January 30, 2017

Oi Família,

Man does time just run away! But here are some highlights of this week:

Typical lunch here in brazil: Pasta, rice, potatoe salad, and chicken.
yum...Everyday

This week I ate watermelon peel. (a dessert they make with a load of sugar
water)

It is so hot the Book of Mormon cover melts on my clothes! now I have a lot
of pretty blue stains ;)

Our greatest tool against Satan is our AGENCY. We are the ones who make our own choices, he can´t do that for us.

I was able to use the little sign language that I learned here on the mission!
Talked to a deaf man, and he was so thrilled that i knew how to talk a bit
with him!

This week was a week of tests. It seemed like just about everything was
going wrong. Here is an idea:  black beans spilt all over my skirt,
umblella broke, my companion got gum all over the top of her shoes, and
when she tried rubbing it off on a pole, she got yellow paint all over her,
a nice member offered us a ride and her car broke down in the middle of
nowhere, umbrella broke, walking 14 miles in 1 day, lost.

It felt like literally everything was planned to be horrible! One day we
even said a prayer to ask for help for our day to be better, ended the
prayer, and I opened up my selter water to have it expload all over our
lunch.

Let´s just say it was a week of trailing our faith. Thankful that Sister
and I didn´t let it get to us. We continued on, and even made a point of
laughing about all that was going on.

We made the choice to be happy with what was happening, instead of
being distraught. 

I am so greatful for the Savior that helped us endure, and have hope to see
the light at the end of the tunnel.

I have such a strong testimony that when we continue on through the rough
times, the blessings come. We have been so blessed her in campo bom.
Finally we will have a wedding On Feb 10th!!! and many other baptisms are
on their way....!

Love,

Sister Hannah 

January 23, 2017

Hey Family!

What an increadible week! This week it really hit me that as a missionary, I am fullfilling scripture: that the gospel may be preached to every tounge. serving a mission truely is the greatest honor and blessing that i could recieve!

On Friday we had 2 sisters from Gramado here with us,and we had a tender experience with a member, Regane.  During Regane´s prayer to bless the food, she just cried and cried. When the prayer ended we all worrily asked what happened, and she sweetly said: "what a blessing to have 4 represenatives of christ, 4 angels in my home. The spirit is too strong, i cant hold back the tears". I just love the brasilian people! Honestly they are the cutest. They treat the missionaries as if christ really is in the walls of their homes. they are so sincere and truely willing to serve the lord in everyway they can.

Our investigators are progressing greatly! we have one family who was so impressed by the restoration. The mom has 8 kids (all above the age of 18) and she went about telling all her kids, "did you know that Christ´s church was taken from the earth? Did you know that it returned when joseph smith was called a prophet??" She understood that the restoration of the gospel of jesus Christ really is the biggest notice that there is on the earth, and she has such a desire to share this news with everyone!

Recently I have also been thinking a lot about the phrase "Raise the Bar to identify change". Each of us have such a divine potential, and at times we need to push out selves a little harder. Let the Lord make a change in you, and be willing to do whatever he asks. Only HE knows what we need to do in order to return to His presence. 

I have such a testimony that I am here in Brasil for a reason. I know that the Lord sends us to the exact place at the exact time. A life long of happiness of other people starts with the missionaries. What an increadible responsabilty that I have to bring happiness to the people here in Brasil! 

Love you all!

Sister Hannah

January 16, 2017

Hey Family!

Man it is sizzling hot here in campo bom, but I am loving it!!  My companion is Sister Soares from Brasilia! What is funny is that she was my first sister leader when I arrived here, and now we are companions! This is her last transfer on the mission, so we are working like dogs to track down all the people that are being prepared by the Lord. Right now we are working with a family that is just increadible. They have 2 daughters who are loving Young womens. This was the third week that they have been at church. We are planning a beautiful wedding for them, and each member willl be pitching in to help out! They are so excited to be baptized, and are loving the book of mormon. They are noticiting such a huge difference in their family, and are already strengthening their testimonies. The mom, Adreana, said that if it wasnt for the marriage issue, she would have already been baptized weeks ago!

Lets just say that I am not used to working in a big city! This place is enormous and we have so many people to get to know. Here is campo bom it is still a branch, but it will be a ward in no time!

I am loving being a represenative of christ. I am learning so much, and truely coming to know who I can become. I know that if we learn to trust in the lord, and work with all our might, the blessings of the heavens will shower upon us. Remember that the greatest desire of our heavenly father is our eternal happiness! Be happy, even in the harest of times. Remember that you are never alone, and that the savior is ready to help us along. 

I have seen so many people suffering, hopeless, and lost. I know that with the restored gospel in our lives we understand that their is meaning to live! We understand the sacrifice that christ did for us. We come to love others, and look to serve those who are in need.

My mission is the biggest blessing that I could ever recieve. I love being an instrument in the Lords hand to accomplish his work and glory here in the earth. I love it more than words can describe!!

Love,

Sister Hannah

Addendum to Hannah's letter. She told us last week that she was made a Sister Leader. Since it is relatively newly created position for the Sisters, I asked Hannah what are her new responsibilities. 

This was her reply: 

There are only 10 sister leaders in the whole mission. So each week my companion and I do splits or divisions with other sisters to see how they are planning, teaching, obeying he mission rules, etc. We also get their numers each week to see how many lessons they are doing etc. It is really great! I am getting to help others and I also learn alot from the other sisters as well! It is a big responsabiliity, but I am loving the opportunity! 

So each week either we visit the area of other sisters, or they come here to Campo bom. It is pretty cool!
i guess you could call it like a "zone leader" because we also get the chance to give training to the whole zone on tuesdays. We also go to the training with all the zone leaders to hear presidente campos and the assistants!


We are so proud of Hannah. She is amazing.

January 9, 2017- Sister Leader

Hey Family!!

Wow the time passes so fast and I have no time to write. But looks like I am finally being transfered from Zona Gramado.....wow. Almost 11 months in this zone it will be strange to leave. I am greatful for my new calling as a Sister Leader! I will be serving in the hottest part of the mission, where it reaches 50 degrees C. (side note, last time I was there doing divisions my shoes melted on the bottom.....) But I couldn´t be more excited to serve in Campo Bom! The field is white and ready to harvest there!

This week was increadble and a week full of miracles. We met a family with 12 kids (10 are adopted). The best part is the Mom and the 4 oldest kids are already members of the church! They were baptized in another part of brazil but when they moved they became inactive. Miracle that we found them;

The blessings and fruits of our hard work here in Nova Petroplis are finally coming! Glad that I will be leaving Sister Fogo and her new companion with great investigatos and soon-to be-baptisms!

7 amazing investigators went to church, and they are all increadible and ready to be baptized! Life is amazing here in Nova Petroplolis, but I am excited to start a new journey!!!

love you all,

sister Hannah

JANUARY 2, 2017

Hey Family,

Feliz Ano Novo!! 2017 has finally arrived!

So happy that Claudia and Jorge (parents of the triplets) came to church! After church they invited us over for lunch. They made homemade pasta, homemade empanadas, and so much more. Increadible. Something interesting about Claudia is that she has to read from the end to the front. So she started reading the book of mormon starting with Z in the topical guide. But she is already in Mormon! She loves the book of mormon and she is truely finding answers within it.

Ana Elena is also progressing alot. This week she said that she thinks a lot about  her future, and she knows that she needs to find the true church. She wants to feel an answer in her heart that the church is true. She is increadible!

This past week I have been reflecting alot about this past year, and it truely has been the most streaching and growing year. Crazy to think that almost all of it has been here in Brazil. I have honestly felt the sincere love and concern that My Heavenly Father has for me and each one of his children.
I have learned to want to be who he knows that I can be. I want to have a greater vision of what is possible.
I know that I have a lot of change, but I have learned to become more humble before the Lord, and recognize my weaknesses. If we truely want to change, and be better, the first step is recognizing what we lack!
I have been thinking alot about making goals for this year, 2017. Goals that will help me grow spiritually. It is so important that each and everyone of us truely comes to know who Heavenly Father is. His perfect atributs, his love, his greatness, his power. I know that he is capable of all. When we understand who our Heavenly Father is, we have a greater apreaciation of his Plan of Salvation. That his greatest desire is for each of his children to return to his presence. He is doing everything possible to get us back home, but we are the ones who ultimently make the choice.

Another thing that I really learned this year is to put all my fears, worries, and uncertainties in the hands of the Lord. Put my complete trust that he has a plan for me. I know that hardships will come, but he will help us through. He will guide us to remain happy, hopeful, and strong.

I love you all! glad that the DR went well!!

Sister Hannah