Week 59 - Camaragibe

Dear family,

Thank you for the pictures and letters. Congrats Rae for your track meet. I can’t believe that it’s already starting again. Wow time passes by so fast!

A lot has happened this week! I’ll start with the biggest and most exciting. The family that we have been teaching is going to be baptized!! They have made the goal to me married on April 10th and their baptism is going to be the day after on the 11th. I am so excited!!! I’ve always wanted to help someone plan and get married but it always seemed like such an impossible task. But God has been working so many miracles with this family and truly has touched their hearts. They have made night and day changes in their lives. The husband this week told us how grateful he is for our help and that his family is a lot happier now. It is just amazing and I’m super grateful to be a part of it. We still have a lot of things to teach and do but everything will work out. We had a meeting with the Bishop yesterday and he is super willing to help in whatever we need and also the other leaders of the ward.  It’s gonna take a lot of work, but we are excited. Keep this family in your prayers!

Another thing...we had two meetings with President Bigelow in Recife this week for the leaders of the mission. He is awesome. I love listening to him and learning from him. In the first meeting we talked about some of the changes that he wants to make, but the second I liked even more. We had trainings on how to be leaders. I learned so much. He talked about not just being examples, but being models for others. He explained how we can just keep to ourselves and be a perfect example but not always that will make a difference or make someone follow our example. But our role is to help, uplift, inspire, and all those things. I don’t even know how to explain everything that he taught us but it was awesome. We had to do like role plays of how to correct directly but with love. It was really good. The whole day was perfect.

The last thing...  I ate a bug this week!! I still can’t believe that I actually did it and I feel sick when I think about it but I did it! It’s called tanajura so you can look that up on google to see what it was that I ate haha. We were at a family’s house from the ward for a FHE and they showed us all these bugs that they caught to fry and eat later that night. But they said that it’s good to eat raw too. And then the dad and all the boys ate one and asked us if we wanted one and I just thought what the heck I’m only in Brazil one time! It was alive too! So the dad pulled off the wings and legs and I ate it!!! hahahaha It tasted like cheese. It wasn’t that gross, just the fact that it was a bug was gross. I have a video on our cell phone that I need to figure out how to transfer to my pin drive to show you guys. But yeah so now I can say that I’ve eaten a bug!!

Thank you so much for everything. Everything is going great here. The weather is turning into "winter" or a lot of rain. A few nights ago there was a thunder storm in the middle of the night. I woke up to a lot of squealing because the girls I live with aren’t used to thunder and lightning.  Hahaha it was funny. Sister Vasquez made me go to the bathroom with her because she was scared to go alone. But anyways love you guys and hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Sister Bedke

Week 58 - Camaragibe

Dear Family and Friends,

Transfers were yesterday and....I’m staying here!!! Yay! It was nice to not pack my bags this time haha. Sister Vasquez is staying as well so I’m excited for this transfer, it’s gonna be great!!

This week has been a good one, we have kept busy. I got sick for real for the first time on my mission. Don’t worry I’m completely better now, but I had some kind of virus. I don’t even really know what I had, but my skin broke out in a whole bunch of red itchy dots for like 4 days and I had lots of stomach pain. It was really weird, but now I’m fine!

The family that we have been teaching for a while all came to church yesterday!! Usually just the mom comes, but the dad surprised us and was there yesterday too! We’ve been talking to him a lot about faith and putting his trust in God and all the blessings they’ll receive from obeying the commandments.

This week a member gave us a list of like 10 of his friends to visit! I love getting references. I am super impressed with all the missionary minded people that I have met here. His work has a whole bunch of pictures of Christ and stuff from the church and he has a special notebook where he takes the address and name of people who are interested in the pictures. He is the best.

Something funny that happened this week...we were knocking on doors and a lady answered but seemed like she was super busy or running late or something. We asked if we could say a prayer with her before we left so she invited us in. Sister Vasquez started to explain to her how we pray with our arms folded and our eyes closed and that it’s just a conversation with God, but while she was explaining everything the lady thought that it was her prayer, so she already closed her eyes and bowed her head. So I was like uhh did you understand? She pops her head up and stares at us for like 10 seconds without saying anything and then says "ugh lets gets this over with! Dear God thank you for sending these 2 girls. I don’t understand what they are saying and I don’t think that they understand me either but please bless....." I could not stop laughing!! hahaha During the middle of her prayer we were both laughing so hard but trying to control ourselves which just makes you laugh even harder. It was so funny! Also this morning when I was sending those boxes I went to pass my card and put my pin in but the button wasn’t working. It already was taking foreverrrrr so we were all out of patience. The lady that was working there says "let me try" and grabs the machine and yells "GOD IS MORE!" and then pushes the button and it worked hahaha. It was so funny because she was 100% serious. Brazilians are the funniest people ever.

I’ve been learning a lot and focus a lot on always doing Gods will. It is so cool how God answers our prayers and helps us with our righteous desires. Ok for example we have to study at 8 in the morning and at 7:59 I’m busy folding my clothes and I just want to finish real fast before I study. But then I remember that no I’m going to do everything even the little things exactly in Gods way. I know that it’s not about what I want, but about what God wants, and I’m always happier this way anyways.

Ok so I already told you about the boxes, so be looking for those. One box has a pillow case that a lady made for me. You can use it if you want, it’s really pretty!!! But I think that’s all for this week. Love you guys so much!! Thanks for everything!

Love,

Sister Bedke

Week 57 - Camaragibe

Dear friends,

We have had a great week. We have kept super busy and have been finding a lot of new people to teach which is always great. Sister Vasquez and I work together really good. Next week is transfers which I don’t even know how, but we are hoping to stay together again! We have been talking with everyone on the buses and on the streets and then using everything that President taught us in the zone conference and its super exciting to see the difference that it makes. One lady literally seemed like she was waiting for us. The first time we met her she didn’t have very much time to talk but said that we could come back the next day. When we went back she told us that she was anxious and excited to see us again. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and she became super interested and excited to read.

Also our 13 year-old investigator was baptized on Saturday. It was really cool because his whole family went and supported him. He was super happy and he can’t wait to pass the sacrament. When I think about the difference that the Gospel will make in his life if he continues to live it, it makes me happy. I think he'll make a huge difference in his family and with his friends too.

The start of this week we had a lot of extra time to study because of the holiday. I loved all of the talks that we read. I read one about become a consecrated missionary.  It made me so much more motivated to do everything exactly the Lord’s way even down to the little things. I also read a cool one about the doctrine of families and how, even though the world’s view on families has changed, it hasn’t changed in God’s eyes.

Our other new converts are still doing great. One has been teaching with us and she is a natural missionary. But anyways everything is doing great here. Thank you so much for everything. Love you guys!

Love,

Sister Bedke

Week 56 - Camaragibe

Hello!!

This last week has been different than normal because of the holidays here. Have you guys seen anything on the news about Carnival in Brasil? We have to come home at 5, but President Bigelow gave us a talk to study for every day. I have been learning so much! Mom and Dad I think you guys would really like the talk I read yesterday. It’s called Learn by Faith by Elder Bednar. It’s really good!!

This week we had a zone conference with President. I loved it! He taught us how to be better teachers. He used 1 Nephi 11. I learned so much. That chapter is like a guide of how to teach.  He explained how in this chapter the Spirit taught Nephi by asking questions and not just passing all of his knowledge to Nephi. And when Nephi had desire and believed the Spirit showed him all the things that he wanted to know. But there is a big difference in explaining and showing. And we need to show the people we teach and let them discover and learn for themselves so that they can be truly converted. We have been applying everything that we learned and I feel like we are teaching so much better. Sometimes it’s hard to not just talk and explain but seriously no one wants to sit there and just listen to us talk for 30 minutes. President Bigelow is the best! Seriously he is super inspired and I loved loved loved the meeting!

I did my first division with another sister this week. It was so much fun. I loved it and I learned so much!! I went to Carpina. It’s like an hour away from Camaragibe. And I stayed with Sister Venegas from Chile. We had such a great day. We found a family!!! We taught them about the restoration and I know they felt the Spirit. My favorite part of the day was at night when we got to talk about our goals for the mission and life. She told me about things that she wants to change and be better and I got to share some experiences with her. Seriously it was an experience that I’ll never forget. I felt so strongly the love that Heavenly Father has for her and all the potential that she has. I loved it. It made me think that Bishops are lucky because they get to feel that a lot. Next week we'll do a division with Sister Andrade and her companion. I’m excited!!

The 13 year old we've been teaching is going to be baptized this Saturday. He is such a good kid. He is a great example to his family. He comes every Sunday and to all the activities by himself. And he lives really far away too! He is reading the Book of Mormon and loving it. He’s super excited about Saturday! His mom has been coming to church too. She wants to be baptized too, but isn’t quite ready yet. But she will be! She has made so much progress.

Do you guys remember me talking about a lady in Gravata that Sister Dana and Sister Rodgrigues taught, and she was baptized last March? We went there for dinner once a week and tried talking with her husband but he was never really interested. And then Sister Andrade and I tried again to teach him and he started to listen but still wasn’t super interested. Then when we both were transferred he told us that he thinks it was a sign that he needs to step up and help his wife with her spiritual growth and that he was gonna start going to church with her. Anyways I just found out that he was baptized this week. I am so so so happy!!! It made me want to cry. I’m gonna write her today. They are such a good family. And she is coming to the United States next year I think so maybe you guys will get to know them!

I got a package from you guys and a box from Meika. Thank you so much!! I love everything. If you guys see Meika tell her thank you from me! That was so nice of her. I’ve already used the headband. I love it! You guys are the best! Thank you so much for everything. I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Sister Bedke

Thanks for the mail!

French toast!!!

 Making breakfast for the district

 

Zone Conference

 Roommates!

Week 55 - Camaragibe

Dear family and friends,

Thank you so much for the emails and pictures. I can’t believe how much snow you guys have. It looks so pretty. Are you back to going to school normal without delays or anything? Rae looked so so so pretty for the dance. I loved the dress and the accessories. Did she actually dance or stand there and talk? :) I have been learning how to salsa!! Everyone here knows how to dance and loves dancing. So living with a lot of Latin Americans I’ve learned a few things. I’m really bad, but it’s a lot of fun trying haha.

This has been a good week. Everyone is doing well. Three investigators came to church yesterday. One is a mom of a family that we have been teaching. They have been meeting with the missionaries for a long time and know everything, just don’t want to get married. We had a few good lessons with them this week and then went back on Saturday to invite them to church again and she didn’t think she would go because she had a few things she needed to do. We shared with her the importance of going to church and putting Christ as a first priority but we didn’t think she really understood after we left. But she came!! We were super happy.

This week Sister Vasquez had to go to the doctor and we got to go back to Boa Viagem!!! It was the best. I love that area so so so much. My dream is to go back there my last transfer. You guys need to go there some day!

This week is the start of a holiday here called Carnival. Its gets really crazy apparently and isn’t very safe for us to be on the streets, so we have to go home every day at 5 o clock from the 13th until the 19th. I don’t like staying inside so much, but we will have a lot of time to study.

One important thing that I’ve been learning is the importance of reading the scriptures, saying prayers, church attendance, the simple things that truly make a huge difference. We’ve met a few different families that were at one point super strong in the gospel, but for some reason stopped doing those simple things maybe for not even very much time, but fell away. And at first I think how could that happen? No one is exempt from Satan’s temptings. But God is so much more powerful. I really like what it says in Helaman 5:12. When we have a foundation constructed on Christ that makes all the difference. Doing those simple things can keep us safe from sin.

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

Love,

Sister Bedke

Week 54 - Camaragibe

Dear Family,

This has been a very busy but great week. We had to run from Mariana’s house to João’s house every day, but they both were baptized this week and it was the best! Mariana told us that she is like 100% sure that she is going to serve a mission too! I am so happy for her. She will be the best missionary ever. Seriously it is the cutest thing ever when we are at her house we don’t even have to teach her. We start the lesson and she ends up telling us everything that she knows and scriptures that she likes and how wonderful the commandments are and all the blessings we receive when we keep them. And then at the end she was like oops sorry I think I just gave the class! haha She is seriously the best! I’m so so so happy for her. She thinks she’ll come to the US next year, so you guys might get to meet her!

And Joao also is the cutest thing ever. His baptism was super good. A lot of his family went and a lot of members were there too. He is now the oldest member in our ward! And he is going to be a home teacher too. He is so cute!!!

We have to start meeting a lot of people and work with the members now. These last two weeks we have been focusing so much on the two baptisms that we don’t really have very many other people to teach now. Our area is huge and it will be good getting to know the other parts better now.

The temple was great. We took lots of pictures but I just sent my favorites. I hope you all have a great week. Love you guys!

Love,

Sister Bedke

  

Week 53 - Camaragibe

Hello everyone!

I am loving my new area, companion, investigators, everything! My area is called Camaragibe.  It’s huge! It’s not like a city like Pina was but we have to take vans as our way of transportation because it’s too big to walk. We are still pretty lost and don’t know our way around very well buts lots of members have been teaching with us and helping us out a lot. My ward is big again and the members are so welcoming and excited! So many people have been asking us if we can teach their friends and family! And once again the bishop is awesome!!

My companion is Sister Vasquez from Peru. She is tiny and I feel like a giant with her but she is the cutest little thing ever and is a sweetheart. She has almost 9 months on her mission. I hope we stay together a long time, we get along really well. I live in a house with 6 missionaries and one bathroom. It’s a little crazy but I actually like it. It’s a lot of fun and all of us are laid back and I don’t think there will be any drama. 

I am learning how to be a Sister Trainer. There are six of us in the mission. My comp isn’t one but a sister that I live with is also.  We had a mission leadership meeting with Pres and the zone leaders this week and he gives us training and then we have to do divisions or splits (idk how you call it in English) but with the other sisters and teach them what he taught us. And also if there is drama or someone isn’t being obedient we have to help them. And just be an example in everything! It’s awesome!  I’m learning so much. I had to talk to someone about obedience this week and I was so nervous but it actually went really well and she thanked me at the end

Ok now the miracles that have been happening....we have 2 baptisms this week. On Sunday, an investigator is going to be baptized. He is 90 years old!!! And he is soooooo cute!!! He has been living in the interior where there isn’t a church but moved here to live with his daughter who is a member and started going to church with her and loves it. He is the cutest thing in the world!! Seriously when we teach him we are just like awwwww the whole lesson. He is nervous that he isn’t gonna know enough and someone is going to ask him a question and he won’t remember. He reminds us every day that he doesn’t hear very well and he can’t see very good! But he always remembers the Prophet Joseph Smith. José is what he says. We are super excited and we love him!

The other is a young woman. Ok she is the most prepared person in the world. The sisters before us have been teaching her for like a month and they invited her to pray about what they were teaching and she did and that night she had a dream. She dreamed about the Salt Lake temple (which she’s never seen it before) and she heard a voice say "this is my house and the path to follow" and then she turned around and saw the sacred grove and the same voice said that this is where I called my servant Joseph Smith to restore the gospel. Is that not amazing?! I about cried when she told us. She pretty much teaches us every time we meet with her. She understands the restoration better than anyone I’ve ever taught! She shares her testimony with everyone, isn’t too shy to pray in front of us, she looks like she’s been a member for her whole life. She’s 22 and I know that God has huge plans for her. And she is just the happiest person ever. It is a huge privilege to get to teach her. And actually she is teaching us.

This week was great and I’m so happy to be here. I miss Pina and everyone there but I’m so excited about this new area. I’m going to the temple today. On the week that we go to the temple our P-day is on Wednesday and we have to work normal on Monday. I got a few emails from my friends on the mission that went home last week. I can’t believe how fast time is going by. Sister Jeffery just went home now too!

I have lots of pictures to send you guys. I hope you all have a great week! Love you all!

Love,

Sister Bedke

 Recife with Sister Vasquez

Our neighbors