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!!