Links in red (click for info)
[mom note: a day or two after Megan's last letter we received pictures! Those pictures have been added to letters
here and
here. There is also a short video clip from our Skype session with Megan on Christmas that can be found
here
Hello again!!! (I feel like I just talked to you guys. . . oh wait I did
on Christmas!) It was seriously so fun to see your faces fam and hear news about extended family and friends. Sorry though for the really horrible English hahahaha. And I feel like I should have had a million things to say but I was having a really hard time thinking in english. #becauseportuguese. But I loved talking to you guys so much and rather than leave me homesick, it got me even more excited about being here (but I do love and miss you guys don't get me wrong).
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| Sister Marcelino and the ward mission leader that helped set up the Skype call |
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| Getting our first glimpse at that smile we've missed |
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| Best part of Christmas was having these four together |
Jordania and Thiago were baptized this week!!!!! It was so great. They both are so amazing and truly have testimonies that the church is true. Jordania kept saying how special this day was for her, to be baptized in the true church. She also said that Sister Marcelino and I are like sisters (ha) to her. It was so sweet. She is going to be such an amazing member of the church (future General Young Women's president or something for sure). And Thiago was excited beyond belief of course. The kid never runs out of energy, and I think he already knows everything about the church. The day after his baptism he was already asking bishop for the priesthood and a calling haha. Also he really wants to skype you guys hahaha.
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| Jordania and Thiago |
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| Leonardo and Jordania |
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| Megan, Jordania and Sister Marcelino |
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| Sister Dyer, Thiago and Sister Francis |
#minhavida // Sister Marcelino and I were teaching a lesson to our investigator, Felipe (17 yrs old, he's great! so excited to go to church!) And we had left
Moroni 10 with him, especially 3-5. But when we asked him if he had read he said yes and pointed at the end of chapter 9 to show where he read. He went to another room to go grab something and Sister Marcelino and I looked at chapter 9 verses 7-10. . . yikes. It's all about people getting killed and cannibalism and all that crazy stuff that happens in the wars at the end of the Book of Mormon. Sister Marcelino and I were
DYING. But when he came back we asked him what he remembered about what he read. . "I think it was about. . prayer." Phew. We were so relieved we just started laughing our heads off. Total laughing attack. But eventually we calmed down and I don't think Felipe thinks we're completely nuts. haha
Also skyping was so fun! I loved talking to you guys and also getting to know the families of the other sisters. I got to spend my Christmas with so many different families from different places. Such a unique Christmas and truly one of the best I've ever had.
scripture (sort of) // This morning I was reading in the Bible and it was talking about the scattering of Israel when they were taken captive by the Assyrians. The second I read Assyrians my brain went on a major tangent remembering art history and an Assyrian king named
Assurbanipal that had a bunch of stone engravings in his palace of him killing lions (mom, we saw them in the
British Museum!). And the Assyrians also had these giant stone guard animals called
lamassu (I think) [
mom note: just a couple pictures from our two trips (in the same week) to the British Museum...this girl LOVES her museums. I even managed to find some lamassu pictures]
But anyways my mind did exactly what I did just now and went on an art history tangent and then I looked in the
bible dictionary at Assyrians and it talks about this king! [
mom note: 5th paragraph] And a bunch of other stuff that was really interesting. Basically what I'm getting at is that studying, truly studying not just reading, the scriptures is the coolest! I learn so much everyday and I get so excited to have more time and resources to study at home. Here in the mission we can't use the fancy internet things the church has (take advantage of the apps and sites!) and I am usually studying more for my investigators than for me. But I
LOVE scripture study. Love love love it. Sorry for the nerd tangent.
Thank you to everyone who helped my Christmas to be so special, with cards and emails and thoughts and prayers. I am so grateful for all of you. I hope all of you have a fabulous New Year! I know that 2015 is going to be one of the best years of my life because the entire year will be dedicated to serving the Lord. I'm more excited than I have words to explain (especially English words because it's a struggle).
Eu amo vocês! Eu sei que O Livro de Mórmon é verdadeiro, e por isso eu também sei que Joseph Smith foi um profeta de Deus, e que essa igreja é a igreja verdadeira de Jesus Cristo. Eu amo meu Salvador e eu sou grata por poder servir essa missão para ajudar meus irmãos na terra a conhecer essas coisas. [mom note: from Google translate...I love you! I know the Book of Mormon is true, and I also know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that this church is the true church of Jesus Christ. I love my Savior and I am grateful to serve this mission to help my brothers on earth to know these things.]
tchau tchau!
