Fast blessings? Consider fasting!

Time after time I am amazed and grateful at how quickly and abundantly the Lord responds to our righteous fasting and prayers. Once again He responded as we prayed, fasted, and worked. 14 new investigators! I know that He wants to prove our faith (through our actions) before He can bless us. I hope to keep exercising my faith and working hard so that He can bless this area. We had really neat experiences this week in finding new investigators. I'm really trying to follow the Spirit and open my mouth and take advantage of all opportunities. For everything there is a reason. For this, the Lord really blesses us, but it takes faith every time! We were also bless with a miracle this week. After sacrament meeting, Bishop called us into his office with a couple (a less active and non member) who had just gotten married a few weeks ago. We had visited them on Monday to get to know them and they came to church. R informed us that she wants to mark a date for her baptism! She has been taught by the elders since May 2012, but was held back by the marriage. Well, we marked her baptism for Saturday and are now in the process of making sure that she's been taught everything and is qualified for this special moment. The sisters of Ponta da Praia found a very special woman for us as well. She has 4 kids and came to church with two of them. She's really ready to accept the gospel and is really special. She just has a problem with marriage. We hope to be worthy of these wonderful blessings the Lord is giving us. 

Faith is ACTION

Oláá!

So what happened this week, it poured rain, and more rain, and more rain--what a blessing from Heavenly Father, because we've only had two sunny days and I'm already super dark and blonde! Yesterday we were talking to a couple and the man asked me a question, he said "now you can be honest, there aren't any "gringos" here, just brazillians. You talk funny, but you're brazilian."  He thought that I was brazillian and was surprise when we said I was American. How about that? I'm brazillian, gente. It's official.
Sister M and I try to convince people all the time that she's from New York (she actually speaks english really well) and that I'm from her city. Everyone believes her, but only one person has believed me until now because M has a very strong accent, but Sister Melo doesn't have it..how can I learn it if she doesn't speak it? It's quite the joke. I'm so blessed to have Sister M as a companion, we're already best of friends and that makes it so great to interact with everyone else. Lots of stories and jokes and laughs. 

We've started teaching a great couple, C and B, that are really great! They came to church yesterday with their two little girls and they seem to be very interested, especially C. He really is searching for truth. He said he had the opportunity to get baptized in 3 other churches, but hasn't found the right one yet...I know that the Lord has lead us there. It was the elders that had taught him the first time a few months ago, but never again. They were impressed by our organization that we were coming to continue teaching him.

We've discovered that Satan works in all sorts of ways to try and stop this work, but he can't! Our first week here we were walking in the road and all of the sudden, a girl jumped out in front of us and started talking to us. She put out her hand in front of me and I thought "Oh no, we're being robbed." I didn't dare look down to see if she had a gun, until my companion said, shake her hand. Ha ha oh ok. Well she started complimenting everything about me...eyes, skirt, etc. and putting sacks of things in our hands. Turns out she was trying to sell little goody baggies for $6 (or 3 for $15)--way expensive! And we talked with her for a bit and invited her to church and went on our way... Well we were in such a shock from the experience that we became very timid to talk to people in the road...and for some reason it seems like we are walking on eggshells here, we have to be careful of everything that we say. Well we walked around like that for a few days. As you can guess, not much happened. And you know when you haven't done something for a while it's that much harder to do it again the next time.  Well that's how we felt. But we discovered that that was just the enemy's way of trying to frustrate this work, because both President T and I receive revelation that Sister M and I were to be together in this area at this time. Com certeza for a reason, so we can't let anything get in between us and that purpose. We have people to find, souls to save (or help), and lives to change. So we finally overcame our shyness and miracles await! 
I know that this is the Lord's work. I know that everything happens for a reason. I know that all things are possible through faith, and that our faith is measured by our ACTIONS. May you all find the faith and courage to ACT this week on inspired promptings to do good. You can and will be an instrument in the Lord's hand, just remember to ASK WITH FAITH and ACT!
Love you all!

When Grandma's are nearing the end of life, they go on vacation with the grandkids!

Olaaaaaaaa!
Alright, who's excited for this brand new year?! I am!! So we got the news of transfers Monday afternoon, went around town saying goodbye to everyone and early Tuesday morning, we went to transfers. I always felt like I would go to the coast at the end of my mission. We discovered that there was way more sisters going to the baixada than there was areas, so I also felt like I would open an area. I also felt really strongly that I would be companions with Sister M. Well Heavenly Father sure knows us, that's exactly what happened! Sister B finished training Sister M, so now we joke that she's hanging out with grandma ha ha. The drive to Santos was gorgeous, I didn't know that there was green here! Turns out Santos is actually an island? News to me. And it's hot! Our first lunch told us that it never rains in Santos, shortly after it started pouring rain for the next 4 days and at times we had water up to our knees! But when it's not raining, it's HOT. And it's all flat (no hills!) and LOTS of apartment buildings. Our area isn't too big. And the members are great! Everyone is super excited to have sisters :) And we're super excited to be here!

I feel like I have a lot of things to report and funny stories to tell, but it's been so long since I've had time to write in my journal, that I'm not remembering any! But overall, I feel completely renewed and excited and happy. I spent 5 months in Santo André and had a lot of success and learned a lot of lessons. And now I'm excited to put them all in practice. I'm excited to be myself and enjoy my time here and really make a difference. Sister M and I are so alike, it's creepy. She jokes that I'm just her imaginary friend that's all in her head. We are just absolutely loving our time together. One dangerous thing...we like to make cooking experiments. Needless to say, we made a running goal.

I really feel like Heavenly Father watches out for me, takes care of me, leads me, guides me, teaches me, chastens me, and above all else--blesses me. I'm so grateful for that. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to share His Gospel, (even if it is to a whole bunch of people with bikinis and surf boards;). But really, I couldn't be happier! Opening and area isn't easy, but I have the certainty that it's the Lord's will and the best thing for all of us. We're going to bring even more sunshine to sunny santos!

Only through much prayer and fasting

Hellow!!!

Well I learned that when we want to be blessed fr0m the Lord, we must sacrifice. And when we fast, miracles happen! We were blessed to witness two of Heavenly Father's precious children enter into the way to eternal life. M and V were baptized!

And we found so many new investigators this week! And I am being transferred to the Baixada (which I have felt I would finish my mission there since I got on the mission). Wahoo! Adventures here we come, souls to save, hearts to lift, lessons to learn, memories to make! It's a brand new year!

Nothing brings the Spirit like Christmas music!

Olá!
Tudo bem? Estou muito feliz...adoro Natal! Alright, So week was quite the different week. Yesterday we went around with our ward choir to sing to many nonmembers and part-member families. We all wore santa hats and sang Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard on High, and the Nativity. It was really something special to see, in a world where Natal is only presents and parties, that hearts can be touched, tears are shed, and spirits warmed, just with them memory of the true meaning of Christmas. One of the stops was the Bishop's condominium--there was over 100 people there to listen. There was a ton of pass along cards passed out :) Now we're just praying that they will all call!

Other news of the week, we're hoping to have two baptisms this sunday. A's aunt, M, passed the interview and is very excited. She openly thanked Sister S and I during relief society and told all of the irmãs that she wished us a very special wedding. Ha ha! Everyone laughed. She's quite the character, I hope the ward members will embrace her well. She has such a pure love for the Lord and is so grateful for the Gospel. We also went to teach L and C one night and when we showed up, her other 15 year old daughter is visiting for a few months and well she wants to get baptized too! It's going to be a white christmas--even here in Brazil :)

We had a really fun ward activity on Saturday (thanks Mom, for the Minute to Win It ideas--they were a hit!). 

I know that Heavenly Father loves and knows all of His children, His Gospel is for everyone. It heals the broken hearted, lifts the burdened down, and brings us all closer to Him. May we all be super conscious of this, not only during this Christmas season, but always!

Prayers are answered, dreams do come true, I visited the Jardim Botanico....hope you can too!

Alright! So Heavenly Father sure provides a way...I thought that I wouldn't have the chance to go the Jardim Botannico because it's not open on Mondays, so you ahve to go on Tuesday after the temple, but this last temple trip just didn't work...but just a week later, us sisters had a wonderful surprise! Oh and was it so beautiful!

 So that was pretty much the highlight of my week...the Special Sister's Traning was just AMAZING. We had wonderful trainings on the doctrine of the body and the importance of really loving and caring about others. We all left super excited and happy!
Other happenings of the week. I made a contact in english, we were knocking door and the man didn't speak portugues--just english, spanish, and french. So I tried to make a contact with him in english, but it was super hard! The words would hardly come out at all and all I could think was portuguese! People are thinking that I'm latin american these days ha ha. By the time I get home, I'll be brazillian!
So my companion is great, she helps me a ton. We're preparing to baptize A's aunt this week and we've got lots of husbands to teach! Here we go!
One thing we are seeing here is the importance to really care about people and notice them and serve them and LOVE them and integrate them. IT"S SO IMPORTANT! As President Utchdorf said, 

"Isn’t it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life. Is it?

I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.  I can’t see it.  Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time."

May we all strive to be more like the savior and love and serve all of those around us

Sometime we make decisions that we regret...but that's why we can repent!

Well hello there, to start off the week with a some powerful word of God:

 26 And it came to pass that the work of the Lord did prosper unto the baptizing and uniting to the church of God, many souls, yea, even tens of thousands.

 27 Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.

 28 Yea, thus we see that the ^agate of heaven is open unto ^ball, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. (Helaman 3:26-28)

How beautiful it is when the Lord hears and answers our prayers and His children repent and are baptized into His church! Really I know that all success comes from the Lord and is absolutely dependent on our prayers of faith. And Sister S has faith! A was all ready for baptism and everything, until Saturday, when we had marked to visit her and watch the Restoration DVD with her and her family. We called all day and passed by there even and every time they said she wasn't home, but we had seen her twice at her house when we walked by, so we were pretty worried about it and that she seemed to be avoiding us. Also, to add to it, we had both made the poor decision to forget our umbrella's at home (it's becoming the time of year that you can never forget your umbrella, but I just can't quite get that into my head) and needless to say, we were soaked. We went to A's house, and she had lost her umbrella, so she couldn't even lend us one and she said that she was pretty worried about Angelica because she was sad the night before that her family wasn't being to accepting of her decision to be baptized. So we made the adventurous trek in the rain to her house, and no one let us in. So we started knocking on doors. Still no one let us in--I don't blame them, we looked pretty scary ha ha. And anyway, I felt pretty worried and a little discouraged. But we said a million prayers, really we were praying constantly, and fasting. And like this scripture says, the Lord has mercy on us! She came to church the next day and was baptized and happy and the Spirit was so strong!
What a marvelous work!