"The Lord’s way is not to sit at the side of the stream and wait for the water to pass before we cross. It is to come together, roll up our sleeves, go to work, and build a bridge or a boat to cross the waters of our challenges."

I don´t have a lot of time to write this week because I have been working on my college essays, but this was a great week!!!!

On friday we had a specialized training with President Ferrin and the assistants. I really enjoyed the training and it gave me motivation to work harder than I have ever worked before!!! When we left I started talking to like EVERYONE in sight. It was a really rewarding day. 

On sunday was the baptism of Gabriel. He was so HAPPY afterwards :) It has been super awesome to see the change that he has made in his life. Next step... Endure to the End 

We are currently increasing the number of people that we teach, and had a good number of investigators at church so that was really rewarding to see. I hope that this week is a good week for all of you!!!!!!!!!! 

The Pursuit of Happiness

This week was not at all what I was expecting it to be. But it ended up being a pretty good week. 

We were in high gear doing TONS of street contacts. Doing all we could do find new investigators. But yeah that didn´t work out too well. We only got two new investigators out of the 50 contacts that we did. 

But, we worked all week with Alicia (the daughter of the couple who is going to be married next month to be baptized) and she got baptized yesterday. She is so AWESOME. She was so excited to be baptized, and everytime she prays she prays that her parents can get married soon so that they can get baptized too!!! I am SUPER excited to plan a wedding :) Should be happening in about December. I might not get to be there for Annika´s wedding, but at least I´ll get to see a wedding. 

We have also been working with Gabriel. Gabriel is the son of a recent convert, Janai. He never was very interested with meeting with the sisters and he just likes playing soccer on the street and getting into trouble. But when I saw him, I was like. We need to teach him!!!! So me and my companion started slowly trying to gain his trust and BAM. Before he knew it he was taking the discussions. And he is super awesome. His biggest concern right now is HAPPINESS. He wanted to know how he could be HAPPIER. We have been making that a key point in all the lessons that we teach him. For the first week we taught him, everytime we extended an invitation he wouldn´t give firm answers. It was always ``maybe i´ll go to church on sunday``  ``Let´s see if I remember to say a prayer tonight``. But when we taught him on saturday he had a great bonding moment with his mom. And talked about the change that he had seen in her after her baptism. She stopped saying swear words, stopped drinking, stopped screaming at him, stopped beating him. And he said ``she does look a lot happier`` This was like the most rewarding thing I have ever seen. It made me think..... man THE GOSPEL TRULY DOES BLESS FAMILIES!!!!!!! And after the lesson we invited him to be baptized and he said YES :) Then he went to church on sunday and saw the baptism of Alicia and afterwards he came up to us and said ``Eu decidi, eu vou me batizar domingo que vem`` I have decided to be baptized next sunday!!!! WOOHOOOOOOO. It made me soooo happy to see him happy and to see him respond with such a firm answer. 

What I have been learning with Gabriel is that the only way to find true happiness is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. Heavenly Father wants to see us happy. He wants to see us on the right path to eternal life because he loves us!!!!!! It reminds me of the tree of life. The fruit is what is true happiness. 

10 And it came to pass that I beheld a ^atree, whose ^bfruit was desirable to make one ^chappy.

And how can we get to the tree of life?!?!!? Following the iron rod which is the word of god!!!!! When we follow the commandments and live the gospel we are going to be happy regardless of what is happening in our lives because we will have hope that we will be blessed and that Heavenly Father will fix the bad things that are happening.  

Love you all!!!!

"The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets. The more we rely on the Savior’s grace, the more we will feel that we are on the track our Father in Heaven has intended for us." Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Vila Esperança

This week was pretty good. I am finally getting used to my new area and my new companion, Sister Peart. I still miss Vila Prudente and Sister Oborn, but I know that I am going to really learn how to love Vila Esperança. This week our ward made a lot of PROGRESS. 

My companion and her old companion had met a family before I got here and had been working with them. They have a really complicated situation. Raquel, the mom is a single mom. She has 4 kids. So it´s really hectic there. Her daughters boyfriend lives in the same house because his dad is a drug addict and kicked him out on the street and he had no where to go. But they are great people and we worked hard to prepare them for their baptism. Saturday was the big day and it ended up being a really special baptism. They aren´t perfect and they need a lot of help, but I am confident that Heavenly Father will bless them SOO much because of the faith that they have. I also know that the gospel can cure ANY problem. I am hoping that we can continue helping them have less fights and more strong family bonding moments. 

We also have been working with a family that just moved here from the state of Bahia here in Brazil. They are super awesome. They are here in São Paulo looking for a better way of life. In the Bahia it is super hard to sustain a family. They were walking around last sunday looking for a house when they saw the church and saw that the sign said Visitors Welcome and felt like maybe that Jesus Christ was the help that they needed in their lives. And they loved the church and the members loved them. The bishop gave Alison, the husband, (yes its a boy name here) a job at his construction company and Vanubia (the mom) has been hired to help a lot of the members clean their houses. We started teaching them and they have already accepted baptism. But first they need to get married, and of course they accepted as well!!! We are super excited for them. We just hope that the marriage papers will pass soon so we can be here when they get married and baptized!!!!!!! They have two daughters one that is 10 and one that is 2. It makes me happy to know that the gospel is helping them and I hope to be able to teach with the spirit so that they can truly become converted. 

This week we are going to work to find a lot of new investigators especially families, and continue working to help our ward grow and become more united.  

Hope everyone has a good week!!!! Continue sharing the gospel the best you know how.  

Desi 

``The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.`` Proverbs 16:21 Goodbye to Vila Prudente

Today is my last day in Vila Prudente. Translation- Vila Prudent. The name of this area describes my time here pretty adequately. I feel like I have learned SO MUCH in these last 6 months here in Vila Prudente. I´m so grateful to the Lord for the opportunity that I have had to be here. It will forever hold a very special place for me in my heart. I have learned soooo much from the members on how to truly serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind and strength. I have learned from my investigators and recent converts how to have more faith. I have been given so much wisdom of the scriptures and the plan that Heavenly Father has for me through the hours that I have studied here. Heavenly Father has given me the experiences that I have had here to truly help me be more Prudent. I will forever be grateful for the time that I have spent here. I know that I was spent here for very specific reasons. To find the people that I have taught and helped enter into a covenant with Heavenly Father. Every single one of them where prepared by Heavenly Father, and I feel strongly that it was my purpose here on earth to find them.

Its wierd. I feel like I´m leaving home again. I feel like I´m leaving my family all over again. Words will never describe the amount of love that I feel for this area. It will forever hold a piece of my heart. 

Next Stop, Vila Esperança which is translation for Vila Hope... I guess Heavenly Father wants me to learn how to have more hope. Haha... 

``Wisdom is The ability or gift from God to judge correctly. A person gains wisdom through experience and study and by following God’s counsel. Without God’s help, man does not have true wisdom (2 Ne. 9:28; 27:26).`` (LDS.ORG)

Love you all!!!!!! 

Desi 

The Time Is Mine

This week I have officially been on my mission for 1 year... It seems like yesterday that I was entering the MTC.... Times flies so FAST

Last week was kind of frustrating because I just felt really unmotivated and it wasn´t a good feeling. 

This week I am going to choose to beHAPPIER, and BETTER..... 

 It should be a much better week because we have a baptism on Saturday and a baptism on Sunday.. :)

I am learning that the time to act is now. I need to take advantage of every minute left that I have on my mission. To be the Best I can, and to help as many people as I can tocome unto christ. In 1 year I have seen so many changes in myself and in others. I´m so grateful for this past year that has passed by. It has been such a rewarding year. I´m looking forward to these next 6 months as well!!!!!! THE GOSPEL IS TRUE

Desi 

Setting worthwhile goals gives direction to our lives.

So this week was SUPER BUSY.... A lot happened!!!! A LOT

Monday was our district meeting. And me and my companion put our new goal for 8 baptisms for the month of October.... We know that it is a high number, but we both felt inspired to put it as our goal. I have yet to reach a monthly goal on the mission, and this is the highest goal I have set, but I know that Heavenly Father will help me reach this goal with a lot of prayers and fasting, and obedience. 

Tuesday we had the opportunity to visit one of our Recent Converts in the hospital. She has lung cancer. It was the first time that I entered a cancer hopsital. It was really an eye opener for me because It made me realize how blessed I am to have the health that I do, and the life that I do. It also made me really sad to think of all the people that our nearing the end of their life, and don´t have the gospel. I´m really grateful that I do. It makes me want to help EVERY single person in my surroundings!!!!!!!!! 

Wednesday we had so many scheduled appointments we had to run from appointment to appointment!!!!!! And so it was the rest of the week. But we saw some awesome progress in a lot of our investigators. 

On Saturday was General Conference. One of our investigators before conference told us that She WANTS to be baptized. She has investigated the church on and off for 10 years!!!!!!!!! She is the cousin of a member. She still has her first book of mormon that was given to her by elders 10 years ago!!!!!! At conference she wrote down 10 questions and in just one session 9 of the 10 questions were answered. And the second question was answered during the second session..... It made me SOOOO happy. And now after conference she is 100 % sure!!!! I loved conference!!!!!!

Also on Sunday we had 2 baptisms of 2 girls. Geovana and Amanda. We met them 2 weeks ago. Their mom works for a member cleaning her english school. They went to church last week and loved it!!! This week we taught all of the lessons and they were baptized yesterday. Their mom wants to be baptized too, but its a complicated situation... She lives with someone that she is not married too, but she can´t get married because if she does she will lose the money that she gets every month for being a widow..... But I know that Heavenly Father will help her realize that it´s worth losing the money, to take part of the only TRUE church, and to make a covenant with the Lord!!!!!!! Anyways I don´t know how exactly she is going to feel that she needs to be married, but I know that she will!!!!!!! 

We have another investigator who has a baptism date for the 20th of October, and a lot of others that we have been teaching a lot and who have gone to church, so we know that our goal this month is definitely possible!!! 

I feel like goals are definitely something that I have been learning a lot about on my mission. It´s a way to help us progress. Our goal here on the earth is to prepare to meet God. He wants us to all be perfect like he is. Our progression in necessary. We can´t just stay the way we are, we always need to be progressing. Setting High Goals shows our Heavenly Father our desires, and when we have goals we are willing to work hard to reach them. 

Set your goals high, if you have not already done so. 

Desi 

``There is nothing so unchanging, so inevitable as change itself``

So this week was an interesting week. 

Tuesday was transfers, and me and my companion Sister Amaral were told that we would stay... So we were all excited about this new transfer and the great things that we would see together, because we have two awesome investigators that have baptisms marked for October, Marcos and Karina. 

On Wednesday we wrote goals for the transfer and talked about all the things we could do, to help our area, and we were super pumped to work hard!!!!!!

Then on Thursday, we got a call from the Assistants that there was going to be an emergency transfer because of a situation that happened with other sisters. When I first got the call I felt heartbroken. Sister Amaral went to a different area, and I stayed here in Vila Prudente with Sister Oborn. Sister Oborn is my second american companion. I feel sad that Sister Amaral left, but I already love Sister Oborn!!!!!! 

But ever since Thursday it feels like everything is changing in my area. We started working in a different area than usual, we have new investigators, we are trying new methods of working. The mission is wierd. I feel like in one day I feel up to 100 different emotions. Happiness, Sadness, Excitement, Discouragement all at the same time. I´m sad that Sister Amaral isn´t my companion anymore, but I´m happy that Sister Oborn is my new companion. Change is hard, but I know that it is for the best. I read a talk by Marvin J. Ashton that described exactly how I am feeling. Here is a quote he used from C.S Lewis, 

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace” 

And so it is, with us. Sometimes change is hard. But it´s usually for the best. I hope that I can learn to adapt quickly and see the sense in what God is building in my life. I hope that this week will be a good one for me and Sister Oborn and for all of you!!!!!!!! 

Love, 

Desi 

  

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There are great challenges ahead of us, giant opportunities to be met. I welcome that exciting prospect and feel to say to the Lord, humbly, ‘Give me this mountain,’ give me these challenges.`` - Spencer W. Kimball

This week had some really great Ups and some really low Downs. 

Teaching lessons are always great ups. This week started good, because we taught some really great lessons to our investigators. But as the week went on. Bad news kept coming. Day after day. First day, Jeiza, one of Raquel´s friends that wanted to be baptized for sunday, decided she didn´t want to, but Rafaela was still wanting to the whole week. She´s awesome one day after we taught her about the gospel of jesus christ she went to school and taught her entire class about faith, repentance, baptism, the holy ghost, and enduring to the end. They started calling her pastor Rafaela and she told them. No, actually it´s Sister Soares. Everything seemed ready for sunday: the President of the Young Women made a cake, Me and sister Amaral practiced singing When I am Baptized the youth of the ward got all excited. And what happened?!?! We got there on sunday and she told us she wasn´t going to be baptized. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! I thought. I felt true sadness. Geiza the whole week had been talking to her about all the things she would miss out on, like drinking going to parties, drinking coffee things that don´t bring happiness!!!!!!!!! On our way to church we talked to her and made a pact that she would  say a prayer and pay attention to what she learned in young women´s and afterwards make her decision... and what happened?!?!? Heavenly Father answered her prayers....  

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of ^afear; but of ^bpower, and of ^clove, and of a sound mind.8 Be not thou therefore ^aashamed of the ^btestimony of our Lord

She told us that the leaders had given her this scripture to read and that it was exactly what she needed and that she knows that Heavenly Father really answered her prayer and that this church is really true!!!!!!!!!! But she still told us that today couldn´t be the day. the youth spent the entire church talking to her about the decision. I also think that one of the young men helped a lot with the decision, but now she is going to baptized on Thursday. 

We also got robbed this week as well. Luckily he only stole our cell phone. But it´s been hard without a cell phone. REALLY HARD. We lost a lot of our investigators numbers and just my luck the same day I left my planner at the mission office, so I didn´t have numbers or addresses of some of the people we had marked to vist during the end of the week. It may seem silly but this was a BIG MOUNTAIN for me. Because after everything seemed to be going wrong this happened. I was already so stressed out because of everything else going on. 

But... I know that Heavenly Father gives us mountains to climb for our benefit. Funny because last monday I downloaded free music from lds.org and one of the musics talk about mountains to climb. It says 

``I know  that it won´t be easy, but it´s making me strong. So give me mountains to climb, rivers to climb, something thats going to make me better than I was . Give me mountains to climb because I know its taking me higher than I´ve ever been before.`` 

I thought it was a good message so I translated it for my companion. After everything that happened she laughed and said. The savior heard you. What does it say in D&C??? Song of the righteous is a prayer??? Heavenly Father definitely has a sense of humor. 

But this week should be a lot better. We have the baptism of Rafaela on Thursday and Sabrina on Saturday.... WOOO HOOO. Sabrina is finally going to be baptized on Saturday. SOOOO HAPPY. And tomorrow we are going to the temple. I know it is going to be a GREAT WEEK. 

 

Never Give Up!!!! Whatever Challenge the Lord gives you, face it with Courage and know that you are capable. 

Desi 

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If Ye Have Not Charity

This week was a really really really BUSY week. We had so many things to do and so many people to teach. We have been seeing a lot of work here in Vila Prudente. 

Tuesday was Zone Conference. It was a good conference. We did a lot of practices and studied a lot from preach my gospel. It made me remember how important the basics are in missionary work. 

This week we worked hard to prepare Valmir and Vinicius for their baptisms. They both were already SO ready for baptism!!!!!  

This week I learned a lot about the importance of charity. If we truly love the people that we are teaching we will do anything to help them. We put our own comfort aside and SERVE. This week we learned some really bad news, our investigator, Sabrina, whose sister I met in the MTC during TRC, called us and told us that her mom was back in the hospital and the doctors only gave her 6 months to live. After hearing this news I didn´t know what to do, or how to help. I felt like I couldn´t even breath. But Sister Amaral and I talked about things we could do to help and we decided that we just really needed to be there for her and show her how much we loved her. We bought her a get well kit because she was sick this week with a video of the church and a magazine with tea and soup and earrings and chocolate, and just listened to what she had to say, and taught her about the gospel and how much it was going to help her in her life. Her sister that lives in the US is going to fly down this week. As a result of listening to her and her feelings about everything she seems to be realizing the importance of baptism and she feels a lot better about the date we had set as a goal for her. From this experience I really learned that Charity is everything. When we have charity we do everything that we can to help others recieve the restored gospel. 

Would love to hear what´s going on in everyone´s life... Even if it´s just the latest picture you posted on facebook. 

Desi 

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