Miracle Baptism First Week in the Field

Hey everyone!!!!

First week in the mission. Wow. Not what I expected at all! It´s been a lot harder and humbling than I thought it would be. The first few couple days were really hectic!!! I left the MTC and took two metros and a bus ride to Sao Jose dos Campos (about 2 hour travel). My companion has only been in the field for 3 transfers, so she was really scared about being a trainer and having two americans in the same area. The next day we had a zone meeting, so I met all the missionaries in my zone. Everything of course in Portuguese and even though I feel like I´m understanding everything fairly well, it was hard to keep concentrated. After that we went around to houses of investigators and recent converts and just my luck not one person was home and it started pouring down rain. Man it was really hard not to get discouraged. After about 4 hours of that we had to travel back to Sao Paulo because I still didn't have my official documents we stayed the night with some other sisters and then went to the Polizia Federal the next morning with everyone that I got to the MTC with. It was good to be able to see my MTC companion and all the familiar faces from the MTC!!!! Anyways all the details aren't important. The important thing is that we were out of service for 2 days and when we got back to our area it was hard to get in contact with all the progressing investigators. It seemed like all of their lives where falling apart. One family wanted to get baptized but the parents had to get married first. They had a wedding planned for this month and now they decided to cancel. One family is going through a really hard time because they live in the back of their grandmas house, but she doesn't like us or them and she keeps telling them they have to move out. We kept visiting them everyday this week because they had a baptism planned for Sunday, but come Sunday we called them about 20 minutes before sacrament meeting and they said they weren't coming because they didnt have clothes, but my companion explained that it wasn't about clothes it was about their desire to serve. We thought for sure they weren't coming, but GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS!!! All I could do was pray for them!!! And about 10 minutes into sacrament they walked in the door, and were baptized later that day. Miracle really!!! In the family there are two boys Adriano and Alan and their mom Ivette, their Dad died a few years ago. They both are really really funny and its amazing how much I´ve gotten to know them in 3 days!!!! The baptism was really really awesome. We had a great show up from the ward. The ward here is amazing we have lunches EVERYDAY and theirs so much support and love!!!! It´s great. Anyways even though its been hard I know Heavenly Father has been blessing me and I know that if I work hard and try to be perfectly obedient I can be a happy successful missionary!!!! 

Sister Bruno

Sister Deseret

Hola Familia
Spanish not Portuguese...oops

Well I made it to the Brazil MTC...Def different than Provo, but so far so good.  I'm grateful to here...It takes one week to get letters here. so you should prob send them straight out to the field!  Anyways hope all is well.  Don't forget to write emails, letters, etc. Oh yeah I think I have to change my name from Sis. Bruno to Sister Deseret because there are so many people (men) here named Bruno...Anyways. Love you all!

Desi

Hitting the Mission Field on the Run

Ola!!!!! I just got to my mission. Right now I´m in the mission office. I just met my trainer Sister Waite, American, and found out my first area!!!!! Sao Jose Dos Campos Morumbi!!!!! She seems really cool. Not sure anything else because I still havent traveled there yet. Its a 1.5 hour train ride away!! I was really really sad to leave the MTC because I made such good friends with everyone their, but I´m really really really excited to be here :) My companion told me that we have a baptism on Sunday, so I´m pretty excited for that. Last month they had a total of 197 baptisms in the mission. I´m excited to jump right in!!! My last week in the CTM was CRAZY!!!!! We went proselyting in the middle of the city, that was such an awesome experience!!! On Tuesday at devotional I bore my testimony in front of EVERYONE, that was pretty cool, and then on my last Sunday I gave a talk in my MTC branch. It was a really good experience because I really felt prompted by the Holy Ghost in what I needed to say. Orientation for the field was crazy as well because it was all in Portuguese and I could understand most things that I paid really close attention to, but after a little while it got really hard to keep paying attention to all the fast portuguese!! Some days I feel like its really easy to understand and talk, but some days I feel like its impossible.... funny how that works. Hope everyone is doing really really really good!!! I hope your all being member missionaries and inviting people to church and to take the lessons from the missionaries. I know you are all probably really busy but write me (at least emails) once in a while..... Ok??????!?!?!?! Desi

Loving Sao Paulo CTM

Hey Everyone!!! I made it safely to BRAZIL! It's so awesome here. I left the Provo MTC on a last week on a Tuesday. I traveled with about 10 other missionaries going to the CTM here in Brazil. Some from the Provo MTC and some new! I loved it. I finally felt like a real missionary because I talked with a lot of people about the church and about their lives and I gave out 6 pass along cards. I gave out my 3 and my companion's 3. And when I got the the Sao Paulo MTC I had a conversation with actual Brazilians and I was able to understand almost everything they were saying. The one thing I couldn't understand is when they were saying LADY GAGA. hahahahah it was funny. Everyone here is SO nice!!!! It really is their culture. I've already made so many friends here in the CTM. I have Brazilian roommates and they are so awesome and hilarious. Sis. S. Santos and Sis. Lima dos Santos. Here in Brazil if you have a really common name they make you put your first name abbreviated or other things like that. I don't know if you got the letter I wrote, but Bruno here is a really really common Male first name. I've already had 2 elders come up to me and tell me that my last name is their first name, and I get a lot of laughs when I introduce myself. It's always pretty funny. But, they might make me change my name to either sister D. Bruno or sister Deseret. Which one do you think is better? Anyways I have now had a total of 5 companions in the last 8 weeks. I got a new companion last week, Sister Campbell who is one week behind me, but they put us in the same district until my district leaves and then shes going to be in a Brazilian district, and today another sister, Sister Villaroman joined our companionship because her companion left today! They are both really really nice sisters and both hard workers. Yesterday, we all went together out into the streets around the CTM to do some proselyting for the first time. We had no clue what we were doing but it was a really good experience we got to talk with a lot of Brazilian people in Portuguese. Didn't know everything they were saying but I knew enough to give them Book of Mormons and teach them a little about the church. It was scary but exciting and awesome all at the same time. Today we went to the temple. It's soooo beautiful. It has really unique features inside which I love!!!! The food here... big surprise SCARES me. The only thing I enjoy eating is the beans and rice hahaha. Everything else is really strange. A lot of meat. and the desserts are scary to. A lot of questionable jello. haha. Anyways I hope everything back home is going well!!!!! Sister Bruno

Shaking in the Presence of Sin

I can't believe all the news I've heard!!!! A lot has happened this week for me too. Tuesday's devotional was awesome, Elder Piper from the seventy spoke on agency and how even though Satan can tempt us to make bad choices, he has NO power over us. We make our own choices. It was cool because earlier that day I was reading in 2 Nephi about when Nephi feels horrible about his iniquities because he knows and is grateful for all of his blessings, but he still has allowed Satan to tempt him. He asks GOD to make it so that he shakes in the presence of sin. Reading that chapter and then hearing that talk was so powerful to me because I've def. felt how Nephi did, and I know that I have the power to say NO to satan!!! I too pray that I can be disgusted when around sin, or when Satan is trying to tempt me. The next day, Wednesday was a super emotional day. My new companion and a lot of the newer elders going to Brazil got their visas in the morning. I didn't want it to effect me, but I was a little bothered. I kept thinking WHY is my visa not here yet? Am I going to go stateside?!?! Anyways, after giving it some thought, I really got my hopes up that and convinced myself that I really wanted to go stateside for a transfer before Brazil. NYC or Boston would be awesome!!!! But then I ended up getting my Visa that same night, and I was actually really devastated. I just starting crying. I love everyone here in the Provo MTC. I feel like I've really grown close to the people in my district and zone. I spend everyday all day with them and I'm going to miss them so much. But I'm also really excited for the opportunity to go the Brazil MTC on Tuesday for 2 weeks. Definitely Bittersweet. I know these next few weeks are just going to FLY by, and before Christmas I'll be in the field teaching REAL investigators and be speaking only in Portuguese. Sooooo Stoked for that. Thanksgiving was really nice as well. It started out by going to a devotional where ELDER HOLLAND was the speaker. We got to meet his family which was really cool. He is such a powerful speaker. He made me realize how lucky we truly are to be living in this dispensation where we are destined to win!! So many people in this world have lived in previous dispensations with no hope for their people, knowing it would just end in apostasy. I'm so grateful to be living in this amazing time, where the gospel will just continue to grow and will never be taken off the earth again. I'm so grateful for Joseph Smith too because he has done so much for the human race, and for me personally!!! The rest of the day was pretty fun as well. We did a service project for the people of Mali, putting together hygiene kits. Watching videos about them, and hearing about the humanitarian aid branch of the church really made me want to be pro-active about serving. If you can ever spare an extra dollar I would suggest donating on your tithing slip to humanitarian aid, It definitely is used to HELP people around the world. We also got to watch 17 miracles and eat popcorn. SUCH A GOOD MOVIE. Never seen so many elders cry haha. Anyways I hope everyone's having a good holiday break. I'll be in BRAZIL by next week so Dear Elder me letters to the Brazil MTC, send me letters to the mission home. KEEP ME POSTED!!!! Love you all!!!!! Sister Deseret Bruno

Elder Bradley D. Foster Tells MTC Missionaries to Give Heavenly Father Everything

Holy Cow Holy Cow Holy Cow!!!!!! Parabens para sua chamado de missao Franny!!!!!!! That is sooooo freaking exciting especially since I've become really close to two sisters that are serving in that exact mission!!!! I hope you serve with one of them! I wrote you a letter with all the advice they want me to give you so look out for it!!! Still can not believe it. Now my only hope is that Michael or Nikki goes Portuguese speaking :) This week has been a roller coaster to say the least. It started out pretty well. On Tuesday night we had a great devotional. Elder Bradley D. Foster came and talked for the devotional he talked a lot about the law of consecration and how we need to be willing to give the Lord everything that we have. He shared the story of Jared Carter in D&C 79 and how unique of a person he was and that because of his unique personality he converted John Tanner, who donated A LOT of money to the church and in sense saved the temple in Kirtland. He then showed a movie about John Tanner, I don't know what its called but its a really awesome movie about his life and about when after he was converted to the gospel he gave everything to the Lord, he sold all of his possessions (they were worth about 1 million dollars) and gave almost all of it to the church!!! He even lost a child on his way to Nauvoo, but he was willing to give everything to the Lord. If you havent seen the movie then find it and watch it!!!! I know that these 18 months I have to give everything to the Lord, I need to be working my hardest, I need to follow all of the rules of the mission, I need to be serving others even if I have to sacrifice my own personal comfort. The really awesome thing is that he promised us that if we give Heavenly Father our everything on our missions then our children would never suffer. How awesome of a promise is that?? I felt really pumped and excited after I heard that devotional, but as the week went on I started getting really frustrated. I don't feel like I'm progressing as much as I would like, especially in my teaching. Sometimes I feel like I have no clue what I'm doing and I have no clue how to teach or what to teach about, and it gets really discouraging. But yesterday I had a really good lesson about teaching with the spirit. We had a practice where I taught Sis. Lofgreen and Sis. Warburton (my old companions) about things they needed to hear in there life. We had to completely rely on the spirit, and I felt like the first half I went with the spirit and Sis. Lofgreen started crying because she really felt like it was what she needed to hear but halfway through I started freaking about because I was like uh what do I say now?? I started doubting myself. I tried to keep it together and finished the lesson but when we were doing feedback I just started crying because it was the same thing that I always feel when I'm teaching. It was annoying but at the same time it was a really good learning experience about how important it is to let the spirit do the teaching!!! If you have any advice on how to be a better teacher please let me know!!!!!! I tried fasting about it and it definitely helped but I still feel like I have a long way to go. My new companion's mom keeps updating her on her Visa situation I guess there's a website where you can put your name and birthday and they tell you the status of your visa... Maybe if you can try to find it for me.... and tell me what mine says that would be awesome. Hers is already authorized and ready to send so I have a feeling she'll get to go to the Brazil MTC soon.... I'm more than halfway done here. Muito LOCO!!!!!! only 4 weeks left. I made friends with the missionaries going to South Carolina last week and I felt really prompted to give them a list with people I knew on it. So maybe they'll find some of my friends there!!! I've also been seeing some people from the singles ward here too. I've seen Alyssa, and Will and Emily!!!!! We always have South Carolina get-togethers in the cafeteria with the elders going to South Carolina its fun. Anyways I hope everyone is doing good!!!! Write me this week!!!!! That means you too Michael and Nikki and Gen!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eu amo voces com todo meu coracoe!!!!!!! Sister Desi Bruno

Practice Teaching in MTC

Ola Querida Familia, Where has the week gone? It feels like it went by in the blink of an eye. Tomorrow will be my half-way point. 33 days left. I love the MTC, but I can't wait to get out into the field. This week for Devotional we got to hear Elder Zwyck from the seventy. He is such an awesome speaker! He taught about being a disciple of Christ. It's so important that we are all trying to follow Jesus and be like him and because thats what are goal here is! When were truly being disciples of Christ we put others above ourselves. I've decided to read the New Testament so that I can know more about Jesus and become more like him, and it has been such a blessing in my life. Still reading the Book of Mormon, of course!!!! I watched the Joseph Smith movie on Sunday, and I feel like my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon have grown so much in the last 4 weeks. I love teaching about the restoration in lessons!!!! This week has felt really hectic because now I'm teaching 3 fake "investigators" with the 3 different elders in my district. Sometimes its really hard to teach with elders because they have such different ways of going about things, but I know that its a good experience for me to be able to learn how to teach with different personalities, and its so worth it to see how all of their testimonies have been growing and how much better they've gotten at Portuguese!!!! This week I got a new companion!!!! Shes a solo sister going to Brazil Velem (somewhere in the amazons) it was really hard at first to leave my old companions because I've grown to love them so much. It felt like a break up because even though I still see them a lot, it doesn't feel the same. But my new companion is really nice, and I think Heavenly Father has given me an opportunity to serve someone new now. I've pretty much given up on the thought of going to the Brazil MTC now that I've been here halfway. It would be nice to go, but I know HF has a reason for me being here. I just hope that I get it before my 9 weeks is up so that I don't get reassigned to Salt Lake or something.... I hope everyone is having fun back home and sharing the gospel with all their friends. It really is soooo important that you do. It's a matter of giving them eternal life here!!!! Write me back on Dear Elder so I know whats going on with everyone!!!! Sister Bruno

Loves MTC Devotionals

Hey Everyone! This week has been pretty good. A lot of ups and downs! I feel like I'm learning soooo much, and progressing in both Portuguese and the gospel. I still haven't got my visa, not sure what the hold up is. My favorite things in the MTC are the Devotionals and Firesides on Tuesdays and Sundays. I love singing with all of the other missionaries, its such an awesome feeling. This week Elder Don R. Clark spoke on how to help investigators and be a good missionary. It was awesome because he pretty much gave us the same advice that Gen Gianina Flora and Annika gave me before I came in. It was awesome. You sisters must have been awesome missionaries. He told us that we should be HELPING, if were not helping were not being good missionaries. We do this by Teaching them the doctrine, Helping them keep commitments, Help them Repent, Help them Love the Book of Mormon, and that we need to retain converts by getting to know the bishop and his wife and the mission leader and his wife. It was a really inspiring devotional for me. It made me soooo excited to get into the field and be a missionary. I also love the camaraderie (sp) in the MTC! I love gym time. Our zone loves playing volleyball so we play almost everyday, and every time afterwards we have a handstand contest and roll down the hill by the volleyball pits. It makes my day. I feel like I'm improving in my teaching because it's easier to explain things and I feel much more comfortable teaching. I love having personal study time because I feel like I've learned so much about the Book of Mormon. Right now I just finished Ether and am starting Moroni. After reading Ether 12 I felt like my faith grew about 50%!!!!! I want all of you to read Ether 12 before you go to sleep tonight :) I also love that the Jaredites brought Deseret with them on their journey!!!!! The Book of Mormon is seriously becoming the LOVE OF MY LIFE!!!! I love learning Portuguese and I love being a missionary!!! This week for relief society the 1st counselor of the primary, Jean A. Stevens, came and gave the lesson. It's so awesome to be able to see all these great women leaders here in the MTC. They have such sweet spirits and they love the lord. She gave a great lesson about building our relationship with the Savior and Heavenly Father. Anyways this gospel is true! I love you guys! Keep me posted on things. This week was discouraging not hearing from anyone but I know you all are busy. Thanks for package.... Love, Sister Bruno

Learning Language at MTC

Hey Everybody. It's my first real pday. I finally got to go to the cupcake temple. haha. It was great!!!! Everything is going pretty well. I finished teaching my first fake "investigator" yesterday, and got to extend a baptism invitation. It was pretty awesome that she said yes, even if it was fake. It's been weird teaching with 2 elders. I'm finally starting to get used to things and actually like them, so I'm scared ill get my visa and have to leave. I'm in a district with 4 elders and 1 of the elders got his visa yesterday, so he's leaving on Tuesday.... So if I get mine I'll leave on a Tuesday. I guess that's what the thing is. Whenever you get your visa, you leave the next Tuesday. Oh and I get to call home whenever it comes through so keep your phones on because I can call any day.... It'll be pretty weird when he leaves because then when we teach our investigators it will be me and 3 elders teaching a lesson. The language learning is going good too. I'm so grateful for all of the Spanish that I know because it definitely helps A LOT!!! I love my teachers they are awesome!! Sister Ririe and Brother Villanova. Brother Villanova is actually from Brazil, which is a good thing because he loves to correct our pronunciation and make us say phrases and words over and over again, which the American teachers don't do so much. Something that I find weird about the MTC is how much your learning is up to you! They give you loads and loads of study time and not very specific things to study. So you have to pick things to study and be really self disciplined or else you end up talking for all of your study time. The food is pretty good, but I think it's making me fat... haha Annika was right. All you do during gym is play volleyball. You'll be happy to know that the Brunos are starting to become popular in the Mormon world because I've been stopped on many occasions because someone has known one of my sisters. I also love how much I feel the spirit. I love watching the MTC experience videos with all of the real life investigator stories and such. Did they do that when everyone else was at the MTC? Anyways Please write me letters and Dear Elders my mailbox number is 299 Ill send my real address in another email. But yeah still haven't gotten pants!!!!! Send them soon so that I don't get shipped off to Brazil without them. Halloween goodies would be nice too ;) Anyways...... I love you all!!!!!! I had a scripture to share but I forgot to bring them and I don't remember the reference but look forward to one next week. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! Desi

Strong Spirit in MTC

Friday, 19 October 2012 Sister Deseret Rose Bruno MTC Mailbox #299 BRA-SPE 1210 2005 N. 900 E. Provo, UT 84604-1793 Dear Family, Week 2 in the MTC!!! It's been fun, and I've been learning a lot. It's been awesome to feel the strong spirit here. Portuguese has been fun to learn, but when I don't know a word I spit out the Spanish word and like 75% of the time it's the same, so everyone thinks I have this huge vocabulary. It's pretty comical to me. Anyways, I hope you guys are doing well. How is it with just you 3 in the house? Write me as much as you can! Nikki--how's your art going? You should draw me a temple or a portrait of myself or something, so I can hang it up in my room!!! Michael--How was your big track meet? Are you preparing for your mission? You should start reading Preach My Gospel chapter 3, and memorize the missionary purpose... Dad write me... Love, Sister Deseret Bruno

Solo Brazilian Sister in the MTC

Querida Familia, Today we have a half p-day, so I get to email home :) I just want to take care of business first. If someone in Provo could please send me jeans, and exercise pants (preferably black) I need them!!! If you need some money to do it you can transfer yourself some, if I have any. Oh and please send me my account balance after, because I have no clue how much money I have. The MTC is awesome my first day I felt such a sense of belonging. Unfortunately, I'm a solo sister like Annika. It makes it really confusing and its been a trial for me,but it's OK because I have nice sister companions and a great district. The first day was awesome. I got to say the closing prayer in front of all of the new missionaries and the MTC presidency. It was AMAZING!! I've felt the spirit so strong these last few days. The language is coming along. I'm really proud of myself because I can understand almost everything my teachers say. I know a lot more than the elders in my district so sometimes it's hard not to come across as a know-it-all. Yesterday, we taught our first "investigator" it went OK. She was really nice, but I think we confused her more than she needed to be. I also learned how to pray yesterday, so I've been trying to make sure that every prayer I offer is in Portuguese :) Anyways its also been amazing to see how much closer I've grown to the Lord in just a few short days of constant prayer and gospel study.I still don't know when I'll get my visa, but they say that as soon as I get it, I'll be shipped off to the Brazil MTC. It's in the Lord's hands, and I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. I'll just wait for his timing :) If you get this email in the next ten minutes email me back!!!! Besides that I want everyone to write me a Dear Elder so that I can know whats going on today.Especially if you can send me a box and when you can. Anyways email me back and write me a Dear Elder or a real letter. Also I dont know if I have the right emails for everyone so Dad if you can or anyone send me a family email list. Love you ALLLLLLL Besos, Sister Bruno