Monday, July 16, 2012

sweet boats in Arembepe


Lunch with pres and the harts


I made cookies.....woot woot


Giant bug that actually tried to eat me, no joke it like attached itself to my dress.....I wanted to cry


SERVICE PROJECT!!!!


Tarsisio, my Boyfriend, he gave me a ring.


The Mute

Okay this week was super interesting.  I drove a car yesterday.......sortof.  Ha ha yesterday (Sunday) we were headed to church in Jacuipe (the district) and Marci (member) called me out an said I need you to drive and as I started to explain that no, on the mission I can't drive he said, the battery is dead ( I am going to push the car and you are going to steer it......BAH HA HA Hah ha I drove a dead car.....It was fun.  I like driving, a lot.
 
I am soooo grateful to be a misisonary I feel like I recieve blessings and miracles all day everyday I can't even keep up with the prayers of gratitude.....it's getting out of controle.  ha ha yesterday we went to our branch normal in Sao Sebastiao do Passe and then we were waiting and calling all of our investigators and no one showed up just 2 eternal investigators that have no intent to get married.  oh well.  So we had all our hopes up to have all sorts of people at church in Jacuipe.  we went and tried to pick a few people up to go to church, no one went.  ha ha all the people we went to go pick up were like "oh yea we'll be there!!" LIARS!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
It is okay because we had a fantastic member there who stood outside and acted as usher, ha ha he basically begged people to come in to hear a message about Jesus Christ.......we ended up with 8 people at church.  I LOVE MY LIFE!!! 
 
Cool story:  we went to contact a referral from a youth and she was FINALLY in her house.  She let us in and when we started talking to her she was like oh yea I read the boook of mormon and we were like oh, you read the chapter the missionaries marked for you and she was like no, i read the book.........um...page one to 620?  yea I read the Book of Mormon and I have questions too but I lent the book to a friend and she hasn't given it back yet so I haven't had the chance to read it again......
 
I about peed.  I wanted to cry.  I was like we beg and implore people to read just a small part of the book of mormon and they tell us they don't have time and YOU without anyone telling you to you read the whole book.  Do you want to be baptised?  ha ha she was like I was baptised in the catholic church but I don't really agree with baptiseing small children and when I read that one part I really liked it in the book.
 
GUYS!!!  this is insane!!! This doesn't HAPPEN in Bahia!!!  ha ha I was sooooo happy but there is just one little problem, she works studies and has an extra course at night.  ha ha it stinks because she is like NEVER in home.  I do not like it.  If I am not there with my amazing companions satan and his friends can be there......GRRRRR  .v. super angry
 
ANYWAYS, we will be trying to baptise her this week.
 
So we are going to teach a deaf mute lady.  Get excited.  I am sooooo excited.  I have always hade a secret desire to learn sign language...did you know that it is not the same in Portuguese and english?  it isn't even the same in bahia and other states.  talk about confusing.  but her daughter speaks and hears so we are going to teach the two of them together.  I like it.
 
Well I just want to once again bear my testimony but s you all know I don't really have one in english so here you go....this is why google exists guys.
 
 
Sei que Jesus Cristo 'e nosso salvador e que ele morreu por cada um de n'os  minha fam'ilia 'e muito muito importante por mim.  Sabe porque?  porque ela 'e eterna!!!!  Eu amo o evangelho e sei que 'e verdadeiro!!!!  Joseph Smith foi um profeta chamado para restaurar sua igreja.
 
AMO VOC^ES!!!
 
 
XOXOXOXOXO
 
Sister Ottley
 
Nunca desista!!!!
 
be awesome!!!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!

Hello friends and Family!!!
 
WEll I have a comparison to make for you guys; some of you maybe all have already heard this but I want to make it again.
 
Did you know that the Gospel is like orange juice?  Imagine tis:  you invite a good friend of yours over to your house for breakfast.  You made pancakes and waffles and bacon and eggs, EVERY good thing there is to eat for breakfast.  And while they are eatting you started peeling oranges and making fresh homemade orange juice.  You fill up a nice huge pitcher and set it on the counter.  You don`t place it on the tabel where your friend is eatting it is out of reach but not out of sight.  You don`t offer them any because you are afriad they might not like orange juice and you don`t want to hurt thier feelings or offend them.  The gospel is like the orange juice.  You are afriad thatyour firend might not like the gospel so you don`t even offer it to them.  How are you going to know that they don`t want any if you don`t even offer it to them.  Just remember that the next time you think "oh he would never want to be mormon."
 
So this week we ran into a guy who stopped us and said "I used to be part of this church."  ha ha we asked him if he`d been baptised and all that stuff and he said no so we got even MORE excited.  haha we invited him to church and all that and he told us about all his old friend from the church.  We lied and told him they were always talking about him too.  Well, guess what......he WAS baptised, haha we asked some members and they said that he was baptised like 16 years ago and then became inactive.  ha ha awesome.  guess what else, after he promised us he would go to church, he didn`t show.....shocker.  I don`t think I trust anybody anymore.  ha ha the mission is sad that way.  ha ha maybe if I had more confidence and faith in people I would have more people in church.  ha ha
 
So this  week was the "spring cleaning" of  our "chaple" a.k.a.  the rented house above the local clinic.  ha ha  So we went to help.  After a few cat-calls in the street (we were in work clothes, which is a novelty beccause the people ONLY see us in skirts)  we went and threw some water around at the chaple.  This is cool and all but when we were done the place was still a mess.  The Irmã who cleans wvery week said that if you were to stay there all day you wouldn`t be abele to ge thte dirt out of the cracks.....yes, the floor is cement.  I am sooo grateful for the beautiful chaple I had and have and I will NEVER complain about being called to clean it EVER again!!!!  haha
 
So we have to send the numbers into the office eery week as part of our accountability towards the mission right?  well we made a competition with the elders from our district.......who could do the most contacts with addresses.......this week we got 143  the other two companionships didn`t get that together!!! ha ha we SMOKED them!!!!!  so now they have to buy us ice-cream.  I love a good competition but now it is getting out of hand.   ha ha this week there is a pizza at stakes and we just have to take 5 people to church.......we have 2 wards........These boys are NOT thinking things through every well.. ha ha we practically have 2 areas because of the district where we work and so wew got 12 people to church last week........This should be interesting.  ha ha
 
So needless to say I am wokring really really hard and am really tired.  I want to stay here on the mission forever but my body cannot handle it.  ha ha my spirit wants to continue but my body won`t allow it.  I will be back in the states the 10th of August.  I won`t lie I am excited to take a real life hot shower but I am more sad to think that I won`t be surrounded by this beautiful people anymore.....not that you guys are ugly or anything.....ya`ll are just real real white.  ;)
 
I love you alll sooooo much!!!  life is sooooo good.  I don`t know where I would be or who I would be without each and everyone of you.  I know this church is true.  Eu sei que temos um proposito aqui na terra e que esse proposito é voltar para presença de nosso pai celestial um dia.  Infelismente Eu não tenho nenhum testemunho em inglês, me desculpa.  mas Eu amo vocês de mais!!! 
 
Have a great week!!!!
 
XOOXOXOXOXOO
 
BEIJOS!!!!
 
Sister Ottley

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

If you could Hie to Jacuípe

Alright people so this week has been really interesting.  I am here in São Sebatião and just loving life.  It is an area that has been a branch for about 19 years.  This is kind of a big deal so if you could all just pray that it becomes a ward soon I would appreciate it.  We are working really hard and Sister Costa is amazing.  She is learning super fast and her missionary shoes fit her realy really well.  I love her as if she really were my filha.  

So last week or so we recieved a refrerral from a member who is pretty cool.  WE didn`t take it toooo seriously because it was a little strange like maybe this person had talked to missionaries before but maby not and she didn`t know the house number.  Tudo bem.  Well this week we were in the area and decided lets go do some contacts and try to find the house.  We did.  It was SUPER easy to find.  Know why?  Heavenly Father wanted us to find it.  They are this fantastic family of 6.  Yes, 6 people.  I love them already.  WE taught them about the book of mormon and they are trying to read it.  It isn`t very easy to read so they are having difficulties.  They are soooo great.  Ane, Cristiano, Nicole, Flavia, Joaquim, and Miguel.  I love them.  THey need to get married but I do believe that once they have a testimony that will not take too long.  PLease pray for them.

We had meetings in Jacuípe again...... no one went.  Ha ha Damiana who was progressing sooooo well needs to get married.  I am thinking about becomeing a professional wedding planner.  ha ha soooo fun!!!!

Life is soooo good I am super tired but super happy.  I am healthy and loving life.  Can`t wait to hear from you all.  have a great week!!!!


Love ya!!!!
XoxoxoxoXO
Sister Ottley