Monday 11 July 2016

April 2016 - Lost in the work

5 April 2016


BOM DIA FAMILIA!
GENERAL CONFERENCE was so good, like so on point. I LOVED it, I just love this gospel and loved hearing all these inspired speakers. What a blessing conference is. And Brasil is getting another Temple, wooooo! hehe #teambrasil
SO many talks I loved, the Temple was talked about so much, also the Tree of Life, hope, and a million other things. I'm SO excited for you all to watch it this weekend.
Easter Eggs!!
TRANSFERS- transfers news was last night, since all of us four sisters in our house have been here two transfers we thought at least one of us would leave….it made me so sad this week thinking about that since I LOVE these sisters I live with. Anyways, we had a transfer party last night and made heaps of food and then….ALL OF US A STAYING
So I'm pleased to announce that the adventures of Sister Bennallack and Sister Curtis will continue!   Gringas take 3. Hehhe

Sooooooooooo this week was honestly THE most random week of my life!! Get ready for my hectic week… I shall dot point:

-We saw this lady trying to cut down her tree, we asked if we could help… next minute Sister Bennallack is in this tree, chopping down all these branches...in a skirt, haha, this was a first.

-At one of our lunch appointments this week, one of my favorite irmãs in the ward gave us chicken that….wasn't really that cooked, but Sister Curtis and I blessed our food with so much faith and ate this chicken because we love this irmã so much. Yolo?

-last week I was talking to people as per usual at the bus
Flowers??
terminal and I invited this man to church ect ect… then this week this same man Roberto come up to me and gives me FLOWERS to say sorry for not coming to church!!! WHAT THE CRAZY hahahah I was given flowers, it was so funny walking into our house as the end of the day and the other Sisters “Whats is going here???” mahahahha

-I went with sister Das Graças to help with some lesson, anyways I NEEDED to pee so badly… but her area has so much forest …… and then she pressured me to just go in the forest, hahahah…I guess I'm still a bogan?




sicky head..
-also, I went to hospital this week, just causally lol. I have sinusitis... it’s so common in the mission, since Sao Paulo’s has so much pollution. Anyway, I had some hectic cold this week, and by Friday my face was hurting so much, like I don’t even know how to describe it but President sent me to hospital to get antibiotics. But like it's no drama, I'm feeling SO GOOD NOW, Sister Curtis was so cute, hahah braiding my hair for me J

Anywas that was my way too dramatic week, I'm SOOOO excited for this week to come and for the miracles I’m going to see this next transfer!!

Sister Bennallack 




12 April 2016
BOM DIA!
OH what a glorious week, we're so excited to email today (lol I always am) to tell you about the miracles I saw this week!
Ahhhhh we dropped a lot of people at the start of the week, a lot of investigators that I love as well, they accepted baptismal dates and read and prayed but NEVER go to church…. But because of that we needed to FIND so many elect newbies.
We spent a whole day knocking doors, street contacting and found a few people but nothing really solid, but yesterday we were looking for an address and somehow got so lost, but we know this area so well that we were working in, it was honestly like we were meant to get lost on purpose because we found 4 new investigators that are GOLDEN without trying!!! It was the craziest/coolest thing. Heavenly Father answered our prayers in the weirdest way. The last person what we found last night, I was STILL looking for this street and ahhhh.. then this man outside of his house said “are you missionaries?” UMMM YESSS WE AREEEEEEEE and we taught for like 30 minutes and are coming back this week to teach his whole family.
Anyway, we never found that street, and when we looked on our map when we got home IT WAS SO SIMPLE.  I don’t know, maybe we are just silly girls who can't read maps or maybe it was a part of a bigger plan ;)
I have the biggest testimony that our convert Angelica was found because we talked to her brother on the street and he told us to teach him but that was the way the Lord worked to meet Angelica! I have no doubt about that.

Isaiah 55:8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

We have some amazing people that we taught this week including a guy named Jonny! That will….be baptized this Saturday (With a lot of fasting and prayers) because it seems to be that none of my baptism here in Ribeirâo are simple ^.^ but I have faith :) 

We taught him the Restoration and invited him to pray and ask God ect ect and he said he will, but then bore HIS TESTIMONY to us and TOLD us that he wants to be baptised.
We all cried, hahahah, but hes only 17 so there could be a problem with his 
parents but he seems pretty confident. 

We also found this other guy who literally lives in front of the church… like LITERALLY and we gave our first tour of the chapel. It was really cool and then we taught him again in the chapel.  Ahh there is always a special spirit when you teach in the church.
aww.. The house of my Father <3

I didn’t really think there where many excited or random stories to tell you.. but now I think about it, there always is with me…

-Okay firstly, since it's a new transfer we did have a few changes, and our zone combined with other zone called Mauá.  Sister Ramos was transferred to that zone… and when we saw each other at zone conference it was like the sons of Mosiah seeing each other again!  We jumped and squealed and cried with such happiness! Hahahh lol how gay are we, but I love her so much.  And then she told me that she asked President to extend her mission one more transfer so that we will finish our missions at the same time <3 <3 YAAAAAAy

NOVA ZONA <3 with Sister Ramos and Sister Gudgeon <3 

- When we were so lost last night we also found so many avocados on the side of the road that we fully took home.

-So Brazilians always have the funniest and random theories about everything, anyway, Sister Curtis has this cut on her arm and the Brazilians Sisters told her that she's only allowed to take COLD showers while it heals, she just looks at me like “ohhh here we go again”.  But I’m so evil and told her that it's true, that my mum said this as well and that it’s not just Brazilian, hahahah, so since I said that she’s been talking freezing cold showers all this week. I just laugh so hard whenever she gets out of the shower mahahah. Then I told her like Saturday that I needed to tell her something. And I told her that I've never heard of this theory in my life hahahhah! she says “I KNEW IT…You know what Sister Bennallack? liars go to hell” awww love her. <3

-I went ghetto, like on a whole new level. So Tom and Jordan remember those sandals you bought me??? Anyways I loved them and they broke and I got them repaired and then this week they broke again but It was so hot that I didn’t want to wear proper shoes. Anyway, I had the genius idea just to buy chewing gum and stick the sole back together. HAHAHA it fully worked for that day!! But then the next day it became unstuck and Sister Curtis made me throw my shoes out…

Sister Bennallack 



19 April 2016  O Livro De Mormon

Goodness, this week went so fast, like this transfer is going by way too fast….eeek

How I love the Book of Mormon, I just love how you can have your testimony strengthened or refreshed every time you read this sacred scripture. I had the best experiences about the Book of Mormon this week.. HOPE YOU ARE READYYYYYY ??

We were literally running to an appointment at the chapel, but I felt I needed to stop and talk to this couple. I knew Sister Curtis was getting a little annoyed since I always think people on the street are like ELECTS and I need to talk to them and then we are late for other appointments. Hehe, oops, sorry Sissssy <3 BUT,  I started talking to them and explaining who we are ect.. this women Isabella told me that they saw us 6 times that day! 6! “you guys walk a lot.” Lol you don’t even know… 

Every time she saw us she thought we would talk to her…  then, as we continued to talk to her we found out that she doesn’t really believe in the Bible since it's been translated too many times and she doesn’t really believe in God, because if God loved us he would't let all those horrible things in the world happen…ect ect. But we taught the teachings of Nephi how there has to be an opposition in all things. And we taught about how we believe in another scripture as well that has only been translated one time, and we bore a bold testimony of the Book of Mormon and told her that it could move her life. But we really needed to go…so we marked up to visit her the next day..which was also the best and now she’s a full on investigator!
Remember when I said that we found that golden street with four people, in four houses in a row?  In one of the houses we only taught the Dad and the kids but never the wife since she is Catholic and busy ect ect. One of our lessons fell through on that street and we thought we should try and visit that family one last time. Only the wife was home, Emilene. She had a new glow about her, she was SO happy to see us and she invited us in. What changed?? Her friend at work, Claudio, gave her .. A Book of Mormon, and she was so excited to tell us and she had so many questions. We taught her basic, simple doctrines that we believe and that being a catholic, she’s believes as well.  We used lots of scriptures from the Bible to compliment the Book of Mormon, THEN we taught about the scared book in her hand, and after we taught she showed us the note that her friend had written about The Book Of Mormon when he gave it to her… she was so surprised to see that we bore the same testimony!!!! We then FINIALLY marked up to teach her WITH her family. <3

Then yesterday we went to the other ward since we had investigators that were meant to go…but they didn’t come. So sad, haha always breaks my heart. Anyways since we didn’t have investigators and this isn’t our official ward/or chapel, I told sister Curtis that there is no point to staying and we should go visit the people we have in this area now since we'd be working in a completely other area after lunch. I don't know…probs should of stayed at church but I was way too stressed just sitting there with no investigators just thinking about everything …but  I felt good about leaving and working.
ANYWAY, we have people on this street that we had never heard of but we asked a few people where to find the street and it was actually that street we were on. IT WAS TOO EASY. We taught this lady name Elane and it was such a perfect lesson. After the prayer she told us that her brother was recently baptised in this church and GAVE HER A BOOK OF MORMON. SOooo we did what we do best and taught about the Book of Mormon..

I was thinking a lot this week, as usual but especially about the Book of Mormon, and how with these examples we were only let in because of the Book of Mormon.
SOOOOO hehehe, I have a challenge for you family dearest, we have so many books of Mormons in our house…. Write a mini testimony in the cover and give it to a friend or a work member, it doesn’t need to be a novel but just something about how this book is important to you and because you care about them you want to share this happiness. You never know what could happen, probs they will just except with a smile and not really want to heard anything else… but maybe later down the track they with meet the Sister Missionaries in Adelaide and let them in.

These stories were so much longer than I thought….but the rest of my week was great as well, JONNNY didn’t get baptized, he knows it is true but is nervous since his family aren’t members ect ect. But we are going to fast tomorrow all together and we promised some pretty bold things. SO ahhhh, I'm praying that it will all go to plan, and THIS Saturday with be his baptism.

We also have a investigator named Mariana who's so close to baptism as well, we are seeing her Wednesday and will invite her to be baptised next Sunday, I'm a lot more confident about her. She's perfect and I love her so much.

OHHHHH ALSO this week, I went with Sister Gudgeon and have a sleepover at the senior couples house.. woooo but only because we had to get up at 5am the next day to renew our visas, since we are about to hit our one year mark. Woooooooo
I love seeing Sister Gudgeon, but it was so nice when I got back to my area - haha, Home sweet home.

 SISTER BENNALLACK 



26 April 2016

Whaaaaaataaa week

So Jonny didn’t get baptised this weekend, it broke my heart a little BUT he still went to church yesterday so I still have the highest hopes.  I don't know,  I hate feeling like stuck or idea-less (don’t even know if that’s a real word lol) like we prayed and fasted and still had no idea how to help him, like what he really needs.. but what we need will come- it’s always does. All in the Lord's timing I guess.

But yeah, I got a little/heaps stressed out about this, but then I read this quote that helped me chill and know that really it will all work out..

“There can be no failure in the work of the Lord when we do our best. We are but instruments; this is the Lord´s work. This is his church. His Gospel plan. These are his children we are working with. He will not permit us to fail if we do our part. He will magnify us even beyond our own talents and abilities when necessary. This I know.”
-Ezra taft Benson

<3 <3 <3 <3 Good one Ezra!

BUT after we taught Jonny we then go and teach Mariana who will be baptised this weekend, ahhhh I love her, she reminds me of me when I was 15 but Brazilian haha, she so special and teaching her will always be my favorite part of the day.   Her answers are perfect and her questions are so beautifully thought out. The only problem with her baptism could be her family, but we have already talked to her mum and she said she will approve, so let us pray.. <3   BATISMO!

We went to the Temple last Tuesday, it was stunning, Sister Curtis and I were so excited all week, I love feeling that spirit in the house of my Father, it was so good seeing everyone in the mission as well!!!


At the Temple, with President & Sister Broadbent

On Wednesday night President calls me to tell me that he and sister Broadbent are coming to our house the next morning for interviews.. haha, it was so funny how we all just looked at each other and started cleaning like crazyyyyyyy, our house was so perfect. You’d be so proud Mumma B. Interviews were so good, both with Sister Broadbent and President Broadbent. Sister Broadbent literally sat on my bed with me and we just talked about everything! The mission, my family, my plans for the future..was the cutest. Then President asked me a lot of questions, why I’m so happy, how's my relationship with Heavenly Father, asked me my opinions of on a few things in the mission then decided to talk to me for the rest of my interview about marriage. Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwl I got so nervous I could only talk about this in Portuguese with him! hahah but I love President so much, like my Dad on the mission, and I love hearing his wise wisdom.

After interviews he told us that he’ll take us to our lunch appt, but we didn’t have a lunch appt that day so he then tells us that we’ll lunch with him and sister Broadbent and that we could choose ANYWHERE WE WANTED TO EAT AT… hahah the Brazilian Sisters got too excited, like their faces just lit up!  We ate at the fanciest place here in Ribierão. The waiter asked President if we wanted bread or something and President said “we want everything you have!” hahhaha, it was the best!

Also talking about food we had the best lunch of my life on Saturday, Churrasco Brasilerio ( Brazilian BBQ) oh my gosh, it was so much food that we ate and ate, then hahahaha Sister Das Graças leans forward to reach more food from the table that her chair literally broke! HAHHAHAHA I’m a terrible friend because I laughed so much.

It was another great/hard/funny week here in Riberião, I'm so obsessed with my life being a Missionary of Jesus Christ.

Sister Bennallack 

PS. TWO WEEKS TILL SKYPE.

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