A Ten Cent Difference

Well this week has been quite different!! To start it off I would like to explain my title for this week. We had been coming back from a division and I was just short 10 cents on my bus fair and didn’t want to try and buy one with my emergency 50....(they don’t like it when we do that cause it’s a ton of change to try and give back for a 3.80 bus fair) so I was scrambling around to find enough with me and my comp (comps have always got your back on change :) and as we were doing so, my eyes met back with a man I had smiled at earlier when I had gotten on the bus and his hand immediately shot to his pocket, dug around a bit and handed me what he had left. In his hand was about 2 reais in change but I just grabbed a 50 cent piece and said " this will do, thank you so much!" I was able to pay my fare and give him the 40 cents back because it really was only a 10 cent difference and I tried to explain to him how much I appreciated that. I sat a bit behind him and thought really hard that day about how he had so quickly responded to my little moment of distress. In his face I could feel of his concern and I didn’t even know him. But through that little act I knew a little bit better of what the Savior does, who He is and exactly how we can be living examples. That man didn’t care how much change I needed but gave what he had. His heart was at the ready :) and certainly the Savior's is like that constantly. I was so grateful for this little moment of love where a stranger brought the love of the Savior through a difference of ten cents. It was interesting that for the rest of the ride I could look back at him and feel a certain trust in him, and at the point of when we needed to get off, I gave a little wave and "tchau" and he gave a wave back and watched us walk by from inside the bus. Until today I still remember his sweet facial expression of "will this suffice?" as his hand reached out to me. I know this seems like a simple story but to me, he brought the Savior’s love and helped me understand how truly the little things bring the biggest waves of love. The little things usually require the biggest heart and largest consciousness of seeing who’s in need. Would I have been at the ready? I hope so. You can bet I’m going to try! Well that was a long explanation (haha) sorry.

this building was the old mission home a couple years back and it is really close to our church building!  whuh? red?

More about this week. There was a really cool service activity/opportunity because recently there was a big fire in a neighborhood where the Elders work and 300 people lost their homes so we got to go help in the school with sorting donated clothes. We spent Wednesday from 2-5 sorting and folding them into piles of women, men, children etc. Then on Saturday we went back because lots of people asked about the church after our service on Wednesday so President had us go back :) We did more sorting clothes and less folding cause it didn’t really matter in the end if they were folded and I actually got to help in the kitchen with preparing their lunch. They needed a ton of help chopping veggies. Let’s just say I got really good at using a small knife and do the twiddling stuff. Mom, you’d be proud :)

so this is the crazy clothes area where we served on Wednesday for 3 hours and then Saturday morning from 8-12. I actually helped on Saturday in the kitchen as well cause my allergies were getting bad from all the dusty clothes. I went and cut veggies instead :)

This week we had a great lesson with P and N. They’re the people we visit who work in an office and have a ton of questions. This last time we tried explaining to them the difference between our church and the others because P is pure Catholic and N is evangelical. Our focus was the Book of Mormon cause it is one of the biggest differences. After a lots of question answering etc. P asked me how I knew God existed. I started talking about the proof I have in front of my eyes, the earth, nature, sunsets etc. but I also shared about the spiritual witnesses He has given me through reading the scriptures and feeling that He is real. I ended with telling Him that you can’t tell me God doesn’t exist when I have my family in front of my eyes. And obviously the topic of family just brought tears to my eyes because its true. Only God, the All-powerful, All knowing being could have given me this amazing family and put me on earth in this loving home. Only God is capable of doing such a thing. You can’t tell me this all came from coincidence. I only teared up a little and was able to finish my testimony but the spirit was so strong I could see P slowly nod in agreement and they both got teary eyed. It was a great reminder from the Lord of how powerful the family is and that the spirit only testifies of truth. To me it was such a breath of fresh air to feel of His presence through some simple words on the family:)

Mom, I gave Aparecido one of your knives! He was so excited and is going to put it to great use. he is a handy man, fixes everything and saves everything like grandpa :)

 It’s been a wonderful week with service, a small division with Sister C. Silva and feeling the spirit. I love teaching about this gospel and seeing this move my life. The more I talk, the more I feel of its truth. The more I study, the better prepared I am to testify with power. The more I walk, the closer I am to finding those in need. The more I serve, the better I know my Savior. Thanks to Him, I am here. Thanks to you, I make it through. Thanks to the spirit, I am reminded constantly of the truth. You need to know I’m grateful. I’m happy and I’m a sister missionary serving in Brasil. I know we are all important to Him. We can all walk in the rain, get wet and still be happy in our hearts cause that’s what I get to do every day! The Lord is our sunlight in whatever kind of weather! I love getting splashed by cars driving really close to the sidewalk and running right through the huge puddle because He fills my heart with laughter, not grudges. He manages to widen my stomach so I can actually eat two servings of Feijoada, farinha, and juice because usually I’m only capable of one. These things make me happy, and you should all be happy too! The Savior didn’t suffer for your sins and saddnesses for you to stay inside them! Let’s be happy together ok?

wore tights!

Love you guys, until next time!
Loves,
Sis Oldroyd - a happy helper and sometimes trinket hoarder