Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Dashing through the Rain

Dashing through the rain...Skyping all the way!!! ho ho ho
Alright, so much has happened this week and I have to cram it in an email! How???? First bit of metaphor was a scripture Mormon 1:15 (And I, being fifteen years of age and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus).
Don’t be a food critic!

I’m gonna pass onto a great Christmas eve! They celebrate it more than the actual day of Christmas here.  They do a secret sibling family present swap and have churrasco.



We celebrated it with a great family who included us like family. Earlier this day we went caroling with the Bishop and his family. I got to play the guitar!



All were filled with the spirit and some eyes with tears. At this point it really felt like Christmas :) The family gave us a little something; Mine was soap and lipstick (for some reason a new stick of lipstick just makes me wanna color...smear it all over a nice white piece of paper like a great big crayon....sad right?) haha. We swapped gifts as sisters in our house as well and slept all together in the same room (sound familiar sisters??).  But this time I slept just fine on the floor. Haha. Christmas came and felt like a normal day until the Christmas music was playing in the Bishop’s house...Michael Buble!!! It was amazing to hear his voice and some of the great tunes I listened to with the fam at home.



We feasted and then my skype time came around...it worked out perfect! No glitches. Only a real quick 40 minutes of trying to explain everything! Yes I struggled to speak English but that’s a good sign! And gave my fam a good laugh. It was great talking with them and knowing that they do exist and that I’m not just pretending I have a family to make myself feel better on the mish. I love them so much! After the Bishops house, they dropped us off and obviously it had to start pouring down rain....we took cover for a few minutes but it just wasn’t stopping. I braved the little river in the street with Sis Bezerra to see if there was a bigger dry patch down the street and got soaked! Haha. Gotta love Brazilian snow :)

Transfers also happened this week......Novo Osasco and Sis Valdera (or close to that spelling not sure) but I’m very excited to try something new! I love Cotia but it’s my time to leave unfortunately.



I’m so grateful for my Savior, for all He's given me and continues to give. Don’t let the Christmas spirit die! It should be an all year-round thing!

Love you guys and Feliz Ano Novo!

Sis Oldroyd (A humble Christmas Caroler :) hehe)

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

My Standard of Living

Happy Christmas everyone!!! 

I know it’s only December 21st but this whole month has been Christmas as we've shared the church’s Christmas videos in every message (almost, sometimes the spirit guides to talk of other things :) If you haven’t seen the Christmas videos yet, please sit down and enjoy! natal.mormon.org




Well it felt more like Christmas because we had our Christmas party as a mission! We journeyed to the churches huge activity site by bus...it was raining...but did that stop me from playing soccer, volleyball, soap soccer, and riding a mechanical bull???? nope. I enjoyed this day of switching clothes and getting dirty /sweaty like my life depended upon it :) A couple days before the sisters were trying to pick out my “Christmas outfit" which I agreed skirt wise but then they asked about jeans and such after we would switch clothes and I was thinking......but I already planned to wear my sweats!! (haha) They were a bit shocked...but they understood my reasoning once they saw me jogging around in the rain...slipping in the mud...juggling the soccer ball etc. Playing soccer with the other sisters was awesome! Wasn’t quite the same but I’ll have you know I played safe and fair :) and scored a goal. We performed our skits/videos as a mission and some were really funny…others we got to boo off the stage if it was boring or inappropriate. I sang a couple songs, ate popscicles, appetizer type treats and dinner. The other great surprise was receiving 5 letters and two packages! I’m so blessed! And I was so patient :) Let’s just say I really had to pay 'taxes" for one of the packages a couple of weeks ago. 



This week I learned that the Articles of Faith are amazing! They are so simple but they explain practically everything we teach as a missionary. Hey you primary kids (and everyone else) really, memorize these great articles of faith because they will help you remember the basics and cling to the faith in the future! Also, God is the ultimate Author! He has written so many stories, some with smooth starts and rough middles, others with rough beginnings and high hopes but thankfully we all have the same ending. Or He's hoping on having us choose such. Let’s start reading the pages before us and deciding which ending is for us. 



In church we talked about Christ being the perfect example and the perfect standard of living. Even though life brings heat, thirst, hunger, and pain, it also brings joy, satisfaction, success, and peace. Christ is the perfect example, and shows us how to get the most out of this life. Some thoughts of the week: 

1. "When everything is going wrong is when we need to choose to do right, feel right, and act right or the bad will drag us down and prevail" 

2."Christ is our best friend. Know Him better than you know yourself just as He knows you better than you know yourself" (that one was a bit confusing and repetitive) 

3. "The lower or more down we are only gives us more opportunity and room to show our strength and capacity to arise and lift ourselves out of the hole."



I don’t know if I already announced this but this past 15th of December was my 5 month mark!...I think the months and days are combining! It’s been a great week. I can’t believe I will talk face to face with my family this week! Know that I’m walking these hills, sweating like crazy, eating my fill, and serving my brothers and sisters. The gospel of Christ is my standard of living. Is it a way of life for you? Happy days await if you live as He did.

Love,
Sister Oldroyd, Christ’s Follower   
  

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

When He Returns

We had a different district meeting this week cause each zone is preparing a little something for our Natal party! I’m going to be a spy person of some sort switching up the Book of Mormon stories/bible ones too (for example, Jonah didn’t really get swallowed by a whale but bitten by a little fish but for my college paper I beefed it up) make sense?



Anyway,  I had an exchange (I think that’s what it is in English speaking missions) with Sis L and I stayed in our area which meant I showed her where our next lesson would be or what to do...I thought it went well. We sang a hymn for a lady who pretended not to be outside on her porch cause we couldn’t see her but sang it for her anyway and after, Pedro says, "that hymn was for you Dora" and she responds "thank you" in the most sarcastic grumpy voice. It was hilarious cause she didn’t respond to us at first but we sang anyway. It’s Christmas! Gotta sing those 7 hymns as much as possible!



Maria is preparing for her baptism this Saturday! I’m so excited for her, she is so sweet and always dresses up so fancy for church and every activity. She is making such a great decision!!! Love her.

The ward had their Christmas party. We got there a bit early (but really at 6:30 when it was supposed to start but obviously it started at 8, haha) so I played prelude Christmas hymns. Basically the whole ward showed up and more which was awesome! Lots of food, the ward choir sang "White Christmas" partly in English which made me think about my good times watching that movie...it was a wonderful party :)



This week some study topics were in 3 Ne 20 (mais ou menos) about Christ’s teachings and some moments really have helped me think about my preparation for when He returns. Will my decisions, appearance, faith, and service put a smile on His face? Will I be worthy for Him to select me as a disciple and help Him continue His work? I’m so grateful thus far, for the choices I have made, for the sacred covenants I have taken upon myself. There's no going back, only forward. And with these promises and choices, I will see miracles; I will receive blessings because that’s how merciful and just God is. When we keep our end, He keeps his, and even gives more at times.

The churros here are amazing!

Have a wonderful Christmas. Love you all very much!!! Until next semana.


Love Sis Oldroyd who is smiling and very satisfied :)

Monday, December 7, 2015

Know Your Purpose

Multizona happened again! This time I won my bday box of chocolates and was almost first in line for cake:) I learned a lot about how to apply repentance in my life and to be a walking letter of the Lord. We need to write and even chisel the promises and conversions on our hearts for others to read. "Engrave this truth on the pages of the heart, for all to read and never erase" - just a tidbit from my notes :) Also, we aren’t salesmen! Just another thought.


Embarrassing moment; President Del Guerso was complimenting me for my little braid thing I do sometimes but I thought he said something about how I always had a braid which made me say "look, I do braids all the time because my hair is poofy...." but then I realized I didn’t understand him completely and asked him to repeat what he said. "I said I like your braid". My reaction, "oO, thank you".  Whoops, haha.

My new soccer jersey of the week

A question for you all this season, "What can I give Jesus this Christmas?" Service? Love? More of my time? More attention during the sacrament? The list is endless :) Not that he is asking for many birthday presents but that whatever comes from the heart of sincerity he accepts graciously.

This week we also had a crazy journey to another area because Sis L has a recent convert getting married in Campo Limpo and we got to go! It was rainy and we traveled by Onibus for an 1 and a half or so but found it! They were so happy and on the bus I got to talk with a biology professor who was practicing English and very nice:)

Another day, I was just feeling happy. Another American and I were together for the day while our comps prepared a training for the multi-zone and we just so happened to run into one of their investigators. Because I was in such a good mood I started being very flamboyant about the gospel and how he should make a visit to the church etc...later he said in broken English (he’s taking English classes) "I like you" but later explained in Portuguese that he liked my happiness and said that it was like I knew my purpose and said it would take him 7 days to create/feel the happiness I could have in just one day. That was very sweet of him to say and helped me feel good about my mission and that I really do know my purpose.

"Things improve when they’re used"- just another food for thought. Something different this week as we were walking to lunch after church was a huge spider and dead snake! It felt a little more like Brazil this week.



Love every moment of this month as we remember Christ. He truly is the greatest gift. What more could I want this Christmas? I have Him. I have my Family. Friends. Faith. (food) and so many other things. To be honest, I don’t need much more than this.

Loves and happy happenings

From Sis Oldroyd