Oi Familia!!!!!!! week 73... just 3 more Mondays....!!!!!

June 2, 2014

Oi Familia!!!

Happy June!!! And Happy Birthday tomorrow Granma June!!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday!! Way to go on that rugged maniac 5k mom!!! I am so proud of you!! Those pictures look like a lot of mud and a lot of fun!

These past couple weeks we've been working with this man named Tchinha. He's a lobster fisherman with little bleached dreds. And he is one of the BEST investigators I have ever had! When we first got here to Boa Vista, we contacted this lady named Joana in the street. We taught her for a while, but she drinks nonstop, hardly understands us, and pretty much just cackles at everthing we say. But through finding her and teaching her a couple times, so many miracles have followed! She lives in the same house as a bunch of other people, so every now and then we would see Tchinha. But he never wanted to come sit with us until one day a couple weeks back. Ever since that day he has turned into a completely new person!!! I can definitely see this light in him that just was not there before. He is so sincere and so willing to completely change around his life. Everytime we teach him it is just another miracle!! Last sunday, we called him about 20 minutes before church started to make sure he was awake and getting ready to go. He said "Sisters! I'm already here! Are you two coming??" Then this past week, we were noticing that he loves reading the materials we give him. But he reads much more of the pamphets and stuff that we give him, than he does in the Book of Mormon. So we had another lesson where we talked about how the Book of Mormon is different that those other books, and the importance of it and everything. And we invited him to read it starting at the front. Ok. Next time we went back (just a couple days later!) he had read from page 1 to page 141!!!! He said he just can't put it down!!! When he is home, all he does is read. And when he is at work, all does is think about when he will go home so he can keep reading!!! He is working towards getting baptized next saturday, and really could not be more excited or more prepared! It will be such a good day!!!

Also just as a little update from Brava!!! Remember Helder?? The one that we heard about his crazy mom who wouldn't let him be baptized, but then after lots of prayer and fasting we had an enormous miracle?? But then Satan snuck in there and he felt like he wasn't prepared? Well about two weeks ago he was baptized!!!!!! I was so happy to hear that!!!!! And remember his friend Ni who was baptized? I don't remember if I ever wrote anything about his mom, but she is so great! She lived a pretty crazy life style, but right at the end of my time in Brava, she started making some big changes. And I just heard that she was baptized as well!!!!!!! Miracles, miracles, MIRACLES!!!!! 

And on saturday Sister Turner and I finished the Book of Mormon!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness I am pretty postive that was the biggest challenge I have been given on the mission!! We have literally done NOTHING this month but eat, sleep, teach, and read the Book of Mormon!!! But I am grateful that we did it! My testmony of the Book of Mormon has definitely been strengthened, and I learned so much from it! I really liked reading it cover to cover with a certain topic in mind! (acts of love) I think I will continue reading it like that- choosing a topic and looking for how is is displayed throughout the book. But next time around it will for sure be done on a bigger time frame! But I just love the Book of Mormon!!!

Alright well that's about all the time I've got for this week. I love you all so very much! I know with all my heart that this is the true church! Christ is our Savior, and I am so very grateful to be here in Cabo Verde as His missionary!

Love,
Sister Turley :)

P.S. There's a picture of Tchinha for you :) And an investigator named Claudino. He is amazing as well, but his story will have to wait for another week!