Boa tarde!
This email is a day late due to TRANSFERS! I'm writing this from Teresina, we arrived last night and our bus ride was quite fun. We passed little towns with cool names like Piracuruba and trees that look like they're from the movie The Lorax. Anyway, after two wonderful transfers in Parnaíba with Sister Reis.... I get to stay in Parnaíba! Sister Reis is now in Teresina finishing the training of Sister Evans and I get to train a new sister! My fourthborn! :) Seriously, I love love love training new sisters and I am so grateful for this privilege! I get to meet her in about an hour and a half, so updates next week on my new companion. Sister Robins and Sister Lockhart are also staying in Parnaíba and both are training, their area divided in two! Woohoo!
The biggest miracle of the week was rather unexpected and SUPER WONDERFUL! So there is this family, Socorro and Ribamar, who are not all members of the Church. Ribamar is a member, his brother (who is our branch mission leader) and his family are members, and Socorro's mother and son are members. Socorro and their two children, Carlos Daniel and João Vitor (ages 9 and 8), have been going to church for about four years and hadn't been baptized. When we got to Parnaíba, they were the first (and pretty much only) investigators we had and it was a bit discouraging to work with them because the only things keeping them from baptism were coffee and Ribamar and Socorro getting married. And after two transfers of waiting and trying to get the wedding paperwork figured out... They were married on Wednesday!!!! So this Saturday Socorro and her children are going to be baptized! :) Our branch is super excited!!
We are also having lots of progress with our less active member, Pedro. He is super awesome! We met him from trying to contact the people in the ward directory that we didnt know and the first time we taught him he didnt even take out his earphones to listen to us, he just played his video game. Now hes reading the Book of Mormon and he came to church this Sunday! Woohoo! :)
Fun fact: Sister Reis and I appeared on TV in Parnaíba a few weeks ago when we helped serve breakfast at a blook drive, so... thats pretty cool.
Now for the funny stories of the week (both with the same family): we were teaching a family outside of their house, when in the middle of the lesson, the son yells "HITLER!" Turns out they have a cat named Hitler and the cat ran into the street just as a car was passing. It was definitely not the comment we were expecting, but the situation was quite hilarious.
I also heard the weirdest reason for not being able to go to church: (direct quote) "I have to stay here watching the laundry dry until my mom comes so theives don't come and steal our laundry." ....
I also had the opportunity to try a weird food this week: Sarapatel. So theres this restaurant that Sister Reis and I eat at when the members who are giving us lunch give us money instead. We are big fans and the waiters are our friends and already know what we order. :) One of them tried to get us to order sarapatel (a typical dish) so he gave us a small sample that I tried. Its made of pig guts. Literally chopped up parts of the pig (snout, liver, tongue, stomach, intestines etc.) in a broth. Its about as disgusting as it sounds. Thanks, Ill stick to my churrasco and rice... :)
The scripture that I would like to share this week comes from the training that President Melo gave in the trainers meeting today. We studied the parable of the 10 Virgins, which is probably my favorite. It reminded me how important it is to accumulate our spiritual oil for our lamps drop by drop. Studying the scriptures, going to church, praying sincerely, serving others. Its not a big dramatic life changing event but its all the little things we do. When we neglect these things, we may sadly come to find that the Bridegroom will say that we never knew Him. I am so grateful for the opportunity we have each day to repent, to start over, and do the little things to fill our lamps drop by drop. I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. I know that we have a living prophet on the earth, just like in the times of Moses and Abraham, to guide us to our heavenly home.
Have a wonderful week!
Sister Knapp
Sister Knapp
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