church for the past month. He really likes the church and everything--he has been reading the Book of Mormon, but he didn´t understand much. On Thursday, I went on splits with Sister Vizzo(STL) and we taught Jilvan the Restoration using the cups/apostacy visual (where you build the church of Jesus Christ with apostles, priesthood, and tons of references from the Bible). It worked perfectly for him because he used to always say he doesn´t believe in anything that isn´t in the Bible. We were able to help him see how our church really is a new-testament church and  then when the spirit was super strong and he was really understanding everything, Sister Vizzo asked him a bunch of inspired questions. Jilvan confessed that he already had already received an answer that Joseph Smith was a prophet when other sisters were teaching him, but at that time, he decided to be baptized in the 7th day adventist church. He felt like get baptized a second time would be a sin. We were able to help him see that it wouldn´t be a sin to get baptized again and to become a member of the church. He decided to get baptized on saturday and it was sooo cool.  His mom was super supportive and came to the baptism. Ivania was super happy too--she is trying to convert her whole family and her boyfriend Robson! Saturday morning, the morning of the baptism, they(Jilvan and Ivania) went to the garden of the temple for the first time--the ward carpooled and took our investigators and recent-converts to the temple.  It was just the coolest day. Edileusa, Jilvan´s mom, is super receptive to the discussions now and Robson, Ivania´s boyfriend, got interviewed with Ivania by a member of the bishopric and he is now committed to read the Book of Mormon. I´m so happy for Ivania and her determination to share the gospel with her family. 

I was really sad to leave this area. I have only been here for 6 weeks but I really feel like I saw some of the greatest miracles on my mission here. I am so grateful for this work. There aren´t many words to describe how I feel right now--I guess it ´s just really bittersweet. 

Love you all!

Sister Bledsoe

Baptism of Jilvan! 

(me, Ivania[Jilvan´s older sister], Robson[her boyfriend], Jilvan, Wellington[our recent-convert], Sister Ovejero)

lunch in the church with the district

my unbirthday with the members we live with-- Sister Vanuza(she is barely in the pic because Mauricio is in front of her) thought it was my birthdy last monday so she made me a cake and cochinas...it was delicious!

Some of our favorite members

Wellington´s family (us, wellington, his mom, his dad, Flavielle, Flavia and her boyfriend)

november 15th

Hello! Hope you all are happy and healthy! The work is going well--we are working a lot with the families of recent-converts and helping our recent-converts. They are going out teaching with us, going to the temple, planning on going on missions, etc. It is what President Dalton calls the double harvest--when recent-converts help us teach and baptize and retain because they have such strong testimonies and an incredible impact on their families and other investigators. 

On saturday, a member(Erik) took Wellington to the garden of the temple. Wellington loved it! On sunday before church, he had an interview with the bishop (he also received the priesthood after church--we got to be there for the ordination--I felt like a proud mother lol) and bishop asked him to bear his testimony during sacrament meeting--Wellington told how he got to know the church and was converted--how he met an elder a while ago and went to church but then the elder stopped coming over(he was transferred). Then one day he got a text from his sister that said, ``two of your friends are here. one is american and the other is argentinan. they are pretty.``(haha). He said he thought, ``but I don´t know an american or argentinan.`` Then that weekend he met us and we taught him and now he is a member. He gave a powerful testimony and the spirit was really strong--it seemed like he was a pro at giving talks, it was really cool. He told about a dream that he had where he was dressed as an elder or something--he said he will go on a mission. Then a returned missionary, Jefferson, gave a homecoming talk and the spirit of missionary work was very strong. Jefferson talked about being a witness at all times. He told a story that is more or less...

Once there was a minister who gave a sermon on Matthew 3. He taught that it doesn´t say that Jesus entered the waters when he was baptized, he was just baptized along side the River Jordan. One man in the congregation thanked the minister at the end of the meeting and said, ``That was the best sermon I´ve ever heard. Now the Bible makes so much more sense to me. I was always confused by so many of the stories, but now I understand them now. When it says that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were in the fire, they weren´t actually IN the fire, just close by. Daniel wasn´t really in the lion´s den, just close by, right next to the cave. Jonah wasn´t actually IN the whale, just swimming along side...``

Jefferson expounded using similar logic, ``Now we don´t really have to go to church, just live really close to one. We don´t need to really read the scriptures, just open them....`` The principle was comical but it´s a good one. We can justify so many things because of our unbelief/human logic. But the truth is that miracles happen when we act and exercise our faith. Many miracles are unbelievable to many--miracles in the Bible, modern-day miracles(the story of Joseph Smith, etc), but they are still real. Miracles do happen today. The heavens are not closed. We just need to be examples at all times by acting on our faith instead of making excuses and encourage others to act on their faith(like test Moroni´s promise about the Book of Mormon) too. His talk was really inspiring; I hope I can apply the lessons I learned.  I hope that I can continue to do that throughout my mission and for the rest of my life. I have gained such a testimony of this work and I am so grateful for my mission. Hope you all have a great week and see the miracles everyday!

--Sister Sadie Bledsoe

a famìlia è um dom de Deus

This week was awesome! Wellington was baptized amd confirmed!

He helped us teach a new investigator yesterday in the chapel--he bore powerful testimony and is planning on working with the elders(he invited them over for lunch on sunday then they will go out and work together!). He even went to a priesthood meeting last night--he is being integrated really well. Seriously, he is super elect! He will be a great missionary!

We also got a new Ward Mission Leader and he is SUPER excited to help us. His son comes home from his mission this thursday. On Friday, we have an activity planned. Brother Gerson(our WML) is helping us integrate our investigators and converts, and the ward here is really on fire. The work will continue to grow here in Itapecerica and we are happy to be a part of it. All of the missionaries here are having success and our gospel principle's class is consistently full! 

This week I also got to go to the temple! Such a sweet spirit there...

I just feel so blessed. Yesterday was the primary program and the kids here are just so cute. All the primary songs in Portuguese are just so beautiful. I teared up as they sang ``A Família é um dom de Deus``(the family is a gift of God)--I don´t know what song it is in English but it was sooo cute and I remembered my primary days and how blessed I was to grow up in the church with wonderful parents and siblings. Thank you, thank you mom, dad, elissa, nathan and haley!

Love you! 

Sister Bledsoe

Erik(RM) and Wellington

Elias(member), Erik, Wellington, and Brother Gerson(WML)

Temple with the district (Elder Beck, Elder V. Santos (ZLs), Elder Escajeda(DL), Elder Cordova, me, Sister Ovejero)

CHURRASCO!

obra do Senhor

Happy Halloween!!! they don´t celebrate halloween here, but I bought myself stickers to commemorate... I might have an obsession. 

also shoutout to Haley---HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Crazy that this is the 2nd birthday of yours that I´ve missed, but I hope it´s a good one!!!

Here in Sao Paulo, we´ve been hearing that on November 15th, we will run out of water. Our area president, President Claudio Costa, asked us to fast on the 16th. Yesterday at church, our bishop reminded us that many times in General Conference we were counselled to support our leaders--we have to do so now, especially supporting our local and general leaders of the church. That was a good lesson for me. I remembered the first presidency message like 2 months ago in the Ensign/Liahona was ``are you prepared?`` Here everyone is asking themselves that. How grateful we should be for a prophet, and how wise it would be to heed their counsel. 

We have also been working with Wellington more--he is super solid. This week...

On Wednesday, we spent almost the entire day walking around--we were finding seriously no one home. We kept working and everything until we decided to try to visit a recent-convert. On our way to her house, guess who we found in the street...Wellington!(miracle that we found him--met up with him at that very second! it was a tender mercy. diligence brings blessings!) He felt sick that day and didn´t stay for school. He ended up just going home after work, which is super rare for him. He told us that he had read up to 1 Nephi 6 that day on the bus and really liked the Introduction and everything so far. He invited us over to his house and we had a quick follow-up and gave him the rest of the pamphlets. It´s also been perfect because at church the past 2 sundays the lessons have been the law of chastity and temple work--2 lessons that we NEEDED to teach him. Then on Sunday, as we walked to church that morning, Wellington told us that he has read a lot of 1 nephi and loves Lehi´s dream--he taught us more about opposition; that his family has been super burdened lately--especially since we started coming over. However, he talked a lot about his faith and how he believes that he will be blessed for doing eveything that he´s doing. It was amazing; he was teaching us. Then after church, we felt prompted to teach him again in the chapel with Evelin, a returned missionary. The lesson went so well. It started off with a prayer then Evelin said, ``Sisters, I think Wellington has something to tell you.`` Then he said, ``Saturday, I´m going to get baptized.`` YES!!!! We then had an incredible lesson with them and the spirit was so strong. Evelin was able to really encourage Wellington because she is the only member in her family and she served a mission. Now Wellington is talking about a mission and his biggest difficulty is that he wants so badly for his family to be a part of the church. I´m so grateful that Evelin could be there. It seems like EVERYTHING fell into place this week to prepare Wellington to be baptized--he has been taught all the lessons(even lesson 5) and yesterday night we did a review with him and gave him a pre-baptismal interview. I´m so grateful to be a part of teaching Wellington. This week I was reminded of a story in Acts about the apostles: 

``Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. (Acts 5:34-39).``

Gamaliel didn´t have much faith in the apostles, but I love his logic--if this was my work( the work of men), there would have been no way for Wellington to be prepared for baptism. 

Wellington is super excited to invite everyone to his baptism and he wants to visit the temple later that day. Tomorrow we, as missionaries, get to go to the temple--yay!!!

--Sister Sadie Bledsoe