February 28, 2016- "The Rat Pack"

February 26, 2016- 1 MTC- CHECK!!

Oi Familia!

Wow there is so much to say about this week I that I don´t even know where to begin! Although I have only been in the MTC a week and a half, I feel like I have leared so so much. 

So my campanions name is Sister Bavu and like I said she is from South Africa. I totally going to be honest and say that it hasn´t been easy. Not only do we have to be together 24/7, but our personalities and  cultures clash  all the time. I have been praying to heavenly father so much to help  me learn more patience and understanding. Especially last week I felt as though I could in no way get through six whole weeks with her...but Heavenly Father has help me SO MUCH. Not only can I now stand her, but I like her now! hahha we admited to eachother that we fight because it´s like we are actual sisters instead of trying to be ´fake´. She even said that I remind her of her younger sister so I guess that´s a compliment.....maybe? But I know that she was placed to be my companion for a reason, because I am learning so many important attributes that will help me with my futher companions. 

So Portuguese. Learning is super difficult, but I am progressing so much! Our first day here we had to teach an investigator in english which was so amazing. I could feel the spirit working though me, giving me promtings and revelations about what to say at the exact moment. Our second day here we had to teach the investigator in PORTUGUESE for 30 minutes!!! ahhhh super super hard. 

Last sunday, our district decided that we would all choose to fast to give us a little boost for the gift of tongues.  Saturday night I prayed like I have never before, pleading with Heavenly Father that if I did my part by working hard and studing Portugese, that he would help me along the way with the ability to memorize and continue to have the desire to learn portugese. I also asked for some way for me to know that he was listening, I wanted to know that my Heavenly Father was there, listening to my prayers. Well, the next morning I woke up and my tongue was like a tingly numb.....and it was like that ALL day.....the whole day I was confused because my tongue had never felt that way before. Then it hit me that maybe that was my confirmation!! haha I know that it sounds crazy weird.....but it definantly confirmed to me that Heavenly Father loved me personally and is aware of my needs.

I already love it here, and I am so glad that I finally made the choise to serve the lord. Although there have been days where I´ve felt discouraged and helpless,I have come to realize that with the Lord on your side, anything is possible. With his help, I know that Portuguese will come, and I will be able to touch the hearts of those in Brazil. I read in preach my gospel that when you become discouraged, your faith decreaes. I never want to feel as though my faith is decreaseing, or that I am growing apart from my heavenly father. 

I am living each day here with no regrest, hitting the pillow each night with the satisfaction that I worked the hardest that I could. I love this gospel, and my testimony has grown so much about my heavenly fathers love for all his children. Only 5 more weeks in the MTC baby, then i´m hitting the streets.

Thank you all SO much for your prayers, love, and emails. I definantly feel your support each and every day.

I would love to send pictures......but we aren~t allowed :( 

Com amor,

Sister Hannah

p.s- I don]t know how to manage time...ill be better next week! Love you all

February 17, 2016- A letter from the CTM President!

Dear Parents,

Sister Grahl and I are very happy to let you know that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil Missionary Training Center.  What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they begin their missionary experiences with us! We will surely take good care of your missionary.                                                                                                     

The missionaries now have companions and are settled into their rooms.  They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.  Their branch presidents and wives will meet them this Sunday.  These wonderful couples are richly blessed as they work with, motivate, and interview the missionaries assigned to their branch.

The MTC has a full-time live-in physician to care for their health needs.  He is assisted by his able wife who is a nurse. We are also happy to report that the MTC food is plentiful, healthy and very good.

Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple.  This will be either Wednesday or Friday, depending on individual assignments.

Your missionary is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of many others. President Lorenzo Snow said: “There is no mortal man that is as interested in the success of an elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord's children".  We love these missionaries as if they were our own.  We will watch over them carefully to ensure they are ready for a wonderful missionary experience after the rewarding time they will have in the MTC.

We thank you for preparing such a wonderful representative of the Lord.

Pres. Paulo R. Grahl and Sister Zuleika M. Grahl

Feb 17, 2016- Hannah Arrives in Brazil!

Hey Fam!

All is well here in the Brazil ctm, we arrived about 2 hours ago! The 9 hour plane ride was awesome because #1 i love airplane food, and #2  because I slept like a baby. My boarding pass said I was in a middle seat but there was no way I was going to be able to sleep a wink like that, soooo i used my charm, innocent and red locks to convince the flight attendant to scoot me over to the window. \(worked like a charm). 

I am really glad that I flew out of SLC instead of JFK because I got to meet a bunch of awesome missionaries going all over (Africa, chile, peru). 

On the flight to Brazil there were about 12 elders and 2 other sisters. 1 elder going to my mission! I

My assigned companion is supposivly from South Africa so that's super cool but she hasn't arrived yet here to the ctm.

So apparently we aren't allowed to send pictures???? The mission President and his wife aren't sure why, but they are going to try to change that. 

My mission President said that you guys are able to send emails to Mr. Chini's cookies (former missionary and now a cookie guy) across the street from the ctm. They will print out your emails and bring them over here which is nice!

I love you all so so much!! I feel your love and prayers. Thank you all for seeing me off, and just know that I am doing GREAT. Tell the kiddies I LOVE them and I hope that I am being an example to them. Life is good, the Lord is great, the gospel is amazing, and I can't wait for tomorrow. It feels so crazy, weird, amazing, strange, and too good to be true to be wearing a name tag right now. I'll email you all on my next P-day.

Com Amor,

Sister Hannah

P.S. Paulinho was at the airport which was very nice of time. it was great to see a familiar face. He gave me a guadana and pao de quijos so I obviously adore him for that. Hope he sent you a selfi of us!

Saying final Good- Byes!

Going to the Temple!

January 31, 2015- Farewell Talk!

Mission Farewell Talk

When I reflect back on the many experiences in my life, I can’t help but think about all the small pieces that have lead me to where I am today. The people, the places, and even the trials in my life, have truly shaped me into the person I have become. One important lesson I have learned, and that I would like to speak about today is that Heavenly Father truly plays a huge part in our lives, and it is up to us to recognize His hand. Because He loves us so much, He blesses us daily, sometimes without us even realizing it. It is necessary that we strive to become more observant and aware of Him so that we can see evidence of His power and influence in our lives.  By doing so, our testimonies can be strengthened and we will be reassured that He lives, and is with us always. Today I hope that the spirit will help each of recognize the Lord’s hand in our lives.

In a talk by Elder Kim B. Clark he says, “We need eyes to see more clearly the Savior working in our lives and ears to hear His voice more deeply in our hearts.” By living the plain and simple truths of the gospel, and receiving the Savior into our lives, we will be able to enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  Once we do this and receive, truly receive, the Lord Jesus Christ, His doctrine, and His Church into our lives we will be blessed. I have found that as I speak to Heavenly Father daily through prayer, I am comforted that He IS there and that He knows me personally. I feel His love and guidance more than ever when I acknowledge His presence.

In Henry B. Eyring’s talk “O Remember, Remember” he urges us to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness in order to build our testimonies. But it is important to not only to think about these things, but also to write them down. As he says, “the Lord isn’t giving us these experiences just for ourselves, but to share”. Elder Eyring asks us to ponder the question, “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch me or my children or my family today?” As I have asked myself this very question over the past several weeks, I have grown closer to my Heavenly Father because I recognize Him in my life more than ever. As I have prayed to the Lord he has made it more clear for me the things I should do. For example when I was praying about how I can better prepare for a mission, a prompting came to me at night when I was quietly laying in bed. It was that I should turn my mind to Him and to study more in the morning instead of at night or it most likely wouldn’t get done. Not only did it answer that prayer but it was yet another reminder that He was there and guiding my life. I think it came at that time because He knew it was when I would be ready to listen and not have any distractions.

When life gets hard and trials trouble us, it can be difficult to remember the Savior. I have experienced this many times where something in my life takes over my thoughts and even actions and I forget that my Savior is there. When my parents were going through a divorce it was difficult for me, but through pondering the scriptures, prayer and fasting, I was able to draw closer to the Lord and to my family in that trial. Through this I learned things about myself and was able to grow from a hard experience. Although, we may go through trials and tribulation, Heavenly Father wants us to overcome them with courage, faith and steadfastness, so we can learn from every trial. I could have made choices that would have lead to me being miserable, distant, and unhappy. Instead, I learned to pray to the Savior, asking Him to show me where the hand of God intervened in my life. By praying and examining my experience for the blessings that He is giving me through this hard time, it has given me confidence that He is there. It is important to remember that we are never alone; the Savior is always there for us, because He loves us. By always reaching out and opening up to him, the Holy Ghost will bless us to see the Lord working in our lives, strengthening our faith in Him with assurance and evidence. Next time you encounter a trial, instead of dwelling on the bad, look for the lesson. Look to be taught and see where the Lord is guiding you. Like the Hymn says, “Count you’re many blessings; name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” As we begin to “count” our blessings and physically write them down, we will come to see the hand of God more clearly and come to love Him more.

Sue Clark gave a devotional at BYU-I and told a story of a family who had twins. One of the babies was born with a disease that threatened to take his life at a very young age.  Through many surgeries and lots of prayer and faith, Brian, the baby, survived; but was left blind and handicapped. Brian’s mother and father had to work very hard and spend lots of time and effort to help him as he grew and developed.  They had other children and other pressures in their lives, and taking care of Brian could have been a burden and trial for his family.  But it wasn’t.  It did take a lot of effort, but they recognized the Lord’s hand in their lives and looked to Him for help.  They came to see their son as a great blessing in their lives. Some families who have these kinds of trials become bitter.  They dwell on what might have been and regret the reality of their lives.  They feel the burden and the heartache; and they become angry with the Lord.This family can be a great example to us of how when hard times come and we think that everything is going wrong, if we look to see the Savior helping in our lives, he will make us stronger.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths” There is a great example from this in the Book of Mormon. In 2 Nephi 18, Nephi is asked to build a ship but he had never built a ship before. Nevertheless, the scriptures say that he would consult with the Lord often about how to do it and that when he was working on it the wood it was of “curious workmanship.” Nephi didn’t always know exactly what he was doing but he trusted in the Lord and was able to build a ship that sailed his family to the promised land. God is constantly trying to direct us, but if we are prideful we often can’t acknowledge His hand. When we follow His teachings, and are willing to listen, He will lead us in the way we need to go.

As I have strived to center my life on Christ, I have been able to see the hand of the Lord more often, especially when I left home for college.  I was so against going to BYU-Idaho but for some reason, I received an answer that it was where I needed to be. Throughout my time there, I saw the Lords hand in one way or another everyday. One remarkable blessing that the Lord placed in my life was my roommate, which also happened to be my best friend and cousin. I have come to realize that Heavenly Father places people in our path for a reason, to bless, guide, and to strengthen us. Because of her example and exceeding faith, I was able to become closer to my Heavenly Father than I had ever been. Funny story, so before going to college we had each decided not to serve missions. We actually made a deal, and even shook on it that we wouldn’t go. We felt that everyone was going and that we would go against the grain and just stay home together and we thought, at least we’ll have each other. Well as we continued to get closer to the each other and to the Gospel, our once steady agreement began to fade, and the unimaginable started to become real. We then changed the agreement to helping each other serve the Lord in the mission field. She was the first to make the commitment. Seeing her prepare for a mission definitely encouraged me to continue feel out this mission thing. Through prayer, fasting and weekly temple visits, I became more and more confident that I too needed to serve a mission.

I thank my Heavenly Father for placing this special person in my life, to help me recognize that the plain and simple things are what can bring you closer to Heavenly Father. In Idaho, I believe that I was able to look effectively with spiritual eyes and recognize the Lords hand in my life. My cousin got called to the San Jose, California mission where she will be speaking Spanish, and I will be in Brazil speaking Portuguese. I have come to realize that my cousin was a miracle in my life, as through her example I found joy in coming closer to Christ. I am the happiest I have ever been, because I feel close to the Lord and to the gospel.  Through the experiences and trials in my life, I am so glad that I had the church and Heavenly Father guiding me though. I can’t wait to teach the people of Porto Alegre and share with them this great happiness that I have felt. I hope to be that little miracle for someone else, to help get them on the right path and to change their lives for the better.

This quote by Elder Jeffery R. Holland has been a great help in my preparation to go on a mission. He said, “I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are the Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our great eternal head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it never was easy for Him?” Like he stated, a mission is not easy, but I know that it is a sacrifice that I can make to Heavenly Father because of all He has done for me. I am ready to accomplish the impossible and to seize every opportunity to become an instrument in the Lord’s hands.

I just wanted to say how grateful I am for those people, experiences and even trials that have lead me to where I am today. I’m especially appreciative of my stake president, several bishops, young women leaders, seminary teachers, friends, and my family. You have all influenced my life in more ways than you know. I can say for fact that the Lord has worked through all of you to help guide me on the right path. I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for all of you, so thank you. I’m grateful for my family members for coming all this way to send me off, I love you all dearly and although 18 months is a long time, it will be so worth it. To my mom, dad, grandparents my eight siblings, their spouses, and my 13 nieces and nephews, thank you all for making each day a special memory for me. I am so fortunate and blessed to have all of you; you make me so happy.

I want to bare my testimony that I know this church is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and restored the gospel upon the earth. I can’t begin to explain how excited I am to preach the word of the Lord. The gospel has brought so much joy and happiness into my life, and I can’t wait to share that with those I will be teaching. I love my Savior and I know that He is always there for me. Although at times we may feel alone, discouraged, and feel like no one understands us, there is one person who knows exactly what we are going through. Jesus Christ felt our pains, afflictions and sorrows both physically and mentally. I know that by letting Heavenly Father in our lives, he will comfort us and give us peace even in our hardest and darkest times. I pray that each of us will strive to put our complete trust in the Lord, show humility, acknowledge His hand daily, and try our hardest to be more obedient and Christ-like. By doing our part and living a righteous life, the Lord can bless our lives and use us to accomplish his purposes. I can’t wait to be constantly led by the spirit and be a tool for the Lord to spread the gospel to all His children.

In closing, I would like to liken a scripture that is found in 3 Nephi 5:13 “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among in my case the Brazilian people, that they might have everlasting life”.

IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, AMEN