Role of the Spirit

Hayley's new address

Sister Hayley Jensen

Brazil Manaus Mission
Rua Loris Cordovil
1066 Alvorada 1
69042-010 Manaus
AM Brazil

Bom Dia!

Sister Crane and Hayley

It's been another great week in the Manaus Brazil Mission.  I was expecting to have a really tough experience my first transfer here, but it's actually been a lot of fun.  My companion is a lot of fun and we are always laughing.  I'm so grateful for my companion here!  I was also expecting that I wouldn't be able to understand or teach, but that hasn't been the case either.  I've witnessed some miracles here and I already feel like I'm a part of this mission.

Capybara

This week we ate really well (as usually).  But sometimes I'm not sure what I'm eating.  For example, earlier this week a member told us that we just ate capivara.  I looked up the translation in my dictionary and it was the same but spelled capybara.  We thought, whatever...it was good.  Today I decided to look it up and I guess it's like this huge ugly rodent creature.  I REALLY ate that unknowingly!  Whatever, it was totally good.  I would do it again.  I guess this member likes to feed us different meats.  He is actually our ward mission leader and he is really tiny and quiet.  Sister Crane said the last time she ate at this member' house they had alligator!  We were talking about it with him last night and how I haven't had alligator yet and he was like, "Okay I'll go catch one".  I just cannot picture this little man catching gators!  I'll let ya know how that goes.  I guess it tastes like chicken?

De-feathering chickens with Irma Rose

We also went to a Birthday party this week for a 6 year old boy in the ward named Emanuel.  We have been helping his mom prepare all week for  this party.  It was like a big deal super hero party and his mom (Irma Rose) went all out.  She made 3 cakes and cooked a chicken dinner for everyone.  I watched her de-feather the dead chickens earlier this.  It wasn't as gross as I thought it would be.  We love Irma Rose.  She is like our mom in this Branch and she is always feeding us and making cake.  I'll attach some pictures of the party.

The highlight of this week was definitely Pamela's baptism.  The Sunday before I arrived, Pamela

Emanuel's Super Hero Birthday Party!

told Sister Crane that she wanted to be baptized.  She has wanted to be baptized for a while now, but couldn't because her parents didn't want her to.  She is 18 years old now and her parents were much more accepting.  We spent this past week teaching her daily and making sure she felt ready for baptism.  She is so sweet.  Before the baptism Sister Crane shared a message and I sang, but the most spiritual moment was the baptism itself.  Pamela's parents were there and we all gathered around the font in our humble little chapel.  The moment Pamela was baptized the Spirit was so strong.  I watched her parents' faces and they were both smiling.  Her dad started to cry.  Later in the service a member presented her parents with a Book of Mormon.  I know that hey felt something.  It was a really beautiful baptism and it was my very first baptism!  Yesterday Pamela received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  It was really cool because she came to church in an immodest dress and later that day she had added to it to make it modest.  It is so cool to see the Spirit immediately work in her life to help her change and make better choices.

Pamela's Baptism

We are currently teaching a young man named Dennis who is 18 years old.  He currently attends a church here called The Assembly of God, at least I'm pretty sure that is the English translation.  He is really devoted to his church, but every time he is with us he cannot help but feel the spirit.  Before we even started a lesson with him one day this week he said "I know that this is true".  However, even though he knows it's true and he feels the spirit when he is with us, he still has hesitations about baptism.  We love Dennis, but we are afraid that we might lose him if he continues to have doubts.  Dennis is really hard for me to understand sometimes.  He talks really soft and he kind of mumbles so I knew it was a miracle when I understood our last lesson with him.  We have been teaching him a lot about faith lately and in turn I've learned a lot myself.

Learning a language sucks sometimes.  Some of the members are really encouraging and others just think we are dumb.  I've tried to be really patient with myself because it isn't easy, but Heavenly Father has given me a promise that I would master this language.  One of my teachers in the MTC said once, "Focus on the Spirit and the language will come".  I've been trying really hard to do that.  I don't know Portuguese, but the spirit does. 

I've also been filled with a lot of gratitude this week for all that I have.  Earlier this week we walked past a group of kids playing a form of baseball in their small square dirt yard.  They had an old ball and a splintered looking broken, wood plank.  They were completely content because they knew no better.  I flashed back to my life and all that I've been given.  I've never wanted for anything and I realized how little it mattered that I had those things growing up.  Things are nothing compared to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  If we don't have a foundation built upon the Savior Jesus Christ, we have nothing.

I am eternally grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm especially grateful for the Holy Ghost and His role in my conversion.  I would not know that these things are true without the Holy Ghost.  It doesn't mean a knowledge and understanding of the gospel come immediately.  We need to do our part.  In the MTC Elder Richard G. Scott told us to be grateful that Heavenly Father lets us struggle.  I'm grateful for my struggles.  I'm grateful for the comforting power of the Holy Ghost.  The morning I woke up to catch a plane to Brazil I had a giant pit in my stomach, but an overwhelming spiritual confirmation that what I was about to do was right.

I love you all.  I know the church is true!  We have a loving Heavenly Father that has blessed us to have this knowledge in our lives.  I'm grateful to the boy who prayed in a grove of trees because he wanted to know the truth.  We should all do the same.  I know that Christ loves us and that because of His atoning sacrifice, we can change and be made perfect one day and most importantly, live with Him again with our families.  I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  I know we have a prophet today, Thomas S. Monson.  I know that I'm doing the most important work I could ever do.  I love you all.  Have a great week!

Sister Jensen