July 2015: Sao Bernardo 5 - "I can actually do this now"

6 July 2015

Óla familia!!!!! Como está???

SO right now, I'm wearing pants and I'm so happy about it hehehehhehehe (IT'S FREEZING HERE) but it`s so funny how weird wearing pants feels!

After emails Sister Costa and I are catching A BUS out of our area for ZONE P-DAY woooohoooo! So happy about it! No idea what we are doing though, I think we are going to some park? Probably playing soccer but not sure, so you’ll have to stay tuned! lols

So, Germano didn't get baptised this week, SAD. But honestly, I wasn't expecting it to happen........... Germano.

This week I had my first ‘Trade-Off’ with Sister Rodrigues our 'Sister Training Leader'. I was weirdly nervous about it, but I think that was because she was Sister Costa’s trainer. BUT it was a really good experience, it was freezing and raining like the whole time she was here and we didn't have any real solid lessons, so lots and lots of finding, but it was really helpful seeing a different missionary’s way of doing something!! Sister Costs LOVES the 'favelas' and apartments, and Sister Rodrigues is all about the houses. SO I knocked on my first houses with her (not really knocked, in Brazil the houses are very far about from the gate, so if they don't have a speaker thing or a bell, you CLAP!!! SO COOL) Anyway, we found some really cool people that let us in and we shared pretty spiritual lessons. Brazilians are all pretty religious which brings me to my my next story... 

One of the houses we went into, was this man and his family, who go to a different church but loves God and was happy to talk. During the lesson his wife comes home from work and joins in, she's was more than happy that we were there and asked a zillion questions which is always good.  At the end of the lesson, we asked her to say the prayer, she's so excited to. She gets her Bible and read somewhere in Joel? Or João? One of them and then starts breathing deaply and humming violently, then she screams and starts praying so fast and loud, standing up saying crazy things....hhaha oh goodness, I did a sneaky open one eye to Sister Rodrigues, she's trying so hard not to laugh. It was CRAZYYYYYYYYY. She's pretty strong in her church, so she wasn't really interested in us coming back....... but definitely a different experience.

Here in São Bernado there are HEAPS of garage-like car port Churches and bars, expesh in the 'favelas'. All the churches are all at night time so we walk past them daily and always there are people crazy praying like this lady... Sister Costa always rolls her eye, “apostacia (apostsy)” hahaha lololol

About Sister Costa, she's GREAT! We get along so well, and she's pretty happy all the time which is helpful. She does get frustrated with having to kinda do most of the lesson and carry most of the conversation at lunch everyday, but she is so great, EU AMO ELA! She told me that she doesn't really like talking, and in her first transfer she didn't want to talk to anyone because of her personality,  but her mission has changed her so much and now she has to talk because I don't speak Portuguese that well YET.  She's so sure she's getting transfered in a few weeks. I don't want her to but who knows?

HEY! TODAY is the 6th of July, which means I've been out for TWO MONTHS TODAY! Woooohoooo, mate, that went fast! 

SO back to talking about Portuguese, this week I really can see an improvement!!! I can approach people and speak, no worries, can't really answer back if they ask questions though! hhaha! But this one man asked me if my accent was from from PORTUGAL!!! Woohooooo people think I can speak Portuguese! hahah! So stoked about this.

Well lots and lots of great things are happening here in Brazil, hating the cold but obviously I can't control that so I'm CHOOSING not to be sad about it! 

Sister Bennallack

14 July 2015

MINHA NOSSA (wow) This week went so fast!!!!

P-day last week was the bomb.com, SOOOOO good. We took two buses out of our area to this Botanic Park type park, had a picnic and RODE BIKES!!!! It was such a fun day with a whole District, and, it also was really sunny. BLESSINGS!

This has been a great week, I mean, so extremely hard but I go to bed thinking 'I can actually do this now,' which is a night and day improvement! haha!

This week we had President interviews and mateeee, I was so nervous for some reason? I don’t know how they do it in other missions but in mine, the Mission President and wife come to your apartment and interview you there. It was so good talking with President Broadbent!!! The first time I met him, which was the only other time I've seen him, I was kinda scared of himi his first impression was so serious which is good, but this week he was so different. He just gives me the biggest hug and asked me how I'm doing? Like really doing? I thought I was doing great but this just made me cry so much! haha, but he's so encouraging and shared a lot of his experiences as a missionary that I can really relate to. He told me he's so excited that I'm in his mission and that I'll be training in no time!???? HUH! I can't even speak Portuguese properly! But sure a beautiful interview chat thing? Just love Sister and President Broadbent!

This week we also had another “trade off” ? But over night! Like a sleepover!!!! It was so much fun, but the next day when Sister Costa returned, I was so dead to the world! haha! These sisters are in a trio, so Sister Malgby (American, woohoo! snuck some English in!) and Sister Mendoça (Brazilian) came to my area and Sister Costa went with Sister Rodrigues to theirs. It was so crazy, I was in charge of navigating us around, but I did all right, the favelas are so confusing! Like the number jumps from 24,26,54 whattttt? But we smashed it out, we taught 3 lessons and found 8 new investigators!! This is the most I've taught up to this point. These two sister are BOLD and so confident, Mission goals. It was so fun to be teaching and knocking on doors and asking to have 5 minintes of their time right now. Sister Costa is a really good missionary as well, but after being with these Sisters, she's a lot more shyer but she's great. I just wish I could speak Portuguese, so frustrating because I know what I want to say and what needs to be said, but I can’t!! But Sister Malgby was really good to talk to as well, since her laungage is really good and she's only been out one or two more transfers than me, sooooooo, lots of study and trying. But so fun and such a good experience.

Something hilarious that has happen this week: 3 times, in nightly companion prayer when I'm sooooo tired, Sister Costa will be praying and say the word “Tambén” which means something like “also”… but she always pauses for a while so I think she's said “amen”, so I say "amen" and then she just laughs her head off. I did it three times this week!!! Ooopssss!

We found this man named Kadley this week and I did my whole speel about how we want to share a message with him another day and he said "yes" which most people do, but when we went to the appointment, HE WAS ACTAULLY HOME. (Brazilians are always late or just not home, always) Anyway, we taught him and his young family and invited them to church on Sunday. Then on Saturday we where at their appartment complex for another appointment that wasn’t  home. BUT Kadley and Patricia just walked out of their appartment. So meant to be! Sister Costa was on the phone and I knew I needed to go talk to them and remind them about church, so I ran over but ahhhhh! the words in Portuguese weren’t coming, but I said something that made sense I think. So awkssss. ANYWAYS, THEY CAME TO CHURCH!!! Ahhhh I was so happy when I saw them walking in, the ward was very welcoming as well which was so nice!! We are teaching them again on Wednesday. 

We are the only missionaries in our ward, the ward is GREAT it’s a pretty big ward, similar to Morialta. People are so, so, so nice! But in Brazil, the schedule is backwards, so Sacrament is at the end of the three hour block, which is probably for the best since at 9:00am we are often the only ones there! LOL BRAZIL!

Sister Bennallack 

21 July 2015

OH MY GOSH! I'M SO EXCITED TO HEAR THE NEWS ABOUT BABY JACKSON!!!! <3 <3 <3 Love him so much from so far away!!! Maybe a tiny bit homesick again right now but he is so beautiful! I have been telling everyone about my new /niece nephew hahha! I made my companion look at the pictures mum sent three times!!

My week was quite eventful actually, lots of the highest of highs and not so highs.

'Nova Forca' - Sister Costa, Malgby & Bennallack with the Elders

We had ‘Nova Força’ this week which translates to 'new force'. An all day training and lunch with the new missionaries and trainers with President and Sister Broadbent and the Assistants. It was such the best day!!! It got you so pumped!!!! I seriously love my Mission President so much.  Because Brazilian culture is so huggy, so is our Mission Pres, and because I had such a hard time in those first few weeks, he knows me really well. (I maybe had a few phone calls with him), but I honestly feel he loves me the most! hahah but that's how he makes every missionary feel! And the cool part is, during the training I was understanding in Portuguese! Definitely not everything, but I understood more than I didn't understand? If that makes sense? But it's so good, and afterwards all the 'newbies' bore our testimonies in Portuguese. It was so powerful. 

Catching up with Sister Gudgeon

'Nova Forca' was also the best thing because I got to see Sister Gudgeon!!! I was looking forward to seeing her all week!!!!! It was like seeing family seeing her, even though she was only my companion for two weeks, I have so much love for her!!  We spent the whole day together and it was so good talking to her about everything!!! She struggled with homesickness in the MTC so it nice to hear her wise words of wisdom! We also got to talk about our companions and share advice etc, she feels the same way I do...like the struggle is real when it gets quite lonely and when your companion has '0' patience somedays, so it was really, really, good to see her! I can't wait to the next time I see her, it probably won't be for a few months.

This first start of the week was bit of a struggle with Sister Costa. She's been in this area for ages, so I think she's a bit over it ... but she wasn't in the best of spirits and didn't have any patience with my Portuguese. It was a rough few days, but then we had 'Nova Forca' and then this rest of the week has been the best!!! Being wary of her made me really try and speak correct Portuguese and yesterday she even said I have improved this week!!! Silver linings? 

But all is well, I love Sister Costa, I know we are meant to be together as companions! I've learnt so much from this unique human experience living with someone who is from a whole different culture/world from you and YOU have to try and speak their language and love their culture! 

This week we also said goodbye to Sister Rodrigues! She's my Sister Training Leader.  She was in a trio and for her second to last night, President gave us permission to have a festa/sleepover!! SO at 9:30pm the three 'amigos' came over and we ate and played games and it was such a fun night..... But the next day was sooo long, hahah! so tired, LIKE DEAD but definitely a great mission memory. This was also perfect timing because one of the sisters that came over was Sister Malgby. Love love love her! 

SO, Sister Malgby was telling me that there are no other American Sisters in the mission, besides us newbies, three of us (Yes! I just called me and Sister Gudgeon American! lol) There are only three including her! And the other two haven't been out for that much longer than me, so it looks like I won't been getting an American/English speaking companion for like a year.  Interesting though!! They had such a problem with visas for ages...I feel so blessed that mine came so quickly.

Another cool this about Brazil is that in our area is this athletics track and everyday we walk past and people are training.... FOR THE OLYMICS next year.  On the signage is says 'RIO 2016'! Sooooo cool, haha! we tried converting everyone that was watching, so funny, but they all don't live here in São Paulo...sad.

Training for the Olympics 2016!!

This week was a good week teaching and finding, but we didn't get to teach my favourite investigators, but we are this week so I'm stoked!! That family that I talked about last week, we are teaching today I think? (The Dad was away for work last week.)

This week we started teaching this lady Monica who has serious cancer, and during one of the lessons she ran to the bathroom and threw up, it was so sad feeling so helpless, but she wanted us to stay and finish the message.  She said she needed to hear to words of the scriptures to help her. Well, my testimony of the scriptures just hit a whole new level once again! Seriously, such a power and comfort comes from the scriptures. Anyway that night I awoke up  at 3am in pain, it was the WORRRST.   I was awake for two hours, not knowing what to do just praying that I would be able to go back to sleep, which I did. The next day was Sunday and I was so tired from such broken sleep, feeling really sorry for myself. We went to church and Monica was there!!! In the same clothes that we had taught her the night before, carrying her rag just incase she vomited.  I felt so much love for her, because my pain was nothing like the pain that she goes through everyday. I really learnt to forget myself in the moment.  I thought a lot about the Saviour's atoning sacrifices for us, and how the atonement of Jesus Christ literally carries us through all pains, both physical and spiritual. My heart is filled with such love and compassion for both Monica and my Saviour, Jesus Christ. I honestly don’t understand how people can face life’s challenges without the knowledge that they are not alone, that every single pain, worry and heartache that we feel, Jesus Christ has felt before so we don’t have to go though it ALONE

Sister Bennallack

27 July 2015 - TRANSFERS!

WOOOOOHHHHHHOOOO!! I made it alive through my first transfer in the field!! All week Sister Costa was counting down the days till Sunday night where we would find out the transfers news!!  When the phone rang at 10:20pm Sister Costa screamed for me across our house while I was brushing my teeth hahhaha! I just jumped on her bed and listened to all the changes in our zone.. finally “Ala 5, Sister Costa and Sister Bennallack will continue”.  SO we are here for another transfer (6 weeks) which was no surprise at all! 

At the Sao Paulo Temple with members from our ward.

LAST P-DAY was the Temple!!!!! Love love love, it was so good to go to the Temple again. I'm so lucky I get to go every three months here. MATE, so many missionaries!  The whole day was just missionaries coming and going and not even just from our mission, but São Paulo Interlagos and West as well. Matey mate. It was so cool, I also got to see Sister Gudgeon for 10 minutes as well! yyyaaaaaaay!  A member drove up in the morning because he as well was going to the temple which was so nice because I didn't want to get up at 5am but we didn't go home with him, we hung out and went to lunch with our zone/most of the mission hahha! My life rules.

The Temple grounds - Sao Paulo

Well most days it rules. The thing I'm finding the hardest is the long days, because we don't stop for dinner, the day feels like an eternity and it's winter so it gets dark really early.. It get to 6:30pm and I'm thinking "that must be 8:30ish" ...... my heart breaks a little every night. But it's all goods, it won't be freezing here for ever. 

Talking about weather, it was raining like crazy here this week.  Finding in the rain, it is always a little 'awks' but it's funny. Anyway, since it was raining so much and São Paulo has a million and five cars, I saw two car crashes this week!! One was with a motorbike and a truck!!! Eeekk, lucky the guy on the bike wasn't hectically injured, he lost his shoe and couldn't walk but he's alive! São Paulo..... crazy, so happy missionaries don't drive here.

Also, a fun fact about Brazilian food is they always serve you rice, rice and beans most days but this week I ate a lot of Italian food...but always served on rice!! Haha! Lasanga on rice, spaghetti with rice it's so cool, Brazil rocks. I feel so blessed having lunch everyday!! Especially after hearing Dad tell about Scotty's talk about life in the Philippines. But I get so nervous going to lunch everyday, members here give you a feast!!! It's like Christmas every day..... oh my goodness, they must be cooking all morning! They just want you to eat and eat. The real struggle between eating delicious Brazilian food and trying not to gain 10 kilos like my companion's last comp is real! hahahh....

(But so excited to cook you all Brazilian food in 1.5 years!!!) 

We didn't really get to teach Monica this week, we visited her a lot and shared scriptures but every time we went to teach her, she was either asleep or not feeling well, but this week for sure. We did however teach my favourite family last night. They are great but....they aren't married, same with Monica actually. Sad, sad, but all good because we have heaps of time here in São Bernardo 5 to smash it out. Sister Costa last night, after she found out she's going to be here for another transfer, said when missionaries are in an area for a really long time, that means they still have work to do in this area!! She got excited about this area again! 

Sister Bennallack

June 2015: SAO BERNARDO - I love rice and beans!

18 June 2015 - Novo Missionaires

Dear Family of Sister Bennallack,

Sister Bennallack has arrived safely in the São Paulo South Mission from the MTC here in São Paulo. I have had the opportunity to visit with her in a personal interview, and I am inspired by her missionary efforts thus far and know that she will make a great contribution to the work of the Lord here. We are so pleased to have her here! Sister Broadbent and I love her already, and we appreciate her desire and preparation to serve the Lord. It will be a wonderful experience for us to work with her in this great missionary effort as the Lord hastens His work here in Brazil and throughout the world. We know that our Heavenly Father will bless her, as she is obedient and diligent.

Thank you for your willingness to share her with the people she is serving here in Brazil. May you feel peace and joy in her service.

I have attached two pictures: one of Sister Broadbent and me and one of Sister Costa from Minas Gervais, Brazil.

With our love,

President and Sister Broadbent

President & Sister Broadbent - Sao Paulo South Mission

Sister Costa from Minas Gervais, Brazil
& Sister Bennallack from Adelaide, South Australia

23 June2015

OLA !!!!

So much to write.  I have an area and a companion!

I'm in São Bernardo 5 area and my companion is a native SISTER COSTA from Brazilia!!

My companion - Sister Costa

I love how in my last email I was saying how São Paulo sul was rich as, like the Hollywood of Brazil? Yep, not my area at all! hahahhaha so golden. I'm the queen of 'favela's' and giant hills!!!! My area is mostly favelas, with some blocks of apartments, such an amazing view walking up and down the streets and allys of the favelas!

I know I've been in Brazil for a month now, but it didn't really feel like I was in BRAZIL untill this week. 

The first day in the field was so cool, so interesting meeting our investigators and seeing our area which is HUGE by the way, so much walking, but walking is for the best since we have massive lunch appointments EVERY DAY.  Such a blessing/ curse!  Brazilian culture is so much about food, even when we go to lunch in the poorest Favelas they have been cooking all morning and have a feast for us and want us to eat and eat. ohhhh man. But the food is amazing!!!! and I dont eat for the rest of the day hahaha 

I LOVE RICE AND BEANS

On the first night all our appointments fell through, but we were walking in the favelas and met this son and father who I think sister costa has met before (I never actually know 100% what's going on! haha) but we got talking and ended up teahcing them the Plan of Salvation.  We just sat down on the concrete outside their house and taught, it was so cool.  I'm in Brazil being a missionary and expressing my love for this gospel and for God and teaching how you can be with your family forever on the ground in the middle of a set a favelas in broken Portuguese. SO GREAT.

And then it rained for three days straight........

Okay. Honest times, I have cried every single day except the first day which was actually awesome.

It's soooo cold here and you feel it so much being out in it all day. We leave the flat and don't come back till 9:30pm, we don't stop for dinner as lunch is the big thing here. I knew what I was getting into but MATE it's a change from the warm MTC. 

But by day three, I was sooooo homesick, I'm in Sao Paulo the biggest city in South America and I have never felt to alone.  Sister Costa is great, but she doesn't speak English at all and my Portuguese isn't very good yet. I was getting ready on day three and I was so cold and homesick, then I remembered Mum packed me stockings. OH MY GOSH! stockings = Mum. I was so happy she knows best and packed them.  As I put them on, I just burst out in tears. Never have I been so homesick in my life!!! That whole morning during study I couldnt' stop crying, hahahha! SEZ, get it together!

Anyway, I have never prayed so hard in my life, then we were leaving the appartment for the day, who calls me? President Broadbent! To see how I'm going, I hadn't even said anything.. actually, I said I was doing good? He tells me that I'm not allowed get stressed or discouraged about the launguage and that it will come, and how excited he is that I'm his missionary and that he loves me and is here at anytime, even if i just want to speak English. HE'S SO NICE, but as soon as he said that, hahah, I'm crying. SO inspired. I needed to hear that, and just to listen to some that I can understand.

Sorry about being negavitive for a second, I know i'll adjust and love my life again.

Sister Bennallack in Sao Bernardo, Sao Paulo

COOL/ random THINGS from this week:

-Brazilians here, love kites! It's so cool how much they are into them.  All day when we walk up and down the favelas we see not just kids but everyone flying their kite! IT'S THE BEST 

-The ward had an activity on Saturday night which was so fun and CRAZY.   They had a FEISTA, with so much food and dancing and wooowzaa. We also had heaps of investigators come! 

-HAHA! I have another 'lol' story with Portuguese. I got the words 'whispher' and 'dog' mixed up. I told Sister Costa that we can know if our message is true by the 'dog' of the Holy Ghost, hahahhahah! So funny but lucky is was just to Sister Costa.

-RATS. I see rats everywhere,  but I don't care, asl ong as they aren' in our house (oh yeah, I live in a house by the way, but like a house in a house? it's hard to explain but it's cool, and we do have a microwave mumma, hehe!)

But back on the rat story, Sister Costa and I saw the BIGGEST rat in history, and I'm not being dramatic about this!! it was the size of a cat, oh my goodness, so freaky!!!

EU AMO VOCÊ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sister Bennallack

30 June 2015 - OLA!
This week has been filled with many ups and downs....HILLS ;) Get it? I'm funny!

But over all, I'm settling into mission life much better this week. Lots of prayers and lots of tears, but the hardest things I can't control like how freezing cold it is here!! (not sure if I'm in Canada or Brazil) and of course the language, but each day I learn something new.  I can't wait to be able to speak less like a robot in a few months, and for the weather to get warmer ;) hehe but I'm feeling alot more confident in speaking TO EVERYONE in my basic Portugues! Ahhhh, I have learn't alot of patience as I want to say so much, our message is so important, but I go to speak, and I can't say things, Sister Costa help 'por favor!'

We don't really have any real soild investigators, we have appointments but eveyone is so 'flakey'.... so sad, BUT we're hopfully having a baptism this week!! woooohoooo, Germano, not that I can take any credit in this one, but it's so cool to see what can become of hard work. Germano has been investigating for 3 months, knows it's true but has been having a hard time with giving up the wild lifeeeee. So hopefully he doesn't relapes this week :)

Since we don't have many soilds, we do lots and lots of finding, which is also good for my Portuguese, people here are very nice but very busy!!! Brazilians know how to work!!! Most people work Monday-Saturday. Busy beavers, but they give you their address pretty easily.  I'm yet to really teach a proper lesson that was planned. BUT THIS WEEK!! (hopefully)

Story time:

-DOGS, dogs and dogs everywhere, so many strays here… I thought i liked dogs, (RIP Max, love you) but now I'm kinda scared of them! haha

Last night I literally saw a dog get hit by a car, THEN it crosses the road and starts chasing Sister Costa and I. Ahhh! hahah! at the time it was so scary I was pushing Sister Costa closer to the dog,  both of us squirling like girls, lolololol!

-Also fun fact about dogs, everyone in Brazil has one, or two or a million, but all the dogs are so pimped out with bows and sparkles - so funky.

-Someone important/ famous died here this week, very sad, everyone was talking about it, but I couldn't really understand who he was.

Oranges: Green on the outside!

-Music is always blasting everywhere, espically in the favelas and members don't turn it off when you come as well,  and because I'm not Brazilian they put American music on...but this one member was so excited to find out that I was Australian and ran and got the BeeGee's CD for me. (Hahhaha  thought of you Dad!)

-The food is amazing here, and people are SO PROUD of their cooking, and if you don't eat more or all of it they think you don't like it! And then they always give you left overs to take home, I honestly don't even need to buy food here. So yep, getting fat probs, but at least it's delish food and not Taro and KFC. I LOVE RICE AND BEANS. Beans, they just do it differently here in Brazil, so good.

But so freezing here, our house is all tiled and a basement house, so extra chilly, but the good news about cold, windy weather is lots and lots of KITES were out this week. Brazilians and thier kites, SO COOL!! Everywhere, love how people find happiness in so many differnt ways. I'm buying a kite when I get home. lols.

I love this gospel of Jesus Christ so much and I love sharing it with the WOLRD (Brazil).

Sister Bennallack

May - June 2015 MTC - BRAZIL

21 May 2015

BOM DIA FAMILIA!!!!!!!!!!

What, what ,what, what, the 'flipping dippidy' crazy?! I'm in BRAZIL !!!!!!!!

I'M SO IN LOVE,  I JUST WANT TO CRY WRITING THIS !!!!

So, we got in in the morning at 6am, and it's only 12:30pm right now so not alot to report on yet. Today (Wednesday) might be our P-day but we won't know until tonight, it's ethier today or Friday, so you might hear from me again really soon..

lol! You hear from me so much. LUCKY FAMILYYYYYY

Already I am so in love with the Sao Paulo MTC!!! It's beautiful!!!!!!!!!! So Spanishy/ Latin!!! It is way nicer than Provo, also a lot smaller but I am so extremely excited and GRATEFUL to be here.

Flying into Sao Paulo this morning was magic upon magic, sunrise and mate, this city is HUGGGGGEEE!!! So soooooo beautiful though!!!

I was traveling with 4 others, Sister Van Ry, Elder Mickle also from my Zone, then another sister, same week as me but from another zone, Sister Freeland got her visa last minute and another Elder, Elder Lowe that has been out serving in Oregon for 3 transfers 'visa waiting'. SOOO the squad! None of them had never been out of the Untied States, so they where all freaking out! hahahha! Most of them had never got that east past Atlanta. Lolololol, so funny. Sister B, so proud of them. None of us where sitting next to each other but this beautiful Brazillian man switched with me so I could sit next to Sister Van Ry, OBRIGADA!!!!! He was still in the same seat, just a few rows behind me.  He was so nice, we love Brazillians already. Everyone knows what missionaries are here, sooooo cool.

Walking/driving out of the airport was insane, like this is Sao Paulo, my new home!!!!!! It is sooooo cool here, third world then, boom! Fancy Brazil. Alot like Mexico. But from the airport, the first half an hour was sooooooo ghetto like, G h e t t o. Watching all my Americanos was sooooo exciting, one Elder I swear, has only left Utah once, he couldn't stop staring out the window. AWWWWW soooo exciting for everyone!!!!

SOOOO MY DREAMS/prayers came true and Sister Van Ry and I are companions, hehehe but we are also in a threeo with Sister Freeman which is the best, her portuguese is really good! We share a room with us 3 and two Brazillian sisters that we haven't met yet, which is super exciting!!!!!!

All the Bazillian sisters here are soooo nice, like when you go to the bathroom they all hug amd kiss you and speak such fast portuguese that you have no idea what they are saying! hahahahah it's soooo exciting though, like when I was in the shower, they where all singing in Portuguese. I'M SO HAPPPPPYYYYYY...

SOoo whenever it is P-day, we get to go to the Temple which is the best thing of my life. We also aren't confined like the Provo MTC, we can walk around the streets, get a feel for Brazil and talk to people and buy brazillian goodies. SO excited for that.

SO the buliding here is just one big building with huge windows everywhere so you can see the city. In our room, the lady opened our curtains and BOOOOM the city was right there. SO incredible.

The view from our room - Brazil CTM

The food so far is sooo different, they fed us as soon as we got here.  The elas (ladies) where just giving you different food to try, haha okayyyyy HEHEH THANK YOU.  I drank mango juice for breakkie, hahaha it's a hard life here.

Nahhh, but it will be really hard, we have classes later today, sooo I´m nervous/super pumped to get started here, get back in the swing of things. I think it's just going to be us three sisters in the class so that will be SOOOOO GOOD for my Portuguese. No hiding, they'll know exactly where we are at.

I feel so incredibly blessed on my mission so far.   I really have seen the miracles of the power of prayer, ready to work hard and to teach these beautiful, beautiful people!!!

"Far and wide we tell our fathers story…"

GOD IS GOOD

Sister Bennallack

23 May 2015

OL it´s sister B again… lol, I've talked to you all so much! But it's P-day!!

It turns out God is so good.  At the Atlanta airport when I was trying to ring home and couldn't  find a public phone, along came this Indian man that let me use his phone.  It turned out he is a member!!!!! He used to be the 1st counsellor in the Stake Pres in India!!! So perfect. hahaha we had a cute chat after I hung up the phone, but he was an answer to prayer!

I am so inlove with Brazil, we have been able to see a lot of Sao Paulo, which is amazing since this is my home. Sao Paulo is alot more third world than I thought, likeeeeee heaps. I already stand out so much being a 'gringa' so I have hardly been wearing make-up here and haven't blow dried or straightened my hair once! 

The food here is AMAZINGGGGGG! Oh my goodness, so yummy, like rice and beans (of course) and  fresh juices and all different meats and salads and fresh breads. 

My Portuguese is coming, we teach 2-3 times a day, sooooo it just has to come.  I can bear my testimony pretty well now, but still have along way to come. However, the Brazilians love to help you. There are only 5 Americans here and me! wool! Then the rest are Brazillian/ Latinos/ Africans.

My zone is the Americans, Mexicans (soooo many Mexicans here, like wow!) and the Chillians. All such beautiful people, I love this culture so muchhhhhh!!!!! We just all speak porta-spanlish, hahhah, but it's so fun.  I'm excited to see what else is to come.

I had to get up 5:30 this morning for the Temple, we do service at the Temple for two hours before our session. The Sao Paulo Temple is soooooooooo stunning. The inside - Wow, wow, wow! hahah! The ladies that work at the Temple just kiss and hug you and call you 'bonita' all the time, haha, so 'white' here. It's the best. 

Sister Bennallack

30 May 2015
I love Brazil and the people here so, so, so much!!!! The coolest part about the Brazil MTC is that they really do trust you. We have been able to walk in and out of the MTC all the time! There are random shops all around us! Last week after emailing, we went to the local grocery shops, it was HUGE! Sooo cool seeing all the Brazillian food! ahhh home sweet home.

The streets in Sao Paulo

The highlight of my week was on Thursday where we got to go proselying!! I FELT LIKE A REAL MISSIONARYYYYYY! Mate, I can't wait to get into the field....but I do need these last 2.5 weeks left for my Portuguese! So, we went on the local bus for 45 mins to these markets in the middle of Sao Paulo. (On a side note, I knew that Sao Paulo was huge, BUT ooooohhh my goodness, it's sooooo huge!!!) So these markets are soooo extremely busy and I'm in a threesome which is always more 'awks' to try and talk to people because three is such a crowd, expesh when we are all 'grings' and there are so many people EVERYWHERE, ahhh! But because of traffic, we only had an hour and 12 Book of Mormons! But it was the best hour of my life, talking to people in broken Portugues and telling them that I love this book and it will change their life. "Do you love Jesus???" Everyone loves Jesus in Brazil! And people are soooo friendly here, they hug and kiss you straight away when they meet you!! ahhhh so we did get rid of all 'O livro de mormon´s!' SOOO HAPPY. Missionary work is truely happiness!!!!!

It was soo cool, l can't say it enough and be to able to get more of a view for Sao Paulo!!!! It's soooo 'ghetto' here, heaps more than I expected, but I guess when I 'googled' all about Sao Paulo, they show you the prettiest parts!

I have sport at 7-8pm at night which is the best time to get out once you've been in one buliding all day. We walk to the closest chapel, that is only a few streets away, and play volleyball, basketball and whatever on the outside courts. 

The streets here are so crazy, the footpaths are so cracked and not smooth, I can't even think of the word right now and also there are mass hills everywhere. Soooo straight skirts are a 'no go' here, can't even walk! hahha,  I'm going to have to buy more skirts when I get into the field, but I've got a few for now. Anyway... so we got to the church and it makes me soooo happy, like playing sport with my Brazilian and Latinos friends in the hood, members are always at the chapel as well as playing basketball, it's really cool. But soccer is banned, since there isn't any grass. 

After Relief Society last week, this lady that was speaking came up to me after and was so excited to me, meet me because she lives in Sao Paulo sul (south) boundaries and wants to have me over for dinner! YAY! Brazilan food is the best thing of my life, I just can't even describe it adequately. IT'S SO GOOOOOD! We have the best meats for lunch and dinner, all you can eat rice, beans and salad and fruit - but it's sooo not good for you, this amount of food.  I try really hard to eat well, but it's not a self serve thing, the ladies give you your food when you come in and in Brazillian culture it's rude not to take their food that they are so proud of.. soo I just don't eat desert. But it's all good. I wish you could all taste the goodness I've been eating.

We went to the Temple this morning again, we got to do everything in English which was a lot less stressful, but Sao Paulo Temple is so pretty!! On the way back to the CTM (MTC) the tyre popped, they drive crazy here in Brazil (just like Bali). Sooo we all just hopped into the other van with the Latinos.  So cool, yolo right, I'm so white here, there are only us three white sisters and two other american Elders. So we stand out a lot.  This morning, I was in the bathroom washing my hands and the cleaner lady just come and touches my face and is saying "bonita! bonita! bonita! Where are you from?" Hahha, awwww, love getting hugged every time I go to the loo. 

We commited our 2 investogters to baptism this week!!! Soooo cool!! My Portugues has come a long way in a week but I get so lost when people speak at a normal speed.  
Till next sermana!

Sister Bennallack

6 June 2015
Boa Tarde FAMILIA!!!!!! 
What? Man as if it's already P-day again!!! I swear it was only yesterday! The phrase "the days feels like weeks and the weeks feels like days" is way too true! 

This week was obviously amazing!So many ups and downs, but in a good way? You're always stressing about something as a missionary even when your investigators aren't even real! Haha! Learning a language always will be a little stressful BUT missions are mostly lots and lots of ups!!!! l'm laughing most of the day!! Funny story time for you all.. already laughing again while writing this! 

We teach a minimum of two lessons a day but up to 5 or 6 some days so you have lots of funny, funny, Portugues moments. Sister Van Ry (my companion/ best
friend) was teaching about prophets in one of the lessons and we had a picture of Thomas S. Monson and the 12 apostles. SO Van Ry was in the middle of teaching and forgot the Portugues word for 'apostles' hahhaha, so she just said pointing to the picture "and these are his 12 amigos" But hahahah! We taught about Thomas Monson's 12 friends. I was dying in the lesson!!!! Our investigator even laughed. Toooo good, "Oh? he has 12 friends?" hahahah umm, yes? 

On a more spirtual note, we get to have a weekly doctrine class on Sundays taught by the MTC President, Pres Swensen. It's seriously one of the highlights of my week. Such a powerful speaker. And since it's just us 5 "Americans" (hate always being called an American, hahha I'm actaully Brazilian guys!) It's just a little class for this English doctrine, and we get to know President and Sister Swensen so well. Sister Swensen even used me in an example last Sunday in the devotinal, so nice.  Anyway, after the devontional on Tuedays Sister Van Ry told Pres Swensen that even though Provo MTC just got the hear Elder Holland speak, we get to hear you speak each week which is pretty much the same. SO true though, so inspired.  He loved that we said that thought! Then in doctrine class on Sunday he tells the class that he has a surprise for Sister Bennallack and tells me that he got the devotional from Provo MTC with Elder Holland speaking just for me and that everyone is watching it that night! WHAaaaattt THANK YOUUUU!!! He's the best!!! 

So Sunday was even more cool as we got to watch the Devotional, of course I don't have my notes with me but the biggest thing I got out of it was the knowledge no one can be converted if I don't open my mouth, so simple right? But just like Satan held Jose Smith's tounge, he'll do anything to keep us from opening our mouths. That hit home to me beautifully, I am not afraid of talking to people, that doesnt scare me 1% but I do get so nervous about how average my Portuguese is, but "fear not, the Lord is with me". SO this week when I doubted myself and when I couldn't find the words, I would just drop that sentence and try to express what was needed to be said in a different way. The people of São Paulo need to have a change to hear this amazing/ exciting message that we missionaries have, and I WILL open my mouth. 

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY
Sister Bennallack 

13 June 2015

No waysssssss - Elder Mbera!

Elder Mbera is the funniest Elder from Malwai, Africa who spoke to us with the craziest stories about people always dying and how he was so hungry one day and didn't have any food, so he prayed to God to send some food.  Then a bird flew straight into the window and BOOOM food, cooked and ate the bird for dinner.

AMAZING FAITH MAAAATE

The Elders in our district left for the field last Tuesday which was sooooo sad! These people become your family, one on them Elder Mickel was even in our District in Provo and flew with us to São Paulo, so sad saying goodbye. Which brings me to having to think about saying goodbye to Sister Van Ry and Sister Freeland. I leave to the field on TUESDAY!

Where the crazy, did the time go????

But I'm so excited about getting out there, also pretty nervous about my Portuguese, but it will get there! So this will be pretty short as next time I write, I will have SO MUCH to say!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHHH CRAZY

But cool stories:

This week ,we had 10 new Americans come. Yayayaay, English speakers. We got asked to do a lesson 'demo' for them on stage, then right before we went on, they told us "of course you'll be speaking English" as it's their first day etc. Ohhhh, yayayya! We get to preach the gospel using big words, BUT what the crazy? I couldn't even speak English!!!! It was the craziest thing I've ever experienced, talking about the gospel in English..NOPE.

Eu não falo ingles..

Sister Van Ry was saying that I was from Australia

and I went to go say "yes, very far away"

but I said "sim, Muito far away"

I mean "yes, muito far away"

ahhhh the words just would come out! My companions were the same!! sooo funky!

Also random fact, even when I tell people I'm going to São Paulo Sul, they always say ohhhhh very rich! Like everyone, then yesterday my teacher was telling us about the places we are going and told me that São Paulo South is like Brazil Hollywood!! sooo cool. But I'll find the ghetto aswell, it's still Brazil.

HAHAHAH where Sister Van Ry is going, Belo Horizonte is also a big city but also where all the farms are and they have this HILARIOUS accent that my teacher was putting on. hahhaha They also have rodeos there, so funny she's going country!

This week was awesome, my life rules and I love Brazil so much!!!!

Excited /Nervous about this coming week.

Sister Bennallack