July 29, 2019

Hi everyone!!!!!!

Another good week, but it was super cold!! I had to bundle up and wear basically all the clothes I brought. It also rained a TON! One day I got absolutely soaked in 10 minutes while waiting at the bus stop so that was fun. It was a full-on storm, with thunder and lightning and at night it would be so loud. Definitely not what I'm used to living in SoCal but it was so fun to experience. I really love the rain.

For anyone who's wondering about the food, I eat really really good here. Like almost too good. Most of the sisters gain weight here so I'm just accepting that. We have rice and beans every meal, it's the staple, and it's always with some really good meat: chicken, rooster, pig, cow. (I don't know if there's a difference between rooster and chicken as far as taste because I don't notice any, but I just know they always specify galinho or frango). 

One super cool thing that happened was that we talked to a woman in the street but she was in a hurry because it was raining really really hard. I didn't think much of it until the next day we were walking and she called out to us from her little shop on the side of the highway. We talked to her and got to know her and she mentioned that her father had passed away recently, so we taught about the plan of salvation and that death is not the end and we really will see our loved ones again and she started crying. It is so powerful to testify of these truths that we sometimes take for granted to people who have never heard them before. People need to know that they are children of God, that He knows them individually, that they have a Savior Jesus Christ, that God has a plan for their lives, and that we WILL live after we die. I know that these are true and that's what keeps me going. What motivates me to keep working every day is knowing that so many people have yet to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm here to share it with them and invite them to come unto Christ. This is the most important thing I could be doing. And I'm glad I'm here doing it.

Love you all so much. Til next week!
Sister Dobbs

Churrasco e cachorros

Hi everyone!!!

This week was super fun! I finally tried that churrasco (barbecue) that Rio Grande do Sul is famous for and it was incredible. 10/10 would recommend. I had splits this week and got to go to another area with a different companion, Sister Carneiro and it was fun. It was actually a city which was strange and it kind of reminded me of Orlando. We also have lots of dogs (cachorros) in the streets and sometimes they'll follow us. I think they, too, are eager to teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual thought: D&C 123:12-17:
12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—
13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—
14 These should then be attended to with great earnestness.
15 Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.
16 You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.
17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

Know that we, as missionaries, are part of the greatest work on this earth and that no efforts are too small. If we do all we can, it is enough. I love love love verse 17 and it has been my mantra here on the mish.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and He is eager to be a part of our lives if we will just reach out to Him.

Love, Sister Dobbs

Week 2 in the Field!

Hi, everybody!!!

Yes, I'm still alive here in the middle of nowhere! It's still quite cold. Last week we had a couple warm days and they were so, so nice and then we had rain all weekend! It was so, so fun. It rained all of Saturday and all that night and it's been overcast the past two days. I love this weather, it's not super cold and it's not hot and I just think things are so pretty after it rains. We were blessed that when it was raining hardest on Saturday, we were inside for lunch with a family, and that afternoon we were able to escape the rain by going inside someone's house, our friends who are recent converts. Blessings! I wore my rain boots and that made me happy. And I bought these super warm tights so those are my fave.

I'm improving in the language daily. Each day I understand a little more and learn new words. I'm getting better and better at expressing myself and am speaking faster too. I still embarrass myself a ton and there are so many moments where I just feel like I seem so dumb but it's okay, I'm learning. When I really don't understand, I just nod and agree. But, my companion says she can tell when I zone out and don't understand, so I need to work on a facial expression that shows I'm attentively listening, but am also sympathetic to whatever they're telling me, but not one that makes me look overly focused or constipated.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to share this gospel and this good news with everyone. These truths that I share, I believe with my whole heart, and when someone hears them for the first time, it is powerful. We taught the girl who got baptized last week about forever families and what we do inside temples (if you have any questions by the way, ask me or my mom or go to https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/ ). She was so excited about the idea of one day finding someone worthy, getting married and sealed inside the temple for time and all eternity, and creating that forever family of her own. She's just twelve and she was just beaming at this idea. I love testifying of these truths, of how much our Heavenly Father loves us, of all Jesus Christ did and continues to do for us, and of how this gospel can bless our lives and give us hope for a better world to come (Ether 12:4). I know that Christ knows each of our struggles personally and intimately and He is there for us in every moment, if we open our heart and turn to Him. So, turn to Him! Invite Him into your life. He will make all the difference.

I love you all and I hope you're all doing well!
Sister Dobbs

First Area: Itacolumi

Hi everyone!!!! I'm doing well and I made it to my first area! It's called Itacolumi and it's in Gravatai, a town outside Porto Alegre. Fun fact: my friend Annelise/Sister Jolley served here! Some people in the ward know her. It was the Neopolis ward when she was here and then it split so I'm in the Itacolumi ward. Our area is huge and very spread out. We take the bus almost every day to visit people on the other side of our area because it's too far to walk, but we end up waiting up to an hour for a bus because since it's fairly rural the bus schedule is really irregular. The area is gorgeous and very green and there are animals everywhere: cats, dogs, roosters, chickens, horses, and cows. The highway and some roads are paved, but the ruas (streets) are either dirt or cobblestone (that's the best way I can describe it). It's so pretty. I wish you all could see it. And, since there aren't too many streetlights, I can see so many stars at night. And all the constellations are different because it's the southern hemisphere (at least I think that's how it works. Could be wrong). But I love it.

So here's how my days go: in the mornings I exercise, eat, shower, and study, both my scriptures and the language. My companion, Sister Santos is from Lima, Peru. She speaks Portuguese and English, too, so she's pretty awesome. She's super short, she makes me laugh, and she always comes up with fun questions like "describe yourself in three words" (yes, I know that one isn't a question, but you get the idea.) It's fun because they help me improve my Portuguese and we get to know each other better while we're walking or waiting at bus stops.

Members of the church feed us lunch every day and we're so blessed because of that. We have beans and rice and chicken and pasta and other meats and tomatoes, and there's almost always juice that's freshly made and really yummy. The other constant is chimarrão. It's like tea and it has this green stuff in it that flavors it and it's super nice in the winter to warm up. You drink it from a fancy cup with a tall straw. The bottom of the straw has a filter to keep the green stuff out and you just sip. They'll fill up the cup and one person will finish it, then you pass it back, refill, and keep passing it. Everyone drinks it like 3-5 times while we talk and it's one of my favorite cultural things here. So fun. It's funny, during the cold months, people don't want to leave their houses, so a lot of people said they didn't go to church because they don't want to leave their beds! And when we visit people the houses don't have insulation so it's COLD. But, I just bundle up and I'm fine. And chimarrão makes it all better. Hot chocolate, too.

We have a family that we're teaching right now: the grandma, Matilde, is so sweet and she's like my grandma. She calls me "meu amor" or "querida" and it just melts my heart. Then, there's the mom, Lucelia and her three kids: Renan, Ericka, and Hellen. Oh, and the funny thing about names here, they often are ones I've heard before, but are pronounced totally different. For example, Matilde is Ma-chill-gee because that's how you pronounce "ti" and "de." Ryan= Hy-an and Henry= En-Hee because "r's" are often an "h" sound. I love this family. They are so funny and so sweet. We visit them every day and we often end up having dinner at their house. They all were at church yesterday which was really special.

Yesterday at church, it was so so special. I have never felt so welcomed in a ward. I'm pretty sure every person in that chapel gave me a hug and a kiss and it was so sweet. I even found a lipstick mark on my jacket later that day.  I love the people here and they really are so open, so genuine, and so kind.

This week was full of miracles, so I'll include the two biggest ones.

1. We were waiting for a bus on Wednesday and it was 7pm and I get really impatient waiting for buses. We wanted to find people who we could talk to and who would listen because we know there are people out there waiting who need this message, so we prayed and immediately after we finished, Sister Santos remembered a couple she had talked to in the street one day who seemed interested. We walked to their house,which was on the same street we were on, and they were home and let us in. We talked about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they were very interested. They were so welcoming, and they said that they really liked our purpose as missionaries. Truly, they were golden. We went back Saturday and talked to Bruna, the wife about the plan of Salvation, Heavenly Father's plan for us to return to Him. She said that she had wondered about what happens after death and the plan made a lot of sense. She also said that she had been kind of lonely and had been missing conversation because she stays home while her husband works, so we were a blessing when we arrived to talk to her. It was so special that we could be her friend and were led by God to her house that night, and it was special that her heart was open to our message. She expressed a desire to be baptized so that's incredible!! I love Bruna and I'm so grateful that she was an answer to our prayers and we were an answer to hers.

2. Another girl we had been meeting with was a 12 year old girl named Lucelia. She has been meeting with missionaries for a bit and wanted to get baptized, but was very nervous about it and wasn't sure if she wanted to anymore. We told her that when we have doubts, they are from the Adversary and that we can find courage to overcome doubts through Jesus Christ. We often have to act in faith, even when we don't know everything. Her baptism date was set for Sunday but up until Saturday night we weren't sure if she was going to go through with it. But, we prayed for a miracle nonetheless. Saturday night we went to visit her, and she said she would be baptized! Baptism really is so important and it is the gate to the path that leads back to our Father in Heaven. It is how we come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and we are blessed so much by this decision. It was really special to watch Larissa come closer to Christ and her baptism yesterday was really special. I loved it.

Miracles are real. God is real. He is there for us. Christ knows us personally. He loves us. And I love Him and am eternally grateful for what He did for me.

Til next week,
Sister Dobbs

CTM District

CTM district

CTM District

CTM District

CTM District

CTM District

The Airport, first pic with my district after our long night of flying

Me and my companion Sister Maxwell

Sister Pajaro in all her glory, my brazilian bff and the person who helped me SO MUCH with Portuguese

Silly pic

Sao Paulo temple with friends

View of Sao Paulo from the Campinas temple

Me at the Campinas temple

CTM and roommates

Itacolumi

My comp and trainer: Sister Santos. the district leaders (the 2 other elders), and a very special family: Matilde, Lucelia, Renan, Ericka, and Hellen

Welcome to Porto Alegre!

Last week in the MTC

I love my mission. I'm learning lessons that I couldn't learn in any other way. I am learning how to work with people, because you're given a companion that you stay with 24/7, which is amazing because it teaches you how to love people, how to serve and be served, and humility. I love my companion Sister Maxwell and she teaches me so much. I'm grateful every day for her.

Guys, if you live near the temple, go this week! So many missionaries don't live near a temple and aren't able to go. My roommate is from Bahia Brazil and the closest temple is 14 hours away. So go! It is so special! It is very literally the House of the Lord and you can feel so close to your Heavenly Father there.

I'm so grateful to be out here talking to everyone about Jesus Christ, our Savior, and the difference He can make in our lives. He has changed my life, and I am so grateful for Him.

I love you all!!!!
Sister Dobbs