Santa Cruz do Sul!

Olá!

It feels so good to be transferred! It is so funny how every area has its pros and cons. I am in Santa Cruz do Sul. It is about 2.5 hours from Porto Alegre. It was settled by Germans, so it has huge German influence. This is cool and hard at the same time. This city is super pretty. There is this street here that has huge trees on both sides of the road so it makes like a tunnel of trees. There is also this GINORMOUS Catholic Cathedral here. Catholic, but SOO pretty at the same time. Just to let you know how strong the German influence is.......every year they have Oktoberfest which is one of those huge German beer festivals. It is the 3rd largest festival like this in the world. The people here are also WAY LESS RECEPTIVE. I have had doors slammed in my face here more than in any other area of my mission. It literally feels like I am in Germany instead of Brazil. 

My companion is Sister Carneiro. She is a greenie! Yep, I am training again. As of yet, she hasn't been bitten by any dogs or twisted any ankles. She is from Sao Paulo and she is SUPPPPER hilarious and friendly. I am laughing a ton with her. 

Sorry....this week I don't have much time. Maybe next week! Hahaha maybe! I love you all so much! Next week I will tell you all something a little more inspiring! I know that Christ lives!

Sister Autumn Barnes

 

The Catholic Cathedral here! It is huge! 

 

Transferencia!

I was transferred! I don't know to where yet.....but I will let you know next week! I have 2 transfers left!

Love you all!

Sister Barnes Sr.

 

Erik's baptism! It's been a while since I was last surrounded by 20 men (more like never). 

We went to Outback Steakhouse as a Zone before our temple session! It was amazing!! Sister Ferinho, Sister Young, Sister Araujo, and yours truly. 

 

Baptism

Olá!!!

This week was the baptism of Erik Rodrigues de Souza!!!! It was by far one of the most special of all the baptisms I have taken part in. Erik comes from a rough family. His dad and stepmom use drugs and don't even give him the time of day. It was super easy to get parental authorization to baptize Erik because his dad doesn't even care very much about what his son does. I was beyond happy to see that 75 people showed up for Erik's baptism!!!!...more than we usually have in the sacrament meeting. It was truly a miracle!!! At the temple a few days before, I bought him a Book of Mormon with Doctrine and Covenants and a Bible. I had all of the youth in the ward sign it for him a couple days before. I gave him this present after the baptism and he started crying. I could tell that it meant a lot to him. That was a SUPERRRR rewarding day!!

I found out agora, and almost started crying because of it, that an investigator that I found knocking doors was baptized in Montenegro. This really strengthened my testimony because at times we don't see the fruit of our labors. I didn't baptize him while I was there, but I remember very distinctly the day that I knocked on his door asking if we could share a special message with him. It was one of those days....one of those hard days when all of our appointments had fallen through. We were walking past this street and I had the strong feeling to knock doors there even though it was a road mostly full of businesses and only had a couple of houses. I don't think there is a better feeling in the world than the feeling of knowing that you were an instrument in the Lord's hands in changing someone's eternities!!! I love the mission!

KELSIE WAS CALLED TO PORTO ALEGRE NORTE???????? I don't believe this! Too bad that I won't be here still, but I love the idea of having family carrying on the work here in the BEST MISSION IN THE WORLD!!! If she has any questions about the mission, Rio Grande do Sul or whatever, let me know! Tell her she will ADORE President and Sister Wright! 

My heart is so full right now after a very gratifying week. The Lord knows us! He is in control! It is only through him that we can find true happiness!!! Love you all!!

Sister Autumn Barnes

Ok.....I have tried to be a positive little girl and not talk about how hard the work is here in my area. But now I will tell you.....it is hard!!! But why am I choosing to tell you now??? Because I am finally seeing the fruits of my labors!!! BAPTISMS!!!!!!!!!! This Thursday, Erik Rodrigues age 15 will be baptized!!! Coming soon.......Eduardo!!

Erik is super special. He has such a hard life, and the gospel and the friends that he has made at church is his one shred of light and happiness! I don't have much time to say much about him, because we are going to the temple today.....but I have this certain love for Erik. I know the gospel is everything to him, and I know that he is everything to Pai Celestial. I have been privileged to feel a sliver of the love that God has for Erik. I am soooo happy for him. He will be baptized by his 16 year old friend, Hairom (it's pronounced like Hyrum, but the spelling was Brazilianized haha). I will send pictures!!! 

I don't mean to brag or anything, but this girl pretty much rocks at street contacting. Just kidding. I don't rock at it........I have just grown to love it. It is funny, because that is the thing that freaked me out the most at the beginning of the mission. I just love making the name of the church known....whether or not the people want to listen. And also..........it is super entertaining at times because you talk to every type of weird person and hear every type of stupid excuse. Hahahaha this is probably really bad and Unchristlike of me, but the people that make obvious efforts to avoid talking to us.......I go after those ones!!!!! It's unchristlike of me because I do it to spite them.......but I am also doing them a favor as well!!! 

I am officially out of time.....but the good news, I don't have time because I am going to the House of the Lord!!! Whoohooo! Love you all!!! I love the Lord and his glorious gospel!!!

Sister Barnes Sr.

Ola!

Life is beautiful! Having said that, missionaries experience lots of disappointments! A woman that we were preparing to be baptized gave up this week. We taught her the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Tithing and she wasn't willing to give up her coffee or give 10%. She completely gave up on baptism. We told her to pray about these commandments and also about Joseph Smith (because if she knows Joseph Smith was a true prophet, she would accept these things as true commandments of God), but she told us that she didn't even want us to return again. Wow. I was not expecting that. That was hard. 

However, this week the youth from our ward got home from EFY. Here in Brasil, EFY is a new thing, and it is organized through the stakes. I have spent the last couple of months encouraging the youth in my ward to go. Many didn't want to go because you have to live by high standards while there. In the end, most of the youth ended up going. Even a couple non-member friends went. They got home this week......different. Punk young men that said they wouldn't be caught dead on a mission returned with desire to serve a mission. AND......the non-member friends came home with desire to BE BAPTIZED!!!!!!! I truly say that the church is full of inspired programs. EFY is one of them. As the world gets more and more wicked, the spirit has to be felt stronger and stronger. As a missionary, I promised myself to live an even higher standard of righteousness and obedience so I can help all these people aqui feel a huge amount of the spirit. 

Sorry that this isn't long, but know that I am happy and healthy and lovin life! 

Sister Aut Barnes Sr. 

Great Mail Day! I was almost brought to tears!

Yep....we got caught in the rain again. Que droga!!!

 

Can I get a halleluhah? (I still haven't learned how to spell that word. Maybe I'll get the hang of it before I die). The Lord has been blessing us with cloudy skies and wind! Yeah......wind and skirts aren't the best combination in the world, but I prefer an occasional Marilyn Monroe moment over being fried like a french fry every day.

Right now we are teaching a woman named Georgia. One day a week or so ago, I had the feeling that I should knock the door of a house. We met Georgia and she let us in. She told us that she has a friend from work that is a member, so she already knew a little bit about the church. We had an amazing first lesson with her. We gave her a Book of Mormon as well. I would have to say that this time as I was bearing my testimony about the Book of Mormon, something was different. I felt a confirmation SO STRONGLY in my heart that the Book of Mormon really is the word of God. I was holding it my hands as I was explaining and testifying and it was as if a tangible power was radiating from it. I always testify from the bottom of my heart, but this tangible force I felt was different, amazing. We have taught Georgia a couple times since then. She has read the Book of Mormon and has felt good doing it, but she is afraid to pray about it. Why, you may ask? Because she knows that if she prays about it, she WILL receive an answer. She knows that means commitment and change. How can I help her know that the things she will gain as she follows this answer will be a million times greater than anything she has to give up. I already have a hugeeeee love for this woman.....I hope I can help her trust the Lord enough to enter into the waters of baptism. I know it won't be easy.

Oh yeah.....right now..........Brazil's famous CARNAVAL. What wickedness. An opportunity to party, drink, traffic drugs, watch almost naked women dance and parade through the town......sounds like fun, right? No. This week has been super hard. Holiday here. No one is at home. Everyone is vacationing for Carnaval. We also have to be at home earlier every night because the roads get more dangerous. I can't believe the contrast between my missionary life and the stuff that goes on during Carnaval.

I KNEW IT!!!!! I knew Lisa would compare the MTC to Hogwarts! I am so glad that she is having fun.

12 words. I got two packages and about a billion letters the other day! I am pretty sure that I died and went to heaven!

Love you all!

You better love me too..........

Sister Barnes Sr.

Today is transfer day!!! I only have 3 transfers left!!!!!! WHAT?? I will be staying here in my area. It will be my fourth transfer here. I was a little disappointed because this area is super small and I am already really sick of it, but I know that President wants me to stay here with Sister Araujo for a reason. 

So, out of all the 150 missionaries in my mission, I will be leaving at the very beginning of June ALONE!!! No one else from the mission is leaving the same day! Normally a day before going home, those leaving have a dinner and testimony meeting and go to the temple with President and Sister Wright. Because I will be leaving ALONE, I was invited to join the group that will leave one transfer before me................................................................................................................................just for the dinner, testimony meeting, and temple session. Hahahaha GOTCHA!!...I will come home when I am assigned to come home in June, I will just participate in the temple, dinner, and testimony meeting in April. Sister Wright is kinda worried about me flying home alone, hahahaha so she is working on finding me a direct flight home instead of a flight with the usual connections in Sao Paulo and Atlanta. Bless her heart....I love her. But wow......trunky. I saw President the other day and the first thing he said was, "You don't have much time left, Sister Barnes." Then Sister Wright told me that they are already working on buying my plane ticket and everything. I have 4 months to work my heart out!!!! 

This week we taught a gay couple. That is something I have never done before. A couple days ago, 2 men stopped us on the street asking for a  Book of Mormon. One of these men is a member that moved here to the Rio Grande do Sul a year ago and hasn't been to church since......because he found a boyfriend, is what I am thinking. The member seems totally normal but his "friend" acts, talks, looks gay. BUT he is really interested in the church as well. We taught him the Restoration and he understood everything. It was a great lesson in fact. They have kind of been skirting around the whole "gay" thing and have just referred to each other as "great friends." Pray for me as I follow the spirit to know how to approach this! How do you ask two men if they are gay? Anyway.....it is really complicated, but I know that everyone deserves a chance to accept the gospel.........so wish me luck!!

Today we had a P-Day with the whole Zone. We went to a park and played basketball, volleyball, soccer, frisbee. Then we went to a member's house and ate churrasco! It was super fun! I will send pictures. I will be sore tomorrow.....it has been awhile since I have played sports! 

I love you all. I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ, restored and perfect. At times I get frustrated because I can't express how special the gospel is in words when I bear testimony to people here. It really is something you need to live. As you live it, you will see the countless blessings that it brings into your life. You will see that it really is the path that gives us happiness in this life and leads us to eternal happiness in the world to come. The mission is the best thing I have EVER done in my life. Best decision I have ever made in my life up until this point. So grateful that my little sis will be able to share in this priceless opportunity as well. 

LOVE YOU ALL! LOVE THIS GOSPEL!

Sister Barnes (I will be Sister Barnes Sr. tomorrow!)

 

Zone P-Day

My zone