#SóVai

Happy Monday everyone!

This week we had another conference in Fortaleza!  it was really cool because it was for all of the missionaries in the world.  The message of all of the talks was "teach repentance and baptize converts,"  and when it was over, my mission president added "do this today!"  He said that we don't need to wait for Sundays to baptize and to just do it!  I kind of love this.  If people have a response from Heavenly Father and a sincere desire to get baptized, why wait?  He also told us to look up everyone in the Area Book and go and visit them.  This kind of stressed me out because...hello!  I'm directionally challenged & our area is huge!  And also because we also already had a really full schedule, but we spent Sunday visiting all these people from the Area Book and it was amazing!  Seriously all of them are amazing and ready and receptive and one of them speaks English!    Can I get a hallelujah?!

As for other miracles in my life, I found something almost like a peanut butter cup, but without chocolate, but it somehow tastes the same?  magic!  Its called Pacoquita, and I found a Pacoquita acai bowl!  Dreams do come true!

The best part of the week was Elayne's baptism!  She is the smartest, most valient menina I know.  it was really really special and in a river!  #baptismgoals  #obrigadafortherain

My mom sent me a quote this week that I love & think its something everyone needs to hear...."God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season, He sees you as HIS child.  He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become.  He wants you to know that you matter to Him."  President Uchtdorf

Also,  you all matter to me!  Hehe
Lots of hugs and love from Brazil!

Seester Moon

paralelepipedo

BOM DIA!  This week was one of my favorite weeks so far!  I love my companion & the people that we're teaching.  Oh, and I had my first dream in Portuguese!  #milestones  I was teaching a lesson and rapchhatting at the same time, it was the best of both worlds!


We started teaching a really sweet grandma and grand-daughter.  Their names are Maria Beatriz and Patricia and I'm low key obsessed with both of them!  They are helping me reach my goal of becoming a sassy brasiliera.  We gave Maria Beatriz a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and she told us that she already read it!  She said that she found one in the hospital where her son passed away.  Wow! She already knew all about it and said that it brought her a lot of comfort and happiness. That's exactly what God wants for us!  His plan really is for us to be happy.


Sometimes when somebody's accent is really thick, I have a hard time understanding and start thinking in English to translate word for word.  So the other day I was doing this & this man told me I look like a "Santa" and I said (semi-offended lol) "Papai Noel?"  He said "NO"  a Saint.  He thought this was the funniest thing in the world and now he calls me Sister Papai Noel!


Well I love you all & miss you all seriously so much!  Thank you for emailing me!  Mondays are the best.


xoxo  Sister Lua Papai Noel
*hits the dab*
btw, I still love Gustavo Lima

 You know that lava game at recess?? me everyday

p.s. I'm READY for the sun again.  Rain is so gross and my feet are always muddy.
We have 31 investigators with a date!!!  They just need to get to church.

Pe-laaaa Fé

What’s gucci pham?

This week I finish 3 months!  It’s felt like 3 years/3minutes at the same time  #trippy.   This week I also got a new companion & found out I’m staying in Limoeiro do Norte for at least 6 more weeks!  #blessed  because I didn’t bring my suitcases to Fortaleza or say bye to anyone!  My companion is really, really great!  Her name is Sister Freitás and is from Sau Paulo.  I feel like we’ve known each other forever.  She’s 4’11 (I think) the whole metric system conversion thing throws me off.  I remember king Henry died by drinking chocolate milk, but how does that help me weigh myself?!  Lol.  But anyways, Sister Freitas is so swag & I know we chose each other before this life to be comps.  We start /end every sentence with “MULHER” – woman or girrrl in Portuguese.  It’s my new favorite expression & I think its helping me reach my goal of becoming a sassy Latina.

We received lots and lots of rain this week!  Which was great because I was cold for once, but one particular day we were walking in muddy water past our calves with frogs EVERYWHERE.  It was kind of my worst nightmare & I mean that in the most dramatic way possible.  We were also a little bit lost because I don’t have a very good sense of direction & especially here in Limoeiro the roads aren’t marked very well at all.  Everything in our bags was wet (including our maps) & I just wanted to find a place I recognized so we could get back on the right path. 

We walked past a house with a really sweet old man standing in front & before we could even say “bom dia,” he said “Opa!”  “Come in!”  When we walked in, sister Freitas and I looked at each other and said “wow” because the spirit was so strong & present in their home!  We met his wife, some of his children and grandchildren and they’re committed to baptism!  YAY!

This has kind of been a pattern this week.  We get lost, I get a little bit annoyed with myself for not remembering directions (since I am not the one new to town like Sister Freitas), but we always find really really good people to teach!  Maybe we’ll keep trying to ‘get lost”?  I know in certain moments, especially when the frogs were jumping at my legs, I was thinking, “Father, why aren’t you helping us?  We have people to teach and things to do, and I hate frogs!”  I’m so happy that despite my complaining, He gave us some more of his children to teach and to love!

Love Y’all

Seester Lua

 I don't have any pics with my new companion yet!! sorry, but she is really nice.  She reminds me of Grandma Moon.  They have the same smile and she is really funny also.

 When Christmas is over, but your mixtape dropped

my favorite fruit EVER pitaya 

Mallory only has 30 minutes each Monday for emailing, so she hand writes her weekly letter and emails it and and other pictures that are then posted in this blog, then she reads and answers and writes emails to other and then she usually has a few minutes for some back and forth emails with mom.   Keli usually has a couple of questions...

Keli asked:  "So do you all teach a lot of lessons each day?  The sisters here in Allen were curious.

Mallory answered:  "We teach probably 12ish lessons a day, sometimes up to 20."

gabolice-licious

Happy New Year everyone!  So, I'm in Fortaleza again...for the second time this week (the first was for interviews), but this time I'm dropping off my companion, Sister Sanchez, who is going back to Columbia!  I feel like I'm experiencing a death or something.  Having your "Mai" vai embora is traumatizing!  But not as traumatizing as having a BAT in your house!!

On this week's episode of Bindi the Jungle Girl or Survivor or somewhere in between, a real life bat would not leave our house.  I keep having dreams of myself sleeping with bats all over me #wildlifegoals

Other than gaining a new roommate, other exciting and not so exciting things happened.  We had festas on festas.  Elder Gomes da Silva had a birthday.  We threw a going away party for Elder Hamrick and Sister Sanchez and for New Years Eve, we ate lots of churascos.  Our neighbors/everyone in Limoeiro were setting off actual stadium sized fireworks in our backyard.  I kinda felt like I was going to catch fire, but in the words of Katy Perry "let your colors burn!"  Nobody was feeling like a plastic bag!  (McC, I know you've been wondering this!)

Other good news is that I've been getting lots of compliments on my Portuguese (which has been a struggle) #PRAISES, and Sister Sanchez and I found really great families to teach!

But this week was also really hard.  It's hard when at the last minute people don't want to come to church or get baptized.  It's hard because I just want them to be happy & to have the happiness the gospel brings.  It's all good though, next week will be better!

I've read this quote probably 30 times this week because it's just perfect:  "I have absolute certain knowledge, perfect knowledge that God loves us.  He is good.  He is our Father and He expects us to pray and trust and be believing and not give up and not panic and not retreat and not jump ship when something doesn't seem to be going just right.  We stay in, we keep working, we keep believing, keep trusting, following the same path, and we will live to fall in His arms and feel his embrace and hear Him say "I told you it'd be OK, I told you it'd be all right."  - Elder Holland (of course)

What could be more comforting?  I know God loves Limoero do Norte & I know God loves me & I know he loves y'all!

Have the best week!

xoxo

Seester Moon

This is my desk

This is the mission home

I GOT MY PACKAGE - Thank you so much

the PJ tradition is still alive!!! s/o sis Jeppsen and her mom!

his prayers are my favorite because he calls us angels. MY HEART

 Birthday Party for Elder Gomes da Silva

 Princesses of Limoeiro in the Princess of the Valley