Letting the Green Bananas Ripen

Sister Little and Sister Pilcher were friends at BYU, and were assigned to the same mission a few months apart.  They are both currently serving as Sister Training Leaders in the mission and ran into each other recently. 

This week was kind of a hard one. I think we cut almost our entire teaching pool. We had a training meeting with President Hill, and we evaluated what was wrong in our mission. We now have an AWESOME pattern to have a super powerful lesson, we´ll be teaching mini-lessons for people on the street, and not just making lame contacts to see who really wants to hear, because we won´t be teaching MOLE INVESTIGATORS anymore! The ones who want it, who are ready, will come, will cumprir compromissos (I don´t know these words in English anymore...sorry) [Keep commitments]. If a banana is green, no amount of beating and begging will make it yellow any faster, so the green bananas - we´re just gonna let them take their time ripening up.

I´ve also been studying courage. I fasted this month asking o que me falta ainda [What lack I yet?], and the answer was courage. I've been studying the lives of Joseph and Emma Smith, Esther, Nefi, and Christ. I´ve been reading in the Book of Mormon about Alma and Amuleque (I LOVE those dudes!!!!! They ROCK!!!!!!!!! I wanna marry someone like that someday!!!!!!!!!!! We´ll be a rocking missionary family! Woohoo!), and about courage in general. And I´ve just gone for it! It´s AMAZING how I´m changing!!!!! And I found out that I'm really sassy..........really sassy.........

We´ve had some struggles helping our investigators come to church (It´s a general problem in this area...I wanna figure out why). If anyone has suggestions, PLEASE!!!!!!! Our city needs you! 

This week, Just keep on keeping on, and JUMP out of your comfort zone, and you´ll be amazed at what you can do. I love this quote:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

SO go for it!!!! Love you all and have an amazing week!

Sister Little

D&C 18:10, 13, 15-17

Sister Training Leader and a Powerful Testimony of Christ

My last district. And no, I´m not hugging an Elder...my hand is on my hip, and it turned out looking REAAAALLY weird......

So...........my new area.....It´s GREAT, my comp Sister Ramos is super awesome, and...........................

.....WE´RE SISTER TRAINING LEADERS!!!!! AH! I have never had a crazier week on my entire mission! But I´ve also never felt so complete. Service is the answer to everything. I don´t know if I told you, but I was having some really sucky problems with feeling really down. Through LOTS of prayers, LOTS of study of the gospel, Conference, and finally this calling, I am feeling complete. Service is exactly what we need.  I have never been so tired on my mission, had so little time (like NO TIME! My poor journal has a line scribbled in at 10:30 everyday for the last week.....I also gave up on dinner...yup...), but like I said-I´m BALANCED! I was SUPER worried about if I´d be able to actually help because I´ve seen STLs that do not have the confidence of the sisters they take care of, and I want to actually help! On the first day, I had one sister break down and cry, and another spill everything she´s been worrying about for weeks. Like, WHAT?!?!??! It was amazing how the Lord gave me exactly what I needed to say in the moment I needed it. I LEARNED new things hearing them come out of my mouth! Like, WHOA!

My comp and I right now bc I didn´t take a cute picture before! Sorry!

My new area is great. SUPER DIFFERENT than anywhere else I´ve served. FULL OF SUPER RICH PEOPLE!!!!!! I´ve decided that I NEVER want to be rich. I want to have the conditions to be able to raise my children safely and to be able to help those around me that can´t sustain themselves, but I NEVER EVER EVER EVER want to be rich! Nothing against the people that have money, but I just don´t feel comfortable with too much lush. I want my children to learn how to work. I want to learn how to work, how to budget, how to be smart and say no. I want others to come to my home and feel at home. So yeah....I don´t want to be rich. Nope.....thank you very much. 

Wanna know what else......I ate at Elder Mazzagardi´s house on Friday...yeah....like the one that spoke in conference last weekend. That one. We have TWO seventies in our ward (Mazzagardi and Toledo). It´s CRAZY! Elder Mazzagardi´s wife was just telling us about the weekend, how Sister Uchtdorf is a crack up, super cute and sassy ( I TOTALLY WANT TO MEET HER! She sounds AWESOME!), and they had AMERICAN SALAD DRESSING!!!! I had NO CLUE I missed that!!!!!!! They had the Olive garden salad dressing we always have at home. I ate 4 portions of salad at lunch! XD 

Happy birthday to Cameron! You rock dude, and I´m so proud of you! Keep rocking people´s socks, because soon enough you´ll get to Brasil and you´ll be rocking off everyone´s.....flip flops! (cause NOONE uses socks....) 

Also, new skill....I can officially sing in English and write in Portuguese at the same time! Yup! I felt cool!

 My message to everyone today is that Christ is returning. It´s incredible. I´ve never been the one to be all "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH the world is ending!!!! Repent all ye ends of the earth!!!! AH!!!" But now.....it´s truly incredile. These last few months (especially these last few weeks) when I´m teaching the Spirit prompts me to tell people that the Second Coming is arriving and we need to prepare, and I get this INCREDIBLE confirmation every time. I get goosebumps and this warm feeling that swells up in my heart. Jesus Christ is returning, and I am SO EXCITED!!! Are you excited? If not, why? Really, truly, we need to be asking this question to ourselves and to the Lord. HE will tell us if we´re walking ahead on the path to be ready or not. I´ve had several experiences these last several months where the Adversary got me COMPLETELY paralyzed with fear because I thought my eternal salvation was in jeopardy. Don´t listen to this voice. If you´re feeling this, remember that Christ already paid the price. Our purpose isn´t to pay justice, it´s to learn to be more like our Father. (Listen to President Holland's talk from conference. )

Listen here in English, or here in Portuguese.

 But if you´re really not ready, what needs to be done? We know that the gospel is simple. Only 5 steps. Imagine that! It all starts with faith in Jesus Christ and the promises He gives, which leads us to repentance, a leaving behind of what is holding us back and pairing ourselves with Christ to progress and become better. And how do we pair ourselves with Christ? Through baptism. When we are baptized, we promise to always remember Christ and keep His commandments, and He promises to clean us of all sin and send the Spirit to walk with us the whole way. Imagine that. To be CLEAN and walk with Christ along the path He showed us. And like He promised, we´ll continue along this path until the end, but NEVER ALONE. We will have the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This means what as we continue along, always increasing and testing our faith, repenting, trying to be better, going to church to helps others and take of the sacrament to renew the promise we made at baptism, we will have the Spirit to guide us. Always keep walking. Never give up, and remember that we are Children of God. That DIVINE identity means more than we know, so when you feel down, overwhelmed, lost, scared, or .... nothing, just remember that, and remember that someone already felt what you´re feeling. Remember the One who gave everything for you. If someone gave their life to save you, would you remember them forever? Would you forget them? What value would you put in your life, in your everyday because of that? 

I love you all. You are amazing. Know how I know that? Because Christ told me so. He´s trying to tell you as well. Trying opening your ears and heart, and you´ll be surprised at what you hear. 

Make it the best week ever, and good luck BYU students with your finals!

First thing I always put on my wall. I LOVE this quote!

Louveira is FULL of people who are accepting our message

I have to be quick today.  I've been transferred and I have people to see before I leave!  

Exercise as a missionary. Yes, that is my makeshift jumprope, and my weight made of rice, beans, and flour in a bucket....welcome to Brasil! AMO BRASIL!

I cannot wear ANY OTHER SHOE!!!! I have holes in the bottom of my shoes....like....you can see the sunlight....BUT! This just doesn´t work... (hey mom......would you be able to send the same ones again in the package in May? PLEASE!)

And......I realized after 9 months....that I stole Cam´s True to the Faith....SORRY DUDE! 

Us! WE had to stay with Sisters in another area to be able to watch Conference. There is no broadcast in our little branch!

It´s SMILING! and has HAIR!

And my walll....que DOR! I packed away all my books, and now I have to strip everything from the wall! Ouch! picking your heart off the wall piece by piece....

I´m able to write music from my head without a piano! Woohoo!

Chocolate egg for Easter that we shared!

I don't have a lot of time today, but the work is good!  Here is a piece of the email I sent to Presidente Hill last week: 

"We´re happy, Louveira is AMAZING, and I´m feeling super grateful for the chance to be serving a mission. 

One thing, Louveira is FULL of people who are accepting our message and people who we are trying to help reactivate (and that are actually interested in returning), and we´re not able to get to everyone. I know we talked about getting two more sisters here a while back, but the mission was in shortage of missionaries. Is that getting better, and what do we need to do to make it possible to have more missionaries here? "

Real Quick!  My favorite talks from Conference:
 

Holland

Uchtdorf 

Oaks

Eyring

Gong

Renlund

Snow

Hallstrom

Love you all!

Sister Little

I WANNA CRY I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*As a bit of background, Ashley's brother  Cameron just received his mission call on March 23.  Of the over 400 missions he could have been assigned to around the world,  he has been called to serve in the Brazil Piracicaba Mission, which is the mission just west of Ashley's!  She was so anxious to hear where he was going to go, so I emailed the news to a friend of hers in Brazil so she wouldn't have to wait for Monday email.  We also sent her this small video clip of him opening what we THOUGHT was his call, but turned out to be his visa instructions!  Fortunately, there was a flight itinerary in the packet, so we knew WHEN he was leaving and his Mission President's name.  A quick google search later, we finally knew.  Haha!  The actual call came two days later.  This email is her reaction to the news.

 

I WANNA CRY I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Arlete couldn´t wait and told me the moment I got in her car yesterday. I had a a half scream/giggle fit, and giggled all the way to church. When I got out of the car, I did a fist pumping, spinning in circles, jumping up and down happy dance, and everyone just watched and laughed at me! I remember seeing the boundary between our missions when I was in Paulinia!!!!! Mom, I can´t get over it. I'M SO HAPPY! IT'S SO PERFECT! AH!!!

Random fact of the week: I lost my purple pilot pen. I almost cried.

My Brazilian moment of the week: Tenho arroz em meu chanelo.... I have rice in my flip-flop......It doesn´t get any more Brazilian than that!

This  is my spiritual thought of the week. This right here has meant more and more and more to me here on the mission. You feel a whole lot of different things everyday, and I´m learning more and more what comes from my Father. This helps me so much to take a step  back, realize what is opposition, and how to learn and grow from it. Hope it helps you too!