4/27/2015..Killer bee, service and green jello!!!

This past week was incredible!! :) I got attacked by a bee! Explanation: We were on the way to this guy's house to have dinner with him. Elder Fontes and him were in the front seat and I was in the back seat. I start to hear this weird sound and look around to find the source. Well, I found it! It was a bee about as big as a baseball!! Well, maybe not that bit but, it was BIG! He was trying to get out of the truck by flying against a closed window! After my not so gracious spaz attack, we pulled into a parking lot and let him out. I value my life more as a result of that experience! To be super dramatic, I'd say that that experience was given to me so that I could learn how to find more joy everyday realizing that being alive is a joy in and of itself. ;)

Aside from that, the week was AMAZING! I got to go on exchanges with Elder Hales! Aside from the proselyting success we had, it was such a great learning experience. He taught me a lot about maintaining a healthy state of mind. I learned, more fully, that other's disobedience and wrongful actions don't directly affect me unless I let them. We are all individuals and have our own agency. :)

Also, there is a little girl in one of the wards that we cover . She is 10 and wants to be baptized so bad! The only thing, is that her dad won't let her. :( BUT, we got word this past week that there is a potential date set for May 29th or May 31st! The parents are talking about it! Everyone! Please pray that his heart will soften and that all will go well for that wonderful family! :)

Also, there is an AWESOME buffet in Idaho Falls and I FINALLY got to go to it! It's called Chuck-a-rama and it is a little piece of heaven on earth! One of our investigator families took us there too! :) I got to have some sort of dish that can only be described as jello and whipped cream coming together in a beautiful  creamy, green combination with a kiwi on top. It was great! Also, we got to share a lesson with them in the middle of the restaurant. It was fantastic!

Elder Fontes and I got to give talks in one of our wards on Sunday too! I talked about "receiving greater fulfillment and joy through Jesus Christ." I identified 3 things that we as Children of God can do to accomplish just that. I talked about prayer, scripture study and service. As I was pondering as to how prayer can enable us to find greater joy and fulfillment I discovered that prayer is literally a channel through which the Lord can bless us! We know from the Plan of Salvation that He TREASURES our agency! When we pray, we righteously us our agency in such a way that He can help us. :) Also, there are SO many fantastic ways to study the gospel effectively. We can study our Patriarichal blessings, listen to the hymns, study by topic, use the resources available on Mormonchannel.org and even memorize scriptures so as to help them enter into our heart more fully! The Lord has a wealth of knowledge that He is wiling to give us! We need to be willing to pray in faith and study diligently and we will see Him in the details of our lives. :) Also, service is the bottom line I've decided! When I think of service, I always think of Gail Halverson from Meet the Mormons. In the movie he talks about how the Dead Sea is dead because it wraps it's arms around all the fresh water, takes in everything, gives out nothing! May we ever be found NOT being dead sea servants! We need to be out on the front lines helping those around! Aside from the blessings that will come into other's lives, we are promised so much joy and fulfillment. I know that there is joy reserved for the faithful servant. :) My invitation is for EVERYONE to try to pray with more strength, study with more diligence and serve with more willingness this week! :)

To close, we also had MLC this past week. :) It was amazing! It was also 8 hours long! Phew! Overall though, it was a spiritual explosion. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about miracles, loving others and going the extra mile for the Lord. :)

It was an amazing week! I hope everyone has a good one and finds lots of happiness! Keep praying, reading and serving!! Love you all! :)

4/20/2015..THE RIGHTEOUS ARE BOLD AS A LION!!

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE BOLD AS A LION!!

The Brazilian and the Washingtonian enjoying a completely and totally random snow storm in Idaho

4/13/2015..BUSY BUSY

This past week was incredible. :) Proselyting wise, we had a lot of success. :) One of our investigators is still looking good for baptism on April 29th @ 7. :) Also, we met a new guy, Kevin that said he would most definitely be baptized if he knew that it was true. Whoo! Also, we just received a new YSA branch and we got to meet one of our "new" investigators. They have 10 siblings and there mom is the most interesting lady ever! She wants to get baptized so bad but her mom won't let her. It breaks my heart to witness something like that. :( On a happier note, transfers went very well! We received two new missionaries who were visa waiters for about 2 days and then they both got their visas for Taiwan. Lucky elders.................... ;) I am so excited for them! The excitement in the zone is amazing as well! We are gearing up for a HUGE Aprill and an INCREDIBLY HUGE May! The goal is for every single companionship in the mission to help 2 of our Father's children enter the waters of baptism! We are investing LOTS of effort into preparing for it right now. It's going really well! It's very obvious that the hand of the Lord is with us and moving us forward. Miracles are happening everyday. :) It is so exciting to live during a time where the hastening of the work is so prominent and strong! May we ALL ever be found CATCHING THE WAVE and obeying the call to action that the Lord himself has given us! Mmm..... what else happened...... the weather has been really nice! Haha! Also, I got to go running around the green belt one morning! Man.... SO refreshing and beautiful! Exercise is THE BEST!

4/6/2015...Easter, Birthday and General Conference..all in one weekend!!!

So, Saturday was my birthday and some amazing people (Brittany and Mark Hargis) gave us an oreo pie! We had a couple pieces and THEN..... things got intense. It started small, then I threw some water at Elder Fontes and ran downstairs. It didn't take him long to come down WITH THE PIE!!! I ran into a little walk in closet (bad idea!!!) I was yelling, "DON'T DO IT!!" and he was yelling, "I'M GONNA DO IT!!" We were at a stand still for about 30 seconds and then...... he did it. That started the war of the oreo pie! We spent the next 4 to 5 minutes throwing pie at one another in a walk in a closet. Then, we spent the next 25 minutes cleaning it up!!! It was amazing! ;) Overall, as bad as it was having to clean everything up and shower afterward, It'll be a super fun memory that we will always be able to look back on and laugh!!! ;) It taught me that even though working hard is VERY VERY important, when the time is right, we all need to take a moment to relax and laugh! :)

We had a zone companionship study and this is the whole group!! It has been SO amazing to serve with all of these elders and sisters! A couple of them will be leaving us to go home and several of them will be getting transferred this upcoming Wednesday. They have done some marvelous work though!!!