Category: Bom Conselho – Sister Perri (Page 1 of 2)

Queridos Amados Irmãos e Irmãs, 

I hope everyone is having a great October so far. Today is my 3 months anniversary and it is so weird to think about because I honestly forget what day of the week it is most of the time so remembering the months is frankly impossible. CTM feels like a lifetime ago but I also can’t remember most of yesterday. Time flies when you work and work and work some more.

Today was my last day with my trainer Sister Perri. Around noon we left Bom Conselho, rode in a van to Garanhuns, and said goodbye. Sister Perri and another sister, Sister Souza, (I got to do an exchange with her this week, it was awesome) got on a bus to Recife and I’m currently with Sister Murrillo until Friday. Sister Murrillo and I entered the field at the exact same time and both of us are learning Portuguese as her first language is Spanish and mine is English. We’ll be temporary companions until Friday when our new trainers will come and I’ll go back to Bom Conselho. Send prayers that Sister Murrillo and I can survive.

Anywho, this week my go-to phrase was “Por que não” or “why not.” Almost every day Sister Perri would turn to me and ask me a question and I would respond with “por que não.” It was really funny for me, probably annoying for her, but it was just how I felt. Our plans kept changing on us, like always, and we found ourselves in situations where we would say, “why not help this family clean for 20 minutes” or “why not go to the birthday party of one of our investigators.” It was mostly with little things in our plans but we found a doctrinal principle for “why not” too.

During my exchange with Sister Souza, we unmarked a family for baptism which was really frustrating and disappointing. I just sat there with nothing really to say. The family didn’t want what we were there to offer and I frankly didn’t understand why Sister Souza still went ahead with the lesson. She taught about Christ, the necessity of his atonement, the gift of repentance, and the blessing of baptism. For me it was really bold, she straight up told the family all the blessings and miracles they would miss by not being baptized. She also testified however that she knew they could always come back and be welcomed into the church with open arms.

The family didn’t change their minds or anything miraculous like that, but my approach to teaching shifted. Instead of asking people to make commitments almost apologetically like I have been doing these last few weeks, I should testify without shame about the power of Jesus Christ. Jacob 4:12 says “And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ.”

As a companionship, Sister Perri and I strived to talk about Christ more, even in circumstances that we normally wouldn’t. We talked about Christ and his restored church to the lady who sold us popsicles, the bus driver, the stumbling drunk guy, a group of transgender people, our very catholic next-door neighbors, and with each other more often. I felt more power and more confidence as missionary work became more than just clapping (we don’t knock) at closed doors and teaching to stubborn hearts, it became a lifestyle. 

The more you talk of Christ the easier it becomes and the sooner you start the more you’ll learn and be able to share in the future.

That’s all folks, love you lots and hope to hear about more missionary experiences from the folks back home. Tchau tchau for now!

Love,

Sister Alyssa Grace

Garanhuns, Brasil

E ai pessoal! This week was really good, especially with Conference. I’ve been looking forward to it all transfer but our President said we could only watch it if we had investigators to watch it with us. That was all the motivation I needed and this week we talked with more people than I think we did in my first 3 weeks combined. We got to watch Conference in the chapel with several new friends and I even got out my headphones and was able to listen to the prophet in my own language.  

In addition to conference making this week different, we had a number of interactions with people that were just odd. First, we were walking down the street, passing a bunch of little shops and stores, when two ladies pulled us into a glasses shop. They had been taught by the previous two missionaries before us but they didn’t have much interest in going to church or progressing. They were interested however in me and my reaction to absolutely everything. They kept giving me candy, telling me to speak in English, and asking me a billion questions about Utah. One of them said, “You look like a princess,” which, of course; made me smile. That is until the other one said, “No she doesn’t, she looks like that orphan.” Luckily I knew she meant Annie but it was still pretty funny.

Another time we were standing on a corner just reporting a lesson we finished when a lady walked up to me and asked, “Where are you from?” Normally, they wait until I’ve butchered at least a few sentences in Portuguese before asking this to be polite. But not this lady. She knew the answer even before I gave it and started talking in the English she knew about how much she loved America. She said, “Abraham Lincoln is my hero!” To which I agreed, Honest Abe is awesome. Then she followed that statement with, “and Madonna is my inspiration.” This one threw me off guard and I just continued nodding while she explained how Madonna was and is still “the queen of pop.”

Lastly, we were just sitting on a bench, trying to do some studies when an old man came up to us and asked a bizarre question. “Is one of you named Adolf Hitler?” I completely understood his question but thought to myself that there is no way he is actually asking that. I just sat there very confused while he repeated his question and Sister Perri tried explaining we were missionaries. He turned to me and said, “to me, that means Adolf Hitler,” and then he walked away. 

Moving on from the funny things, I wanted to share just one insight I had from my conference experience. Although my Portuguese is improving every day and I tell myself that I am understanding most things, I felt very lost in conference. The translators talk at you not with you which is not the Portuguese I’ve been practicing all these weeks. It was hard to sit in a chapel full of people taking notes, reacting to what was being said, and ultimately having a spiritual experience while I just sat there with a headache. 

Sometimes I think life is like that. We look at all the other members, friends, missionaries, and family members who seem to be in tune with spiritual promptings while we are struggling to keep up. It can be discouraging and frustrating. For me, what made it bearable was the music of conference. Nobody else in that chapel stood up with the choir and congregation to sing, but I did. They hummed the melody or tried to find the lyrics in Portuguese but they did not understand the words they were hearing. 

Just because we don’t show or experience the Spirit in the same ways as everybody else, does not mean we aren’t feeling it. Some people’s methods of hearing Him will seem more impressive or more sure than ours, but that should not deter us from seeking more experiences with the Spirit. I don’t have inspired dreams, I don’t see pillars of light, I don’t hear a voice in my head, but I know how I feel when the Spirit is communicating with me and that’s all that matters. Follow the counsel of our spiritual giant of a prophet and “choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.”

That’s all folks! Send me your favorite quote or talk from conference and I promise I’ll read it but no promises that I’ll respond within the next P-day, desculpa.

Tchau Tchau for now.

Love, 

Sister Alyssa Grace

Bom Conselho, Brasil

A Party in the Streets of Bom Consehlo

Bom Dia! Today marks exactly 1 month in the field! It has been hard and rewarding every single day and though the challenges aren’t becoming easier, I can feel myself getting stronger.

This week was quite an adventure for me and Sister Perri. Beginning with last Monday and continuing all the way through last night, we had a week of constant inconsistency. For those who don’t know, a big part of every morning in the mission field is planning. We pray together as a companionship for inspiration about where we need to go, who we need to visit, and what we need to teach. We then take half an hour to write down exactly what we are going to be doing every minute of the day. In weeks past this has been a very effective and productive activity as we followed these plans almost to the letter. This week however that did not happen.

We had so many strange events come up that we had to replan every single day this week at least 3 times and even then what actually happened never was what we had prepared for.  More than a few times we would leave teaching appointments that were only supposed to be 15 minutes which ended up being 50 minutes. On Friday our phones refused to function and we ended up spending a lot of extra time in the house trying to contact our references. Many times, we’d plan to bring a member with us to a lesson and they’d have to cancel moments before. Once Sister Perri tried making breakfast while I washed the dishes. My hands were covered in soap and hers in eggs right as they shut off our water (we don’t know why, it just happens sometimes.)

Another time we were out waiting to meet up with some youth who wanted to go finding with us when we got a phone call from the mission office. They told us we had to go home and help unpack our new beds. We didn’t ask for new beds, and now we have 6 (2 old, 4 new). We also currently have two fridges, microwaves, blenders, and sandwich makers. None of these were things we asked for and the one thing we did ask for, a new spatula, has yet to arrive. Needless to say, the bed adventure took us away from our appointments for an hour and a half.

The interesting thing, though, is that even with all these changes and failed plans, I was never frustrated or upset, I was cheerful. In Come, Follow Me this last week we learned about being “a cheerful giver”. To me, this means a cheerful giver of my plans and will to God. Not everything that we think is good for our lives aligns with God’s plan. But He only ever wants the best for us so taking His wisdom with a smile and patient heart will only lead to blessings.

Well, that’s all folks. Another long and eventful P-day that maybe I’ll write about someday. Tchau Tchau for now.

Love,

Sister Alyssa Grace

Bom Conselho, Brasil

Olá todo mundo! This week was far better than last in almost every way. I woke up on Tuesday morning and just decided to dive in. I worked harder than ever and it made everything feel more enjoyable and fun. I still struggled with the language and with accepting other people’s choices, but I have come to love the work. I started trying to learn everything I could this week. I am figuring out my way around the area, I know how to best plan our day and what lessons people need, and I know how to maximize our time to find the most people. My companion sensed my increased desire to learn this week and made a few well-intentioned but poorly-timed choices to help me grow.

On Monday, we ordered pizza for dinner. I was super excited and waiting for it to come when Sister Perri got in the shower. I figured the pizza was probably going to take a minute anyway so I didn’t worry about it. That is until all the phones started ringing at once (which I couldn’t answer because you have to be with your companion to use the phone) and I saw the pizza guy walk up the stairs and pass our door to give our pizza to the neighbor. I started panicking, our pizza was so close yet about to be lost forever and my companion was still in the shower. Eventually, I worked up the courage to open the door and the neighbor pointed at me and the delivery guy realized it was my pizza. I am glad to say disaster was avoided and the pizza was eaten by two very happy missionaries.

The second time my companion decided to let me figure things out on my own was while we were tracting. We were talking with some guys in a barbershop when a drunk guy came up and put his hand on my shoulder. My companion took a look at this (which is already breaking the rules, we are supposed to limit contact with men to only a handshake) and thought, “This will be a great time for Sister Grace to practice Portuguese.” She turned to the side to talk to another guy in the shop leaving me to handle the drunk guy. It ended up being a great practice indeed for my Portuguese. He asked me things I knew like where I was from, what church I represented, where it was, and when our meetings were. As we finished the conversation, he took his hand off my shoulder and stuck it out for a handshake which I gladly gave but just as I was doing this, he pulled me into a hug and kissed me on the cheek. My companion turned around exactly at that moment and quickly ended the contact to take me away and tell me “Sister Grace you can’t do that.” I responded with an honest “I didn’t do anything,” and we laughed it off and finished the night without any more surprises.

Well, that’s all folks, I literally have 1 minute left of P-day and need to send this before we get back to work. Tchau tchau for now.

Love,

Sister Alyssa Grace

Bom Conselho, Brasil