Hi family and friends!
So, when I sit down to write it is hard to think of what I should include to update you on the week. I am so happy to be here and I´m so grateful to be in Brasil among such humble and open people! I love the spirit and blessings I have experienced here in the CMT! I just hit my month mark today...in a sense it has flown by and on the other hand it seems like I´ve been here forever. Time honestly moves differently in the MTC I think. As I said in the last letter we had an opportunity to go proselyting on Friday. It was AWESOME! It was so great to be out of the MTC walking around Brasil and speaking Portuguese with Brasilians, teaching them about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. It was invigorating! We get to go twice more before we leave the MTC and then pretty sure it´s like an everyday thing ;). I´m excited!! It was also a very humbling experience because as you can imagine I speak limited Portuguese and I understand limited Portuguese as well. But my teacher made a comment that hit me...he said "you are exactly where the Lord wants you to be...if he wanted you to be better you´d be better...if he wanted you to be better you´d be better" seems so simple but it hit me as very wise! I am doing the Lord´s work, I am a tool in His hands and if He wanted me to speak more or less...it would be. But I know I have been so blessed by the gifts of the spirit because I have learned so much in such a short time I know I could never do it on my own. I am so grateful for the help. I feel encouraged and positive and I know that the Lord is in control. Today I read 1 Nephi 3 in Portuguese and I understood what it was saying. Between being familiar with the story and knowing many of the words I was able to piece together the words and phrases I didn´t understand yet. It was a great feeling! Oh, back to proselyting...it rocked! My companions and I made a great team I think! I had no problem approaching people and opening up the conversation about the gospel and one of my companions is very good at pronunciation so when I struggled she would correct and my other companion is really good at understanding what they said back so she would translate when we didn´t catch everything. It worked out well. We had nine Books of Mormon and planned to give them all away. It came time to meet back up with our district and we still had one left. I told my teacher that we had to give the last one away before we left so he said ok go talk to that lady...I walked up to her and began explaining who we were and what we were doing etc etc and she was apparently not too interested because she dodged around another guy and walked away...ha. I was determined but my teacher wanted to take us to look inside this huge old theatre in that we were walking past and said not to talk to anyone on the stairs. I still had hope though that we would be able to give it to someone. We were the only ones in the theater at first but a couple walked in. I said hi how are you? Not thinking anything because our teacher had said not to talk to the people on the stairs. But he began talking to me about where I was from and what we are doing...and of course it was the perfect set up. My teacher smiled and nodded and I proceded to tell him about the church and the Book of Mormon and asked him if he would like the copy that I was holding. He said of course and I asked if he would read it and they both said they would. It was awesome and it was a blessing! We had a lot of other neat experiences as well! We talked with a lot of people that had some familiarity with the church and most people were so nice to us!! I had the opportunity to meet my mission President and his wife this week. It was great! There were about 7 Brasilian missionaries in the MTC who are going to the same mission as me (they left today) so our President came to do interviews and things with them. They came in the lunch room to tell me he was at the MTC and so my companions and I went and hunted them down. They were great! We only had a minute to talk to them but it was fun to beable to meet them before I get out there. Sister Cooley seemed great! I was very impressed with her! I am excited to get to know them both better!My time is up...but I will end assuring you all that life here is great! I am so happy and grateful to be serving a mission! This gospel is incredible and it is true and I am so happy to be sharing the message!Thank you all for your support! Hope to hear from you all soon :).
Much love!
Sister Chelsea Dawn
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
March 24, 2009
HeLlO!
So it has been another great week in the CTM. Honestly it has been a great week! Time is such an interesting thing...it seems like it is all relative. We talk about time a lot here...how long have you been here? how much longer before you go to the field? it feels like its only been...I can´t believe it has already been... You get the idea, it makes me laugh but at the same time I can´t help but think about it. My life is marked by Sundays, p-days, and pizza night (where they serve banana chocolate and cheese all one the same piece...it´s actually really good)...other then that every other day seems to blend together. First things first...THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE LETTERS AND EMAILS! It is so great to hear from yáll! mom and dad thanks for the letters, Tiff and fam thanks for the card, Anika thanks for the drawing, and friends thanks for the letters! If I had only known what letters mean to a missionary I´d like to think that I would have done better. Sorry to those of you I didn´t write. I am amazed by how close my district and companionship have become. My companions have always been easy to get along with we have just been able to grow closer. However, we did have an Elder that was kind of hard to deal with at first, but as we worked together, prayed and have been filled with the spirit I´m sure we have all grown really close and have already learned a lot together and from each other. We basically spend all day everyday together...in the same classroom...at the same desk...ha. It´s great. We read each others letters and know each others lives...it´s like my little family within the MTC. Also as my companions and I have become closer our lessons have been going a lot better and have had a powerful spirit. This week we passed of the first long lesson and the spirit was so strong. Our teacher was very happy and impressed but more then that the three of us walked away with stronger faith in the guidance of the spirit. It was amazing to me that even though it was just a "mock lesson" if you will it was important enough to the Lord that we were aided in our teaching and word choice, etc. I learned a great lesson from it...my mission has already started. That may sound obvious but being here in the MTC I sometimes feel like it hasn´t...that I´m not really a missionary yet...and though I am just in the learning and preparing process I am a missionary and there is a calling for me here at the MTC. I am so grateful for the realization! I hope it changes my work and time here! My companions and I were called to be the ´coordinating sisters´this week. We are basically in charge of making sure all of the sisters feel loved, have someone to talk to, somewhere to go for information, we go to the leadership meeting and give anouncements, welcome the new sisters, make sure the ones leaving get a proper goodbye, and I´m sure I will learn more about what we do as we go. I´m excited about the opportunity, it will help us to get to know all of the sisters better and I think it will give me more experience speaking Portuguese because there are a lot of Brasilian sisters. Speaking of Portuguese, we are going proselyting on Friday! I am so excited!! But I am somewhat nervous about the whole...I don´t really speak Portuguese factor. I am actually pretty confident about what I am going to say but if they ask me any questions I dunno that I can 1st understand what they are saying and 2nd formulate an answer. Good thing I have two companions...pretty sure between the three of us we will be just fine. In preparation for it our district had an Eng fast yesterday...we spoke only Portuguese...or as close to it as we could...ha! It was um...hard...and motivating...but surprisingly I could communicate, not as much as I would have liked to but ya know...we got by. I wish I had more time...for some reason today I feel like I could go on and on. Most important though, life is good and the gospel is true! I am so grateful to be in the Lords service and I LOVE YOU ALL!!!Have a great week!
Much love!
Sister Chelsea Dawn
So it has been another great week in the CTM. Honestly it has been a great week! Time is such an interesting thing...it seems like it is all relative. We talk about time a lot here...how long have you been here? how much longer before you go to the field? it feels like its only been...I can´t believe it has already been... You get the idea, it makes me laugh but at the same time I can´t help but think about it. My life is marked by Sundays, p-days, and pizza night (where they serve banana chocolate and cheese all one the same piece...it´s actually really good)...other then that every other day seems to blend together. First things first...THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE LETTERS AND EMAILS! It is so great to hear from yáll! mom and dad thanks for the letters, Tiff and fam thanks for the card, Anika thanks for the drawing, and friends thanks for the letters! If I had only known what letters mean to a missionary I´d like to think that I would have done better. Sorry to those of you I didn´t write. I am amazed by how close my district and companionship have become. My companions have always been easy to get along with we have just been able to grow closer. However, we did have an Elder that was kind of hard to deal with at first, but as we worked together, prayed and have been filled with the spirit I´m sure we have all grown really close and have already learned a lot together and from each other. We basically spend all day everyday together...in the same classroom...at the same desk...ha. It´s great. We read each others letters and know each others lives...it´s like my little family within the MTC. Also as my companions and I have become closer our lessons have been going a lot better and have had a powerful spirit. This week we passed of the first long lesson and the spirit was so strong. Our teacher was very happy and impressed but more then that the three of us walked away with stronger faith in the guidance of the spirit. It was amazing to me that even though it was just a "mock lesson" if you will it was important enough to the Lord that we were aided in our teaching and word choice, etc. I learned a great lesson from it...my mission has already started. That may sound obvious but being here in the MTC I sometimes feel like it hasn´t...that I´m not really a missionary yet...and though I am just in the learning and preparing process I am a missionary and there is a calling for me here at the MTC. I am so grateful for the realization! I hope it changes my work and time here! My companions and I were called to be the ´coordinating sisters´this week. We are basically in charge of making sure all of the sisters feel loved, have someone to talk to, somewhere to go for information, we go to the leadership meeting and give anouncements, welcome the new sisters, make sure the ones leaving get a proper goodbye, and I´m sure I will learn more about what we do as we go. I´m excited about the opportunity, it will help us to get to know all of the sisters better and I think it will give me more experience speaking Portuguese because there are a lot of Brasilian sisters. Speaking of Portuguese, we are going proselyting on Friday! I am so excited!! But I am somewhat nervous about the whole...I don´t really speak Portuguese factor. I am actually pretty confident about what I am going to say but if they ask me any questions I dunno that I can 1st understand what they are saying and 2nd formulate an answer. Good thing I have two companions...pretty sure between the three of us we will be just fine. In preparation for it our district had an Eng fast yesterday...we spoke only Portuguese...or as close to it as we could...ha! It was um...hard...and motivating...but surprisingly I could communicate, not as much as I would have liked to but ya know...we got by. I wish I had more time...for some reason today I feel like I could go on and on. Most important though, life is good and the gospel is true! I am so grateful to be in the Lords service and I LOVE YOU ALL!!!Have a great week!
Much love!
Sister Chelsea Dawn
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
March 17, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Another week in Brasil has passed. It was a good week! I can believe how much I have learned is such a short time! Learning a new language is pretty amusing ;). I accepted a marriage proposal this week not realizing I did so until after the Brazilian Elders all laughed. I realized that I need to learn Portuguese really fast and not pretend to understand if I don’t. An Elder in my district…Elder Payne is my hero…he seriously struggles with the language. He has a lisp and has a gringo accent like crazy. He is so happy and positive and just laughs at himself. It is all I can do to not laugh through all the prayers he gives. But it is so endearing and he keeps me motivated and there is just as much reason to laugh at me when I speak too. One of the Brazilian Elders told me he can totally understand my Portuguese and it´s cute because I sound like a little kid…ha! I´ll have to work on that. Another funny story about learning a new language…this week in class we had our window open and one of my comps, Sister Marchant, said that it smelled like a barbecue outside. Our teacher (who is Brazilian) said (so I can´t find the quotations on this keyboard…bear with me), he said yes there is one down there. We were confused and didn’t want to get too excited so Elder Payne said…next door right? He said no it´s downstairs at the MTC and you can get your hair cut. Elder Payne got worried and said I need a haircut and Sister Marchant said a barbecue for getting a hair cut…as Elder Payne preceded to ask his comp if he needed a hair cut. We were all laughing way hard because of all of the confusion and suddenly I realized…oh Irmão you are talking about the barber shop. He said yes of course…and we all started laughing way hard! We explained to our teacher what a barbecue was and he said we should go on a p-day. It was great…and so funny.Thanks so much for the emails this week and the letter mom. So I know now what letters mean to a missionary and I am repenting for being the worst letter writer of all time before my mission. It was so great to hear from y´all!Dad I hope you had a great birthday! Anika I hope you got your birthday email today! My birthday went well too thanks for the happy birthday wishes! I got a card from my comps and some yummy yogurt candy things from the MTC president and his wife.I love the MTC here; I love the Brasilian people already and the food. Pretty sure I will enjoy my time here. It seems like I have a lot of it ahead of me but I´m sure itll go quickly.The MTC is a great place with a powerful spirit! My testimony of the restored gospel, the converting power of the Book of Mormon, and the great power and gifts of the spirit have grown a lot! I am excited to be here!Keep in touch!
Much love!
Sister Chelsea Dawn
Another week in Brasil has passed. It was a good week! I can believe how much I have learned is such a short time! Learning a new language is pretty amusing ;). I accepted a marriage proposal this week not realizing I did so until after the Brazilian Elders all laughed. I realized that I need to learn Portuguese really fast and not pretend to understand if I don’t. An Elder in my district…Elder Payne is my hero…he seriously struggles with the language. He has a lisp and has a gringo accent like crazy. He is so happy and positive and just laughs at himself. It is all I can do to not laugh through all the prayers he gives. But it is so endearing and he keeps me motivated and there is just as much reason to laugh at me when I speak too. One of the Brazilian Elders told me he can totally understand my Portuguese and it´s cute because I sound like a little kid…ha! I´ll have to work on that. Another funny story about learning a new language…this week in class we had our window open and one of my comps, Sister Marchant, said that it smelled like a barbecue outside. Our teacher (who is Brazilian) said (so I can´t find the quotations on this keyboard…bear with me), he said yes there is one down there. We were confused and didn’t want to get too excited so Elder Payne said…next door right? He said no it´s downstairs at the MTC and you can get your hair cut. Elder Payne got worried and said I need a haircut and Sister Marchant said a barbecue for getting a hair cut…as Elder Payne preceded to ask his comp if he needed a hair cut. We were all laughing way hard because of all of the confusion and suddenly I realized…oh Irmão you are talking about the barber shop. He said yes of course…and we all started laughing way hard! We explained to our teacher what a barbecue was and he said we should go on a p-day. It was great…and so funny.Thanks so much for the emails this week and the letter mom. So I know now what letters mean to a missionary and I am repenting for being the worst letter writer of all time before my mission. It was so great to hear from y´all!Dad I hope you had a great birthday! Anika I hope you got your birthday email today! My birthday went well too thanks for the happy birthday wishes! I got a card from my comps and some yummy yogurt candy things from the MTC president and his wife.I love the MTC here; I love the Brasilian people already and the food. Pretty sure I will enjoy my time here. It seems like I have a lot of it ahead of me but I´m sure itll go quickly.The MTC is a great place with a powerful spirit! My testimony of the restored gospel, the converting power of the Book of Mormon, and the great power and gifts of the spirit have grown a lot! I am excited to be here!Keep in touch!
Much love!
Sister Chelsea Dawn
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
March 10, 2009
Dear Family,
I`M IN BRASIL!!! It´s great! The keyboards are a little different so I´m kinda struggling but I think I will get used to it. The CTM here is great! There is a powerful spirit here and I am learning a lot! I know that the Holy Ghost is aiding in the learning and remembering process! It´s amazing! The language is actually coming kinda quickly right now. It´s fun because during meals my companions and I always sit by Brazilians and practice conversing with them. They are hilarious! And they are very nice...always acting like they understand our Portuguese and what not. It makes for a lot of laughing and not so much talking but we try...and try...and will keep trying. It´s non-stop studying as I´m sure all of you that have been to the MTC can testify of. We take breaks to eat, work out, and sleep. Even then Portuguese verbs, phrases, prayers, etc are running through my head. I fall asleep reviewing what I learned that day. It´s pretty intense!I have two companions because we were the only brand new sisters, and they are awesome! There names are Sister Marchant, from Colorado, and Sister McCandless, from Idaho. They both speak quite a bit of Spanish and Sister McCandless speaks some Portuguese as well so they are a good resource to help me learn! The country is so amazingly beautiful and great, with beautiful trees that have colorful blossoms and hills, etc, in some places...but...in others it is incredibly ghetto and dirty and crowded. It´s awesome! The food is great! We do eat a lot of rice and beans but not like any I´d ever had before...I love it. And lots of fresh fruits and veggitables! The CTM actually serves a lot of chicken too which is good. Mostly we eat rice and beans, a salad with peco de gio, and fruit. I was called on out of the congregation to give a talk the first Sunday here (two days ago...weird). It only had to be five minutes long but I had no prior notice or preparation. It was a good experience I´m sure haha...maybe they could have given me a week or so. I think it went fine, dunno if it was a full five minutes or not but my companions thought it was.Well I only have a couple minutes so I better bounce. I love you all! Happy Birthday this week dad and Anika! You are amazing!
Much love!!Sister Chelsea Dawn
I`M IN BRASIL!!! It´s great! The keyboards are a little different so I´m kinda struggling but I think I will get used to it. The CTM here is great! There is a powerful spirit here and I am learning a lot! I know that the Holy Ghost is aiding in the learning and remembering process! It´s amazing! The language is actually coming kinda quickly right now. It´s fun because during meals my companions and I always sit by Brazilians and practice conversing with them. They are hilarious! And they are very nice...always acting like they understand our Portuguese and what not. It makes for a lot of laughing and not so much talking but we try...and try...and will keep trying. It´s non-stop studying as I´m sure all of you that have been to the MTC can testify of. We take breaks to eat, work out, and sleep. Even then Portuguese verbs, phrases, prayers, etc are running through my head. I fall asleep reviewing what I learned that day. It´s pretty intense!I have two companions because we were the only brand new sisters, and they are awesome! There names are Sister Marchant, from Colorado, and Sister McCandless, from Idaho. They both speak quite a bit of Spanish and Sister McCandless speaks some Portuguese as well so they are a good resource to help me learn! The country is so amazingly beautiful and great, with beautiful trees that have colorful blossoms and hills, etc, in some places...but...in others it is incredibly ghetto and dirty and crowded. It´s awesome! The food is great! We do eat a lot of rice and beans but not like any I´d ever had before...I love it. And lots of fresh fruits and veggitables! The CTM actually serves a lot of chicken too which is good. Mostly we eat rice and beans, a salad with peco de gio, and fruit. I was called on out of the congregation to give a talk the first Sunday here (two days ago...weird). It only had to be five minutes long but I had no prior notice or preparation. It was a good experience I´m sure haha...maybe they could have given me a week or so. I think it went fine, dunno if it was a full five minutes or not but my companions thought it was.Well I only have a couple minutes so I better bounce. I love you all! Happy Birthday this week dad and Anika! You are amazing!
Much love!!Sister Chelsea Dawn
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
I'ts Official
Chelsea was set apart by her stake president, President Smith, on Monday March 2.
Mom and Dad are serving a church service mission while Chelsea is serving a full-time mission.
Grandma Richins with the girls.
Anika cried all night, she is really going to miss her sweet Aunt Chelsea!
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