July 29, 2019

Olá wonderful people! 

Well the work is moving along here in Vila Galvão! We had several neat experiences this past week and it was really great! 

Here in Brazil they have several English learning schools and one is called Wizard that a member of the church started up. Well, very close to our chapel there is one and Friday night we were passing by and saw some people in a classroom and the idea popped into my head to enter and see if they wanted to practice English with me. But we continued walking and after a minute I stopped and Sister Silva looks at me and she says ´´you want to go back and enter there too, huh?`´ That was a confirmation that the Spirit was telling us to go in and talk with them. So we returned and talked to the receptionist and she got the head instructor to take us into the 3 different classrooms and practice English with the students. It was really fun! A lot of them were amazed that a blond Californian was in there and they asked me a lot of questions and I got to share with them the purpose I am here and that the church is just around the corner. All the classes wanted to take a picture with us and it was a little strange speaking English so much hahaha but they spoke pretty good and it was a cool experience. 

Sharing the gospel can be in small, unusual ways, but there is always a seed to be planted that can be sprouted at any moment. 

We have an investigator, Manuela, who is a girlfriend of a member in our ward and she has been coming to church for 2 years. One day recently she was thinking and the question came into her mind, ´´Why not baptism?´´ and she couldn´t answer. She felt an overwhelming feeling that baptism was essential and that God has a plan for her. SO she will be baptized this Saturday and we are very excited for her! She is super happy! 

I am so grateful to know that God is in every detail, every moment of our lives. That when we plead for help or for an answer, He will respond, but normally not in the way we wish or a way totally different than we imagined. He is kind and He is loving. I testify that He is our merciful Father and that Christ is our Master and Redeemer. 

have a great week! and keep developing a relationship with our loving Father in Heaven! 

love, Sister Giles

fotos: we had splits again with Sister Torres and Fuentes, they are literally the funniest. 

July 22, 2019

Welp family and friends, what a week!


We had splits with our Sister training leaders, my comp was Sister Fuentes from El Salvador and we had so much fun, she is a joy! Then we had choral practice for our ward conference the songs ´´In perfect faith´´ by Janice Kapp Perry, `´ I know Jesus loves me´´ a primary song, and ´´Behold the Royal Army´´ in the hymn book. It was great! I love how we have music to sing to our Heavenly Father and I was reminded of the scripture in Mormon 7 verse 7 that talks about the chorus in heaven we will all one day join. How incredible!

During our ward conference yesterday Bispo emphasized the importance of ´´Come Follow Me´´ and the stake president talked about the significance of the Temple and how we should frequent that special place more......2 things that don't apply to my mission life now but will in the future so it was good! hahaha We had 8 investigators come to church yesterday and it is really neat to see the Hand of the Lord here.


Thursday we had Zone Conference and I got to see my trainer before she leaves to go home next transfer to Utah! 

Saturday there was a youth activity and a couple of the girls invited some friends and they talked about the Book of Mormon and called us to give them each one that very night! So we ran over and helped pop popcorn in the other room while they watched Fantastic Beasts, we were only a little sad we couldn´t watch too. 

Sunday we met a woman who came to church and brought her friend! She knew nobody but always had a desire to visit one day, but was always too shy to come alone, so when her friend came into town, she said ´´let´s go to church tomorrow!´´ Her name is Edilane and we will visit her Tuesday! yay!

I know that this is the Lord´s church, that He has a timing for each of His children to be prepared and that we go through hard times to be strengthened and rely more forcefully on Him. I love our Savior!


-Sister Giles 

Shout out to my loving parents who are celebrating 30 years of marriage today!! Whoot! Thanks for being such great examples and teaching me to follow the Savior and eat bacon. :)

July 16, 2019

Olá família e amigos!

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Tuesday we had a young woman in our ward do contacts with us and we visited a family in our ward and sang `´Families can be together forever´´ , it was really great! A less active family has started coming back to church and one of the boys, Lucas, is 13 years old and is reading the book of Mormon and has a strong desire to be baptized! We will mark a date with him this week! Lucas, his brother and father started singing in the choir and Sister Silva and I joined too and have been practicing to sing in ward conference this next Sunday....let´s see how my singing in Portuguese turns out hahaha 

I had my first encounter with, not one, but three lovely dogs who decided to attack each other and use me as a shield. We were in the street talking with our investigator, Sergio, when they all ran at each other barking and trying to get at each other, haha but I only got a scratch and a bruise. Our investigator saved me by pulling me away from them. 

Saturday the ward had a festival and there were a lot of people and food, it was fun! I love this great opportunity and time to really serve the Lord and the people here in Guarulhos! We have had some really neat experiences where the Lord has placed us in the right place at the right time to visit a less active family or meet a person in the street that was needing someone to talk to. I encourage you to look for someone in need and go and act. You will feel so much more happier and see the Lord more in your life. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Giles

July 8, 2019

Service

A great gift that I think God has given us is the opportunity to serve! What a blessing! The principle of service is recorded in Mosiah 2:17." And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.´´
Service really is the way to feel the love of God more profoundly in our lives. What can we do to give service to someone? There are endless and creative ways but one really awesome is a little precious book called The Book of Mormon. :) I challenge each of you, as a family or individually to think of someone right now who needs to feel or know the love of God more in their lives, and this week give them a gift more treasured than all. I promise that you will be able to bring joy into that person´s life, you will feel a deeper love and understanding of the love God has for you, and your family will be more united and happier. Pray and ask God for strength, for He will give it to you. Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen. D&C 4:7


Mission life is going well here in Vila Galvão! It was ridiculously cold this past weekend and I slept with 2 blankets, 3 long sleeves, 2 pants, and 3 socks......I did not know Brazil got so cold! We are loving working with the members and teaching our investigators that Christ is our only way to receive pure happiness.


For the 4th I made scrambled eggs and chocolate milk, then we went to the mission office for interviews that we have every transfer. There were a couple of other American Elders there so we talked about America so that was a good. It rained for 2 days straight and is ridiculously cold. 

Our ward is so incredible and really are excited to help us with this great work! We have a couple Sabrina and Carlos who live together but are not married but are doing the paper work now and are ready for baptism! We don't know how long the paper work will take and they don't have a lot of money to pay for it so the Bishop talked to the people of the ward and will help pay for their wedding and we will have a ward fast for them this week! Our Bishop is super involved in mission work and wants to help with our investigators and less actives.

We have a less active family that has started to return to church and one of the boys is 13 and has already received the lessons from the other sisters, we just need the permission from the mom for baptism and he will be baptized this month! We have lots of ideas to help unify the ward and it is a fun time here in the city, a different way of life than the interior where I was. Lots of people live super close or on top or under neath each other so we are always meeting new people and still getting to know the members.

One older lady in the ward always gives money to the missionaries for lunch, but she had a surgery in the hospital so we went and visited her this past week. She hadn't had the missionaries over in years and we talked about family and we had the impression to sing to her ´´How Great Thou Art´´ and after wards she said that was always her husband´s favorite hymn, he passed away 2 years ago and she cried because she was so grateful to hear us sing it for her and felt him. It is so special to hear the promptings of the Spirit and see how closely God knows each of His children.


Have a great week! 

Love, Sister Giles

July 1, 2019

Mountains, mountains, mountains...

Olá July!!

With President Nelson coming the first of September to São Paulo, President Miller has challenged the mission to prepare for his visit by reading the Book of Mormon completely and marking the first principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ: faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end. If you have not already done this, I encourage you to start now!

Wow, my knowledge and testimony in the gospel has grown so much just in reading First Nephi because of the deepened understanding the Holy Ghost reveals when we truly ´´feast on the words of Christ.´´I promise a sincere growth in your testimony that Christ really is the Son of God and that He is the only path that leads to eternal happiness when we follow His example and press forward with hope.

My whole area is basically the street in California called ´´Mulhulland Drive´´ and the ride at Disney California Adventure land ´´Mulhulland Maddness´´ because it is all crazy hills and random turns (my legs are almost like Gastons in Belle). Why do we feel that mountains sometimes block our paths or stop us from progressing? If we follow the Savior with faith in His promise of eternal life when we keep His commandments and serve others of our own free will, we will be able to continue on the path ahead, even when there are mountains to climb. James 5:11

Sister Silva and I met with the Bishop this past week and he is very enthusiastic about missionary work and we are very excited to work with him and the members here in Vila Galvão! I love this great work of the Lord and know that He has a marvelous plan for each of us.
Have an awesome week and 4th of July!!

-Sister Giles

1) it was a hotter week so we bought açai to cool us off :)