This was another amazing week in Riviera. We had stake conference yesterday, for our stake Tiradentes. It was really neat to see our whole stake together and to feel the Spirit of all the members when we gather. For the first little bit a couple returned missionaries and one who is preparing to leave bore their testimonies. It was really neat to hear their testimonies. Here, mission calls go to the Stake President, who passes them on to the awaiting missionaries. The young man, who was waiting for his mission call, had his presented to him after he bore his testimony, it was really neat to see the reaction and the emotion for him. He has been waiting for months (he´s a friend of a family in our ward) so we´ve only talked with him once, but it will be interesting to see where he goes.

This week we had a couple of really special lessons with members. In both situations they were families where not all of them are members and they have different needs. But our members have stronger testimonies and a bigger impact than they think. The Holy Spirit will truly help those who try to share their testimonies for this work. Both members talked about experiences and things that they needed to hear about. They were really good experiences to see how much this work can progress and be blessed when we work with our members.

Today we received our emails for transfers- and I will be transfered Wednesday to Ibiporã to work with Sister Gomes (she lived in our house and was companions with Sister Passos my first transfer). It will be neat to learn how to work in a new area and with a new companion. But it will be strange to leave Riviera. There are so many members and people here that are so special and dear. We have a couple of new and amazing people and families that will be hard to leave. But I have faith and know there are people prepared for us in all of the areas we will serve in.

But love you all and hope you have an amazing week!
Sister Laura Bullen

A note for Paula - we only have a selected list of approved films (I think 6) that we can watch. So unfortunately I dont think I can watch home videos of Hannah. But we will have a very special night when I come home and we can watch them all :)
But I really appreciate the thought

Another amazing week. This week we met a woman and her three children who are amazing. Our first visit was Sunday (yesterday) so we don´t know them very well yet, but they were very enthused and interested. It was a really good lesson we had introducing our message and how this Gospel blesses families. She talked about how she wants to be more patient and have more peace in the home. Its so important to talk to people, to know what their desires are for life and for family. Because the Gospel teaches us how we can develop and improve these things in our life.

This week we also had a family night with a newly baptized member. It was a neat experience and a good demonstration of fhe. We know the family and the home is where we can learn and grow together and have the most happiness. But because of the great blessings we can receive we have a great responsibility in our roles to help and work towards these goals. Francisco, who was baptized a few weeks ago and is 12 shared a scripture about baptism and how it was such a good experience for him. His grandma planned a game/activity afterwards that was simple but fun and uniting. This is the point of family night, it doesn´t have to be big, it rarely is perfect, but it can be so spiritual and an opportunity to strengthen the family.

This week we had a visit with one family that we contacted while looking for a reference we had received. We encountered the family and they invited us in to talk, but they had a tons of family over. But they wanted to hear our message so we invited anyone who wanted to hear, to listen. So we talked with about 12 people about the gospel of Christ and the purpose of the Book of Mormon. They ended up not being interested, but it reemphasized for us the importance of inviting. Sometimes we might hesitate to invite people, especially when there´s lots of people. But we could walk away knowing we had tried, that we had invited and tried to help these people know the importance of our message.

I gave S. Moura and S. Passos each a recommend holder for their birthdays. They loved them! They only have recommend holders here with the picture of São Paulo temple. S. Passos left her´s on her desk all week so she could see the picture. Really, it was great. It was fun and really neat to let them choose and they loved it.

Love you all and hope you have a great week!

We received letters from Laura today. 


To Paula and Jay she said:  "I'm so proud of Hannah walking.  That's really cool that Jay got to be the person she took her first steps for.  It sounds like she is still an incredibly happy baby and spreading sunshine to those around her.  When Katrina sent her package she included a note about getting to hold Hannah during Relief Scoeity when you were teaching.  Everyone loves this girl!  :)"

"I hope the house hunting is going good.  I'm sure you're staying busy with that & Paula said basketball season started up again - how's that going?  (Both of our son's-in-laws play on the same basketball team). 

We're staying busy and working hard with our investigators.  It was 91 degrees the other day and it's only springtime.  But I can tell I'm adapting because before I knew the temp I remember thinking 'it's not too hot today'.  The nice thing is we almost always have a little wind.  But people say there isn't much wind during summer when it's hot.  Haha.  So vamos ver!  We will see!

I read a talk this week on the "Missionary Work and the Atonement" by Jeffrey R. Holland.  I read a quote that I love.  He said "Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask why this is so hard?  Why can't our success be more rapid?  Why aren't there more people going to church?  Why isn't the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?  ...I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience.  Salvation never was easy...  How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never ever easy for Him?  It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane..."

It's a long quote, but I loved this part.  "We have amazing investigators that we have great visions for, but sometimes they don't progress or show interest like we want for them.  We have to remember that everyone has agency and that change is hard.  But the rewards and blessings that comes through true conversion are so great and full of happiness.  The work is hard, but the fruits of the labor are so special."

P-day is almost spent."

Love you all!!
Laura/Sister Bullen


To Floyd, I and Family she wrote:

"Mom I'm glad you enjoyed Conference and hope the rest of the family enjoyed it too.  I forgot to write about my thoughts of the age change in my email.  It was exciting to hear in Conference that women in the church will be able to serve missions at the age of 19.  It's strange to think that in a few months my companion could be 20 or 19.  I've been the youngest missionary I've known.  Sister Matiaco and Sister Bradley in the CTM were 23 and 24 (or maybe 22 and 23) and the sisters in our house are 23, 24, & 25.  I know in the CTM I started to understand why it could be easier for Sisters to be a few years older than the Elders.  It's going to be interesting to see how the number of missionaries serving will change.

It was fun to read that Mom visited Sister Empey's Mother.  The Sisters here in the house thought that was really cool, too.  It sounds like you had a really good time visiting family in Washington. 

(In response to my enquiries, she wrote.)   If you want to look at sandals that might be something cool.  I had bright green sandals I bought for Thailand that Kaitlyn H. borrowed for a trip to Jerusalem.  I probably don't want the same ones because we're supposed to have more conservative colored shoes.  But if you get the sandals you could see what size they are.  Maybe some black ones would be awesome.  But I don't know if it would be difficult to look for.  But sandals would be great for the heat.  Nothing too fancy, but with arch support.  I'm really glad I bought Dansko shoes.  I think they've made a big difference.  The other Sisters here (1 with the same amount of time as I) have pain in their feet from wearing flats (which is probably what most Sister missionaries in the world probably wear).  But I also do some ab workouts to strengthen my abs, which also strengthens your back.  And I pray for the forces that I need to work hard.  I'm grateful that my back and neck are doing good.  Actually improved since when I was companions with S. Empey.  But I've been blessed and want to do my part to do all I can to have good health, too.

With lots of love,

Laura/Sister Bullen


I also had a very sweet letter from Laura's companion, Sister P.  Laura is teaching the Portuguese Sisters English and her companion wrote in Portuguese and had Laura translate into English. It is so easy to understand why Laura has admired and loved all of her companions both at the CTM and in the mission field. 

Mom,

I received your package today! I haven´t opened it - because we had to come to Londrina to the mission office to pick it up (so it could have arrived last week) but I will open it when we arrive back in the house! I also got the pictures from Susanna - I love them! The sisters loved looking at them too! And said I have a beautiful family. They loved the pictures of the temple and of the ice sculpture. Thanks Susanna and Mom!

This week was really good. I love working with Sister Passos and Sister Moura. It's difficult working in a trio sometimes, but we have had some really good moments together. We feel we have something to learn together and are enjoying the time while we have it. It's been a challenge planning for our areas and trying to accompany our investigators in two areas.

We had a visit this week that was really neat. One of the women in our ward is a member with her two children who are older but her husband isn´t a member. We had visited them one night and we were talking about faith. He doesn´t believe in Christ or God and has no desire for church. But he goes to the activities when we have them and is a great guy. He´s always entertaining and is happy with life. It was interesting talking with him. He was talking about how he doesn´t believe in Christ because he´s never felt anything and that those who believe in Christ do so because they have felt something. Well he´s right. The purpose of the Spirit is to testify of truth, to testify of Christ. And we can receive a witness of these feelings in our heart through our faith. But you have to have faith, a pure desire to know. It was interesting talking to him and we are always grateful to those who are honest, and he always is.  : )

Each week until December we are receive a talk on the Atonement of Christ to include in our morning study. I have enjoyed reading and studying these talks. The atonement is essential for this Gospel and for our salvation. I know that Christ suffered for each and every one of us. Our pains, our sorrows, our heartaches, our grief and trials. I know he did this because of the love he has for us. Because of the atonement we can repent of our sins and return to live with him someday. But also the atonement is something we can use every day to help us. In the Book of Mormon Nephi was commanded to build a ship. Nephi had never done this before, nor did he know how. We are called and need to do things we don´t know how nor have the ability to always do these things by ourselves. We need Christ in our lives to be better people, he can help us become better.

This week we also met a woman who we are teaching who is so sweet. She´s probably about 65 ish and lives alone. She went to church with us and is hearing the lessons. But visiting and talking with her demonstrated the importance of listening. People need to feel that others care. It was sweet visiting us and talking with her. There are so many people who just need someone to demonstrate that they are thinking of them. To visit, to talk, and to listen. People in our family, our ward, or our friends. We have people who feel forgotten or lonely and want to feel the love of Christ. We can go a little out of our way to help someone.

I learned the word otorrinolaringolgista this week. Have fun trying.   : )

Love you all, have a great week!

Sister Bullen

I received letters from Laura this weekend (dated September 17, 24 and October 1).  A few excerpts are:


Happy P-day! (For me, at least it's P-day (preparation day, the day they have to do laundry, shop, clean, write home, and in general do their chores/errands).  I laughed when I read that Hannah (our 11 month old granddaughter) turned off the computer on you.  I hope all goes well for Paula and Jay with their bid on the house in North Pole. 

Congrats to Austin on his mission call, that is so cool.  Every mission call is inspired.  People have investigators waiting for them.  I like to think that even the people who don't accept the Gospel message we teach might someday accept it because we tried to help them.  But I've learned that there is divine guidance in where you serve, who you serve with and when. 

It's been fun reading about Hannah and the changes and growth that she is making.  Does she make noise or talk yet?  I never know what ages these developments start at.  Can she eat anything yet or .....? 

One Sister here is the only member in her family and her family doesn't understand or support her serving a mission.  I am so grateful for the love and support that you all provide.  But I have a great admiration for this Sister - she has faith and trust in the Lord that things will work out.  And I know that all missionaries are blessed with protection from the Lord that our families will be watched over.

I only wrote a little in my email about our Conference with Elder Godoy, but it was really good.  It was all in Portuguese .  I feel like I understood most of it.  It started at 9 am (but we had to be there at 8) and it lasted until about 2 pm.  We heard testimonies from all the missionaries who arrived and will be leaving this transfer, President and Sister Tavares and from Sister and Elder Godoy.  Hearing everyone's testimonies was really cool.  Especially seeing the difference between those arriving and those leaving.  There's one Elder leaving whose testimony was really touching.  He was offered a job before his mission where he could make lots of money (I don't know but not an offer that comes often) and he might not get the same offer again, but he bore a touching testimony.  He wouldn't trade the experiences he has had here with anything else.  It was very cool.  He has had a successful mission and is known for good success with baptisms.  But it was really neat feeling the Spirit with so many missionaries and I enjoyed the talks. 

Time is moving fast.  I can't believe it's October now and we're starting a new transfer.  Sister P. and I are happy our companionship/area hasn't changed.  I'm happy and we're open with each other.  I'm learning a lot about patience, agency, and letting things go.  (It's funny how God knows what we need to learn.)   :)   Our purpose is to give people the best knowledge, situations, ect. to make the right choices.  We can't do a single thing for them.  Our Gospel is rooted in the fact that people have agency and can pray to God to know the truth for themselves.  It makes me laugh to think of people thinking of missionaries as "pushy".  We don't see it too much here, but in the U.S. everybody has this image of "the Mormon Missionaries".  And while we may be persistant, we can't force anyone to do anything.  We're truly concerned about the people we teach and have a love for them.  But why are missionaries persistant?  Because the adversary is real, and change is hard.  We want to make sure everyone is given a real chance to accept the Gospel.  To honestly say yes or no.

In my email last week I talked a little about an investigator.  She has a testimony of the Gospel, but doesn't feel ready for baptism.  We had a really good lesson, it was really spiritual and explained our purpose as missionaries.  She is just a great example, that missionaries are guides.  We can only show people the path.  We can try to help them and encourage them, but they have to make the steps.  Haha, but enough of that.  It really is going great and I love this work.

I always love reading your stories about Hannah, Sariah and Kayla  (our 3 granddaughters, Paula and Jay's Hannah is 11 months; and Susanna and Kevin's Sariah and Kayla are 4 and 2 years old - I tend Hannah while Paula works).  It's always cute.

Time is almost gone, but I love you all!!!

Sister Bullen

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This week we had an emergency transfer and Sister M´s companion was transferred to a different area.  Sister M. joined Sister P. and I and we are working in a trio with our two areas combined, so we are covering a huge area. We found out a few days later that tranfers happened because Sister Empey will be returning home to care for her back and knees and will probably get to finish her mission in the US. (I saw in your email you knew already). It's sad that she can´t finish her mission, because I know how much she wanted to finish and how little she wants others to worry about her. But I know that she influenced and helped many people here and she will get to do the same in whatever area she can finish her mission. We got opportunites during our phone conference of sisters to say something if we wanted and Sister Empey got to bear her testimony. It was bittersweet. But I'm so grateful for the trainor that she was for me.

This week I woke up for my birthday and all the sisters had surprised me with cake and decorations. It was really sweet and fun. It was a pleasure to celebrate my birthday here with these amazing missionaries and people here serving our Lord. I´m so grateful for the blessings that I have in my life and for this opportunity. I am forever grateful for my family and the support they are to me. (love you all!)

Sunday I gave my first talk in Sacrament Meeting. It was on missionary work. And I was nervous when they first asked me, but then I realized I had talked with, visited, or taught just about every single member in our ward. Haha so everyone already knew the level of my Portuguese. But it was a really cool moment sitting on the stand thinking about our ward. And how truly we think, worry and love all of these families here. We truly pray and love the families and people here and want them to be happy. And of course how much we need our ward and each person to help this work grow. We have the promise of the apostles of our church that this work grows faster and is more successful when members share the gospel with their friends and family and when members and missionaries work together.

One of the cool experiences this week was teaching the Word of Wisdom to a family in our ward. The 11 year old boy is a member and walks to church every week alone. His mom isn´t a member and his dad and twin brother are inactive. But their family is awesome and I know how much this gospel will bless them. But teaching them this commandment it was really cool teaching the mom, because she smokes and drinks coffee and she said she believes it's true and that these things are bad for your body. And while she knows it will be hard she wants to. But it was really cool teaching the lesson, because we talked about how this commandment is also about having good health for your body. And how every person can always improve on how they are living.

But time is almost up..
I attached two photos - 1 of the birthday morning and the other of our district meeting - 3 of us had birthdays right in a row, so we had cake after our meeting (Elder B. and Elder L. were the others with b-days).

But love you all, and hope you have a  great week!

 

Sister Laura Ann Bullen

Mom,

But this week was a great week! We had the baptism of Francisco yesterday. He is 12 and a grandson of a member in the ward. He is an amazing young man and I am so excited for him. He has a sincere desire to follow Christ and it has been really great this last week to teach him and see his testimony grow. The baptismal service was really neat yesterday and the ward really supported him so we´re excited to see him grow in the youth program, etc. (I included a photo of us with Francisco and another of us 4 sisters outside the church)

I also included a photo of us for the anniversary of Sister Passos. She marked 9 months in the mission. So we had a surprise for her for this, this past week. Let me tell you, it is an impressive feat to pull off a surprise with missionaries when you are almost constantly with your companion. It's probably easier for us since our house (is small) but is two stories. So when she´s downstairs or showering, etc. We were planning :)

Another photo was with us with some pets of a family less active in the ward. They have 4 kids, but their 3 year old is always giving us their animals in our laps. So we took a pic.

This week I experienced true Brazil rain. It´s rained a few times pretty good on us. But this time we got caught in the rain between visits and only I had an umbrella. I love my umbrella, because it's light and can fit in my backpack, but this means it can only really help one person. And sister Passos forgot her umbrella in a house earlier that day. But it was really windy so I used my umbrella more for my backpack than for myself. Ha my scriptures, etc were more important : ) but we were a pretty sore sight when we arrived. Especially sister Passos. The family we were teaching has two small kittens and they were licking the water off of her skirt. It was soaked! It was funny and we enjoyed the break from sun.

I´m so grateful for my family and friends and this Gospel in my life! I am always impressed by the members and missionaries I meet that are the pioneers of their family entering this Gospel and following Christ. Sister M. and Sister R. both only have a few members in their extended family. This past weekend was the temple trip for our ward. While I miss going to the temple, I am grateful to have temples in so many places of the world. I can see the difference the blessings of the temple make for these people and am grateful for them.

Love you all!!

Sister Bullen