Geny´s baptism; new chapel; gift of the Holy Ghost is real!

Hello family!
Life is wonderful as always and I am very happy here in Santa Cruz do Sul.
Geny´s baptism was so beautiful! A lot of people came to watch, both members from the ward and investigators that we had invited. Geny was so happy!! She was glowing from the minute we went to pick her to drive to the new chapel. We made a beautiful card for people to sign and Sister Ferreira and I spent all morning baking 2 giant chocolate cakes and making strawberry mousse. We got to the church early to help Geny get ready and to take pictures. When Geny came out of the bathroom in the beautiful white dress that she was baptized in, I suddenly felt the Spirit so strongly! Irmã Fransisca, a member of the church and Geny ´s friend for years, walked up to her to give her a hug and as I watched Geny, all in white and with a light on her face, hug her friend I felt like I was seeing a glimpse of what heaven is going to be like. It was a beautiful beautiful day.
Wow…and it was great to have the baptism in the new chapel. It is finally ready and so beautiful. District conference is going to be in November and the chapel will be dedicated shortly before on November 19th. The whole district is excited!!
The only thing that could have gone better would have been to practice with Geny before having her enter the font. I think that she started to get nervous once she was in the water and stiffened like a board…so every time that Diego tried to baptize her she only went part way under the water. Haha…by the 8th or 9th try I started praying super hard that she would really be able to be baptized that day! :) But luckily she was patient and Diego was persistant and I think that it was on the 11th try that she finally went all the way under the water. I think it might have been my favorite baptism that I have seen...it was still every bit as beautiful and spiritual and it was funny at the same time! I think that every one in the room was trying not to laugh :)
But the biggest difference that I saw was on Sunday after Geny´s confirmation. The gift of the Holy Ghost is real! I am always amazed every time I witness the physical change that happens in a person when they receive the Holy Ghost …You can see it in their eyes. It ´s seems they become a new person. I have noticed it with every baptism on my mission, but I don´t think ever as strongly as with Sílvio, when he was baptized in Montenegro and now again with Geny. (Speaking of Sílvio, remember him?? I got a letter from him recently…he is happy and well and preparing to receive the Melchezidek Priesthood and go through the temple! :D That made me so happy!!)
We´ve been traveling to Vera Cruz a lot these days...which has made it hard to accompany our investigators here in Santa Cruz. But I think that it is worth it, because there are a lot of people there that are progressing! kaiuane is preparing for her baptism in a few weeks! She is such an amazing girl…she turns 9 this week and is so smart! She is tall and skinny and beautiful and reminds me a a lot of Megan…just younger :) On Sunday she asked us to come help her memorize the 4th article of faith....and it took her just minutes to memorize it all! Afterwards we talked to her about her baptism and she said that it is something that she has wanted her whole life, but she feels sad that her parents don´t come to church with her. Kaiuane´s parents are both members, but have been inactive for years and she goes to church each week without them with her grandma, Eloísa... She is such a great example to her parents and we told her that and that she was doing exactly what she needs to to help them come back to church someday. Magda and her 8 year old son, Henrique, also get very excited when we talk about baptism. Magda says that she already knows that the church is true and wants to be baptized...the only problem for them is coming to church each Sunday. The chapel in Santa Cruz is far away and it´s hard for them to pay for the bus ride every week.... But she has a lot of faith! When we have faith and make sacrifices, trusting in the Lord that everything will be alright, He always does His part!
Oh, and guess who we found on the streets walking up to use the internet. Gisele from Rio Pardo! She moved here to Santa Cruz two months ago, but lives on the other side of town in the elder´s area. They already have gone to her house a few times, but haven´t been able to visit her much because her husband, Giovane, works all day and she is always the only one at home. I was so happy to see her…I ran across the street when I saw her to give her a hug. And tomorrow she´s going to eat lunch with us in the center so we´ll have more time to talk!
I got the package from all of you on Thursday!!! Thank you thank you so much!! I loved it….especially all of the photos and notes that you wrote. It made me so happy. The peanut butter was amazing too J Thanks for being the best family ever!!!!!
Well, time to go! Happy Halloween for all of you! Send me pictures of the costumes (and yes , Jared, you better be dressing up! It will be your last time in 2 years!) Thanks for everything! I love you all!
Love, Sister Jamie Gee

References from the Lord;

Hello Gee Family!!!

How are you all doing? Life couldn´t be better for me here in Santa Cruz do Sul!

This was a really fun week for Sister Fernandes and Sister Ferreira and me. We are teaching some amazing people and finding new ones every day! It´s amazing how the Lord literally puts people in our paths... Just today when we stopped quickly in the post office to drop off some letters, a postal worker came up to us and started to ask us about the church and what we believed. Without us even having to ask he simply pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down his name and address and asked us if we could visit him to explain more. Perfect! haha...when this happens.Sister Fernandes calls them "references from the Lord" :D

Another night this week as we were heading for our last appointment of the day, we received another "referência do Senhor" It was already almost 8:00 at night and we were in a neighborhood kind of far away from our apartment that we don´t go to very often, so I was guiding Sister Ferreira and Sister Fernandes. We were going to visit Roberta, a family that I´ve already visited a few times, but in the dark it was difficult to recognize the houses and as we walked down the street I started to feel worried that I wouldn´t be able to remember the right house. Suddenly I saw a house ahead and immediately recognized it. I knew that it was Roberta´s house and didn´t have a doubt in my mind as I walked confidantly up to the door to clap. It wasn´t until AFTER I had already clapped at the gate that I looked closer at the house....and realized that it definitely was NOT the right house. It didn´t even look the same at all! I couldn´t even believe that I had thought for a second that it was Roberta´s house...but luckily, no one came to the door and I quickly told the sisters that I had been mistaken and started to continue to walk down the street....when suddenly Sister Fernandes said, "Wait, Sister Gee....Look!" She pointed to the house where you could see through the open window a picture of Jesus Christ on the wall. The picture of Jesus Christ in a red robe that only our church has...... "They must be members," Sister Fernandes said, "No other church has that picture. Let´s knock again!" I was very surprised...I had never heard anyone talk about members living in that neighborhood, so we clapped again. This time a man came to the door....and boy was he happy to see us! He shouted, "Élderes!!!!!" and ran to let us in! :)

haha... So, that´s how we met João Cláudio and his nephew João Anderson, members that hadn´t gone to church in over 15 years. And we also met João Cláudio´s mom, Míria, who also had heard all the lessons with the elders 15 years before and has already gone to church several times and still reads the Book of Mormon....but never was able to be baptized. I love references from the Lord! They are always the best ones :) Heavenly Father is so good and kind and every time that I feel His hand guiding us, my testimony is strengthened that this really is His work!

The rest of the week was wonderful too. On Saturday we had planned a ward activity (Noite do Cachorro Quente!) to help our investigators meet more of the members here in Santa Cruz. Sister Fernandes and SIster Ferreira and I had planned the activity especially with Guilherme (Cristiane´s boyfriend) and Nilmar (Ana´s boyfriend) in mind. Both Ana and Cristiane are really progressing...but Nilmar and Guilherme are more timid and hesitant to come to church. So we thought a fun activity with the other members in the branch would be perfect for them. Unfortunately, a few nights before the activity they both found out that they would be out of town that weekend. I was disappointed and a little worried about our activity...but it still turned out perfectly! So many members came! Even members (and missionaries) from the other branch here in Santa Cruz came! The hot dogs were delicious (Brazilian hot dogs are soooo amazing!) and games were simple and fun and everyone really liked the night. Geni came too and the members treated her like royalty! She is so happy!! She seems like a different person these days...you can see the light of the gospel starting to change her life. You can see it in her eyes!

This Saturday is going to be Geni´s baptism! We had been planning on having the baptism in a member´s pool, but the branch president, Presidente Walter, surprised us on Sunday when he announced that the baptism would be held in the new chapel!! It won´t even be dedicated until the middle of November and we´re already going to be using the baptismal font! :D All of the members here are super excited for the baptism...one, because this will be the first baptism in the branch since February and two, EVERYONE is anxious to see the inside of the new chapel! It´s beautiful.... So, we´re thinking that a lot of people are going to be coming to watch the baptism. :) Geni is very excited too! She is so wonderful...she reads everything that we mark for her in the Book of Mormon and more. And she is already taking us to meet all of her friends and family to invite them to her baptism....she´s already an amazing missionary!

So, yes, life is wonderful and I am very happy! There is no greater joy than helping people find the peace and hope that the gospel brings!
Be happy!
I love you all!!!
Love, Sister Jamie Gee

PS...Oktoberfest was super fun!! I ate chocolate-dipped strawberries and cuca and an amazing bratwurst with sauerkraut (called "chucrute" here) mmmmmm!

Oktoberfest; Amazing lesson with Geni;

Alô Querida Família!
How are you all doing? This week was wonderful for us here in Santa Cruz do Sul!!! October in Santa Cruz is beautiful and people from all over Brazil are here for Oktoberfest :) It´s exciting and we can hear the music all the way from our apartment each night. The city is gorgeous too...full of flowers and decorations and flags from German cities. It makes me think of you every day, Dad! I think that we´re going to spend the last hour of our P-day touring the different stands and shops in the Oktoberfest park...so this is going to be a quick email, sorry! :) It should be fun, though!

What an amazing week! We had an amazing lesson with Geni on Saturday night. She is super excited for her baptism in 2 weeks! Geni´s is such a sweet person, but she´s had a hard life and she told us that for the first time in her life she is feeling the love that Heavenly Father has for her. She told us that reads the Book of Mormon every morning and night and she told us that she has never felt so much peace in her life. Yesterday at church, she was telling everyone that she saw about her baptism :)
We´re also preparing Henrique to be baptized at the end of the month. He is Magda´s son who just turned 8 years old a few months ago. Magda has a strong testimony of the church and is going to be baptized too...it´s just been complicated because she is a widow and will lose her pension if she gets married again to her current husband. Luckily, there are a few members in the ward that are lawyers that are helping us try to work that out :) But for now, Madga is very excited for Henrique to be baptized. And I know that helping him get ready for and seeing his baptism is going to strengthen her own faith and help the whole family! So it looks like we´ll be traveling to Vera Cruz a lot these next few weeks!
Ana and Nilmar are still doing great. Nilmar is super timid...but the members are helping us a lot by going out of their way to be friendly. We´re going to have a Noite Familiar with them and Irmão Campos´s family this week. I´m excited!
And this Saturday we´re planning a ward Hot Dog night for all of the members and our investigators :) It´s going to be a busy week!

Oh and guess what...yesterday I went to Porto Alegre with a bunch of elders to renew my visa...now I can stay in Brazil for one more year!!! :D hmmm....tempting, I know :) I love love love life and Brazil and being a missionary!!
And I love you all!!
I´m glad that you´re feeling better, Mom...stay healthy! Aren´t we so blessed to have the priesthood in our lives and homes? Thanks Dad :) And Jared, too! Or should I say....the future Elder Gee!!! I hope you´re excited!!!
Love, Sister Jamie Gee

General Conference was amazing; Still a trio - Sister Fernandes and Sister Ferreira

Hello Gee Family!

Wow...wasn´t General Conference amazing?? I loved it. The spirit was so strong during all of the talks and I felt like I learned so much. Ana and Nilmar and their little baby, Herrick, came! They are such an amazing family and progressing a lot! I loved all of the talkes, especially the stories about faith and prayer that were told...most of the stories were so simple...finding a quarter on the road for a piece of fried chicken, the 5 dollars in President Monson´s jeans pocket being protected....but it really made me think about the perfect love and kindness that our loving Heavenly Father always shows us. We can have His help and guidance in every moment....we just need to have faith and remember Him and to seek Him in everything! I also loved President Uchtdorf´s talk about how compared with God, we are nothing...but we are Everything to Him! :) I thought about all of you a lot during the conference (especially when the new Provo temple was announced!!! yay!!), being all at home watching conference together...and it made me feel very grateful to have such a righteous and loving family. I am so lucky!! And I love you all so much! It also hit me super hard during I think it was Elder Cornish´s talk about missionary work...on of the last talks on Sunday afternoon, that this was going to be the last session of General Conference that I would be watching as a missionary. That made me feel sad...of course I´m excited to be home with all of you, but I´m really going to miss being a missionary. It is the happiest life and a wonderful work. I can´t believe how quickly this year went by! And I have loved every single moment :)

So this was another wonderful week for us in Santa Cruz do Sul! Oh! And guess what....we are still in a trio!! That was a surprise for me :) I was pretty sure that when Sister Dangerfield left, it would just be Sister Ferreira and I. We even put away the extra bed after saying goodbye to Sister Dangerfield Tuesday morning. But at about 2 pm that afternoon we got a call from the elders in Porto Alegre to tell us that our new companion, Sister Fernandes from São Paulo, would be arriving that night! :D I love surprises!

So yup...the fun of a life as a missionary trio continues!! Santa Cruz is a great place to be a missionary. I was a little worried to have Sister Dangerfield leave after just one transfer...it´s a big city! I´ve only gotten lost once or twice though. After lunch at Rosane´s house on Wednesday, our first day of the new transfer, I told Sister Fernandes and Sister Ferreira that there was a reference that lived close by that we could contact. I led them around a few streets, trying to remember where the house was and finally found it! I was feeling pretty proud of myself for having remembered and recognized the house and walked up confidantly to knowck at the door...when suddenly Sister Fernandes said, pointing to the house next door, "Hey, isn´t that where we ate lunch?" Sure enough...I looked over to see Rosane´s house where we had just left minutes before and to realize that our "reference" was her next door neighbor. Haha...... :)

Sister Fernandes is great...this is her 3rd transfer in the mission and she is an amazing missionary! And Sister Ferreira already feels like my sister :) We´ve had some great experiences this week and found some amazing new people to teach. Clace is a sister of a member of the other branch here in Santa Cruz. She lives alone with her 10 year old son, Felipe, and when we met her she was smiling and happy. But as we were teaching the 1st lesson, her ex-husband called to set a time to visit Felipe, and suddenly it became obvious that the happiness and smile was disguising a lot of pain and depression that she was feeling. Clace really opened up to us and told us that she feels very discouraged and alone in her life. We talked about God´s perfect love for all of His children and His gospel of peace and hope. I was glad that Heavenly Father had helped us understand what she needed to hear. I could see that she felt the Spirit a lot...we were all feeling it. There was a happy and hopeful look in her eyes and a REAL smile on her face as we left her house. It is so wonderful to feel the love that Heavenly Father has for each of His children. There is no greater happiness than sharing Heavenly Father´s love for others and seeing them change. We never need to be afraid to open our mouths and tell others about His love and His gospel...and if we remember that they really are our brothers and sisters, we never will be! I love being a missionary and it makes me happy to remember that I always can be one. :)

I hope that you are all doing well and loving life and looking for opportunities to be missionaries and examples for every one around you! We are so blessed to be members of the true church! :) You are the best family every and I love you all!!!!
That´s so exciting that there is going to be a new temple in Provo!!! When President Monson announced the new temple, I imagined you all listening at home and had a vision of Dad jumping up and down and screaming....and then I remembered that he only does that in BYU football games :)

Love you!!!
Love, Sister Jamie Gee