Monday, February 11, 2013

February 11, 2012


Mary Ann's district


I am so excited for Michelle!!! BRASIL!!!! Definitely the best place you could go! :) That´ll be so cool with all three of us knowing portuguese!!!! :)
Sorry! I´m really bad at taking pictures, but I´ll try and be better about sending them to you! I sent one of our new district - we have the biggest district on the mission and with the most sisters :) there are twenty sisters now on the mission - at one point there were only fourteen, so it's growing now! They´ve opened some new areas as well for them to work in. It should keep growing too, cause the next sisters don´t leave until June!
To be honest, it"s so hot right now that I really do prefer using sandals. My feet get fried in the other shoes. And we walk a lot! Pretty much everywhere you go is walking, well... unless its more than an hour or so away. haha. Also, its better to bring shirts that don´t require an undershirt, if you can or anything for hot weather. As for Michelle, Porto Alegre´ll have its hot days, but it actually gets cold in the winter from what people say, so it would be good to bring some of both.
Yeah, it is already caranval here... Which means we have to be home by six to study. The area we live in is pretty calm. The bars are just super full and they have music blasting everywhere. Besides that people just seem to dress in fantasy costumes and stuff like that.


Mary Ann and Companion











Sunday, February 10, 2013

February 4, 2013



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That is sweet that Brother F´s brother is going to be Laura's mission president - is he the one who was a general authority???  Guess what though?? My mission president´s son is also going to Lisbon, Portugal, on May 1st - how cool is that?!

So... A week or so ago, I went to visit our recent convert, A - it had been awhile since we had been able to get into contact with her and she didn´t go to church on Sunday and she had returned to her old church. We kept going back to visit her and each time as she was able to feel the spirit more and more,  she accepted to come back.  We went to pick her up a couple of Sundays ago and now she´s firm in the faith :)  Its funny sometimes how strong the opposition can be, but the Lord is definitely on our side, fighting for us and with us. And guess what?!?!?! She´s preparing now to go to the temple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO excited for her!!!! :)

So transferences were today and.... once again I´ll be with Sister C here in Fonseca :) Awesome!
Michelle! I can´t WAIT to hear where you are going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Porto Alegre, Brazil


Mary Ann's sister Michelle got her mission call on Thursday to go to Porto Alegre South mission in Brazil! All 3 sisters will be serving Portugurese speaking missions at the same time! We may  change this blog to be for all 3 sisters or we could have 3 blogs! Mary Ann and Michelle will both be serving in Brazil. We are so excited for all 3. What a wonderful opportunity to be able to share mission experiences together. Mary Ann's sister Laura and her sister Michelle will both begin their missions on the same day. Laura is going to Lisbon, Portugal. 

Sunday, February 3, 2013

January 21 and January 28, 2013




January 28, 2013
That is definitely exciting news!!! Congratulations Laura for your mission call!!! You´re going to PORTUGAL!!! That is SO cool :)
And Michelle! I can´t wait to hear where you are going!!! Congratulations for putting your papers in!
That is so cool that we can all be serving the Lord at the same time as missionaries!!!

I love you all!! I hope you are all doing well!
The work is wonderful and I LOVE being a missionary! I know that it is definitely the BEST thing that I can be doing right now with all of my time and efforts.  I know that this is the work of the Lord and THE most important work that there is - the salvation of the souls of God´s children.  I am so grateful to be able to be a part of this work!!!







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Christmas Conference

January 21, 2013

This week, Sister C is still pretty sick.  I feel so bad for her!  She´s had a lot of health challenges since she´s come on her mission.   I´ve pretty much studied this week straight.  Which is a lot of studying.  It has been really good though! I have learned a lot and my testimony has also been strengthened by it.  We went on divisions again so that we could visit some people, without her having to go with me.  I went with a girl named M - or the former Sister L who moved here after she finished her mission and was companions with my trainer, Sister D.  It was super sweet! :)
Michelle - when do your papers go in?!?!?!!

January 14, 2013





Laura - Congratulations!!!!!! I am so excited for you! (Laura submitted her mission papers)
 Elder N  did you guys ever meet him? he is from our town and he and his wife are serving as the secretary and nurse of the mission.... I love them so much!!!  

To get around, we mostly just walk.  We walk A LOT.  We take the buses too when something is really far.  We do have a refrigerator. and a microwave, stove, oven (that doesn´t work), and a washer.  The only thing we don´t have is a dryer.  or air conditioning.  

So... This week was pretty slow.  Sister C got really sick and we went to the hospital twice.  Poor thing.  She´s has a lot of health challenges since she´s been on her mission.  She has an lesion in both of her knees and so we´ve been to a lot of physical therapy the past two transferences, but now that that´s over, she´s come down with pain in her back and a lot of it.  as well as laberintite - not quite sure what that is in english, but it is something to do with the inner ear that sets off your balance - she gets super dizzy and its hard for her to even walk straight.  So we haven´t been able to work too much this week.  

Yesterday, we went on divisions, and she stayed with two girls from our ward at the bottom of our apartment building (since they can´t go in our house) and I went with the young women president and one of her counselors to visit some inactive young women.  It was super sweet!  It was nice to be able to go out to work again.  The first young women we visited was there with her brothers and seven of her friends, so of course we took advantage of that and invited them all to come to church on sunday and see the musical number the young women are putting on.  

The second person we visited wasn´t at home, but her mom was who is not a member.  She arrived later with her boyfriend and said that she would go to church this next Sunday and would also invite another youth from the ward who is also not active(who we have also been wanting to work with, but can never find at home)!  The mom was super nice and said that we could come by anytime, but didn´t really want to go to church because of bad examples of members that live around her...... super sad, but as we teach her about the doctrine of Christ and how we have His church again upon the earth, I´m sure she´ll come around :)  It just goes to show that a good example is so important!




January 7, 2012


Michelle and Laura - I am SO SO excited for you, you have no idea! I can´t wait to hear where you are going!!!!! :) I just know that I´m hoping for Brasil :) or anywhere Portuguese, speaking, cause that would be super sweet.  But where ever it is that you are called, it´ll be the best place for you and the will of the Lord :)
So this week I had a simple, but good experience.  I made a contact with a woman in the street this week (well...I  made lots of those, but this one in particular).  I started talking to her and at first she gave the normal responses of - I admire the work that you guys do, but really I´m not interested.  But as I said that we had a message that comes from God, she responded that we could go ahead and share it..... And so - we taught her the restoration... right there in the street.   As I was talking about prayer and sharing my testimony that I know God answers prayers - she started to cry a little bit and said that she knew God answers prayers, because at the moment with us talking to her - God was answering her prayer.  Anyways, I know that God lives, loves us and will answer your prayers. 
So things are going well here in Fonseca.  I really love the people in the ward that I am working with.  They are wonderful! :) 
Transferences won´t be until the first week in Februrary.

Mary Ann's two sisters were both preparing to submit their mission papers. Both girls were affected by the mission age change.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints changed the age to serve a mission from 19 for boys to 18 and from 21 for girls to 19. Michelle is 18 but will be 19 soon and Laura is 20. We will have 3 girls all serving a mission at the same time!!!
 

 Brazilian Avocado Smoothie Recipe
1 large Avocado (the avocoado meat only)
2 cups milk
sugar to taste

Blend and enjoy! This will make 2 smoothies. 

In Brazil, they eat avocados with sugar and not salt and pepper. The use avocados to make desserts, ice cream and smoothies. Brazilian avocados are very big. If you try it, please leave a comment in the comment section.