Ola minha familia e meus amigos!
Twas another fantastic week here at the MTC. I can’t believe I’ve already been here over 3 weeks. Crazy! It feels like I just barely got here but it also feels like I’ve been here forever. Time is weird here, and everywhere.
First of all, muitos obrigados/thank you verrrrry much, to all those fantastico people who sent me mail and letters and boxes. They make me soooo happy! And hopefully I’ll be able to reply to them all in my few remaining hours of time left today. Each one makes me so happy though. It’s so good to hear of your lives and loves and other good things.
Preparing to enter the field in 5-6 weeks is going great. Who knows which field I’ll be entering. Very few missionaries are getting their visas for Brazil, and another batch just got their temporary stateside reassignments this week. They’re going to California, Denver, Minnesota, West Virginia, all over.
Speaking of West Virginia, I really miss singing “Country Roads” with my ukulele. But fortunately my most favorite twins drew of picture of my ukulele for me and sent it in a sweet box with other yummy treats. I miss lots of things from home, but there is no where else I want to be right now. I am so happy for this oppurtunity to serve a mission and to invite others to come unto Christ.
I’m realizing how mucho mucho muitos Portuguese I need to learn. But considering I’ve only been here three weeks, I’m getting along pretty fine with it. :) I loooove learning it though. And it is so helpful having the french background.
I love all of our study time. My companion and I have found a new favorite place to study and it makes it so much more effective. For my daily hour of personal study each day I’ve decided to read a chapter from each of the Standard Works every day. It’s so fantastic. I love it. And then I get a little bit of everything. Old Testament, New Testament, Doctrine and Covenants/Pearl of Great Price, and of course the Book of Mormon. Personal study is the Golden Hour of the day.
Minha companheira and I also teach a lesson every day, so we’re trying to get in plenty of practice, because it’s going to be so crazy different and so much more important when we’re teaching real people with real needs! But it will also be so much more rewarding.
So I am learning a lot a lot. Denise Doxey, a member of the Relief Society general board, spoke at RS last week. She went to the Jerusalem Center and met her husband there too! :) Oh how I looove and miss the Jerusalem life. But she gave an excellent talk on how important sister missionaries are. And how we reach out to a whole different set of people. She also said how in the battle against Satan, missionaries are on the front lines, and we get a lot of hits, but we’re saving souls. And those on the Lord’s side will conquer. She also brought the love of the RS presidency.
And then on Tuesday at devotional, someone brought the love of the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles. Yes yes, we had another apostle come. :D Elder Richard G. Scott gave the most amazing, spiritually guided talk ever. Holy amazing. One of the things he said was that “to accomplish things never before accomplished, we must do things never before done.”
Oh I can’t tell you how amazing his talk was. And for those of you concerned for my safety when I get to Brazil, no worries. An apostle of the Lord Jesus Chirst “invoke[d] a protective shield that will give us [sister missionaries] warning, as we exericise faith in the shield, of any impending danger, so we can be protected by the Lord.” It was incredible. The spirit was so strong and the feeling over me was amazing, to be reassured again that I will be kept safe and that the Lord and angels will be looking out for me.
He again invoked his apostalic power, to give those of us studying a foreign language, the gift of tongues. Wow. So as we exercise faith and use the language, we will find it so much easier to learn. What a blessing.
Elder Scott also gave us a blessing of confidence and guidance of the spirit, that will help is realize we are far better prepared then we realize. Also that we will remember what we learn on our missions.
It was so grand. And our testimony meeting after it with our district was amazing. I loooove my companion and our ten elders. Our elders are soooo good to us. Never do we have to open our own doors, or take our trays out in the cafeteria, or have to wait in line. Oh they’re such gentlemen.
That night it also started SNOWING! Which was so beautiful and magical! I haven’t seen a first snow in a while! LOVED IT! But I’m not too prepared for a chilly winter. I’m slightly more prepared for the killer heat and humidity of Brazil. :)
Sister Lund and I are loving our morning runs in the beautiful crisp cool air. I loooove the stars and miss being outside all the time.
More good news, I got to see my aunt Connie again! It was of course completely wonderful. And she gave me the MOST delicious bread from my cousin Natalie. Loooove it.
Annnnd, Hayley my roomie sent me PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, whole wheat with half butter and half sugar. Holy divine. Oh I loooove them.
Ok, time is ticking very quickly! Love you all!
Oh one other thing I learned…. “Do you love God? Spend time with him.” -Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
