I have no regrets.

So that´s all, folks!!! 

I finished. No...WE Finished. I didn´t walk a step of this path without my Savior and Heavenly Father by my side! I have learned here how to CHANGE!!! How repentance is real. How to love, forgive, aguentar (I don´t know what that is in English!). I have learned the value of the souls of God´s Children. I have learned that alone, we are imperfect, but with Christ we are perfect!! This morning, I finished the Book of Mormon. I started two days after I left the CTM in Portuguese, and little by little have been reading my whole mission. I finished today. At the very end, Moroni invites us to come unto Christ and be perfected IN Him. 

 

 

Once I heard it like this-we have a bank account. It starts at 0 and little by little we sin...and little by little adquirimos more debt. But Christ, His Atonement is INFINITE, so He has an infinitely positive account. What do we do when we are baptized and repent everyday, walking by His side? We juntamos the accounts. And what is finite, limited sins + infinite goodness and grace? INFINITE GOODNESS GRACE AND PERFECTION!!!! WE cannot do ANYTHING good without the grace of God - that´s the power He gives us to do good things-EVERY good thing comes from God-NOTHING good comes from us alone. We NEED Him. And Moroni continues saying that as we are perfected in Him and that as we continue in this pattern, we are SANCTIFIED. That means we BECOME all of this goodness! It´s THIS that I´ve seen here on the mission. 

 

 

As the people of the Book of Mormon said:

 "And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."

 

I want to be good, and I want everyone to feel this love from God. 

 

I fasted this weekend to have the Spirit to be able to continue progressing and not to go backwards as many RM´s say happens, and to be able to make the decisions in my front as Christ would. I prayed and fasted like CRAZY! And the sweet answer that I received "This righteous desire of your heart will be granted unto you." I felt so sweetly the Love of my Father as I kneeled in the bathroom closing my fast! (Missionary life...you´re only alone if you´re in the bathroom!!)

 

So yeah, let´s GO!!!! Let´s be the light of the world. Let´s save all the precious almas that are close to us. Let´s become different! 

Moroni 7:31-39

1Timóteo 6:11-16

 

I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ with LIVING prophets and apostles bc Jesus Christ lives and we are children of a LIVING God who is an active part of our every day. WE are children of God and He loves us. I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are  the word of God and that He speaks to us today. I know that we CAN become better. We are never hopeless. Look to Christ and LIVE!!! Live every moment!!!! Love the people in your every moment and don´t let anything pass by you looking back. Look forward and look UP! It´always better to look up!!!!

 

 

 I know that all of this is true. I know that my family will be eternal doing all we can, and that all we can do and all we can´t will be thanks to the grace and mercy of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I´m excited to see Him again, talk with Him, hug him, and THANK Him, for everything He did. THAT will be the BEST day of my life!!!

 

I love you all! Never forget that, okay!!! Know that I gave my all por amor of my Heavenly Father, Savior, and His children. I have no regrets.

My mission all wrapped up:ALMA 7:24  "And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works."

 

 

I love you all!!! 

Sister Little signing off!

A sprained ankle and the widow's mite

I DEFINITELY want to share a room with KATE! I´ve been looking forward to that for 2 and a half years when I left for college! For sure with my SIS! Don't give me my own room! 

And thank you for that thought. Made me cry. I needed that. I sprained my ankle on Tuesday and I´ve been pretty out of commision this whole week. I feel like a kid in time out. EVERYONE telling me that I have to take it easy, I can´t walk, even the things that I feel I can do, no one lets me. I know it´s good bc I´m known for doing more than I should bc I think I can and want to, but it´s been frustrating. I´ve learned a lot this week about working with members BC I CAN`T STAND STAYING IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don´t know how to stop, so basically we´ve been marking with members to go out at night by car, do exchanges with the sisters of the ward for me to stay with one and my comp go out, do FHE, stay in one place and do a million contacts with everyone who passes by. We met almost all of our goals, but I became discouraged bc we didn´t complete all of them. But it was amazing bc on Saturday, I stayed the afternoon in a member's house while my comp got to go out to work with another member, so I sat reading the scriptures and my patrirchal blessing and all the whole day. While reading the New Testament, I read the story of the widow´s mite. While everyone was giving grand offerings, she gave two little coins that added up to 1/2 cent. But the Lord stopped to show His apostles the example that she was. She gave everything she had. It wasn´t much in the eyes of those who gave much, but it was what she had. And THAT was what the Lord wanted. I felt the Spirit so strongly confirmng to me that the Lord had accepted gratefully and happily my offering. This week, I wasn´t able to give what I normally give, but I gave my all and twisted myself into a pretzel trying to find creative ways to get our work done. 

CASAMENTO DO PEDRO E JENNIFER!!!!!!! Jaqueline and Bruno helped us (Jennifer is Jaqueline´s cousin, and we found them and started teaching and then found out that they were cousins-Jaque cried when we told her, and after that moment, they´ve helped make every thing possible!) The wedding was BEAUTIFUL!!! 

BAPTISM!!!! I cried it was amazing!!!!! Pedro was the most changed person that I´ve ever taught.  They are an amazing couple. They will lead the church in the future. I´ma amazed at their faith and love and sureness of the gospel!

Thank you for loving me. I feel your prayers. God told me at night this week (it was Thursday I think...)  that my mom loved me . He sends the messages! Telepathy-it´s real! It´s called the Holy Ghost!!!

I´m so grateful for this chance to be a servant of the Lord.

Do you know what´s amazing, that I think I never shared?  We had interviews with President in August, and after my interview, I asked for a blessing. He gave me a blessing and it was AMAZING!!!! He said that the Lord wanted me to know that he approves of me and all that I´m doing and that He had already approved of my mission - He had accepted my offering. I cried. A lot! I had only a little over a year and He had already accepted my offering!!! Now, I´m going to the end, and I won´t stop yet, as it says in Ether 6 (Oh! I'm reading Ether and the things you shared last week were EXACTLY what I had studied and EXACLTY what I had noticed this time!! SUPER COOL!!!! We´re totaly connected!!! ;D) They arrived in the promised land and already went to work planting seeds and working in their new sphere!!! President told me today in his letter that I´m at my prime right now. That made me really happy, and I would love your prayers to help me do the small things that will make all the difference in the end. 

I´m so grateful for this chance to be a servant of the Lord. I´m so happy, and I´m finally starting to see how the Lord´s hand has been steadily guiding me along this path I have chosen! I´m excited for the days to come!! Read Ether 6-it´s the story of our lives (and mission and life after!)

Also, Mom and Dad, please pray for me this week to be able to focus on the mission and have strength - nothing has happened, but the Lord told me last night the the Adversary was really going to try me this week, but that I´d be protected by focusiing on the work with my eyes fixed on His work and glory. Thank you and I love you all so much! Give hugs and kisses to everyone!!

Add caption

HALLOWEEN!!!!! I did something this year!!! Hahahahaha!!!! I was the Corpse Bride!!! KKKKKKK!!!! Because I´ll get married sometime after I "die" here on the mission!! Haha! If was super fun! We painted ourselves, and then had to wash it right off bc Halloween isn´t a thing here...and proselyting....yeah.....uh.....

A beautiful sunset this week!!! It had been raining a ton, and then the whole sky lit on fire!!!!! It was beautiful!!!!! Love notes form Heaven!!!

Love you!

Sister Little

A quick email about the new companion!

Me and my rocking awesome companion!!! SHE IS THE BESTEST!!! Exactly the person I needed for this last transfer!! I feel so complete this transfer!! I'm training her to be a new Sister Training Leader.  

Us being weirdos before the rain. Something that I love is the weather JUST EBFORE THE RAIN!! I don´t know. I get excited-I feel all electric when the clouds are treatening that good big rain storm!!!

Me and my Soares!! (I almost dropped my nametag...good thing I didn´t or my poor husband would have gained 5 quilos...but I´ve gotten rained on a ton, so it´s all good-he´s going to be LINDO!)

WE put on sunscreen EVERYDAY, but one.....we forget...aaaaaaaaaand......yeah.....we won´t be forgetting again, nuh uh!!!! (I have a comp that´s as white as I am!!!! HAHAH!!!! She´s from São Paulo, but looks more American than I am! Haha! It´s funny!!!)

Let´s just decide and trust that the Lord will keep His promises

This week was a good end to the transfer!! I am really happy, bc we were able to finish strong and not have that lag that often happens at the end of a transfer!

 

I´ll be staying here in my area and training another new Sister Training Leader until the end!! Can you believe that?!?!? I entered into the last 6 weeks today! NOW it´s starting to feel real. I have a bunch of mixed feelings, but the Lord taught me something today in my personal studies. I read in Mormon 9:14-talking about the judgement day, it says that those who were happy will continue happy and those that are sad will continue sad. I have this dumb mindset that I can´t have fun until after the work is done...chores Saturday morning before playing, salad before your rice and beans, homework before sleep, my whole life´s been shaped around that mindset, and it was something that I was thinking a lot about and talking about with Heavenly Father this week bc i want to ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!! I´m afraid of losing these precious moments waiting to be fully happy until AFTER the work is done. And then, Sister França sent me an envelope (6 actually, one for every week) and the talk that was inside was Elder Scott and 10 keys to happiness. IT'S PERFECT!!!

 LET'S BE HAPPY!  Let´s just decide and trust that the Lord will keep His promises (which he ALWAYS DOES!!!!) We saw a MIRACLE this week. We made a promise with the Lord about our work this month and the baptisms of a few investigators. We did everything, but then they set their goals for the next month. We were a little sad, but it´s okay, they´re going strong and firm. Finally, Friday night EVERYTHING WORKED OUT!!! Someone was willing to pay for their wedding, someone else was willing to lend clothes, we had testimonies, all of the documents we needed,  a ride, our leader ready to do the baptismal interview, and even a baptismal meeting ready. It was AMAZING to see the Lord work everything out in miraculous ways!!! They ended up deciding to wait until November, but the Lord still blessed them in finding work through all of this. We can´t take away the agency from people, but the Lord never fails to keep a promise. Even though we didn´t do our promised part perfectly, He blessed us with lots and lots of progress and blessed us with miracles de acordo com our faith and efforts and desires.

 

God loves us so much. End of story. He loves you and will do everything to help us if we just believe He will and live in accordance with this belief. 

 

 

I needed a mission. I have learned so many things for my life. I know how to take care of myself, serve, trust in God, work with Him, pray for real.  I know how to teach, how to inspire people, how to work with many people, I´ve lost so much fear and self consciousness, I love myself now, and all the rest of my life, the Lord is just lining up. IT`S AMAZING HOW HE BLESSES US!!!

 

I love life and love my God and all of you!!!

Good week!

Sister Little

He´s my peace in going home from the mission

I love that little sis of mine! I'm sure that she´s going to  be ever better than me! That´s how it works! 

 MOM!!! Have you SEEN how Cam is doing!!! [Her brother Cameron is serving in the Piracicaba Mission.]  I´M SO STINKING HAPPY FOR THAT BOY I FEEL LIKE I´M GOING TO EXPLODE!!!!!! He´s my peace in going home from the mission bc I feel like I finally am figuring out how to be a missionary and even though I won´t be able to use all of this here for muito time, I can pass it all to him, and LOOK at the success and leader he´s having and being já!!!! His successes make me even happier than mine!!! I love him, and AH!!! We got to talk via email these last two weeks, and it´s the best! He´s rocking this mission thing! 

And the honey...I had NO CLUE why I decided to send it to him...it didn´t make sense, but the Spirit knew and took care of his breakfast! WOW! [Ashley sent Cam a package and threw in a jar of honey at the last minute.  Meanwhile, I sent him a package from home and threw in a jar of peanut butter at the last minute.  They arrived the same day, and that young man was SO excited to have peanut butter and honey toast for breakfast!!]

Oh ya! YES!!!! The shoes finally came! I have the HAPPIEST FEET EVER!!!!! And they´re super cute!! Perfect!! Thank you SO SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!!! 

And I used the necklace yesterday!! And S França loved hers!! I got to see her at the Mission Tour, and she loves you a ton!!! And says thank you for putting me into the world! ;D

Esta semana foi muito boa. We learned a lot!!! We set some very real goals in respects to our obedience, who we wanted to teach and baptise and how we would change our work. WOW!!! the results were very good.  We found a family of 4 this week, our other investigators decided that they wanted to repent and get married as fast as possible to be able to be baptized, A. passed his baptismal interview and was able to get a Sunday off at work and will be baptised on Sunday, and many other little miracles throughout the week. MANY MIRACLES!

We had a mission tour with Elder Campos. Eight hours of pure WOW!! He had a special meeting with the leaders before where we learned how to lead like the Savior does. Answered EXACTLY my question "how can I inspire in people the desire to change" It was AMAZING!! He talked about our example and how we can serve, help and love! I also found a new favorite scripture in his words: D&C 123:17. "  17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." He talked a TON about work with members and how to have FAITH to reach our goals even when they seem impossible!!

I'm happy. I´m seeing miracles and the changes the Lord is making in me. Elder Campos said that the mission is the CTM (MTC) for life. THAT answered another worry of my heart. I´m really worried about losing what I have here on the mission. The changes that have happened in me, and as I learned in my study this morning, the gifts of the Spirit. That´s what I'm most afraid of losing, but the Lord is showing me little by little in my studies and other things about how to continue everything that I have here. I have to keep going through studying, serving in the church, marriage, family, GROWTH!! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do? We swim,swim!! (Wisdom from Dory)

I´m learning a lot about how to understand God´s will and use that to see miracles and CHANGE!!! If we ask for the gifts He knows we need, we´ll receive them. If we ask how to use these gifts to serve, we´ll see miracles. Changing our will to be His will is the key. Scriptures and prayer and service let us understand what His will IS! I love this gospel so much. It is everything for me. Really, I am someone that I would NEVER BE ABLE TO BE without the Lord´s help, and the gospel teaches me how to use this power and provides the steps, opportunities and ordenances necessários for this to happen!!

Love you all and have the best week EVER!!!

Sister Little

In my dreams I can´t speak English and I can´t remember the last transfer of my mission (bc it hasn´t happened! Haha! My poor confused mind! XD)

 I was sick this week, but it all worked out! Prayers and cold medicine from the members and we worked and I survived! I´m all good again! (yeah...using a blanket in Brasil summer weather...that´s not normal...haha!)

The fire is me doing a therapy session for my comp. Burning distractions and stress...always works!

 

The pics of the group and stuff was our zone meeting of fire!! We are SUPER EXCITED and MIRACLES WILL HAPPEN THIS MONTH!!! Pray for our faith  and the 30 baptism that will happen in our zone!!  We were having 4 per month for a year, now we had 10 then 12 then 13. We´re working like crazy, and I´m SO STINKING EXCITED!!!! 

Beautiful lights at night! Still my favorite thing!!!

 

Happy Birthday, Mom! Thank you for everything that you do for me!! You are me very, very best friend and my example in everything!!! I actually cried last night thinking about how badly I want to be like you. You are fun, spontaneous, you have the most amazing perspective, you know how to balance things, you are patient, kind, thoughtful, so spiritual. You help everyone in your way, and you are so selfless! I am constantly amazed by your goodness and trust in the Lord. Thank you for everything you have taught me and teach me. Like Nephi I can testify that I was born, and raised, and loved, and nurtured, taught and tutored, corrected, and supported by good parents. Thanks for making these the best 20 years and 9 months of my life up until now!! You´re the best mommy the world has ever known!!! I love you to the moon and back!!!!  

 

I loved he pics of Isaac and his date, she´s super cute and has a light. I also LOVED her skirt extender!!! CONGRATS little miss!!! 

MAYA IS IN YW!?!?!?!?!?! I´m pretty sure she had 4 years when I babysat her?!?!?!? WHAT!?!?!? I can imagine how amazing she is- she was always special. And yes, I´m planning on hanging out with y'all in YW when I come back!!!! For sure! 

Cam is amazing!!!! He´s so much better prepared that I was! I´m still just amazed at  him! I sent him a package last week. Did you hear if he got it?

 

I´m seeing more than EVER in my life ALL OF MY WEAKNESSES!!!!!! I heard that stuff like this happened at the end, but wow! I´m noticing everything that keeps me from being who I want to be, and I feel like I have so little time to change before I come home. It´s funny, bc I know that I can still and WILL change when I come back, but there´s this voice in my head that says that all of the changes have to happen NOW while I´m here. I received a wonderful email today from Irmã Tamiris (remember her- my angel from the CTM) talking about his. It helped a lot because she talked about the things that help make the transition. God doesn´t stop loving you- He is going to keep healing me after. I don´t want to stop progressing or lose this Spirit. She talked about goals and the help that the Lord will always give us. 

 

I was going to wait until the last few days to make my goals, but I think I might start writing down a few things and thinking of them, so that they can be well formed. 

 I'm feeling both sad and excited about coming home.  I always cry in my dreams, but that´s okay. It´s because in my dreams I can´t speak English and I can´t remember the last transfer of my mission (bc it hasn´t happened! Haha! My poor confused mind! XD)  Thanks for making home a place that I can be excited to come back to!

 

I have to go now, but I love you so much, and have the best birthday ever!!!!!! I love you more than açaí on a hot Brazilian summer day!!!

 

 

I don´t want to lose this.

 

** Background - Ashley's brother, Isaac, assisted with disaster recovery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after the recent floods.  Between sessions of General Conference last weekend, a video of their efforts was shown as part of the World Report.  Isaac was shown working several times, and our Bishop was interviewed.  It was an amazing experience for him, and we were so excited that our missionaries in Brazil got to see their brother!  Also, her thoughts on General Conference are a couple of points I pulled together from her thoughts. She copied and pasted a few things she wrote to her grandparents and a friend on the subject for me because she ran out of time.  These were two of my favorite thoughts of hers.**

 

 

SIM!!!!! I kinda sorta yelled in the chapel when I saw y'all on the screen!!! I saw Bishop as well -were you and Garr there as well?  I think I saw you both, but I´m not 100% sure. 

I LOVED CONFERENCE!!! I loved how they talked so much about repentance, and how this is how we change our hearts to the point that we don´t have any more desire to do anything wrong. This is how we have peace and joy. Without changing our hearts, we can feel happy, but there is always something that is missing.  After we go back, fix what went wrong and use the power of Christ´s sacrifice, we are able to be free and feel REAL, FULL JOOOOOOOOOOOOOY! I loved that promise of the apostles that Christ´s Sacrifice, when applied through humble, heartfelt repentance, DOESN´T LEAVE SCARS!!! Everything in the past in erased, and we become new, better people. This gave me so much hope!!!

 

I won´t stop living the gospel after the mission.  I´ll just be living it in a different sphere, so I don´t need to worry about losing the changes that have happened here on the mission bc I´ll be living the same covenant at the side of my same Savior, living the same gospel, focused on the same end result!!! And this brings JOY, so just go and live! Like they said, there are things that can´t be learned by study, only by faith-the faith to take the next step and just LIVE!

 

Our family is the best!!! I love you all so much!! More and more everyday!!! I´m excited to see how our relationships will be stronger and more treasured after this time apart serving in our different spheres!!

And thank you for your advice, Dad! That´s EXACTLY how I´m feeling! So much to do and so little time. The thing that panics me most are all the changes I still need to make in myself! It seems like we have a special discernment as missionaries to see what we need to change and how to change it.

I don´t want to lose this. It comes from the Spirit, so that means I should be able to have it after...I dunno...I worry about regressing after the mission. I just want to jump out with 2 feet, taking with me everything I learned and keep on running!

Eating Wanuelly´s famous feijão (In huge bowls bc the others were dirty!) I HAVE THE RECIPE!!!!! Que felicidade!

This is my special friend Lane. Denise is taking care of her, and I´m teaching Denise through Lane. I start to cry bc of the Spirit almost every time we visit her. I love her so much!!!

Yes...we´re eating pipoca on the kitchen floor...preguiça to the max!!

Our district!!! WE rock! Just so you know!!!!

Political stuff...UGH!!!!! Right next to our house we have a headquarters of a candidate. SO MUCH NOISE!!!! Right after conference and all, but thankfully it died down right at 10:30

 

Love you all!  Boa semana!!