sorrisos

This week was everything!!!

                Almost three months ago, during my first day in Ala Castelo, I met a woman who was hilarious and SO nice and so welcoming. She treated us like her own daughters before we even knew her! Her name is Edineusa, and she has a son who is serving a mission right now in Campinas. I asked her how long she had a been a member of the church, and she said, “I was never baptized, and I don´t plan on being baptized. I already go to church with my son and husband sometimes, so I´m Mormon, but I won´t be baptized!” After leaving her house, Sister Bispo and I both had the same prompting of the spirit telling us to try and teach her. On Friday, August 26, (when her son finished 1 year on his mission) she was baptized, and it was absolutely beautiful! Our mission president, Presidente Leite, and his wife and son came to watch and Presidente Leite spoke at her baptism. It was SO special and she felt so special. I LOVE Edineusa. I loved watching her receive and recognize her answer from Heavenly Father little by little. She told us before her baptism, “I understand that I really am a daughter of God, and he loves me”. Also, take note, that the normal baptism clothes did not cut it for this diva!! She had her baptism clothes made!! Another reason why I love her! Haha. We are so excited to hear about her son´s reaction to her baptism, today!

                I know that God hears and answers our prayers. He is always waiting for us to come to him. I´m so thankful for his love and grace for me and for all of his children!

LOVES AND HUGS,

Sister Moon

                P.S. Last night, we didn´t have electricity and the only lights we had were colored lights from our ihomes so we did everything in a dance party like setting and it was def an adventure!! Gotta love the daily surprises.

 Edineusa, her husband Jose da Luz, her grandaughter Eloah, and her son Emmanuel

 

 Mallory's companion and her mission president and his wife.

We asked Mallory how she got her mission president to come to one of their baptisms and she said that Edineusa wanted her baptism ordinance recorded for her son on his mission and President Leite said that we should not do that, rather, he would come and speak at it and they could record all but the ordinance and send that to him so that we will get to experience the special day of his mom.

 Tais' Baptism

 

A testimony from Mallory's companion

Mallory's companion for the past couples of months has been Sister Bispo.  She was about 40 when she decided to serve a mission.  She emailed the following to Mallory's parents on 8/15/16 - 

How are you? I'm Sister Bispo companion with your daughter.  

It's nice to work with her.  She love you very much. I know that she is a excellent daughter.

Forgive my english.

I'm  learning a little with Sister Moon.

I hope one day to know personally.

Sister Moon,  I think that you looks alike with  Brookie Sheilds?  You are very beatiful...

Kisses, kisses... 

Sister Bispo

Then on 8/29/16 we were included in an email that she sent to others as well and it is her personal testimony.  

It was written in Portuguese and we used google to help translate it as follows:

Today I want to bear my testimony about my Savior on this marvelous work ...


I know with all my heart that my SAVIOR LIVES, He is my friend. The best choice of my life was to decide to come on this mission. 

A desire contained long ago that thought never would happen.  We all go through challenges in life, and just understand better the "why" 

these challenges when we reach a point in our lives and with our expanded vision we can see the way that the Lord was preparing us. 

Often we cry, suffer, think that everything is over that all is lost until we have wanted to give up ... But when we look to Christ, He embraces 

us and we can feel His love and He gives us strength to continue, even if the will yet is to give up but still relying on this force that we can not see, 

even not knowing what will happen. When we decided to just continue, even with our weaknesses and imperfections, just the fact to decide to keep 

moving forward doing our best, the Lord will guide our way, and as we seek Him, we can hear the promptings of the Spirit and feel the essence of the 

Lord's will, and when we have that feeling, I can only say "yes." And nothing else matters when we say yes to the Lord. Whether I am a 40 year old

single mother, it's never too early or too late to say YES to the Lord. I love being here, serving Him, and serving His children. I would have regreted

it bitterly if I would have had said "no" to the Lord ... I love being here more than anything in my life, as it is such a small price to pay to meet my 

BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR, who gave everything for me, who loved me above all. I just have to thank my kind Heavenly Father, for having called me to 

this work, although it seemed late. It's never too late to change, it is never too late to repent, it is never too late to love our Savior, it is never too 

late to follow Him, it is never too late to change our way and come back and feel His love, His embrace. ALL .. my, my Redeemer, my FRIEND, my Christ ... 

He is LOVELY ....HE LIVES .... With all my love
 
Sister Bishop

canta minhhhAAAAALMA

I cried during PK´s and the fireworks show in the street & it was everything!!! I didn´t watch the game other than the last 5 minutes, but still it was everything & super emotional. ILYSM Neymar, and you too goal keeper that I don´t know your name!!!

This week we had a leadership meeting with Presidente Leite, and I want to share with yáll one of the stories that he told us. I´m probably forgetting lots of details, but it´s about how the church bought the lot for the Houston Texas Temple.

So there was a guy who worked for the church and he was scouting out lots for the temple to be built, and he found three options that he liked a lot. President Hinckley flew to Texas and he looked at the three lots and he chose the one he liked super easily and told the man to buy the lot. The man who worked for the church called the owner & tried to make an offer, but the owner said no. He called President Hinckley and said that it didn´t work out, but the other two lots are great options, and there was silence on the phone (how scary!! Haha) but President Hinckley asked him if he already prayed specifically to buy the lot, and he said no, but prayed after. The next day he tried to buy the lot again, and the owner said something like “I don´t know what you don´t understand about NO, but I won´t sell you the lot”. He called President Hinckley again and told him what happened, and President Hinckley asked him, “Have you fasted already to buy the Lot?” He hadn´t fasted already, and decided to do so. That night, the owner was talking to a close friend of his, and the close friend asked him why he won´t sell the lot? He told him that his son had a girlfriend who was a member of the church and she wanted to get married in a temple and that is why she ended things with his son. He said that his son´s life would have been so much better if he would have married her! After, the owner opened up his bible and he found a piece of paper that he wrote on a long time ago that said, ”Anything the Lord asks, I will give him.” He decided that he didn´t want to sell his land, but he wanted to give his land. The next day, the church worker went to his office to try one last time to buy the land, and to his surprise the man wanted to give him the land! He called President Hinckley all excited saying, “We got the land for free!!”, and President Hinckley said, no we are going to buy the land!! So he went back, and the agreed on him buying it. This story is so sweet. When we need answers or a specific blessing, we can´t expect it without fasting and praying. I have found this to be SO true these last 10 months. We can believe in miracles and pray for miracles if we are completely sincere and ready to do our part for these things to happen!

Love you all, viu!!!!

Sister Moon

This van brings people that live far away to church every Sunday and it was PACKED!

 xoxo gossip girls

BFFS reunited

 

Amazing

1.     I feel my Savior´s love

In all the world around me.       

His Spirit warms my soul

Through everything I see.

Chorus: He knows I will follow him,

Give all my life to him.                                                   

I feel my Savior´s love,

The love he freely gives me.

2.I feel my Savior´s love;

Its gentleness enfolds me,

And when I kneel to pray,

My heart is filled with peace.

3.I feel my Savior´s love

And know that he will bless me.

I offer him my heart;

My shepherd he will be.

4. I´ll share my Savior´s love

By serving others freely

In serving I am blessed.

In giving I receive.

Sister Bispo and I sang this song this morning together, and I couldn´t help but get all teary because for the last 10 months I have felt more pure love from my Savior than ever before in my life. I know that I really have come to know Him, and for that I am SO grateful.

“Novidades” of this week!

·         I speak “Cearense” and not Portuguese!!! Haha the best comparison would be how on Duck Dynasty or Swamp People they are speaking English but sometimes you need subtitles. This week someone actually told me I have an accent from Ceará and not Argentina so we are EXCITED!!!!

·         Yesterday was Father´s Day in Brazil, and I spoke in church, and obviously I talked about my Dad and could barely keep it together! Why don´t we skype for Father´s Day too?? #suggestionbox

·         Today we are playing volleyball with our district and I´ve been working on translating our cheers. “Uno, Dos, Tres say what say what ace” is actually still a winner!!!

Also I need to tell yáll about Gecivam´s baptism!! We found him one day during a division and he was like “I´m so happy yáll are here because I just moved here and I´m looking for a church!”.Where he was living interior doesn´t have a group or branch yet. The nearest church is about 2 hours away in Iguatu. It´s amazing how God leads our paths to him! Gecivam went to church last Sunday and made a ton of friends, and yesterday he was baptized. He is 18 sooooooo is it to early to start talking about a mission with him?? Haha #goals

Tchauzão my loves!!!

Sister Moon

Jessica is our new bff that just returned from the São Paulo South Mission. She shows me pics of Caylee (Sister Hubert) on the reg and I love it!!!!

 Gecivam and his Mom, Ivoneide, and his neice, Vitoria

rebolar no mato #ceará #jogarnolixo

So I heard that Giselle walked the longest cat walk of her life and that makes two of us because walking is life and the world is our runway!!! This week was amazing because SO many miracles happened, and also I´m making SO many VLOGS!!! For all of my fellow snapchatters, don´t yáll even worry!!! One miracle is that I thought I saw Wesley Safadão in the street (The Justin Timberlake of Brazil.. or maybe just Fortaleza lolz) and I totally said Hi and gave him a high five (lol I´m such a sister). For the rest of that day I was on cloud nine and totally star struck until I heard that Wesley Safadão was actually in Rio singing at the Olympics?!?! WHAT hahaha. All of you that are watching, he has a man bun and a voice of an angel so be on the look out!!!

                The other more important miracle is that my angel Ana was baptized!!! Hugging her is like hugging my grandma!! I think I adopted her as my grandma in Brazil. She is SO beautiful inside and out. She truly repented and has so much faith. Ana has a lot of heart problems and usually doesn´t like to leave her house, but on Sunday she was COMPLETELY ready.. Lipstick and nails painted for church. I just love her.

Love you all!!!!

Sista Moon

Pics from the week...

 

Fatima and Gilson signing the papers for their wedding that will be September 2nd!

Sister Eldredge and I went to jail!!!!!  #freeweezy

my adopted family!!! Edneuza will be baptized August 26th and surprise her son that is serving a mission in Campinas!

Emmanuel is my spirit animal and my day 1

our angel!

AYYY arraiá (like HI-YAH)

HI EVERYONE! Hugs, kisses & warm wishes!!!!

This week our ward basically had a tailgate/hoedown throwdown called arraiá/festa de julho. It was gabolice!!! I was loving it & felt so close to my roots! I didn´t take pictures of the food (shout outz chan shout out spokaneeats hehe), and I don´t know if it´s proposital, but everything is made of corn!! Ex: Corn cake, corn popsicles, corn soup, corn on the cob, popcorn.

Also, Vanessa, my gabolice gurl was baptized!! I LOVE this chick because she tells it like it is. For example, she told me: “ You sing in Portuguese better than you talk” lololol. For a while she was saying that she wanted nothing to do with baptism right now, but as she started to understand more about the atonement and about what Christ has done for her, on Friday she asked us if she could be baptized on Saturday! It was shocking, and perfect, and I know that Jesus was rejoicing like we were rejoicing because she has finally come to this conclusion on her own.

If there is anything that I know with more clarity now than before, it is that all of us can change. Heavenly Father loves every one of us unconditionally and perfectly! It´s our decision if we want to grow closer to him.

Beijous!!!

Sista LUA

 Vanessa's Baptism

an investigator cut all of her hair off & I think I want to make hair extensions out of it