July 15, 2016

 Sister Hancock with her new Mission President and his wife

Oi Everyone!! Tudo bem?

I can´t believe it has already been another week. the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days. Sometimes the days all blend together. One minute I am going to sleep and the next minute I am getting out of bed to start the next day! (I again apologize if the order is super random).

Today is P-day! Preparation days are great because we get the chance to go to the temple in the morning and then in the afternoon we can email people and then walk around the streets in Sao Paulo! Also there is a store right across the street from the CTM where you can buy the best cookies I have ever had in my entire life. Muito Bom!

Emily and her companion, Sister Gimm in the CTM

Then Saturday it is back to our normal schedule (Which isn't really normal because it changes from day to day. We taught a new investigator last Saturday and it was a really cool lesson! The Spirit was so strong and the gift of tongues is so real! When we asked her to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized she said yes!! (She is just our teacher and it felt so good I can´t wait until I am actually teaching real investigators!!!) We had her try to say the closing prayer and as she was praying she got chocked up and started to cry. You could feel the love of God so strongly for this woman. In the afternoon we taught another new investigator (Our other teacher), and it also went pretty well! The hardest part is responding to all of his questions and sometimes understanding him  because he talks MUITO RAPIDO!!! 

It is really cool when we are teaching a lesson and I don´t think I know how to say something but then I am able to respond in Portuguese in a way that they are ACTUALLY able to understand what I am saying. 

But other times it doesn't always happen. Sometimes our instructors are like ´What?.. nao entendo...` The other day in class we were learning about action verbs. My teacher would say a phrase and then we had to say it back to her in a answer form. She said something like ´´I am eating the food` and I accidentally said ``I am eating the church`` because I had forgotten the noun that she had said. It was really funny. A lot of times I feel super great about speaking Portuguese and other times it is a major struggle!!! 

My CTM instructors are incredible! I seriously think I lucked out and got the best two instructors in the whole CTM! 

Sister Hancock and her traveling companions to Sao Paolo

Also the Sundays here are amazing! They are super spiritual and a really nice break from our crazy busy schedule throughout the week. The devotionals are so amazing too. We watched a Mormon message from Elder Holland called sanctify yourself. If you have the chance, watch it!

Apparently the movie Hancock with Will Smith is a big deal here. Almost every single person that sees my name tag says ``Oh Hancock!!! Like the MOVIE!!! How cool! `` A lot of people say that Hancock is their favorite super hero and that Will Smith is their hero, therefore, I am their hero. 

On Tuesday and Thursdays we have started teaching TRC (which are 30 minute lessons with members) On Tuesday we were in class learning and then all of sudden Irmao Fatori was like okay time to go teach TRC! And we were like ´what we have nothing prepared...` but we went anyways and struggled through a little but it wasn't horrible. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we have 4 lessons and then the other days we only have 2 lessons. 

One day after teaching our investigator Àndre` Our teacher came back in to the class and was speaking Portuguese with an English accent, basically showing us how we sound when we speak Portuguese. We are super American... ha ha it will get better over time. 

We get to go proselyting tomorrow!!! I am super excited!!!

I hope you are all doing well! 

We watched an incredible video about the Savior the other night. It was never easy for the Savior so why should it be easy for us. Missionary work is not easy because Salvation is not a cheap experience. It is not easy but it is so worth it. We must be prepared to walk the path that the Savior walked. To shed even just one tear of sorrow that He shed for us. Jesus Christ paid the price for every single one of us. His Atonement will carry you through any trial or tribulation.

E pode poder do Espirito Santo e podeis saber a verdade de todas as coisas. 

Eu sei que Jesus Cristo vive. 

Love you all!!!

-Sister Hancock