I have updated the Mailing Addresses for Sister Harpers Mission located at the top of the Sidebar Column. One for Letters, and one for Packages.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Parabéns
This week, so many things happened! Today was transfers, and I was positive that I would stay in my first area, the Acordes Ward, and my companion Sister Concha who had been there for six months would leave. We were both very surprised when we found out we were both being transferred, and we are still companions! We have both been transferred to an area that has been closed for 5 months, so we will be starting from scratch in this area.
When we first found out though, we were sick, because we thought they were closing our area, and the first thing we thought of was our investigators, especially those who we are helping stop smoking. But a HUGE blessing from the Lord is that they are putting Elders in that area! I was very happy.
I am very excited though for my new area, our ward mission leader just returned from his mission recently, and we have 10 ward missionaries! We still have so much to do as far as cleaning our apartment which is VERY dirty, and as of right now, I only know the names of two streets. The chapel where our ward meets is not in our proselyting area, we take two buses to get there, but ok, seriously, this week is going to be amazing. This Sunday, Elder Holland of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles is visiting our ward for a special conference! How crazy and exciting. Our ward mission leader told us to prepare, because likely something will occur where he will want us to teach one of the missionary lessons to him! CRAZY! We´ll see what happens!
The weather here has been insane, one week was so cold I thought I would die, now it´s super hot...haha, four seasons in a day just like Utah. I pray that things are going great for everyone back in the states, and congratulations to everyone who graduated from BYU! Congrats in Portuguese is "para bens!" :D
Well, until next week! Tchau!
When we first found out though, we were sick, because we thought they were closing our area, and the first thing we thought of was our investigators, especially those who we are helping stop smoking. But a HUGE blessing from the Lord is that they are putting Elders in that area! I was very happy.
I am very excited though for my new area, our ward mission leader just returned from his mission recently, and we have 10 ward missionaries! We still have so much to do as far as cleaning our apartment which is VERY dirty, and as of right now, I only know the names of two streets. The chapel where our ward meets is not in our proselyting area, we take two buses to get there, but ok, seriously, this week is going to be amazing. This Sunday, Elder Holland of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles is visiting our ward for a special conference! How crazy and exciting. Our ward mission leader told us to prepare, because likely something will occur where he will want us to teach one of the missionary lessons to him! CRAZY! We´ll see what happens!
The weather here has been insane, one week was so cold I thought I would die, now it´s super hot...haha, four seasons in a day just like Utah. I pray that things are going great for everyone back in the states, and congratulations to everyone who graduated from BYU! Congrats in Portuguese is "para bens!" :D
Well, until next week! Tchau!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
This week has been crazy busy! But great. This past Saturday was the baptism of a girl named Ketlyn. It was a wonderful day, and I am soooo happy for her. When she came out of the water, her whole family said they wanted to be baptized too, even her brother who always says he is not interested in the gospel. We are still working with her mother Valdineia to quit smoking, and one day this week she only smoked one cigarrette!!! It was great, but the day of Ketlyn´s baptism, her uncle passed away and she relapsed. :( We felt very sad, but we are continuing to encourage her, we posted lots of signs in her house to remind and her, and bought a lot of vitamin C for her to help, and she needs to drink lots of orange juice!
This week I attended my first zone conference, it was great to hear from our Mission President and receive instruction from the assistants to the President. It was so good, I learned a lot. We had a HUGE lunch afterwards, it was great. :)
Today I visited the temple in Curitiba, it is BEAUTIFUL! It was a wonderful experience. This Saturday, my companion and I are having a musical presentation at the chapel where she and I will sing along with some members of the ward. I hope a lot of people can come!
This week I attended my first zone conference, it was great to hear from our Mission President and receive instruction from the assistants to the President. It was so good, I learned a lot. We had a HUGE lunch afterwards, it was great. :)
Today I visited the temple in Curitiba, it is BEAUTIFUL! It was a wonderful experience. This Saturday, my companion and I are having a musical presentation at the chapel where she and I will sing along with some members of the ward. I hope a lot of people can come!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
New Foods To Experience
Hello family and friends!
I hope things are going great in the states! I have heard less than pleasant news about Haiti and Chile though...this week during a devotional, one of our leaders, Sister Christopherson spoke about after the earthquake, there was a man who knew where his children were, but they were trapped under concrete and he did not have the tools to help them. He used a tube to give them water until rescue workers came with the tools to help him save them.
She compared our work as missionaries to that of the rescue workers. Many people in the world feel trapped and fall through the cracks, unable to find a way out. Our commission is to help them find the way out, to help them find hope and strength and the path to true happiness, or the gospel.
This is my last week here in the Sao Paulo MTC until I head down to Curitiba! I will miss it here, but I am incredibly excited to go. This week was great, my companions and I walked around downtown Sao Paulo talking with people about The Book of Mormon. It was an awesome experience, the streets were crazy though, so many people everywhere and vendors everywhere you look.
One man we spoke with, Pedro Paulo, actually stopped us as we were walking down a crazy crowded street and said, "Thank you for the work you are doing! There is something different about you, I can see it in your faces. There are so many problems in this world and problems in Brazil, and these people need what you have!" But we gave him a copy of The Book of Mormon and his friend Augosto as well. They were both so excited and said they would read. We told them that we knew it was true and it would strengthen them and answer the questions of their souls.
Tonight at the MTC they are serving banana pizza! It sounds very strange, but it is pizza with chocolate and banana and it is quite possibly my new favorite food of all time! But it is probably tied with pastels still, the crepe-like, fried desserts filled with whatever toppings your choose! :D
Well, a great week to all!
I hope things are going great in the states! I have heard less than pleasant news about Haiti and Chile though...this week during a devotional, one of our leaders, Sister Christopherson spoke about after the earthquake, there was a man who knew where his children were, but they were trapped under concrete and he did not have the tools to help them. He used a tube to give them water until rescue workers came with the tools to help him save them.
She compared our work as missionaries to that of the rescue workers. Many people in the world feel trapped and fall through the cracks, unable to find a way out. Our commission is to help them find the way out, to help them find hope and strength and the path to true happiness, or the gospel.
This is my last week here in the Sao Paulo MTC until I head down to Curitiba! I will miss it here, but I am incredibly excited to go. This week was great, my companions and I walked around downtown Sao Paulo talking with people about The Book of Mormon. It was an awesome experience, the streets were crazy though, so many people everywhere and vendors everywhere you look.
One man we spoke with, Pedro Paulo, actually stopped us as we were walking down a crazy crowded street and said, "Thank you for the work you are doing! There is something different about you, I can see it in your faces. There are so many problems in this world and problems in Brazil, and these people need what you have!" But we gave him a copy of The Book of Mormon and his friend Augosto as well. They were both so excited and said they would read. We told them that we knew it was true and it would strengthen them and answer the questions of their souls.
Tonight at the MTC they are serving banana pizza! It sounds very strange, but it is pizza with chocolate and banana and it is quite possibly my new favorite food of all time! But it is probably tied with pastels still, the crepe-like, fried desserts filled with whatever toppings your choose! :D
Well, a great week to all!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Two More Weeks!
I have two more weeks here in the MTC in Sao Paulo until I leave for Curitiba! I love it here, but I am anxious to get out into the field. This week it rained and rained all week, and it was actually cold! I had to wear my coat, which was so weird. Today is just overcast and nice though.
Things are great still in the MTC, right after I finish emailing, I´m going to my district to a place just like Tccanos, but better! We´ll walk over there with our teacher, Brother Diniz. :) And it costs half what Tocanos does and it´s authentic. I´m excited.
I am still learning a lot of Portuguese but wishing I knew more! But last night was great, we had a devotional speaker who had us read in The Book of Mormon, in First Nephi where God commands Nephi to build a ship to carry his family to America. Nephi had to pray again and again for the help and guidance of Heavenly Father, he did not just pray once and have a ship. The speaker said that we have our own ship to build, learning Portuguese and preparing to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To do accomplish this, we cannot just pray once, we must pray often and ask for strength. I think it is like that for everyone. Be it work or school or making important life decisions. God will lead us if we pray and seek him often, not just once.
Things are great still in the MTC, right after I finish emailing, I´m going to my district to a place just like Tccanos, but better! We´ll walk over there with our teacher, Brother Diniz. :) And it costs half what Tocanos does and it´s authentic. I´m excited.
I am still learning a lot of Portuguese but wishing I knew more! But last night was great, we had a devotional speaker who had us read in The Book of Mormon, in First Nephi where God commands Nephi to build a ship to carry his family to America. Nephi had to pray again and again for the help and guidance of Heavenly Father, he did not just pray once and have a ship. The speaker said that we have our own ship to build, learning Portuguese and preparing to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To do accomplish this, we cannot just pray once, we must pray often and ask for strength. I think it is like that for everyone. Be it work or school or making important life decisions. God will lead us if we pray and seek him often, not just once.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Olá! From Brasil!!!
It´s been a long time since I´ve gotten a chance to write, but I´m here at "Mr Cheney´s Cookies," a place across the street from the Missionary Training Center where you can buy milkshakes, cookies, and use the internet. :) It's quite nice.
I just got back from the Temple in Campinas, we usually go to the Sao Paulo one, but it´s closed for cleaning. It was soooo beautiful, and on the trip here, we saw huge, rolling green hills and palm trees grow naturally everywhere! I love it! Even here at the MTC (or CTM in Portuguese) there are palm trees planted all around us, and we can go study in the gardens, which is great at night when there is a cool breeze!
Oh, and I saw Sister Jenny Hunter at the Temple! It was so great to see her, but she can hardly speak english anymore, haha, she had a very hard time speaking any at all! But luckily my Portuguese is getting better every day, so we could communicate. :)
I love meal times, I seriously almost never know what I´m eating...but the fruit is sooo good! I love the guava and the pineapple here is white, and very sweet. The oranges are green and very tart. I eat rice and beans a lot, and lots of thother things that I don´t know what they are. :) I love sitting with the Brazilians, they all talk so much and when I don´t understand what they said, they will use as much time as it takes to help me understand, if it means charades or asking other missionaries who are bilingual. And when I didn´t have sandals to wear, one of the Brazilians, Sister Duarte, let me use hers.
My district leader is so great, his name is Elder Chiba, and he is good friends with Camille Judd! :D He is so nice and so is everyone else in my district. Every day we study at seven in the morning with all the windows open to let in the morning air. It´s warm and humid, but by about eleven, we close the windows and turn on the ac! I am starting to really prefer the heat and humidity though, except for when I´m running on the track outside...then it is VERY hot!
All the drinking fountains have an option for cold water and natural water. I found out that it is because Brazilians think that if you drink cold water, you will catch a cold. Very interesting. The CTM is surrounded by tons and tons of city. It is very loud outside a lot as there is construction going on most of the time, and everyone says we are in a "concrete jungle." But after you drive for a while, you get to the real foresty places, and I have never seen anything like it. I also have never seen such poverty. :( Some places look like piles of buildings, ready to collapse and they all are filled with people. Despite all this though, they are all so friendly, and very curious about Americans. They all listen intently when I talk, even though I sound like a first grader still, haha.
This Friday is our first day going out to talk with people and give away copies of The Book of Mormon! I´m so nervous! But when we practiced in class, and I think it will be great! I also practiced teaching a lesson for some native Brazilians this week and though I said a lot of it incorrectly, I was able to explain things, so it´s definitely getting eaisier.
Well, I better get going, but things are great here, and I hope everyone is doing great as well!
I just got back from the Temple in Campinas, we usually go to the Sao Paulo one, but it´s closed for cleaning. It was soooo beautiful, and on the trip here, we saw huge, rolling green hills and palm trees grow naturally everywhere! I love it! Even here at the MTC (or CTM in Portuguese) there are palm trees planted all around us, and we can go study in the gardens, which is great at night when there is a cool breeze!
Oh, and I saw Sister Jenny Hunter at the Temple! It was so great to see her, but she can hardly speak english anymore, haha, she had a very hard time speaking any at all! But luckily my Portuguese is getting better every day, so we could communicate. :)
I love meal times, I seriously almost never know what I´m eating...but the fruit is sooo good! I love the guava and the pineapple here is white, and very sweet. The oranges are green and very tart. I eat rice and beans a lot, and lots of thother things that I don´t know what they are. :) I love sitting with the Brazilians, they all talk so much and when I don´t understand what they said, they will use as much time as it takes to help me understand, if it means charades or asking other missionaries who are bilingual. And when I didn´t have sandals to wear, one of the Brazilians, Sister Duarte, let me use hers.
My district leader is so great, his name is Elder Chiba, and he is good friends with Camille Judd! :D He is so nice and so is everyone else in my district. Every day we study at seven in the morning with all the windows open to let in the morning air. It´s warm and humid, but by about eleven, we close the windows and turn on the ac! I am starting to really prefer the heat and humidity though, except for when I´m running on the track outside...then it is VERY hot!
All the drinking fountains have an option for cold water and natural water. I found out that it is because Brazilians think that if you drink cold water, you will catch a cold. Very interesting. The CTM is surrounded by tons and tons of city. It is very loud outside a lot as there is construction going on most of the time, and everyone says we are in a "concrete jungle." But after you drive for a while, you get to the real foresty places, and I have never seen anything like it. I also have never seen such poverty. :( Some places look like piles of buildings, ready to collapse and they all are filled with people. Despite all this though, they are all so friendly, and very curious about Americans. They all listen intently when I talk, even though I sound like a first grader still, haha.
This Friday is our first day going out to talk with people and give away copies of The Book of Mormon! I´m so nervous! But when we practiced in class, and I think it will be great! I also practiced teaching a lesson for some native Brazilians this week and though I said a lot of it incorrectly, I was able to explain things, so it´s definitely getting eaisier.
Well, I better get going, but things are great here, and I hope everyone is doing great as well!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sister Harper Update
Hi Everyone!
Sister Harper called last night from the Provo Utah Missionary Training Center to let us know she received her Visa. She left to go to the Missionary Training Center in Sao Paulo Brazil, around 11:00 AM 2/11/10, to finish her remaining 4 and 1/2 weeks of training before she goes to Curitiba!
Here is her mailing address for letters at the Missionary Training Center in Brazil:
Sister Jennifer Suzanne Harper
Brazil Curitiba Mission
Brazil Missionary Training Center
Rua Padre Antonio D'Angelo 121
Casa Verde
02516-040 Sao Paulo SP
Brazil
For mailing packages to Jenny [please send via Airmail through the US Postal System to avoid import taxes and possible loss].
Sister Jennifer Suzanne Harper
Brazil Curitiba Mission
Praca Joseph Smith
15 Portao Note: The "a" in Portao has an ~ over it
80613-991 Curitiba - PR
Brazil
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