Heartbreak and pictures - "EVERYONE NEEEEEEEEEEEDS this, and I don´t want ANYTHING to stop it!"

So I had the biggest heartbreak yet of my mission yesterday. Totally cried....for a good long while.

So, ____ and ____. They have 8 and 9 years respectively, and I love their guts!!! I have gotten more attached to them than almost anyone else I´ve taught! Their parents are divorced, their mom is a member, and lives here, their Dad lives in another city and is a member of another church.  Their mom asked us if we could teach them and baptize them.  We weren´t sure if we could do that or not, so we talked with our zone leaders, and they gave us the okay. We started teaching them, they started reading and praying and coming to church. THEY ARE AMAZING!!! They read everyday! They even pray to know if it´s all true in the breakfast lunch and dinner prayers! They have EVERYTHING in the lessons memorized now, they are totally giving answers in primary, and just on FIRE, and we fell completely in love with them. And ....fun little side note.....the way it all worked out, we HAD to mark their baptism for my birthday this Saturday. XD!!!

 

BUT yesterday, I´m pretty sure my whole world fell apart. They were going to have to go back to their dad´s this week for a doctor´s appointment, but they would come back for the baptism. (We had seen MIRACLES with the whole story -their dad ACTUALLY ACCEPTED them being baptized, and even asked for them to bring home an extra Book of Mormon for him), so everything was looking perfect, everything taught, them as sharp and excited as anything, interviews done, numbers lined up, even the meeting was planned (all the way down to the hymns we would sing while we waited for them to change clothes after the baptism). I was talking to my comp about how much I would miss them during this week before they came back for their baptism, when our Branch President came out and said he had to talk with us. He told us that due to custody issues, they would not be able to be baptized.  I cried for a good long time over that one. Their mother had already told ____, and he ran home crying, but she hadn´t told ____ yet, so we said our goodbyes, turned around, and  just started crying (my poor comp having to comfort me when she was hurting too, she´s so good!) To twist the knife even more, it looks like they won´t even be coming back for a good long while with classes and everything, so I don´t even know if I´ll get to SEE them again. 

WE´ll be passing along  their address anyway, and praying like CRAZY for the miracle they need. PLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASE pray for them as well!!!!! I haven´t needed prayers for someone more than this moment right now!!!! PLEASE!

 

I have no more time, so I copied what I wrote to President:

I don´t know if I´ve ever had my heart ripped out quite like this. 
I realized yesterday what that talk about the Atonement and Missionary Work means when it says to be true disciples of Christ, we have to walk at least a part of the path that He did. The pain I´ve been feeling over them not being able to be baptized is a kind of pain that I don´t know if I´ve ever felt like this before. It´s really intense, and just any thoughts of yourself just disappear. It amazes me just as much as it hurts. 

 
I´m very grateful for the Atonement, and like we learned in the broadcast this week, the more you learn about the Atonement of Christ, the more you want to share it. I testify that that is true. EVERYONE NEEEEEEEEEEEDS this, and I don´t want ANYTHING to stop it! WE have a promise that nothing will, including our circumstances and own human weaknesses, so our call is to go out and SHARE!!! I want to be a better missionary and disciple. A better friend and sister. I´m trying and I´m going to keep trying, and I´m grateful to know that everything will work out because of Christ. It´s possible.

 

Pictures!

 

 

 Running in the Morning!

 Jady and I, with Bruno (her older brother) photo bombing!

Us being dorks! Sunscreen battle paint! (All day everyday....)

We found honey! 

Train tracks in Brasil in the the rain! (yes, we´re very careful....)

 We found a REAL TRUCK!!! So we hugged it and took pictures! Southern girl and farm girl!!! Haha!

Our bus ride the other day.  

 

Playing with a dog! It´s actually a nice one that doesn't just baaaark at us!

 

Love, Sister Little

 

 

God is a God of Miracles!

Talk about tender mercies. We had a REALLY GOOD WEEK full of so so soooo many miracles, but yesterday was rough-everything was falling through, people were hiding in their houses from us (just TELL us you don´t want it...hurts a lot less than not answering the door or your phone when we saw and heard you inside...), new people actually not wanting it after all...a lot of bummers...and we were hungry because we had been fasting, and then didn´t eat a whole lot at lunch when we closed the fast. We were walking after being rejected again, talking about the meaning of things, life in general, missionary work and it´s deeper meanings, and we turned the corner and saw this. This does not even do it justice!!!! There were rolling hills, grape vineyards, the sun, green, green, green, trees, the sky, the clouds, and we just stopped and looked at it. After we took pictures and were looking at it, we realized than life is fulls of hills like assim [like this], up and down, and when you´re down, you can´t see everything, but then you climb the next hill, you reach the top, and the light of God just hits you again, and you can see everything for as long as your sight can reach. It´s the shadows and the light that made such a beautiful scene-just light couldn´t do that. It was such a blessing. 

Another awesome blessing yesterday was the hunger. We prayed in the afternoon for God to send us food because we were so hungry, we wouldn´t be home until 9 at night, and we weren´t going to break the sabbath to buy food, so we just asked that He send some, please. We remembered later the story of Joseph Smith when he received the cornbread, thanked God, and then asked Him if He could please send something better. We laughed, and kept on going through our day. Everything was going exactly opposite of what we planned throughout the day, and no one offered us food. We walked, smelling bakeries, everyone´s dinner, Sunday night parties, and just kept going with a little burning hope that God would send us something to eat. Finally, we thought to go visit a recent convert to talk with her and teach her dad who isn´t a member of the church. So we walked over there after trying a few new potential people. When we arrived, they were super happy to see us, and told us that they had just started a barbecue, and we should teach while the BBQ cooks, and then we could all eat together.........when the irmão turned around, Sister McP and I just looked at each other as our mouths gaped open......DEUS NOS MANDOU CHURRASCO!!!!!!  We had gone the whole hard day, and then at the last minute, He sent us a miracle WAY BETTER THAN WE EVER IMAGINED!!! WE were expecting like a slice of bread in the afternoon or something assim. JUST WHOA!!! And they drove us home in their car, so we arrived home RIGHT AT our scheduled time to be home, and we didn´t have to wait for or pay for a bus......God is a God of miracles, and He just loves to bless us with the smallest things!!! *************I really cannot even describe how grateful I feel now and these last few weeks. Just wow.******************I received an answer to one of my prayers this week that HUMILITY=GRATITUDE! If you´re always deeply grateful (The FEELING.   I think it was Pres. Uchtdorf that talked about it), you can´t get prideful. That is my focus, and God is blessing us in more ways than I can even handle. I feel like I´m gonna BURST with grateful!!! AH!  [To see the address on gratitude she is referencing, click here.]

Eu tenho minha borboleta!!! [I have my butterfly.] Obrigada duolingo!!! (one of the two phrases I learned before my mission from that app.....the other is "A cobra come abacaxi" [The snake eats pineapple].... .... ... that one hasn´t happened yet...)

This is us walking to lunch at a member´s house one day....just grass...no big deal....#euamobrasil

Jady e Cauã!!! They are SO GREAT!!!! They are the kids of a less active member of the church (who is pretty much totally active now!! Woohoo!!!) and the siblings of a recent convert. They are going to be baptized in about 2 weeks!!! They are so awesome, and I LOVE TEACHING KIDS!!! There are SO MANY REASONS that Christ taught us to be like little children! Please pray that everything goes well for them!

And the art Cauã made..these are the people he loves in his life!!!! I totally melted!!!!

 I got bit by something. (I promise I´m only sending the pic because it got better!!!) We think it was just a bunch of ant bites in the same place, but it swelled up like this!!!! I HAD FAT ROLLS ON MY ANKLE!!!! 

This is the definition of being a missionary in Brasil! Planejamento Semanal [Weekly planning]. I have my planner, the area book, all my stuff on the wall, hair in a bun, nice dress clothes, no makeup, exhausted at the end of the week, and I´m eating a mamão [papaya] with a spoon. Yup. Happy missionary! 

Our Brazilian meal that we made at home!!! YES we are two American Sisters, so we were pretty proud! It was GOOD!

In summary - "Surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it." -Jeffery R. Holland

Mormon 9:15 (the last phrase)

 

Te amo! Abrace tudo mundo por mim! 

Tchau! Boa semana!

Sista Little ;D

"I'm a happy duck here."

Sister R. and Sister G. went home Thursday, so lots and lots of prayers for them. And I´m staying here this transfer, so that makes me happy. Heavenly Father blessed us with about 15 new people in this last week and a little bit that I´ve been here.  I´m excited to work!

And my area is AWESOME!!!!!! It´s WAY MORE country side, beautiful, a little tiny branch of 40-50 something people, we´re working our BEHINDS OFF because her comp was out of the game as well, and I´m learning SO MUCH!!! I´m a different missionary!!! I told Dad, "This change has been a MIRACLE for me! EVERYTHING changed, and I´m a completely different missionary. My comp actually told me this week that I talk too much and am too focused on our people´s problems, and I have to work on making the lessons shorter......I´m working on it, but It´s definitely a problem that I NEVER THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE!!!! SUUUUUUUUUUUUPER excited about what God is doing with me. It´s CRAZY to watch!!!"

My spiritual highlight has been my prayers this week. I´ve started keeping a little notebook and a pen at my bed, and I write what I feel and hear as I pray, and Heavenly Father REALLY SPEAKS to us. I´ve been able to really talk to Him and receive answers about what I´m really going through in the day to day. TRY IT! Keep a little piece of paper with you and write down what He says to you. He is our Father, and He wants so badly to hear from us. Please talk to Him-He knows everything so perfectly, and will never make you feel small or inadequate.  THAT is the Adversary trying to get you to not pray, to not feel your Heavenly Father´s love for you. SO pray, just talk-not just ask and express gratitude-just tell Him about whatever, and He´ll respond. Just be ready to receive the response.

I´m a happy duck here, and it´s rainy today, so it´s not CRAZY hot!!!! OH!!! but my hair is really turning red, I´m turning WAY DARKER than I was on Christmas (and yes, I´m even using sunscreen), and did I mention that my eyes are TOTALLY turning green here on the mission?!?!?! I have light eyes...they´re almost totally GREEN! Super strange to look in the mirror and be so different so fast!

WE MADE SMORES to celebrate transfers!!!! American smores in the most Brazilian way (closest-thing-to-graham-cracker-graham-crackers, mocotó (not a marshmallow, but pretty close), and the cheapest wax chocolate there is (missionary budget), but it was SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!! 

 

More beautiful! <3<3<3<3<3 

 For those comps who REEEEEEAAAAAAAAAALLy take the don´t be separated from your comp thing seriously......the things you find on a mission......

MY new area....I NEEEEEEED TO LIVE SOMEWHERE LIKE THIS!!!!! Like....FOREVER!

Yes. Just yes......

P-Day taking out the trash clothes............

 One of the awesome elders in the escritorio. He speaks English and is going to apply for BYU after the mission. He´s the reason I was able to speak English with y'all on Christmas.

I would actually be really grateful if you guys could pray for our safety. The end of December through February are the holidays, and everyone is always drunk, and men of the world are just disgusting creatures. [For those who may be unfamiliar with how she's using this phrase, she differentiates between men of the world and men of God.  Having grown up with 4 brothers, and with many wonderful men in her life, she is very appreciative of GOOD men that conduct themselves appropriately.  It's the other kind she's speaking of here!] We´ve been super protected, so you don´t have to worry, but situations just get weeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiird.

SO in my last two minutes, I want to say that I´m just super grateful, and work fixes EVERYTHING!!!! No matter how sad, depressed, nervous, anxious, tired, irritated, disappointed, misunderstood, ANYTHING I feel, work ALWAYS fixes it!!!! I know this from experience. I have experienced it time and time again, and those experiences have prepared me to know how to do so now. 

Every one of our experiences teaches us of an eternal truth. It´s WAY easier to be happy and grateful when you´re looking for the eternal principles in your experiences, good and bad. So that´s my challenge this week-find the eternal truths, and write them down and express gratitude for each one. That and pray for someone else this week. God will help you see yourself and them in a whole new light-much MORE light!!!

Love y'all!!!! Moroni 8:3

Sister Little

An Emergency Transfer and The Joy of Working Hard! (Lots of pictures!!)

My comp. Our first day coming home on the bus after a good, long, hard, REAL day of work!

SO, as you might notice, I´m writing today...which means I´m not at the temple....and why is that...?

I WAS EMERGENCY TRANSFERRED AND I'M THE HAPPIEST WORKING MISSIONARY ALIVE! So, there is another missionary that has been sick (she´s actually from my same group, she just went to the Provo MTC, so I didn´t know her super well before), and she´s been getting worse and worse. This week, they came for an appointment, and she had an interview with President. They live a good 2 hour bus ride from the center, so she and her comp stayed in our apartment for all of this because they had early morning tests and all. 

After her interview, President called me and Sister Ribas in and asked me how many more appointments I needed (only one more blood draw and a rheumatologist). He looked at me and told me that I would be transferred. I said tá bom, when do you need me to be ready...he said to go home and pack my bags...now. So I did.  My new area is SOOOOOOOOOO gorgeous, beautiful, green, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY quieter and just so beautiful! AND it was Sister Bastos´first area. Super cool to see the marks she left!) And who´s my comp....? SISTER MCPHERSON!!!!! The American that saved me in Paulinia my first transfer when I was super stressing! Yup! We already know and like each other, and we both have been ready to work normally, and YES!!!! I´m super happy!

 Scorpion repellent [Scorpion is the word the missionaries use for guys that are interested in them.  Ashley has had quite a bit of trouble with this, being approached by men on buses, and when she's out in public.  At first she tried explaining that she was a missionary, and not allowed to date while she is serving, but has found that the only thing that has worked is wearing a ring and telling them that she has a boyfriend. She was uncomfortable stretching the truth in this regard at first, but it has kept her safe and cut short a lot of awkward situations.] ....yup bought myself a ring for R$3 today (apparently my other one you sent is too fancy, and it doesn´t look like a ring of namorado) Yup. The scorpions only get worse and more often. Ugh. I´m starting to not even feel guilty saying that I have a boyfriend...men of the world are disgusting, and I become more grateful everyday for the men in my life that have a heart and show respect for themselves and for women. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE!!!!!!!!!!! You have NO IDEA how much I appreciate it!

CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!! After reading the Christmas story and waiting until 7 o'clock (because Dad always made us wait until 7 so he could sleep, shower, and shave ;D)

Getting packed up to leave!

In the hospital when everything changed.

We packed ALL of the other sister´s stuff and got it sent off in 31 minutes!!! SUPER impressive!!! (Come to find out after, we forgot her bag of dirty clothes....we´ll be taking that to her this week...hehe....)

Cracker sandwich dinner on the floor becaaaaauuuuse.....emergency transfers...yeah.... X]

No bake cookies on our first day because she had a spoonful of AMERICAN PEANUT BUTTER!!!!! (may I just say...count your blessings...peanut butter is one of them.... XD)

 I FOUND MY NAME ON THE SIDEWALK OF OUR STREET!! This isn´t even a name that ANYONE has here!

AND THEY PUT TWO AMERICANS TOGETHER SO WHAT´S THE NEXT LOGICAL THING THAT WILL HAPPEN ON THEIR FIRST P-DAY.....? 

                MEXICAN FOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If a mission doesn´t get you ready to take care of a family, I DON`T KNOW WHAT WILL!! Today we: cleaned the whole house (like MAD WOMEN...including cleaning the mold off our leaking shower with a toothbrush...), went to the pharmacy, ran errands, bought groceries, cooked our food for the week, did all of our studies, planned emotional therapy and relaxation techniques for the week, and relaxed for about 20 minutes....yup....am I forgetting anything...probably...because I didn´t write it down! XD

 My fan just DIED! So I followed my dad´s example to take it all apart to find out why...unfortunately...it just died....kasplat.. (but I did successfully clean it and put it all nicely back together...)

 I forgot my sunscreen for one day.....ai....

My Area!!! (We were hiking up a dirt trail on a hill in skirts in this moment...

That´s a leaf eater ant trail and home....they´re HUGE! This is Brasil!

And that´s a wasps nest...the wasps are about as long as a pinky finger

 My companion killing spiders while we were cleaning.  She's super cute!

Gotta go now!  I love you more than beans and rice!

Sister Little

HIghlights from our Skype Call on Christmas!

No words for how amazing it was to talk to Sister Little on Christmas!  Really, really wonderful to see that she is the same happy, wonderful girl - only better.  I put together a few clips from our Skype Session.  Enjoy!

Keeping busy when mostly homebound with an injured companion

*This letter is from December 21, 2015.

In our meeting with president this week, President made me personal trainer of my comp. So now I´m in charge of food, and exercises, EVERYTHING!!!! It´s the BEST THING EVER!!!! Super happy about this! It´s changed everything this transfer. So yeah...making food from home...the things I remember from Mommy recipes. (And if you´d like to actually send some, that´d be great as well..... ;D)

I made a thing! For our door. Because it was sad and empty. Paper, thread, marker, and super glue (and yes...............I glued my fingers together.................big time..............BUT they´re still attached to my hand, so tudo bem!)

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We planned and executed a wedding! WOOHOO!!! If we can plan and make happen a wedding in 2 weeks with what we can find in the church, the help we can get from the members who are in town, and the milk money budget of a missionary, we can do ANYTHING! My own wedding is gonna be so easy now! Everyone has to get married before being baptized here in Brazil, so I´m getting lots of practice! I got to sing at the wedding as well!

This is my head a couple of weeks ago. It just shows my nose being crooked which meant that I had a sinus infection. I just think it´s cool that they let you keep all of your x-rays here. I have started a collection (that I hope doesn´t grow much bigger...yeah...)

Our Christmas decorations. I have muitas saudades de our Christmas traditions, so this is me trying to bring them here. 

6 months for me!!! My sweet comp made this!

This is what happens when you get your hair cut, and you don´t know what to do with it yet...

** This week, Sister Little also shared a very sweet story about how the Spirit directed her in very specific ways to help another in need.  Out of consideration for the other person's privacy, I won't share the details on the blog, but it was amazing to see how the difficulties Ashley has faced in the past, when coupled with the direction of the Spirit, prepared her perfectly to be ready to help.  God certainly loves us all!