Monday, July 25, 2016

Thoughts on the atonement

Mallory has not submitted a blog post in a couple of weeks, so we are just going to post part of her letter to her parents from this morning.....

....I have a new outlook on life in general that the more challenges Heavenly Father gives me the more He loves and trusts me to grow personally and to overcome them. On Sunday some good things happened! We found a man that is less active and his family and they are a really cool young family that doesn´t have problems with addictions or abuse and that’s honestly super hard to find, and his wife isn´t baptized yet. They also aren´t legally married so we are going to help them be married and then baptize his wife. They accepted our help so easily and they want to start going to church because they know it will help their family!

I also learned something new this week that added a new aspect to my testimony and is helping me teach better. I was studying the plan of salvation, and I was thinking about the pre-earth life, and how before we were born we probably witnessed Jesus´s life and how he suffered for us and how he did everything with love and was a perfect person. We probably watched his crucifixion also, and I imagine being really sad, but I imagine also almost cheering for him in a reverent way and hoping that he would be able to really do it so that we could all be saved. And then I was thinking about our lives right now, and how He is in Heaven watching us and cheering for us. I was trying to wrap my head around that he died for every single person, and how much one soul means to him. 

This week I tried to make every single person understand that they really are a special child of God, and it was cool to see them process that. When I´m constantly thinking about the atonement, it changes the way I teach. I teach more about repentance than basically anything. The struggle is that people don´t trust the atonement and don´t believe that they really can change! If more people understood that, everyone would repent and be baptized! ....




Monday, July 11, 2016

Eu Sei Que Vive Meu Senhor

OLÁ!
This past week I learned so much.. about patience, and trusting in the Lord´s time, and all of that kinda fun stuff! Haha, but seriously I learned so much, and I felt SO much of God´s love for me and for his children.
            I also learned a lot about repentance, and what it means to truly have a “mighty change of heart”. We are teaching a man who we heard a lot of things about before actually knowing him. We heard that we “can´t help him” and that he has “already done things that can´t be forgiven”, and quite a few bad things, but my companion being the SAINT ANGEL that she is suggested that we should try. We taught him about repentence and he cried when he started to understand that he can start over. His daughters are already members, and when we visited their family before he never wanted to listen, but now he accepts all of our visits, he listens and understands, he is being KIND to his family, he is being kind to his animals, and he went to church for the first time this week! His eyes aren´t so dark anymore, and I know that he is changing. His wife told us yesterday with tears in her eyes, “I don´t understand what is happening!” and we told her it was Jesus Christ! Our Savior can do anything, and he can change any heart that is willing to let him in!
            We also had our first #mishconf with President and Sister Leite! They are really cool. He said a lot of inspired things, but my favorite quote was that we need to “pray like everything depends on our prayers, and work like everything depends on our work”.
            THE HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUTS FOR MY 16 YEAR OLD SISTA SIsTA, MIKENZIE! Holla at her! @mikenzie @swag @slayinandprayin
LOVE YOU ALL,
SISTA MOON

 For a service project we cleaned up this lot, and after this we were trying to take pictures doing yoga & a selfie stick was involved and I fell head first in to an ant pile!! #mems 

Sister Bispo doing weeerrrrkkkk

 Vitoria is my favorite because she chose the date of her baptism (March 1st) because it´s Justin Beiber´s bday! The beibs is loved everywhere.


 Divisões (splits/exchanges) are my favorite but the worst at the same time because you make new bffs and then leave the next day! Sister Amorim (left) will go home in the same group as me!



 #yournotpottytrained?



 I made a new bff during divisão with Sister J.Santos!!
Monday, July 4, 2016

Pois é IT`S A PARTY IN THE USA!!!



HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!! Today I was eating breakfast, and Sister Bispo asked me how America gained their independence, and it was basically like “AH I THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVER ASK!!” moment! Lolz.

This week was fab & I´m happy with my area/companion and everything is awesome. I know this is vague, haha but I´m just excited to be sippin watermelon/lemonade (which one is more Beyonce I´m confused?!) & getting #primetimerays!!

Here is a quote that I read this morning that I loved:

"To me, the parable of the lost sheep is one of the most hopeful passages in all of scripture.Our Savior, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us.   
He knows and loves you.
He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are. He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings. Your fears. Your tears.
It matters not how you became lost—whether because of your own poor 
choices or because of circumstances beyond your control.  What matters is that you are His child. And He loves you. He loves His children."
 – President Uchtdorf.

I´ve seen this more than ever in the past few weeks. 

I know that God cares about and truly loves all of his children. Everyone we talk to is going through some sort of difficult time or has some sort of problem, and I can feel the love that God has for them. I know that none of us are ever lost! God has an intricate plan for every one of us, and more than we want to be close to him, he wants to be close to us. I´m so thankful for a perfect, loving Heavenly Father.

LOVE YOU ALL BUNCHES!! Have a wonderful July 4th!!
Sista Moon


 Evila's Baptism


 Messejana Zone




Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

I´m alive! I didn´t have the chance to email yesterday on pday because we had our last mission conference with President Fusco, and it was so sad! BUT, I´m grateful for the chance to learn from two mission presidents, and for all of the things I learned from President and Sister Fusco that I can keep in my heart forever. Yesterday, Sister Fusco talked about the stories of Jesus in the Bible, and especially OUR stories of Jesus in our missions. She had everyone think about the times in the last week when Jesus touched our hearts, or helped us with something, and lots of us shared our experiences. I loved this activity because I was able to reflect on how present he is! I want to share three of these “stories” with yáll.

#1 Sister Bispo and I are working in an area that had 4 missionaries and now only 2 of us are here and we have been really challenged lately with how big our area is/how many people need our visits/getting kind of lost/people not opening their hearts/etc. While I was feeling kind of discouraged with all of the responsibilities that we have, I looked at the sky and it was the prettiest pink that I´ve ever seen. I felt at that moment that Jesus was trying to tell me that it will all work out. I felt the strongest peace in my heart to know that the Savior of the entire world wanted to comfort me.
#2 Right now we are teaching a cute girl named Evila, and she is hilarious and bright and awesome! She is passing through a lot of difficulties in her life, but on Sunday she told me casually - “I´ve been praying every day since last week to know if the church is true” and I then asked “Did you  receive an answer yet?” and she said “Ya, I received answer on Tuesday, but I keep asking because I love the joy I feel in my heart every time I ask.” How wonderful is our Savior for creating this joy in our lives!
#3 On Thursday, Sister Bispo and I went to the Center of Fortaleza (the other mission lol) for the second time to try to help a couple document the day of their wedding. We lost a lot of time because it´s far away, and there were problems with different documents, so we returned to our area really late! All of our plans fell through, and we decided to say a prayer and ask where we should go. When we opened our eyes we saw a man sitting in front of his house almost like he was waiting for us. We started talking to him, and he offered to introduce us to his family. I felt the spirit so strongly while teaching them in their house! They were SO nice, and it felt like we had known them for years. I know that Jesus, through the Holy Ghost, guides all of our paths, and that when we are following him and trying to help others follow him, we can´t go wrong.
Next week, President Leite will arrive, and it will be so awesome to get to know him and his family! I´m loving my companheira & my new area & everything is all good.

Xoxo,
Sister Moon

 Alexia's Baptism


 Alexia's dad couldn't be there, but soon it will be his baptism and Nilda's


 Sister Freitas (in the middle) and all of her "filhas" (sisters that she trained)


 We're still the two best friends that anyone could have!!!




 I love Sister Beihl (she is a married missionary from South BR that works in the mission home)



 we chillin





My last district

Spotted eating dinner on a facebook post 

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

encontrei meu castelo VIU

I said my tchau tchau´s to Horizonte on Thursday, and arrived in my new area! I´m in Messejana and in Ala Castelo! My companion is Sister Bispo and she is SO GABOLICE! I always wanted to be her companion, and here we are. 
We arrived in a really busy end of the week because it was Stake Conference, and also President Fusco had a devotional for all the recent converts in the stake. It was insanely busy arriving in an area that is new for both me and Sister Bispo, and finding/bringing everyone to church! I felt like Gossip Girl with a map/list of addresses #spotted #youknowyouloveme. We prayed A LOT for guidance, and for help not getting lost, and we both really felt like we were being guided by Heavenly Father where to go. We even found a cute girl with part of my Mom´s name (Ana Kelly), who had been taught by the missionaries a year ago, and was never baptized. She agreed to be baptized yesterday, and it was amazing! Ana Kelly is our miracle!
                Something interesting I was asked yesterday was, “Do you like cinquenta centavos?” Cinquenta Centavos means 50 cents, and I thought this guy was asking me if I needed money, but he really just wanted to know if I like the rapper, DUH! HAHA
                Love you all!!!                                                                                                 
I honestly don´t know if it´s Father´s Day yet, because Brazil celebrates in August, but if it already passed, HAPPY FATHER´S DAY DAD, Papa, and Grandad!!!


 Ana Kelly


spotted:  Mateus & Perla.  Sister C. Silva and I were more than missionaries, but also match makers

tchau tchau horizonte

BOM DIA!
Today I´m super happy and super sad all at the same time. I was transferred, and I can´t believe that I´m leaving Horizonte. I thought I would stay here FOREVER when I arrived. It was my  most difficult area, but I´ve seen the most miracles and grew the most spiritually here. I never told yáll the story of Messias! He is awesome. Messias is 42 years old, and he suffered a lot in his life with drugs, alcohol, and depression. He was baptized three weeks ago, and yesterday he received the Melchezideck Preisthood. His strength in abandoning these addictions is almost unbelievable! But he told Sister C. Silva and I that “the gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect. Every time I have an urge to drink or to do drugs I read a page of the Book of Mormon, and I feel hope. I don´t need drugs or alcohol to help me because the Book of Mormon is true”. Amazing enough this is exactly what Elder Christensen talked about in a mission conference this week. If we know the Book of Mormon is true, and we are actually reading it every day, our difficulties will become smaller, and we will be able to feel hopeful.
                Yesterday when I found out that I was transferred, I told everyone the same three things to never forget, and it applies for yáll too!
1)      I Love you
2)      Jesus Christ loves you
3)      The Book of Mormon is true, and it will be your guide.

I love you all!!
Sister Moon 



 Everyone going to stake conference

 This is Messias

 Lucas' baptism



sei não viu (May 23rd letter)

BOM DIA & Happy day late birthday, Mom! 

Everyday this week was lit!
 
Sister C. Silva and I were talking today about all of the miracles that we have been seeing, and I feel so lucky and happy to be serving in this area. Our area is GIANT. It is an entire city with lots of different neighborhoods & we don´t have the option to ride buses here, so we have to be smart & really rely on the spirit when we make decisions about where to go/who to visit. On Sunday we needed to stop at lots of houses before church to bring people church & we ended up not having enough time to stop for 4 more really important people. We ended up finding one of them riding his bike on the street of the church, and a member offered to search for the others. Everything fell in to place in the last minute, and it was a reminder for me that I need to trust more in Heavenly Father that he will take care of everything for me. 
 
I don´t want to waste one second of my time here being stressed out about things that are out of my control, and I think the solution to this is to have A LOT of faith in Christ!
 
I love this quote from Thomas S. Monson 
"May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary- a real faith. The kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With that, we can accomplish our goals."
 
HAHA I just remembered another example of Heavenly Father really working everything out for us. Sister C. Silva and I planned an activity for the youth & for all of their friends last week, and LOTS of youth came! We planned on playing volleyball/soccer at this place that is kind of like a rec center & it´s usually always open. We showed up with everyone, and it was closed! The closest soccer field was really far away, and it was really hot, and we had cocacola & food & lots of things to carry. A drivers ed bus appeared out of no where & Sister C. Silva and I are crazy so we flagged down this bus & asked him if we could pay him to drop us off at the soccer field, and  The drivers ed teacher was like "no it´s for free, it´s this guy´s first time driving", and so we yelled at everyone to get in the bus & it was perfect! haha we even had air conditioning for 15 minutes & nobody died. #thelittlethings
 
Love you all!! Have a fab week.
Sista Moon