Week 51-Enjoying the simple things

OI FAMILIA! I AM ALIVE! hehe

Well we are working like CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes I feel like my body is giving out. hahah I will have 1 year in the mission in 2 weeks! THAT IS SO WEIRD! Sometimes it feels like a year and other times it feels like only 2 weeks! haha 

The weather is hot! HOT HOT HOT! and then it rains! I LOVE LOVE LOVE RAIN! haha My umbrella broke the other week the head dis-attached from its body haha and so I bought another one! Its soooooooooooooooooo beautiful!!!!! I love it! haha Another thing I have learned on my mission is to enjoy the simple things. 

We have been going to the bishop's house EVERY P-DAY! And doing art! I love it! He invites us every week. But its funny we have 3 families that are fighting over our p-days! The whole ward is wanting to hang-out with the sisters! haha I love it! 

I have really fell in love with this ward and its members! I really feel at home here! I have so many friends and so much family here!!!! The area is hard but I have never felt like I have had more help and support in all of my mission!!! I feel my saviors love everyday here. Some days I am just exhausted and a little sad and a member stops and just gives me a big hug and/or words of encouragement. The members are always doing little things for us to! I am so thankful for them!!!! 

This week really be will be short because the internet is acting up.

I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!! Have AN AMAZING SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KEEP ME UPDATED ON ALL YOUR TRIPS! <3 (:

Week 50-Advice for cousin headed out soon on mission

FAMILIA E AMIGONS!

SOO yesterday my comps email was down and we didn't get it fixed until today. SO we got permission to email today! (: <3 

Spiritual thought of the week: 

 I learned a really good lesson this week about diligence. Everything has to be done in moderation. I worked myself to death this week and then got sick! haha I learned that we all need to stop sometimes and think about ourselves and also about our happiness. When we are working for the Lord or in anyother aspect of our lives we can not do more than we are physically able. IF WE DO OUR BEST GOD WILL DO THE REST! I really felt gods love and help throughout this week in ways that I can not describe. He lives and truly loves each one of us and everyone of his children. He knows are strengths and weakness, He will always be there to help if we are living and obeying his commands.

I AM SO EXCITED TO HERE ABOUT MY COUSIN ANDREWS CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I KNOW GOD HAS SENT HIM TO DO AMAZING THINGS IN COLORADO!!!

He asked me for a few "peepers" and I made a list of things that could help anyone who is preparing to go on a mission. 

1. OBEDIENCE IS THE KEY TO EVERYTHING!!! Even if you have to stand alone - STAND ALONE. Be obedient and you will never have to worry God will take care of it all. Obedience is the 1st law of heaven - its the 1st law of the mission. Obey. (There is a very sad fact. Many missionaries did not come on missions to be obedient and they suffer. Learn that obedience is important and fast)

2. Read- two talks "The fourth missionary" by Lawerence E. Corbridge & "Consecrated Missionary." by Tad R. Callister

3.Focus on the basics. You are going to want to study deep doctrine. Study the basics faith, repentance, the atonement, etc. and 1 you will understand the deep doctrine better and 2 you will find the deep doctrine through the study of the basics!

4.DO NOT EAT A TON OF THE MTC FOOD. You will get sick. haha

5.NEVER LOSE FAITH. In yourself, your comp, your investigator, or GOD. Faith is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo important!!!! (even if you are not teaching someone anymore pray for them. one day another missionary like you will find them).

6.Your greatest tools are: pray, fasting, faith, obedience, and hard work (diligence). *and they are bring the SPIRIT*

7. SISTER WHEATLEY HAS TO BE ON YOUR EMAIL LIST. EVERY WEEK YOU SEND A LETTER TO YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR COUSIN. haha  <- this is not just advice its a warning (; hehe

8. Know that God sent you to Colorado. He will send you to all your areas and he will put you with all of your comps. You will like and even love some more than others BUT LEARN TO LOVE THEM ALL.

9. Know that God loves you and you are his child. He will NEVER leave you.

10. AND last but not least-

KNOW you are not on a mission for you. you are on a mission for all of the lives who are waiting for you. You are there for the person who needs the gospel- that will one day teach the gospel and touch the lives of thousands.

YOU ARE THERE TO SERVE GOD. If that is baptisms, companions, or your areas. If you are following the spirit and are exactly obedient- you will be doing what God wants you to do! GO WORK HARD (: I know you all will!

.....

Yesterday was so much fun!!!!!! We made little clay dolls that you put on the top of pens. They are so beautiful! I love them!!!! We have started going over to Bishop house every p-day to do ART! I LOVE IT! We are making beautiful things and making amazing Brazilian food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are working hard. We are having a really hard time finding people that will go to church. But we know that God will guide us! Thank you for all your prayers and letters!!!! I love them so much!!!! 

Week 49-Sunday of Miracles

OI FAMILIA!!!!!!!!

This one really will be quick because we are going to make BRAZILIAN FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! The bispos wife is teaching us!!!

I just wanted to share a quick experience that happened this week:

We have been working for weeks without finding a lot of success. And we have been working hard even leaving early to meet up with investigators at 7:30 in the morning! hahaha

And Saturday.  I was really tired and really sad because I didn't know what else to do. And so I prayed that we could find just 1 person who needed to hear the gospel. And we got up and went out knocking on doors all day and at 8:30pm Saturday night we passed by a house that we had passed by many times trying to get in contact with a woman who keep inviting us to her house but was never home when we knocked. And we decided to go there; AND  when we opened the door her husband answered. And he gasped. (which is really important later in the story); And he started to tell us how he really wanted us to come back. He was so excited! Then we invited him to church on Sunday (yesterday) 9am; And he got really excited and said that he always wanted to visit that church because he was really curious. Then we left because we had to make it home by 9.

And Sunday. He showed up ready for church before 9. And he came in and just started to talk to everyone (he already knew a TON of people); and then we talked a little bit about the church and the members; And then the meeting started;

He really felt the spirit during sacrament. And when the testimony meeting started after the first 2 testimonies he asked me if HE COULD BEAR HIS TESTIMONY! and I said of course!!!! SO he went up and bore his testimony on how he has lived a clean life and how he always had a desire to know this church and how Saturday night when he opened the door and saw us he felt he was in the presence of angels. And how he knew this was where God wanted him to be. I started to cry.

And after sacrament. I asked him what he felt. He told me he didn't have words to describe it. And when I told him we have 2 more classes; He basically shouted for joy!

In the next class- it was about the Holy Ghost. And in the middle of the class he began to explain. That he knew that this was the church of God because the Holy Ghost testified to him when we knocked on his door. 

He said that was also what he was feeling in the church.

Last night- we went and taught him and his sweet wife about the restoration! And he told us that he knew already "in the small time he has had in the church" that the church is true and he already knows "because the spirit told him!" She accepted it too. THEY ARE AMAZING AND THEY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THE TRUTH. And God blessed me and loved me enough to let me see it happen.

I feel so blessed. We did nothing. Just walked around for days talking to everything that was living! And obeying the spirit. And God helped us to find his child that was ready!  I WOULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN IF THATS WHAT GOD ASKED OF ME! I am so excited to help teach his beautiful family! Please pray for them on their journey!!!

I have never felt Gods love for me more than I did yesterday. I have never felt the spirit so strong. I KNOW the church is the church of God and there is no other. There is only one god and one path. All we have to do - is follow, work hard, love, and have faith in him! He will do the rest!!

I really am just an instrument in the hand of God and there is no other place I would rather be!

Don´t worry I will keep y'all updated on this beautiful family!

LOVE YOU ALL!

ATE MAIS!

Week 48-Flying Teeth, Buckets of Water, Funny Bird, Singing in the Rain! What a week!

OI FAMILIA!!!!!!!! E AMIGONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I decided to write my letter different this week! We are working really hard here and we are really struggling to find success (people to teach); But God has blessed us with so much joy and laughter these past few weeks that it is impossible to feel down. So I decided to tell some fun stories!!!!!!!! 1. So I bought 5 things of Ramen today - AND WON A FREE SPATULA!!!!!!!!! (its really pretty too! haha) 2. I have an object lesson with wood and nails ( wear you have to put all the nails on top of one nail) and no one until now has been able to do it before I showed them how. And we were having a family home evening and I was doing this lesson- and one of the brothers was really frustrated and he told me that he thought I was lying with him. And I told him that it was possible. And he asked me how long it would take me and I told him less than a minute. Then he said that he would personaly make me a TON of sushi if I could do it under 1 min. I DID IT IN 45 SECONDS! I am still waiting for my sushi!!!!!! haha Everyone was shocked!!! And everyone talks about it! I just laugh! 3. There is an amazing member who is extremely funny and intelligent and he invited us over for lunch and as we where eating he sneezed and his TEETH flew into the air!!!!!!!!!  And then his little dog ran to pick them up!!!!! We tried so hard to hold it in- but everyone started laughing and so I died|!!!!!!! hahahahhaha 4. This week was sister amorim´s birthday- and we had lunch at the bispos house. And after lunch´- when we were leaving- the other sisters throw a ton of water down sister amorims pack! I was so shocked! I stepped back and the next thing I knew BISPO SOAKED ME WITH A HUGE BUCKET OF WATER!!!!! And then he ran inside! I had no way to get him back! haha Everybody was laughing then when I wasn't looking he throw a bigger one through the window!!! WITH ICE! It felt so good!!!!!!!! We are planning are revenge with his wife (; YES! haha *side note: I really really really love his family! Bispo, Linda, and Pitter! We found out that lunch was the first time in almost 18 years that he invited the sister missionaries to eat in his house. I felt so honored! I really do love his family!!! We are going pack to his house next p-day to do crafts and learn how to make Brazilian food!!! SO excited!!!! They have really become my family here!  5. We have a parrot that whistles "whoo-whoo" everytime we pass and if will tell him to come down (he sits high in a tree) - he says NO NO NO and then laughs! Its the greatest thing ever! 6. There is a street that goes down to our house that we call the runway because these past few weeks we have literally been running home to make it in time of the curfew! WE HAVE MADE IT EVERYTIME! MISSIONARIES DE PODER!!! haha 7. We are going out with TONS of youth and members everyday. To teach their friends and to just knock on doors! We have so much fun!!! We sing and the youth are actually fighting over who can come with us! I love this ward so much!!!!!!!!!!!! 8. We are in the middle of a flash flood and my umbrella broke so and my comp left hers in the house of a member so we decided to sing and dance in the rain as we "speed walked home!" Hahaha I WAS SOAKED! 9. I HAVE THE BEST MOTHER EVER! WHO SENT ME A PACKAGE WITH PHOTOS AND GOODIES!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE GOING TO MAKE RANCH BURGERS WITH A MEMBER FAMILY AND INVESTIGATORS! SO EXCITED! We are working hard and having so much fun!!! I LOVE MY NEW COMP! SISTER LOPEZ IS AMAZING! I have been really been blessed with amazing comps!!!! We really do whistle while we work(: hehehehe Well I have to go! I love you all so much! Thank you all so much for your love and support!!! And remember God does bless those who are obedient! He didn't say this road would be easy - he just said it would be possible!!!! (and you can always fill your life with joy) (: Ate mais! -- Sister Wheatley