Week 14 (2-25-19) Hey-o de Brasil !!!

Hey Daddy-o and Mommy-o and other family!

Thanks for the pictures and encouraging words.  Okay, for us to communicate on the "Phone" I think you need to do something like accept an invitation through your Gmail account and then we can talk. If other people want to chat, like an instant message they also need a Gmail account. Then through google we can talk. Hopefully you can figure it out this week, because I really want to talk to you guys next week, probably about 7 or 8 your time in the morning. 

Video conferencing and other websites are not allowed. This includes Facebook, Facetime, Skype or any other services. The computers at the lan-house are not equipped for this and we are not allowed to use members phones. Hopefully you had a good week. What else is new? Has Brady had her baby yet? How is the ward? If people want to email me, have them send it to my new missionary email account:   Emma.Pierce@missionary.org 

I'm glad Granby is being a good boy. Hopefully you are all staying warm, tell aunt Shirlynne I said Happy Birthday. Glad it was a good one. Continue to eat healthy and lose weight, I truly want to see changes when I get home. I want you to be healthy and feel better. 

 

Thank you for checking on my glasses, I got them from the instant eyeglass place by the mall called Eyemart where mom got hers. I also love my towels mom bought me before my  mission, I did not like them at first, but now I love them. They dry so quickly. I also love those t-shirts she gave me for Christmas, they are light weight and short sleeve. 

I am looking forward to talking with you next week, hopefully you receive the photos I'm sending. I love you lots. 

Com Amor de Brasil, 

Sister Pierce

Me & Sister Castro cooling down with a "Blizzard"

I'm sure this isn't the same as yours at home, lol

I just celebrated my "3rd" month. Time goes by

so fast when your serving the Lord. 

I know mom doesn't spell her name like this, I just

 wanted to send you the photo to show you the sign.

Here is the material I was telling grandma about. 

Week 13 (2-18-19) Day 91 - New Companion & Photos 😊

Hey Family!

Hope this email finds you well, seems like all is well at home, and Granby is LOVING agility. He is getting so good! I loved the video, unfortunately if there was sound, I couldn't hear it, sorry. Which means I wasn't able to hear the video from dad either.

I'm sure you about wet yourself when you heard of the new changes! I am so excited for them. Thank you for being considerate. I was nervous about this change.  I was worried if I talked with you that I might become distracted. Nevertheless, I do want to talk, but maybe not ever week.

Additionally, we need to find a way to communicate. I'm not sure what is going to be best because we email at a lanhouse. I'm pretty sure it doesn't have facetime or anything similar. Also, we need to be considerate of the time zone changes. Generally, I email about 12pm my time, which I'm not sure is the best time for you being 6 hours behind.  Either way, we will find a way, I promise. Please be patient while we figure it out.

I'm sure you also heard of the new ending for my email address:

emma.pierce@missionary.org

My old emails will still be delivered for now, but if people want to email, this is my new email address. This coming week, I will be 3 months old. It's crazy! Time goes by so fast, but I'm sure not for you, lol!

Some sad news I don't know if you heard.  The dam that broke in Rio Preto, and also about the AC malfunction where 10 soccer players died.  Some music, I'm not sure if you would like it, but her name is Lauren Daigle.

I also broke my glasses, I accidently stepped on them. Do you think you could call the place I bought them from and see if there is like a year warranty or something?? They are the ones that are super lightweight. Please let me know either way.

This past week was full of ups and downs. The first few days were rough with Sister Castro, but then I had splits on Friday. When we reunited, I had a new perspective and have a lot to learn from her. We also celebrated her 13 months on Saturday. 

Are you staying warm? Crazy snow! Sorry its not much, but things are going well here. Oh also my city is called San Jose de Rio Preto. I'm not quite sure what Eldorado is in relationship to it, but the area I work in is called Eldorado.

Anywho! I love you soooo much! How are your eating habits coming?? Read D &C 89. Keep going to the Temple, reading scriptures and praying as a family. I need all the prayers I can get! Also what did you think about my idea for when I get home for a family trip? Okay, time for pictures. Tell my baby I said "woof woof, and keep running fast"!  Talk to you next week.

With love from Brasil,

Sister Pierce

Week 12 (2-11-19) Miracle Baptism !!!

Hey Family!

Hope you are all having a great week. I feel like I have so much to tell you, but wish I had more time. First off, thanks for the pictures. It sounds like it was a crazy storm and I am glad I left in time,  lol. 

Thank you for having the piano tuned. I'm glad Granby remembers me playing the piano for him. Have Serenity play for him, so he doesn't forget what a piano sounds like. Also, great minds think alike, because this past week I bought a USB card thingy like what you bought me. So I am going to do my best to send you pictures today, but first I want to tell you about my miraculous baptism. 

Hagata (Agatha In English) is an 8 year old spunky kid. Her Brother Wigor (16 yo) (Igor in English) was baptized about 2 years ago. And since he was baptized, she has been going to church with him. But the missionaries never taught her, probably because of her age. Hagata is special, I think she might have ADHD, cause she has lots of energy. She always asks me to speak English to her. Divina (Gvinia in English) who is her mom is not legally married to her husband, Wallace. A common thing in Brazil. Wallace has never really taking a liking to the missionaries or church and made Wigor wait 6 months before he was baptized. 

So its a miracle we taught her the lessons, because she's always jumping up and down, and likes to play. She sorta had a foundation already because shes been going to primary for a few years.  Anywhoo, we were all getting excited for the baptism, really hoping lots of people were going to come. We were going to make delicious brownies.  Sister Rodriguez and I were practicing what we were going to sing for her baptism. 

So on Thursday Sister Rodriguez asked me if we want to have our fast now so we can enjoy brownies at the baptism. (Feb 3) So we fasted for a few things, one for my testimony to grow stronger, and also that Wallace would have a change in heart. So we fasted, and it was hard and I was hungry. 

We broke our fast Friday at lunch. After lunch we went to see Hagata before her interview that evening. But she wasn't home.  Sister R said "Do you want to fast again?" And I foolishly said "What is fasting going to do?" She said "Yeah, I guess so." 

Then with a hardness in my heart, I said "Fine, let's fast that Wallace might have a change in heart." She said "It's not going to mean much unless your heart is in it" (her being smarter than me).  I said "Maybe I'll have a change in heart."

So I offered the prayer, and it was so CRAZY. About a minute afterwards, Wallace  pulls up in his car. (Miracle 1) and we were able to talk to him. He explained he doesn't feel like Hagata is prepared because she doesn't understand. But we explained that she was prepared and we're able to bear simple yet, powerful testimony that this is the right thing. 

Fast forward to the interview Friday night.  We're all a little nervous but she passed (Miracle 2) I also remembered that from our previous baptism, the water took FOREVER to drain- like seriously, about a week if not longer. So I looked into the font and saw there was still lots of water from the Elders baptism. (they had a baptism on Wed and ours was on Sat) 

Nervous Nelly, I asked if we wanted to prepare that night, but  Sister R and Sister Santos went and talked to Wallace, and tried explaining to him "This is the right thing. Hagata understands", and basically said to him "You say you believe in God and want what God wants, and Gods wants her to be baptized." Then they invited him to pray, right there, but he said he was going to pray that night, and let us know that morning if she could be baptized. 

Also other side note, it was originally planned for 7:30pm that night, but the bishop said, if you want people to come, you need to move it to 3:00pm, because there was an activity that night. So of course I'm nervous all night long, thinking about how tomorrow is going to go, praying with all my heart, "Lord please help us see miracles." Please let her be baptized, and please have all the water drained so we don't have to worry about it tomorrow. 

SATURDAY MORNING

It's like 7 hours from the baptism, the Sisters went and bought stuff for lunch. While they were gone, I said a prayer, again please let this baptism happen. And I had a feeling, still not knowing if if was going to happen or not, but to go and prepare myself for the baptism. I went and did. 

While they were gone, Sister Rodriguez called Wigor. He said his dad isn't going to have an opinion, but after lunch his dad was really going to ask Hagata if she really wants this. Now we were praying that Hagata says yes. 

So me and Sister Mota went and took an investigator to a members house, then quickly dashed back to the church, to fill the font, again NOT knowing if it was going to happen, and ANOTHER miracle! The font was almost drip dry, just very little water on the steps. IT was amazing, and I immediately thanked God. Then we washed the font and filled it. By this time, it was about 1- 1/2 hours from the baptism. And while we were filling the font we got a call, saying  she is going to be baptized. We said "Perfect, all you need to do is go to the church, everything else is prepared." Side note, while we were making SUPER DELICIOUS brownies, our stinking oven wasn't working, but we eventually got it to work. Another miracle. Oh wow, it was amazing! 

Baptism time. Hagata is so little, she was swimming in her jumpsuit. But Wigor was able to baptize her. It took about 5 times because she was afraid, but our awesome Bishop, got in the water. Bishop didn't have a change in clothes, so there he is, in the water in his jeans and shirt, helping her get baptized! It was so awesome! Then we celebrated with yummy brownies and mousse- remind me to make this when I get home. 

Sunday, Hagata was confirmed, and took the sacrament so reverently and bore her testimony. Wigor shared his about how grateful he was for the gospel even when the missionaries told him his sister was going to be baptized, he was like "Yeah right!"  He then said we told him "Everything was prepared for the baptism and we don't even know if it is going to happen." He said he"wished he had as much faith as we did." I shared my testimony on the Plan of Salvation, since it marked the anniversary of grandpas passing.(Feb 3rd) 

All in all it was so amazing and I'm sure there were so many unforeseen miracles, but it definitely boosted my testimony.  I'm sure I'm leaving things out.

Real quick, Sister Rodriguez was transferred to Riberao Preto, and now I have a new companion, Sister Castro, who is Brazilian. I hope we get along.

I love you all.  Keep praying for me and I'll keep praying for you :-)

With lots of love from Brasil, 

Sister Pierce

Sao Paulo Temple 11-27-18

Sister Turpin 11-27-18

Christmas Day 12-25-18

Campinas Temple 12-25-18

Campinas Temple 12-25-18

Campinas Temple 12-25-18

CTM 12-20-18

1st Area after CTM - Eldorado 1-6-19

1st companion after CTM - Sister Rodriguez 1-8-19

Baptism of Manuel 1-12-19

Baptism of Manuel 1-12-19

Baptism of Manuel 1-12-19

Baptism of Manuel 1-12-19

Baptism of Manuel 1-12-19

Subject: 76 days gone! 11 weeks!

Hey Everyone, sorry my email wont be long this week. First off, I got some cards this past week, thank you. I received two Christmas, one New Years and one Valentines Day card. I learned that they don't celebrate Valentines Day in February, but they celebrate in June. different, but cool. 

I walk so much, I really need a foot and back massage! As I was painting my toes this morning, I was thinking how I missed getting pedicures. Thank you for getting Granby's shots. I miss him but I know you are taking good care of him for me. Give him lots of hugs and kisses from me from brazil. 

Thanks for the pictures. Its been two months now and I still don't have a scripture, either use the one I said about faith (from the bible) or the mission one. I just don't have time to pick one out. I really wish I could send pictures.  Thank you for ordering my missionary name tags. I am sooooo !!! excited that I promise I will tell you about the miracle baptism we had next week. Love you lots, have a great week.

With Love from Brasil,

Sister Pierce