hello! (May 12)

Oi, familia!

This week was pretty good! We taught a bunch and we found some really cool new investigators!

Sister Pennington and Sister A. Silva

Sad news first....
We had a lesson with Giovanna this week, and taught her the rest of the lessons she needed before baptism. She was excited, and accepted everything we taught. Because she's only 16 she needs permission from her mom to be baptized, so we talked with her mom later that day to get permission, but her mom is very prejudiced against the church, and won't let her get baptized. We talked with Giovanna's mom for over an hour, pleading with her to let Giovanna make this choice, but she wouldn't allow it. So unfortunately, we had to drop her. She is such a special person, and truly a golden investigator. She said that she'll continue reading the Book of Mormon and praying, and hopefully that will be enough to strengthen her testimony until she's old enough to make her own decision.

In happier news....
Like I said last week, sister A. Silva already served here, and she had an awesome investigator who had a testimony of the church and was even interviewed for baptism, but didn't have support from her husband, so she backed out. This was over 6 months ago, so we decided to go back and see how she was doing, and she still has a testimony of the church (she has the family a proclamation to the world hanging on her wall) and her husband's heart was softened, and we were able to teach the restoration! He said that he knew that it was God that sent us and he's excited to learn more about the church! They're an awesome family!

Sister Pennington and a monkey at a bus stop

I've definitely gained a testimony of the importance of talking with everyone and inviting everyone to hear the gospel. Last week, we were sitting at a bus stop in a neighborhood we don't usually visit. It's really far away from our house, and so we don't have an opportunity to go there very often. But, this day we happened to be there, and as we were waiting to get the bus a couple came and sat at the bus stop. We started talking to them, and came to find out that they were members of the church, but have been inactive for over 10 years. They just moved to this state (they're from North Brazil) and because of this, their records aren't here in Itatiba. We never would've found them if we hadn't been at that bus stop in that neighborhood at that particular time.I know that the Lord puts people in our path for a reason, and we need to be able to recognize these opportunities to serve and do the Lord's will. We got the address of this couple, and they seemed really interested in having us come to their house and teach them and their family. They have 3 young-men-aged sons who are not members of the church.

I love being a missionary! I get to see miracles every single day! These past 10 months have been the experience of a life time, and I'm excited to have 8 more!

Love you all and hope you have a great week!
Sister Pennington

hello!!!!!!!!! (May 5)

So you remember that one time when I was really legitimately worried about being left alone in this area because I don't know my way around the city...well guess what? My new companion has already been here! She served here for 2 transfers 4 months ago! The church is true! Heavenly Father does answer prayers!!! She remembers a lot of where people live, and how to get to the different neighborhoods. It's been a while, so she doesn't remember everything, but I know somethings, and together, we make it work.

Anyways, my new companion is Sister A. Silva (Silva is a ridiculously common name here in Brazil, so she goes by A. Silva because there are so many other missionaries with the last name Silva) and she's from Porto Alegre in the south of Brazil. She's 19 and super cool. I'm excited for the transfer! It's going to be a good one!

Sister Pennington and her new companion, Sister A. Silva

We had a pretty awesome week. We found 11 new investigators! wahoo! One of my favorites, is João Batista (literally John the Baptist). He's 50 something, and so humble and willing to learn. He was a referral from a member, and he's already been to church and he loves it. He's trying to quit smoking, and so we're helping him with that. He's so appreciative and so awesome. On Saturday we taught the restoration, and it was interesting because his brother was there, who is a devout Jehovah's witness. His brother was very respectful, which was good. At the end of the lesson, we invited João to offer the closing prayer, and his brother started talking about how non-baptized people can't pray in front of baptized people. It was a bit awkward, but he ended up leaving and João said the prayer. It was so humble and simple, and because of this, was even more powerful. After the prayer, João told us that he really felt like Heavenly Father wanted to hear from him. It was so cool.

This ward is really starting to get in the spirit of missionary work. When I got here, the ward liked the missionaries, but wasn't excited really about being involved in the work. But yesterday, almost all of the people who bore their testimonies talked about missionary work. We've been talking sister Bia, the YW president, with us to visit Giovana. Bia bore her testimony yesterday about how she didn't know how to help with missionary work before, but now that she's going with the sisters, she feels really good about the work that she's doing, and that she feels a lot of joy in having the opportunity to share the gospel. If I had tear ducts I would've cried. I felt like I was really fulfilling my purpose as a missionary, because we're really here to help the members to do missionary work, and when they have opportunities to participate, they get to feel the joy of sharing the gospel that the prophet Lehi described. (1 Nephi 8:12). It was so awesome, and her testimony strengthened that of other members in the ward. I know that it will make a difference!

Always eating pizza ;)

I'm so excited for this transfer! It's going to be amazing! I love you all so much, and hope you have a wonderful week!
Sister Pennington

The end of the transfer! (April 28)

Hello!!!!!

So, we have transfers tomorrow, and Sister Gonzalez is leaving! I'm panicking just a little bit, because as most of you know I'm extremely directionally challenged....I DON'T KNOW WHERE ANYONE LIVES AND I CAN'T READ A MAP!!!!

But, the Lord knows how spatially challenged I am, and He trusts me with this area, então, vamos lá!

This week was good! We had a lot of success finding people and teaching lessons. We had a really full schedule every day, and had plenty of people to keep us busy!

On Saturday, we did an exchange with the sister training leader in another city. Sister Morgan and I went to Jundiaí with Sister Matos, and her companion came here with Sister Gonzalez and Sister Acevedo. Jundiaí is a huge city! It's close to Itatiba, so I've heard people talk about it, but I didn't know it was so big! Anyways, the exchange was really good, and I learned a lot from Sister Matos. She's an awesome missionary, and it was a really good opportunity to teach with her. Also, the sisters in Jundiaí live in a house with 2 other companionships, and Sister Guynn from the MTC is there. It was good to see her again! She's a sweetheart!

So, Giovanna, Josiane and Francisco came to church again! It was awesome! They loved it! After church we went to visit them, and Giovanna especially is just golden! She told us that she believes everything that we've taught her, and that she loves church! She started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning, and is just loving it! She is awesome! She really wants to be baptized, but she wants to go to church more before she gets baptized. She's pretty great! Josiane and Francisco are also interested, but they have some concerns, but they're willing to keep meeting with us, read the scriptures, pray and go to church, so they'll definitely get an answer! They're just the best! They knew that Sunday was my birthday and that Sister Gonzalez was probably leaving on Tuesday, so they bought us presents - they go me really cute black shoes with a gold buckle at the top and sister Gonzalez pink shoes with a bow. Those guys are just stinkin' adorable!

Sister Gonzalez made me a cake for my birthday! It was orange cake with brigadera frosting (brigadeira is a thick chocolate thing made with sweetened condensed milk! It's awesome!) And Sister Morgan and Acevedo bought me Pasoquita (my favorite! - it's almost like peanut butter) and pizza that we cooked in the oven. They sang parabéns for me, and it was sweet :)  It was overall a good day, and everyone made it really special. Thanks for the birthday wishes from afar! I love you all so much!

The birthday girl :)

Have an amazing week!
Sister Pennington

9 months! (April 21)

Holy cow time flies!

Last week I hit 9 months! That's a really long time to be on a mission, and really really long time to be away from home! I'm excited for what the next 9 months have in store! If it's anything like the first half, it will be an absolute adventure!

Sorry I don't have a ton of time for the big e-mail...I got lots of nice birthday wishes! Thank you to everyone :)

So I'll just give the highlights of the week...
- we had zone conference this week, and it was great! It was a really long process (we left at 6 in the morning and got back at 8 at night!) but it was really good. The assistants gave a training on how to plan more effectively, which was much needed! We've put into practice their suggestions, and it's helping a lot!
- At zone conference, I got to see sister Howell! It was so awesome to see her! I miss her a lot!
- we got lots of ovos de pascoa this week! (chocolate Easter eggs!) A woman in the ward makes her own chocolate and she made giant Easter eggs for each of us missionaries! It was so good!
- We had 3 investigators at church today, Giovana, Josiana and Francisco! Giovanna, 16 years old, is the most excited about the  church! She loves the Book of Mormon and already received an answer that it's true! She loved church, and she's excited for baptism! She's absolutely golden, and I could totally see her serving a mission!

It was very special to be able to be a missionary this weekend during Easter! The gift the Jesus Christ gave to us through his atonement is the center of our message as missionaries, and I was so honored to represent our Savior during this sacred holiday. The church made an Easter video, perhaps you've already seen it, that shows well the sacrifice that he made for us.  You can find it at www.mormon.org.becauseofhim

I love you all so much and want you to know that I know that Jesus Christ was sent here for us because he loves us, and because our Heavenly Father loves us. His sacrifice was real, and is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. He was the plan from the beginning of the world, the only way, truth and life.

Happy Easter!
Sister Pennington

Yet another week (April 14)

Hello, family!

I'm seriously learning so much this transfer! This week was another awesome learning opportunity! We worked so hard, and saw very little result (as far as new investigators that have a lot of potential).

My week really can be summed up by the primary song, "pioneer children" replacing pioneer children for missionaries...
[sister missionaries] sang as they walked, and walked and walked, and walked".

Some of the crazy hills!

By the end of this week we were absolutely spent, but had little to show for it. We were pondering what it is we need to do differently to work more effectively. Our problem is not diligence or obedience, but it is working effectively. President Hinckley said this about the importance of members, "So many of us look upon missionary work as simply tracting. Everyone who is familiar with this work knows there is a better way. That way is through the members of the Church. Whenever there is a member who introduces an investigator, there is an immediate support system. The member bears testimony of the truth of the work. He is anxious for the happiness of his investigator friend. He becomes excited as that friend makes progress in learning the gospel."

We taught 20 lessons this week, and only 2 of which were with members, and all of the investigators were found through tracting. There's a reason the church is stressing the importance of member missionary work, and it's because tracting is just not effective. Even here in Brazil where people are open to letting you come in, and to hear about the gospel, it is really so much more effective to work with the members. So we decided that we're going to do everything we can to work with the members, and hopefully we'll be able to be better instruments in the Lord's hands.

In Alma 29:9, Alma explains his purpose and his goals for being a missionary. It is one of my favorite scriptures about missionary work.

"Sei que o Senhor me ordenou, e nisso me glorio...que talves posso ser um instrumento nas maos de Deus para trazer alguma alma ao arrependimento; e esta e a minha alegria"

I want to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to do his work here, and I'll do everything I can to accomplish this task.

I love you all and hope that you have a great week!
Sister Pennington

Hello familia! (April 7)

Hi, everyone!

Hope y'all enjoyed watching conference! I know I did! It was so awesome! We watched all of the sessions in the chapel, and it was in Portuguese, of course. I was able to understand most of what was said, but I'm going to have to go back and watch a few of the talks in English to get everything. I missed hearing the actual voice of the prophet, though! I was surprised how much I missed his voice! I think it would be hard to me a member who didn't speak English, because they never hear the General Authorities speaking in their own language, but they have such great faith and such a strong testimony that the words the Prophet and the Apostles speak, no matter what language, are the words of the Lord. They are such great examples to me!

 We learned a lot this week through our mistakes! We have a lot to learn, and a lot of room for improvement. The biggest lesson I learned this week, was the importance of following the spirit. As missionaries, members of the church, and children of God, we have the privilege of feeling the influence of the spirit in our lives. The role of the spirit is to warn us of danger, prompt us to do what is right, and testify of truth. We learned a lesson about the role of the holy ghost in each of these ways. One experience in particular I'd like to share with you. We were in a lesson with an investigator, and he really doesn't learn, he just wants to debate the bible. It's easy to fall into the trap of Bible bashing, because we know that the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. But, we ended up staying there for 3 HOURS and the spirit wasn't there at all for that time. We had the spirit of contention, so there was no room for the spirit of the Lord to testify of the truth. We wasted 3 hours of the Lord's time, and we missed a lesson with another investigator who actually had potential. It was a very humbling, experience, and sister Gonzalez and I learned a lot. Yesterday, we contacted a man in the street just to invite him to conference and hear more about the church. He started arguing with us saying that the Book of Mormon contradicted the Bible. We tried to explain to him that it didn't, but he wouldn't listen. It's easy to prove that the Book of Mormon works in harmony with the Bible, because it does, but we learned our lesson and we didn't engage in the argument. We left him with our number, and told him that when he wants to learn the truth through the spirit he could give us a call. As we walked away, we felt the spirit with us, and knew that we were fulfilling our purpose as missionaries.

I love being a missionary, and I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of the talks from general conference highlighted the fundamentals of the gospel, faith repentance, baptism and the Holy Ghost. I know that through the gospel we can become better. We can improve. God has the patience, and He gave us the tools. We just need to have the obedience and diligence to use them.

I love you all so much and hope y'all have a wonderful week!
Sister Pennington

First week in Itatiba! (March 31)

Oi, familia!

So, I'm in Itatiba now! It's a cute little city about an hour outside of Campinas. When I found out I was going to Itatiba, everyone said, "there are a lot of hills there". I didn't think much of it. There are hill here...so what?

But, I understand now what they meant. Holy cow I'm going to have legs of steel by the time I leave this area!

The ward here is really big! It's the biggest ward I've ever served in, so it'll definitely be an interesting change. There are 2 sets of sisters working here, and we all share an apartment. My companion is from Chile, Sister Gonzalez, and both of the other sisters are American, Sister Morgan and Sister Acavedo from my district in the MTC. I'm excited to be in the same area as her! She's great!

So there's 4 sisters serving here in Itatiba - my companion is the one in the pink shirt, and you might recognize sister Acavedo on the end from the MTC. It's fun to be able to serve with her again!

Leaving Barao was hard and all of the members were really sad to see us leave. But, so far I really like this area. There are good people everywhere, and there are people everywhere who are prepared to hear the gospel! We found a ton of new investigators this week, including an amazing family! They are so awesome, and they have really great questions! They're golden!

We have a recent convert here, Luanna, who is so adorable. She's 28 and has so much energy! Her family is huge, and a lot of them live in her house with her, or are always there visiting. She's the only member of her family that joined the church, but the rest of her family loves the missionaries and is very supportive of her in the church. Luanna and her family put together a family home evening at the church as a ward activity, and they put so much effort into it, and it was so cute!

Yesterday, we had the best lunch in the world! There's a woman in the ward from Italy, and she fed us lunch yesterday after church and it was delicious! Christie, you'd be jealous! She made homemade marinara sauce for the pasta, and a simple but delicious chicken, with homemade whole wheat bread from their own homegrown wheat, and a delicious eggplant salad with basil and mint. And for desert, she made homemade ice cream and made a bundt cake sort of deal with a sweetened condensed milk fudge type thing. Nossa! Foi bom de mais!!! It was awesome! And, it was kind of like eating at Hogwarts, because she wouldn't let our plates be empty so she would always just serve us more food.  It was awesome!

Anyways, it's going to be a great week and an awesome transfer! I'm excited to serve here! It's going to be great!

Boa semana para voces!
love ya!
Sister Pennington