Feliz Pàscoa Minha Família!!!

This week has been a bit of a trial, but there are always blessings
and miracles that come when we show our faith through the trials. I
have been learning a lot these pass 2 months here in Votorantim. We
haven't baptized anyone yet, and its been rough to see so many people
get close but then not follow through. Its so hard!!!!!!!!! BUT we
are working hard. We are self evaluating a lot and looking for the
ways we can be more faithful throughout each day.

Our mission is really focused on Faith right now. We have had some
amazing trainings and I have learned so much about planning and
praying with more faith. I am so grateful to know that God hears and
answers my prayers and that He is with me every moment of everyday. I
just need to call more on Him and His power to make His miracles
happen.

Last night we had an awesome experience. We were waiting at a bus
stop and a man came to wait as well. I asked him if he knew when the
next bus would be passing since we were running late to a FHE at a
recent converts house. He told us and then I started asking him if
he'd ever seen missionaries before, etc. He said he has an old friend
who he hasn't talked to in awhile that is a member and served a
mission. He started asking a bunch of questions and I explained some
things and bore my testimony. I got his address, and then I gave him
a pamphlet about the Restoration. I put our telephone number on it,
the address of the church and when we have out meetings, and invited
him to our English class on Saturdays too. He said he has a brother
that lives in Florida and that they both love English a lot. We
chatted a little bit more about the US and about the church, etc and
then we got to the bus terminal so we parted ways.

Later that night as we were walking home from the FHE, he sent us a
text message saying how grateful he was that we had talked to him, and
that he had been really needing that sign from God. He thanked us
again and wished us a good night.

Then, this morning he called us too! He said he was looking at the
pamphlet and it had only Sundays written for the meetings. He wanted
to know if there were any meetings during the week. I told him that
its just on Sundays but asked him what day we could come by and talk
to him again. He asked if we could tomorrow. I told him yes and we
marked for 2:30 tomorrow afternoon.

He seems very excited. I can tell that he could recognize the
truthfulness of our message even with such short contact. He is one
of those people who is away from the truth only because he didn't know
where to find it. Now he has found it and its going to bless his life
immensely!

I am excited to go there tomorrow and keep helping him get to know
God´s great plan for us.

I love the gospel and I know that it has truly been restored in its
fullness! This is Christ´s church. There is no other. It is here and
we that are members must open our mouths and boldly proclaim what we
know to be true or these special children of God that are searching
for the truth will not have the opportunity to be blessed right now,
like we are being blessed right now! Gods work will happen, but we can
accelerate it so much if we will but share our happiness with others.

I love you all so much! Have a great week!!

Sister Knudsen

Pre Easter pictures!

Splits with Sister Macedo, a new sister from the Bahia in Brazil.

She is super calm and sweet! We had a lot of fun together!


Sister White all decked out!


Me. A less active girl we are visiting wanted to dress us up a bit for fun!


Easter presents!!! Sister White made us paper Easter eggs and bunny
headbands. Yep, pretty RAD!! We have a picture of us with them on but
its not opening right now for some reason. The American family in our
ward went to the US to pack up their house and brought us back some
requested presents, peanut butter, taco seasoning, and a tape recorder
that Sister White wanted. YAY!! Thanks Bishops!!! (That's their last
name and I gave them your email, mom & dad, so they will probably be
emailing you one of these days!!) They are pretty awesome!!

Fruit Pictures.....

I don't know if I already sent these pictures, but I know you (Devin) wanted
more fruit pictures so hopefully you like these!!

One more week gone.....

This week the Lord´s thoughts were not our thoughts! We worked all
week on a few people we are hoping to baptize soon, but then Sunday
arrived and none of them went to church. At first I was sad a little
discouraged, but I knew I couldn't stay that way so I focused on the
blessings. A family we contacted on Friday said they would go to
church, so we called them Sunday morning to confirm and they said they
really would come! They showed up and LOVED church. They are from the
"Congregação Cristã" but the lesson about the Church of Jesus Christ
Today was really good and they believe that this church really could
be true. They are going to pray about it. We also had a surprise
visitor!! A girl in our ward brought a friend and we marked with her
to teach her tonight. She seems really interested and elect!!

So even though what we wanted to happen didn't happen, the Lord had
other plans and blessings in store for us. He truly loves His
children and knows what is best!

I will give more details next week, I had to organize some photos to
send to recent converts in Osasco so that took up some time but know
that I love you all so much!!

Sister Knudsen

Hey Family (and Friends!)

This week we had an awesome experience. We went to contact a girl we
talked to the other day and she wasnt home. As we came back I saw a
man in his yard and felt like I should talk to him, so we went over
there and started talking. His name is Douglas. He told us he is a
member but hasnt been going for a while now. He said he wants to come
back but that its harder said than done. He has two daughters and
said they are the principal reason he wants to come back, so they can
grow up in the church. We invited him to come on Sunday and he said
he would. We also marked a return appointment so we could talk to his
wife who is not a member.

They went to church yesterday and loved it. The older daughter is 6
and said she doesnt want to go to her "other school" anymore just
wants to go to "this school" everyday! haha. Her mom had to explain
that during the week she needs to go to her normal school to learn to
read and write so she can do so at the church school!

I seem to have a gift to do contacts with less active members. Its
happened 4-5 times in the last couple of weeks. The Lord knows what
He is doing!

The same night we met Douglas, as we were walking home another guy
stopped us on the street. He also is a less active member, Emerson.
We invited him to come to church as well and he came! He served a
mission and everything but fell away a little after he got home. He
said he doesnt think the church is the only true church anymore but
that it is definitely a good place. That made me sad. We bore our
testimonies of the restoration and invited him to pray again to God
and ask him if this Church is true. He said he will.

We have been working with another less active family too. A woman,
Sonia, and her 7 daughters!! She also has a son, but we have never met
him. There are 2 daughters and one granddaughter that aren´t
baptized. The rest are members but when one gets discouraged and
stops going, the rest soon follow after. We made a goal with Sonia,
and the 2nd oldest (I think...), Daiane, for them to go to church for
2 months straight to gain back their strengths. So far they are
keeping their part!! Sonia gets discouraged because the kids wont go,
but if they go, she is right there. She has a testimony. The older
daughters were baptized when they were little and stopped going soon
after, so they dont really have their own testimonies. We are working
on it. One of the middle daughters, Camilla, finally came to church
yesterday! That was exciting!! We are trying to get them all strong
and baptize the ones that havent made that important covenant with God
yet. They are a really cool family! Tonight we are going to have a
Family Home Evening with them!!

Other awesome story: (Sorry if I ever repeat myself...sometimes I
forget!) We were early to lunch the other day in a neighborhood by
our house so we looked around for some good doors to knock or people
to do contacts with. We walked passed a house and Sister White saw
some kids inside in wheelchairs and a woman running around making
lunch and taking care of everyone. She felt like she should talk to
her but saw that she was so busy so she just kept walking. She didnt
make it 3 steps before she stopped me and said, lets go back to that
house. So we turned around and got the attention of the woman.

The woman invited us in and we got to know her super amazing family!!
She has 3 sons that are special. They have body handicaps and are in
wheelchairs. They are SO awesome!! She has a total of 7 children,
but we only met the youngest 4 and a grandson who is 4 or 5 years old.
We met the 3 special boys and a daughter. The 11 year old boy in a
wheelchair, Giovanne, is twins with the daughter, Giovana. She is
"normal" but very special too! Of course, you guessed it, I thought a
lot about you guys and especially Erik and Ashley!! I showed them the
pictures of my family and they loved it. The mom, Salete, is a hard
working woman!! She never had formal schooling because she got married
young and had her kids. She doesnt know how to read, but we have
started giving her a few little lessons (we dont know much either so
its hard!) to help her out. She really wants to learn.

They couldnt come to church on Sunday because they already had a
birthday party marked, but they said they will come next week. We are
making arrangements with some of the Brothers in the ward to come pick
them up!!

I am so excited to be teaching them. They are sooooo awesome. Did I
mention that?!

I need to take a picture with them to send to you guys!!

Alright, the pictures that I am sending:
The Zone Pic at the end of the last transfer (Dont worry...I am
staying here in Votorantim with Sister White! wooot!! And Elder
Andraszczyk that is from Laguna Niguel (and was in Andrea's new ward...small world!) was transfered to our Zone. Fun
times!) Poor Elder Smalley´s head got cut off, but in the other
picture of the zone our hilariously inappropriate zone leader Elder
Bird showed his butt off (covered with his pants thankgoodness) so
I´ll just show this more appropriate one for now. The other can be a
...treat?...for afterwards! ;)


Milking Bessy for our District Meeting Snack....Oreos!!! Thanks to
Sam and Amanda for sending ´em!!



Elders go CRAZY for any type of food...especially American Delights!!


Elder Oldroyd´s super awesome powers.


Hope you guys had and will have an amazing week!!

I love you!

Sister Knudsen

More pictures! Hooray!!!

Zone Conference. Sister Steinbeigle and I. She is going home on

April 6. I will miss her dearly. She is a great example to me!!


Some of the sisters with Sister Cooley and the Assistents. The one
of the far right is Elder Matthews. He was Sister Felipe and my zone
leader in Osasco before he turned Assistent. He is awesome and we are
grateful for our nice connection with the Assistents...good for
getting inside information. hahaha!


Package from Sam and Amanda. That was me pulling out all the
little candies and putting them on my desk until it turned into a huge
mountain of sugar!


Arranged nicely by Sister White for a more organized shot! I had
forgotten about oreos....we took one of the packages to general
conference and shared them with a girl named Bruna who speaks english
and was listening to conf. in english with us, and with the elders
that share the chapel with us. They were a big hit!! We even bought
pasterized milk from the bakery to dip them in. I´d seen the milk
before but this was the first time I bought it...its almost like
American milk! Almost...but close enough for delicious wettened
oreos!!


Zone Conference on Friday was fabulous. We are focusing more on
really have Faith and in trusting the recipe for success in Alma
26:22.

We are also going to make our Baptismal services more special and help
our investigators invite their family and friends to their baptisms,
so they can feel the spirit and become investigators too!!

I love President Cooley and Sister Cooley. I am SO pleased by the
fact that we live to close to one another and that I can continue
learning from them after the mission!!

General Conference was incredible like always!! The whole time I
thought about our investigators and how the words were so perfect for
them!! Of course, I also learned a lot of things that I need to be
applying in my own life too!! Pretty sure that talk about accepting
correction was exactly for me...I have such a hard time with that!
Pride is the worst thing ever...I pray everyday for help to not be
prideful!

Elder Scott is the cutest man...his talk was super special. I want to
have a marriage like him and his wife have. One day!!

Elder Holland = Iron Fist
He actually didn´t "burn" too much but he brough the spirit so
strongly as always. He has a way with words...He is amazing.

President Monson...so wonderful! I just love him! His life story is
amazing. If you havent watched On the Lord´s Errand, Watch it. He is
a man of God and it shows in the life he has lived!

Love you all so dearly!!

Sister Knudsen