Shaelie's Missionary Adventure!: Turtle

Wow! This week has been such a blessing. The best part was that on Sunday we had a BAPTISM!!! It was so great! We were able to help Michele who was 15 years make a promise to Heavenly Father. It was really special because her dad was able to baptize her. Both her parents are recent converts (Completed another family!) and they are just the cutest little family. They have one more daughter who's 6 and she's adorable! It was a really special day. To be able to help someone make this important decision and change in their lives. SO great! We have another preparing for next Sunday, we are really excited for him! This area really is full of people who are willing to changes. "The field is ready to harvest!" Hopefully everything will go well for the next baptism and the other people we are preparing.

I was talking to our LZ today and we are just really busy! Almost everyday next week we have multiple appointments already! We don't have time for everything we want to do and everyone we want to visit! Which I guess it a good thing! I feel like a real missionary. I feel like this week we taught a lot and I really felt the spirit. We tried really hard to focus on the needs of our investigators individually and I feel like it really made a difference. We are trying hard to make connections with those we are teaching and let them know that they can trust us and we are here for them! I love these people so much and I want them to be happy and have everything they are looking for in life and I know that the only way we can have that truly is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This week I was thinking a lot about the importance of families in the gospel. Really this is why we are here so that families can come closer together and eventually be sealed for time and all eternity in the temple. Whenever I see a family closer to that happiness my heart is just FULL of joy! I'm so blessed to be able to take a part in that process!

Also something we have been doing a lot this week is singing! We got inspired to use music more in our teaching. Until now it has made a huge difference. We try to sing a hymn in every lesson! It really brings the spirit. They other day we were teaching a couple and they were fighting. She was crying and they were both saying different things and talking over each other. I was a little lost because I wasn't understanding everything they were saying and I didn't know what to say because we can't really give them advice so we were just sitting there for a while listening. I got the impression that we needed to take control of the situation and really bring the spirit into their home. So it just said "Okay, lets do this. First breathe. Lets put all this bad stuff outside sing a hymn say a prayer and talk about things of God" We sang "where can I turn for peace" Oh my goodness what a difference it made. For the whole rest of the time we were there I felt the spirit so strong trying to help them remember what's most important in our lives. I have such a testimony of music and the power that it can have.

The last thing that was really awesome this week was that we had a conference just for the sisters! It was so great, I'm fairly certain that São Paulo Sul has the best Sister missionaries is the world! ;) Right now we have 24 sisters in the mission and it's growing so we really needed a meeting to help us know exactly what we need to do. For me the best part was just feeling the spirit and getting advice from the other sisters. And obviously it was super full being all together! haha We received a TON of great training. I was just thinking how blessed we are to have Sister Tanner here in our mission. She is seriously such an inspiration. She gave us all a copy of sisters in my kingdom and talked a lot about how we can use these principles is our mission. I didn't know that she actually wrote it! I knew she had a part in it but she was actually called by the first presidency to write the book. And its such an inspiriting book with so many things that can help us as women. I know that this is where I am supposed to be! I am learning so much everyday from every person I meet. I am so grateful everyday for the experiences that I'm having!

I love you all so much and I hope you always remember how important you are to our Heavenly Father and how much he wants that you will have everything you desire in your lives. I know that through obedience to the commandment of God will lead us to eternal happiness. Thank you for all that you have taught me that has helped me become the missionary and woman I am today.

A IGREJA É VERDADEIRA! E O Evangelho de Jesus Cristo é a UNICA caminho que nós podemos ser salvos.

EU TE AMO COM TODO MINHA CORAÇÃO!

Have a great week!

TURTLE!!! :)

We found a waterfall outside an investigators house! haha oh and yeah that shouldn't be there, and we totally walk these stairs all the time I about die! haha