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!!