Training!! EEK!

So, the title says it all...I received a phone call from President Greene on Monday to let me know that I would be training a new missionary. She´s from Salt Lake City close to Murray. She is the oldest in a family with 8 children. Her little brother is serving a mission in Peru right now. Oh, and her name is Sister Blocker. I´m excited and scared at the same time. I´ll be doing a lot of teaching, both in home and also during our appointments, but it will be good for me I´m sure. Other than that there is not too much to say..I´m a bit one tracked minded today.

Samuel obrigada pelas tuas palavras. Tens qualquer conselho para me dar? Como foi com o teu colega? Falaste muito em Português ou será que vocês falavam muito en inglês? Quaisquer palavras de conselho seria ótimo. Estou tão animada para falar com a Mãe aqui em breve...eu não acredito que eu vou fazer um ano aqui na missão dia 4...Não é justo...quero ficar por muito mais tempo..realmente o tempo voa.

Well, that´s about it...I love it here the temperature is turning really nice, in a little bit it will be really hot, but as the portuguese say: Paciência! I´ll let you know how it all goes...I´m sure it will be great. The church is true and the book is blue! We´re having a lot of success here in this area and I´m sure it will continue. There is a spirit that a new missionary brings that defies description...already in the taxi ride home the taxista asked us about the church and we taught a great lesson before even entering the house. This will be great!

happy birthday, love you all!
ellen

great days, cool nights, beautiful ocean!

Hello my dear family!
Thanks Mom for taking care of the card for me! This week has been really good. We have been teaching at every opportunity, really trying to open our mouths in every place that we are in, and in turn we have the Spirit which allows us to touch the hearts and the lives of the people here. It is really a great feeling. We have a lot of new friends who really have a lot of promise. It is just so great to help people´s faith grow and watch the scales fall from their eyes so to speak. One of the new people we are teaching is our neighbor Niza. Two years ago her youngest sister died and the depression and grief has literally taken over her life. We taught her this morning about the plan of salvation and how to pray. I pray that she will really pray about the truthfulness of the things we are teaching her, because I know that she will receive a witness that it is true...because I´ve received that same witness. I really love these people here with all of my heart and could happily live here forever. The love that I feel for them is but a tiny taste of our Heavenly Father and Christ´s infinate love for each of us, and it nearly `consumes my soul`as Nephi put it(2Nefi4). I am so thankful for the blessings and the tenderness that He has given me!

Samuel...Este trabalho é completamente espectaular não é? Eu não posso exprimir o amor que eu tenho e a gratidão por um Pai bondoso que concedeu uma maneira que eu podia aprender tais lições ainda antes de ter filhos. Sei que eu será uma mãe muito melhor por causa das experiências que estou a ter agora. Espero bem que tudo esteja a correr bem contigo e acho que escreverei sempre um pouco para ti porque faz bem ao meu jeito com a língua. Antes de sair quero ser completamente portuguesa, então estou a me esforçar muito para atingir tal desafio. Espero que o meu escrever seja correto. Cristo vive e é nosso Salvador. Este eu sei sem sombra de dúvida nehuma. Eu amo o meu Redentor! Estás sempre nas minhas orações! Amo-te irmão!

Yep, so the sea is beautiful, the gospel is also beautiful in the same way because it was created by the same loving being and it´s depths are equally unsearchable. The weather is very nice and we´re partying it up here in Gaia...well, a party in a different way. Thanks for your prayers and my prayers are also with you. Oh, mom, if you haven´t sent the nylons yet, could you include some grape Koolaid? There is a member here who loves it and we are helping her through a really tough time, I´d just like to give her a little something...Thanks!!!

Love you all!

ellen

Fw: The Passing of Time

Oi Famìlia

It is a great time to be alive in the world and in Brasil-the weather is perfect. It stays between 70-68 degrees with a cold wind. It is a wonderful change and the funny part is that it is not even winter yet but we will see what happens. There is not too much to say this week other than we are working hard and learning a whole lot. I have to always remember that I am myself and noone else and that I shouldn´t compare myself to others. I need to be optimistic and think about others more than myself. I have been really focusing on time management so that I can be more effective and specifically so that I can write in my journal. The days are passing right by and I have got to write down and graces of the days and the blessings of the Lord. Sometimes, i have thought why do we really need to write in our journals what´s the real purpose-it certainly preserves our past and tells history but also it is a way that we can remember and recognize the tender mercies in our lives and the blessings that we do receive-the mysteries of God that we understand and the promptings of the spirit that we receive.

Time is going by so fast--it always has been and always will--I think of the saying of Gandalf on the Lord of the Rings--he says to Frodo: so do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide--what is importante is what we do with the time that is given to us. Something like that. I am very grateful for the great opportunities that I have in my life and the things that I am learning. i know that the more that we understand about the plan of happiness the more that we will want to work hard and really be happy. I love you all

Elder Thompson

HAPPY EASTER!!

Happy Birthday to all of you who are celebrating birthdays today...like Deann who was a great "example of the believers". i love the pictures drawn and taken! Oh, and thanks Mom for the great toothbrush...that blinking light makes is a joy to brush, which I needed after eating all of the red jelly beans (sister simons ate all of the rest-because I said she could and the really good ones are either red, black or white)

So, it has been a great week so far. We are working a lot with the members and enjoying the results. We had a zone conference yesterday and we read together the talk Elder Ballard gave Sunday Afternoon about Creating a Gospel-Sharing Home. We are going to start teaching this to the members with a lot of energy, because really the members are the key.

I have to say once again that I love the Book of Mormon. I had one day last week when for some reason I got a little down. During dinner I read in the Book of Mormon in Portuguese (I will finish next week for the second time...realizing the apostalic promise of the gift of tongues) Anyhow, as I was reading the Lord was able to communicate with me in His own words proffered to the people in the Americas 2000 years ago the peace and joy that only He can give. I felt the love He feels for all people and comfort and hope in the promises that He has made. It was a great upper and I hit the road again after dinner with a new energy and gusto... really this is the work of the Lord! I´m so priviledged to be a part of it. Really, I sometimes wonder why He chose me and has allow little old me to be a part of something so great. It´s always humbling because i can see that really it is not my words that change people, it is the Spirit and the words of Christ who make the changes.

So...I also got my pictures and here is the et maintenant la cerise sur le gateaux...(drumroll Please)...Well, I did eat the whole plate of that fishy stuff...even the things with eyes, and not only that, I ate a second helping. I probably would not choose to eat this for every meal, but I also did not die. Also, a beautiful sunset on the sea and a happy Candida with her family.

Love you all so much and know that you´re always in my prayers. Hopefully Ethan is doing well. Love you !

ellen

Excitement

Oi Família,
It is a pleasure to speak to you at this time, before I start I would like to thank all of those who made this all possible. I know that without our Savior Jesus Christ we would not be able to live together forever. That is pretty special.

Well, we made a great baptism this week. José Aparecido is now a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That is pretty awesome. The cool part also is that we will have a lot more baptisms in the future. Our mission is starting to pick up the pace and we are having more baptisms. With that, however, they are asking us to do things that have not been done in the past and the expectations are a lot higher but that is nothing new to me. My whole life is been that way, I have always expected myself to do a lot. It is really fun.

Transfers were this week and I have a new companion. Elder Savage is from Ogden, Utah. I am getting used to being companions with Americans now. I know that this transfer with be great and we will be learning a lot. I was reading in Mosiah 4 and 5 today. It talks a lot about how we should do things and the main idea for me was desire. If we want to do anything we need to have the desire to do it-that is the motivator and then we can set the goals and work towards the goals we set. To be successful, we need to have the desire to be successful.

I am excited to be here on the mission and I get more excited each day. I know that the Lord is blessing me and all of you because of it. Ellen, eu recebi Preach My Gospel e Pregar Meu Evangelho. Eu os adoro. Muito obrigado. Parabéns no batismo. Eu sei que isso foi muito especial. I love you all and know that the gospel is true.

quickie

Just a quick one for today as we only have one computer. General Conference was amazing. Each year it gets better and more direct. We had a baptism this week which went really well and she will be a great leader. Happy Birthday on Wednesday to Martha. Getting old... I´ve included some pictures to show mom that I really do eat once in a while, and I enjoy my food (or kissing those little fishy lips Nice and salty!) I did call mom, and they´ll send me the card here. Anyway, love you all. I will for sure fast this Sunday for Ethan. Love!

ellen