aonde mandares irei

iii aaaiiii iiiiii meus queridos!!

This week was crazy and seriously by the time I leave this area i'll have legs of steel because yeah we walk. A lot. 

But really, because we are opening the area we have to get to know all the members, and start fresh with all new investigators. It takes some serious work, but I totally believe that we're going to see some miracles soon:) Our investigator Carlos wasn't baptized this week because his wife is a member of the Assembleia de Deus and he's worried about causing problems in his home, but he's so faithful about coming to church, family home evenings, and marking times to meet with us, so we're feeling that it's only a matter of time now:) Also, this week we met Marcus who has had a lot of problems with drugs and drinking, but when he started to talk to us he started to cry. He began to ask for our help to leave this life, and start over so he could see his family again. It was a really interesting experience because at times we talk to people who are "all talk and game", but it feels different now. I don't know how to describe it really, but I'm grateful for the experiences we have as missionaries to meet people and see them a little how the Savior does. 

I love this work. I love my Redeemer. I love you all.

-Sister Pace

Photos:

-Sister J Silva and I

-Carambola tree (Starfruit) we are going to be making a lot of starfruit juice this week!

love at first sight

It happened!

I was transferred this week!! Now I am here in Zona Pajuçara, which is like 20 minutes from Natal in the Gramoré ward. My companion is Sister J Silva:) I already heard loads about her from Sister Cunha because they are from the same ward in São Paulo:) And oh my gosh I love her! We are opening the area which means we are both new to the area, and we are both just in love with how gorgeous it is here, the beautiful capela, our ward, our district and zone, and seriously our investigators who are soooooo prepared for the gospel!! Haha we can't find anything bad!! It's just us two in a really big area, but we are so excited to work here:)

We already have an investigator that has made some visits to church and he watched general conference. We taught the restauração with him and really invited him to read and pray about the Livro de Mórmon for him to really receive and answer. When we visited with him the next day he told us that he wants to join the true church and he's feeling something special when he reads and prays, but his family doesn't support him and he's worried about how he'll have to continue alone. He had a million questions about our families and how we knew the church is true. We are really so excited and a little worried at the same time for him because we know how hard the adversary works on people trying to find the path and stay on it. But I'm confident that he'll receive the help he needs:) Só ora!! 

Some other funny things that happened this week:

Here in Pajuçara the buses and cars move a lot faster that Mossoró. When we were walking with our district to get açai and elder in my district started to cross the street and didn't see the bus turning and technically he got hit by the bus, but it was more like he bumped shoulders with a bus. He's completely fine, but my heart stopped. haha sister J Silva and I laugh every time we see a bus now. Beware of buses in big cities...

Also, I received a kiss on the cheek from a 30 something year old man that we contacted in the street. Yeah I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time...But his parents visited the church yesterday, so there's the plus side!!

amo vocês!

-sister pace

the view from our apartment (you can see the point of the capela!)

our capela

I'll send more pictures next week!!!

and iiiiieeiii will always love yoouuuuu

bom diiiiiaa!!

Can you believe that we have transfers this week?! I can't. I don't know if I'll be leaving my beloved Abolição, but whatever happens will be great I can just feel it! 

This week Sister Ochoa and I have been preparing Acildo for baptism and he's so excited. Whenever we show up at his house or call him he shouts  "Ochoa!!" "Pace!!" hahaha. We have decided that he'll make a great bishop one day:) Also, yesterday was just full of miracles because we were running around our area helping investigators get to church and because we were running late, Sister Ochoa and I lost a little faith and decided that we weren't going to make it in time for the sacrament, but seriously one minute after a car pulled up and a woman asked if we knew where the Mormon church is. HA. She was a friend of the bishop's wife and was lost in trying to find the church. But it gets better... so we were still pretty late in getting there and so when we arrived thinking that we still missed the sacrament, NOPE! the schedule changed! Sacrament meeting was last and we got to partake of the sacrament:) We had two families at church yesterday and both couple have to get married before baptism, but they loved church and i'm confident that all will work out soon:)

Other than all that I'm doing really well! My chaco tan line is ridiculous.

I love you all so much. I am so thankful for all your prayers, well wishes, emails and especially for those of you taking care of my family:)

de boa na lagoa

-sister pace

vinde o santos!

i ai i família e amigos,

First, let's take a second to realize that this month I'll be completing 6 months. A third of my mission. WHAT?

Second, I'm going to talk to my family next month and it's gonna be rough because I only speak in English for one hour a week with y'all. I don't know what language I'll be speaking.. Portuglish...

Third, everyone, every single one of you, go to lds.org this week and watch the talks from conference again or if you missed it, for the first time:) because they were amazing. Really this last conference was one of the best I've ever experienced. We watched with everyone in our stake in the stake center in Portuguese. Although I could basically understand it all, I watched with the other american elders in my zone in English so I could take notes better:) We also had a couple investigators there too and now at least one has his baptism marked for this month. And truthfully, it was nice to see and hear a little bit of home. I saw Brody's forehead in the choir and that was a highlight;) No really, every talk testified so strongly of the power of the Atonement and being here teaching, listening to conference I was just overwhelmed with love for and from my Savior. Easter really is the happiest day of the year because what happened on this day so long ago marks the victory over our trials, over our weaknesses, over death itself. 

And like Elder Holland said, He still extends unending love, although it is with marked hands and scarred wrists.

I really love you all so much and hope you have a great week:) Full of egg sandwiches and chocolate bunnies. 

Te amo,

sister pace

Also, go watch the video again, because it's so great!

http://www.mormon.org/easter 

He is risen! Ele ressuscitou!

Hey everybody,

i just wanted to send a quick email to let you all know that first, I'm doing great:) second, our little investigator Francimara (the younger sister of some members in our ward) was baptized yesterday, third and most important that this is the week of Easter. The week of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I always loved Easter because we were always with family and I love tulips and there's a special peace that comes this time of year. But really above all, this peace comes from our Savior. This is the time of year that we really remember not only that He died for us, but that He Lives again for us.

This is a link to a video that explains why the Atonement of Jesus Christ that happened so long ago is still just as important yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever for all of us. 

http://www.mormon.org/easter 

and here it is in Portuguese too;)

http://www.mormon.org/por/pascoa

com muito amor

sister pace

p.s. general conference is this week! everybody go watch!

milagres são reais!

Here's the lowdown on my life recently...

So the past week we've started to teach the mom of a member in our ward. Her name is Edna. She really didn't like the church for a really long time because her son, Dino, wants to serve a mission and she doesn't want him to leave. I remember visiting her one time when I first got here and seeing that she wasn’t interested, but last week we invited her to read 3 Nephi 11 anyway. We were doing a service project for her with electricity, and when I asked her if she had read and she said no, we decided to read with her. Sister Ochoa was working in the other room and I started to read with Edna. The Spirit is a powerful being I'm telling you because as we started to read and stop every couple of verses you could see the understanding she was receiving on her face:) She said that she was feeling goose bumps as we read about how Christ came to the people. But my favorite thing she said is that she feels like she understands only a little piece of how Christ feels for us because like when a mother sees her child hurting, she wants to do anything to comfort them, even take the pain upon herself. And this is how Christ felt for us. How he FEELS for us. That He came to the Americas and showed the marks on His hands and feet so that the people here could know that He died for them too. 

I almost cried. Edna too. We continued reading and the next thing Christ did was give the people the authority to baptize, in His name, in the way that he was baptized.

 33 And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Edna stopped reading and said to me, now I understand why your church talks so much about baptism. I want to be baptized.

I can't even describe the joy I felt in that moment. And now since then she's been making amazing progress. What's even greater is how happy Dino is:) He's helping her a lot too:)

And so that's the result of many many missionaries passing by her house, her son sharing the gospel when she at times didn't care, and people never giving up on her. Not only am I gaining a huge testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon, but I've seen firsthand that you never know who has been prepared to hear the gospel.

I love you all! 

Read your Scriptures because there's power there!

Get ready for G Conference!

Eat peanut butter in my honor;)

i'm still alive

Sorry I haven't written in so long, but everything's all good!

We had transfers a couple weeks ago and I had to say goodbye to sister Cunha which was sad, but Sister Ochoa (Sister Ochoa is from Argentina) is really sweet and I'm happy to be working with her.

Know that I'm doing great and I'll write more to y'all next week!!

Read your scriptures!!

-sister pace

In an email Terra wrote to me (her mother), she said the following:

"I was talking with Sister Ochoa that the members that go out of their way to take care of us are really angels from heaven. Also, if you can ever give them a ride somewhere, do it. Don’t let them tell you that you don't have to, they're just being modest. We missionaries do enough walking, I've almost cried a couple times of joy when members offer us a ride."