2/24/14

Ahhh you guys, I cannot put into words my happiness. I am overflowing. Hey, did you know that God answers prayers? Because he does, like for reals. If you think you can't get through something, if you wonder if you'll ever be happy again, just go a little longer. Keep loving. Keep trusting. And keep asking God for happiness. He will give to you, but timing is truly everything. I have learned a lot of patience. Wowza. 

So this transfer has actually been sooooo stinking hard and I was a little on the edge of total apathy and despair, not in regards to my investigators, because God is so merciful and still gave me so many miracles, but yeah other stuff. Ya know? Anyway, all is going to be well!!! I am going to stay in Jaboticabal, the best area ever, and guess what else, I am going to train a newbie!!! ahhh I'm so excited to be able to teach and just love my new comp. I cant wait to help her and watch her fall in love with the people here. They are incredible. We have an investigator that hasn't even gotten baptized and she already wants to serve a mission. WHAT!!?? Ahh, she is so courageous and incredible. 

Okay the cherry on top is that.....drum roll.....I will live with Sp!!!! (her last companion who she adored) We will live in the same house. AHHHHHH Seriously, you guys, I have been walking in the road every day just praying to Heavenly Father that I could be happy the next transfer. I didn't care what happened, I just needed a change and all I had was hope that He would answer me. I promise that hope truly is an anchor to our souls, and He DOES answer our prayers. He really does. I learned so much and now I'm just so ready to help someone else learn as well. Ahh, so happy.

Here is a little thought I had this week:

 Remember that we are all just little kids in God's eyes. We are all just trying. He knows we don't have experience and we have uncoordinated hands. He is not going to yell at us if we color outside of the lines, but He does want us to try. Just pick up a color and start your masterpiece. Heavenly Father is going to proudly put it up on the fridge no matter what it looks like. All that matters is that you made it for Him.

Love you all

Sis Hunny

More from 2/17/14

My b day was awesome

P-day I played soccer. So fun. Aced the elders.....or at least tried :)

I ATE that monster of a hamburger. All of it. yess I kid you not.

2/17/14

Hello Hello Hello.

Tudo Bem? So, this week was pretty great. It was actually splendid! I celebrated my birthday four times....maybe more haha. Its hard to be a missionary sometimes, but the people sure do shower you with love. It really gets you through the hard times. So, R is doing well. She has incredible faith and is just so humble and pure. However, I have never met anyone with such a difficult addiction to coffee. She is really struggling with overcoming it and is having a lot of pain in her head. Wow, I never realized coffee could be such a powerful addiction, but apparently it's more intense than I thought. No wonder we don't drink it. It really can control you. Seriously it's so incredible that the Word of Wisdom was created in the 1800s when EVERYONE drank, smoked and drank coffee. Only now are they beginning to find all the health problems that arise from these things. Joseph Smith was just a humble farm boy. How did he know about health concerns...and to eat more grains than meat? I dunno, it's just pretty impressive to me that science is only catching up right now. It really goes to show that trusting in God's commandments and blessings will truly bring us more happiness than we even realize right now.

Oh, so also, we are teaching the most beautiful family. I'm not gonna lie, it really pays off to be a blonde American. A lot more people want to talk to you just because of this, and then later on they also really do want to come closer to Christ. You guys, its incredible, but its becoming so clear to me that Heavenly Father really did need ME to come HERE for specific moments and specific people. Last week, when I visited Ipiranga, I had a woman cry in my arms like a baby because of the struggles she is going through. I was literally the ONLY person she would talk to in 3 weeks. How could that be a coincidence? No, I know that people are people, no matter the place or time in the world. We are all angels for someone. We just have to follow the Spirit and He will guide us to those that need us. Truly, we all have a purpose in many peoples lives. 

Oh hey, so guess what you guys? I got my eyes checked for glasses and I need them. Just for reading and such, but still I think it will help with the headaches. Who knew. I'll buy them and let you know the price. I'm looking on the bright side and getting pumped that I can have an extra accessory and be legit when I wear glasses. Hey, who knew it was such a privilege to get dressed up and look pretty. I never realized that it was a privilege, but honestly it is. Ladies, don't complain that you have to get dressed up. A lot of people only have one or two dresses to choose from. They don't have mirrors to look in. And they work and sweat all day. Get this guys, I am actually super excited to come home and get dressed up and look pretty every day. I'm excited to look in the mirror and think, Hey, you're lookin' pretty good today! haha I'm gonna be super chique when I get back. Look out folks! lol

I love you guys sooo much and will leave you with this quote. It pretty much describes what I am learning over and over again every day. LOVE YOU!!! Be missionaries okay? Its easier than you think.

“I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up, for I cannot pull the load through it. . . . I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there.

“Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company.”

2/10/14

Hey everybody. I'm so sorry. Today's email will have to be short. But my b day was awesome. The members here are really great and gave me presents and threw me a party and today I am actually in Ipiranga to visit Celia because she is throwing me a party too. Turns out the headaches are from stress mostly hahaha so yeah I'm working on that......yeah. Just don't worry about it haha. ...I might get checked for glasses too...just to see. Who knows haha

But! guess what. We have a brand new church building, and it's so beautiful! We also have a new investigator who is amazing and reminds me so much of M in NY. So faithful and pure and willing. I think she will honestly get baptized within the transfer. ohhh man :) What else. Ahh I'm sorry, my mind just isn't really with me right now, but just know that God is always with us and He has a bigger plan for us. He has to try our faith so that we can grow. He has to. But he only waits until we are a little bit weak and He WILL send a miracle. We have to be weak to realize that we can only be strong through Christ. Ether 12:27. We are also working with a family, but they are a little slow going. You guys, I REALLY needed a miracle and was almost starting to doubt Heavenly Father and right then, He sent me a miracle. Bam! Just stick it through a little longer and always search to recognize the miracles that unfold before you. 

I'm sorry this is such a lame email, but I have no time or brain today!! Ahhh forgive me please

2/3/14

Ahh I miss Ellie(Tess's niece who is 2 and a half.) Mike said she remembers me. That is so awesome, because I sure do remember her. I hope I will see her soon after I return, and hopefully she won't be scared of me. I've heard that happens sometimes. 

Wow so the whole snow fiasco is pretty crazy. I don't know if I would complain about a little cold coming my way. Hey, also, do you guys know anything about chronic headaches and pain from heat and sun? Don't get worried, but if something like that runs in the family....maybe you guys could give me a little advice. Dad, I remember the first week in the MTC when I found out that our comp had to wait for us outside of the bathroom, and I thought I would die without alone time. Literally I panicked a little bit, because I always have needed to get centered. But it's been such a tender mercy from God, and I haven't had a hard time at all. To be honest, I can hardly bear to be alone. Sure, everyone needs some time to themselves, but I get  that by really immersing myself into my scripture study in the morning. Sometimes I do just need a little bit of time to myself, but overall, I don't know how I will survive without a comp. I finally understand why RMs are so anxious to get married. Truly every joyful moment is better shared, in my opinion. We are meant to share our joy with others, so I don't want to spend too much time away from them. We eat a lot of meat here. TONS! Holy cow they are obsessed with it. They don't eat a single meal without meat and are always craving it. If you thought Americans loved meat, think again. I also think they might be allergic to the color green, because they aren't huge fans of veggies lol, but the food is good. Its just really hard to be healthy and feel well nourished haha. I realized that I wrote ya'll a letter forever ago about the food but never sent it.....woops....ill send it. Sorry! We aren't the first missionaries in the city, but the baptisms weren't booming here, so the stake president requested sisters....because apparently we ladies are pretty much the bomb. I guess Jabo needed a little feminine touch. Its been hard but we are having miracles every day, and starting to find really awesome investigators. 

However, I am always learning that our true purpose as missionaries is to do as Christ would. Sometimes that doesn't mean marking dates for baptism, but instead uplifting a person in the short moment you have with them. We encounter and help so many people that will not be baptized any time soon, but tudo bem, because I always walk away with a certainty that I left them better off than I found them. I know God is giving me the opportunity to be literally be an angel in the lives of others and this is a huge privilege. Sometimes it's really hard and painful, literally...but I know I will look back on the mission and have no regrets about serving. I will even cherish the hardest moments, because those are the times that brought me closest to my Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Yes, we have some bug spray that kills cockroaches, thank goodness. I can't help it, but I always scream when I kill those little tyrants. And my comp screams even louder lol. Our neighbors love it I'm sure lol. We have had way less though because our toilet is fixed, so now our bathroom doesn't smell like sewer and we don't have a bunch of roaches. Blessings!! now all we need is a stove, microwave, oven.....something to heat up food....someday it will come.

Yes, the songs in Portuguese are very beautiful. I love hearing hymns and listening to how they changed the words. Some songs I prefer in English. Some I prefer in Portuguese. I really love Secret Prayer in Portuguese. Its great.

Hey I've got to run, but we have a lot of awesome stuff happening. Hopefully some baptisms and a new church building! Right now church is in a house, so its very exciting. I'll tell ya'll more about all the awesome people next time.

Love you!!! Miss you soooo much. Wow I love you so much. Oh yeah, and I got the letter with the flash drive and card so I'll send a memory card home!! woo. It might take a while though.

Picture with jello-just like Utah!

1/27/14

No packages or letters for a LONG time. I don't know what the deal is. I think someone is holding them hostage. Oh my!! haha yeah I'm not sure what's up. The mail here is always totally unpredictable, but things should start coming, I hope. If not, I still know you love me. Haha, that would be funny if you guys really didn't send anything and you were just like, Oh that darn Brazil, sorry Tess! lol.....Don't worry I know you didn't do that.

Hey people! Hows it going up there in the North Pole? Still sweating down here, but Jaboticabal is waaaay better than Ribeirao. Oh man you guys, its so nice here. I love it. If it wasn't so hott, and they had American pizza....and they flushed their toilet paper, I would consider living in this place, haha.....okay probs not. I've realized I'm pretty American, and quite okay with it, but I do still love Brazil. My comp says every day that I'm really a Brazilian, so I must be doing something right lol.

Jabo is all hills, so there is lots more breeze, and our area is RICH. Wowza, the houses here are so nice....we just have to find a way to get into them lol. Our street contacts are going great. We even had a couple yesterday that just invited us to come to their house and eat cake and meet their kids. We taught them the whole Restauration and they want to have us for lunch on Sunday. Cool. Its amazing the miracles we encounter here. God is so involved in our every day lives. It's so amazing to see that when I follow the tiny promptings of the Spirit. We are opening an area right now, soooo basically just trying to talk to everyone, as we are starting from scratch, but luckily the people here are really friendly and open. God has so clearly been opening their hearts. I love explaining the gospel to people to the first time, because it just makes sense. If there really is one God, then shouldn't we all been unified together under Him? If Christ established a church with apostles and prophets and temples in the past, why wouldn't we have those same gifts now? If God is our loving Father, then why wouldn't He give us more scripture to guide all of our children. I believe in miracles. I believe in angels. I believe in a God that lives today. Actually, I know, and I want to share it with anyone who wants to know as well. We can be happier. We can know our purpose in life. We don't have to fear death or trials or pain. We have so many answers and all we have to do is seek and accept.

We had an Elder that was here for only 2 weeks and decided to leave. It was super sad. He told us he just didn't have the desire, and he thought he was a bad Elder. I tried to explain to him how it's hard at the beginning, but its so Worth it. I tried to explain that we are all inadequate, but it is God that qualifies us, and then we learn from it. I tried to explain that this is the hardest, yet most rewarding thing he could do in his life. Even though it didn't work for him, it did really help me. Telling him all those things helped me realize the truth of what I was saying. Sometimes it's really hard to be away from home and all the comfort of loved ones, but when I thought about it, I couldn't even imagine going home before my time was up. It truly is a gift and a privilege to serve a mission. The benefits out way the costs, even if some of the benefits require a lot of time and patience. I know that a lot of them wont appear until after I return home, but I trust that I will gain so much (already have gained so much) from this time I dedicated to serving my Heavenly Father and His children.

I love you guys. Beijo!!! ask me questions if you want. I dunno what you guys want to know. There is sooo much to say and so little time.