Dear Family,
I hope this works. This computer is kinda shady. We´ll see...
Wow! Our meetings with Elder Cook were amazing!!! Lots of our recent converts and investigators went to the fireside on wednesday, so that was good. He and his wife talked a lot about FHE on Wednesday. He also left an apostolic blessing on the families here--that they could be more united against the buffetings of Satan. The surest way to strengthen our families against Satan´s attacks are having FHE. I already made one FHE chart (like Mom made kinda) for one of the less active families. I´m going to make more now because of that fireside. How are all your FHEs going?
Yesterday was our missionary meeting with him. It was wonderful! He told us that Elder Didier (Area Pres. of Brazil) wrote the Missionary Purpose in Preach My Gospel. How cool is that? I asked him about how PMG was written, how long, etc. A group from the missionary department and a group of teachers in the MTC (not the RM teachers, but the older ones) wrote the first draft. Then they turned it in to the prophet and every apostle to read and pray about and make changes. Then they printed PMG. All in all, it took about 2 years. President Monson´s comment was that there were no ´true accounts´ (aka stories--but he doesn´t like to use the word story) in the first draft of PMG. So, Pres. Monson provided basically all the true accounts in PMG. Neat, huh?
He left an apostolic blessing on us missionaries too. It was a very spiritual experience. He cited DC 31:5. I know this is the best thing I could be doing in my life to ensure that you all, my beloved family, receive blessings. I am striving every day to ´thrust in my sickle with all my might´ so that you all will be blessed. (Especially you, Becky, and Natalie, with your pregnancy). Please know that you are all in my prayers.
Sister Cook is adorable!! I love her a lot! She did a ´singing time´ in the middle. (I want to be just like her in that respect!) :) Then she shared her study of the Christ-like attributes (ch 6) with scriptures and hymns. I am going to start studying like that too.
Elder Cook then shared the 4 Great Loves Missionaries need to have to have success: 1--love people, 2--love companion, 3--love Mission Pres and wife and follow council, 4--love Lord. One thing I thought especially interesting was that every missionary is considered next to the prospective mission president before the exact call is made. This is because your mission president has a great contribution to your character. I know this is true. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve under Pres. and Sister Milder. They truly are an amazing couple and I am learning lots from their examples and council. In loving the Lord, Elder Cook, reminded us that a testimony of Christ is the deciding factor between inheriting the Celestial or Terrestrial Kingdom. (DC 76:79) You NEED to be valiant in your testimony! How comfortable are each of us in testifying of our Savior Jesus Christ?
Well...I think that´s about it. I hope you were able to glean at least something from that. Love you!
Sister Rachel Ellis
P.S. Elder and Sister Cook flew to São Paulo and said they would be having dinner with Mom and Dad tonight. Have fun!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Jan 28
Dear Family,
Oh my goodness!!! I am so happy for Mark and Aup!! She´s beautiful, your little girl. What´s her name? How long was she nameless after being born? I can´t believe my brother is a dad!!! Crazy! I´m so happy for y´all! How´s it feel being parents?
Kit—Thanks for all the cute news about Ryn and Elle. It made me kinda baby hungry, not going to lie, but I´ll get over it. ;) See how Ryn can´t even be happy with her accomplishments now without you saying good job? Just a comment to ponder…Hey! If you get a chance, could you send some pictures of your cute belly before Eden comes?
So…life is beautiful as a missionary. We´re really busy preparing for Elder Cook´s visit. We´ve been visiting less actives and recent converts like crazy! I just hope they will have enough room for everyone to hear Elder Cook! Thankfully, Sis. Bulhões and I will have a front seat as I am going to accompany the choir. Oh how grateful I am I learned to play the piano! Thanks, Mom and Dad! Tonight he is going to speak to all the members in Cuiabá at 8pm. Tomorrow, just the missionaries have a meeting and lunch with him. I´m pretty excited!!! I read the article Elder Holland wrote about Elder Cook in the Liahona. He is truly an amazing man. What a blessing it is to receive the visit of an apostle of the Lord on my mission—esp. here in Cuiabá which is in the middle of nowhere! I´ll let you all know what I learn from these meetings next week. Or maybe on Friday if I have time. Pres. Milder split our PDay because of the visit of the apostle. Today we´re only sending an email to y´all so y´all don´t get worried. Then, we are going to work like normal to visit as many people as possible to tell them about the apostle. Then, Friday, we will have our normal PDay.
Today I studied about prophets. I liked the promise in DC 20:26 to those who heed the prophets´ words. Truly, they speak for God (DC 1:38). So, even if we don´t understand the reasons for their counsil, we should follow it anyway. God knows much more than we do! (Isaiah 55). We had a meeting with Pres. Milder on Monday. It was truly a spiritual feast! He quoted Spencer W. Kimball when he said that any excuse—even if it be valid—only weakens our character. That was pretty bold and I was touched in my heart of the things I need to improve on. As they teach in SW, there are 2 kinds of people in this world—one looks for an excuse and one finds the way to accomplish their goal. Pres. Milder ended talking about the last week of Christ´s life. I was so touched by the Spirit, remembering all Christ did for me! Yes, He was perfect in all things, but that doesn´t mean it was easy for Him to do what He did to atone for all mankind! What a perfect example we have of 100% selfless love! He had lived a perfect life and then, all within about 24 hours, He felt all the pains and sufferings of every imperfect being that ever lived! And the pain was so terrible, He didn´t want to go through it. Yet, He focused on doing the Lord´s will (saving us) and not on His own (being free from the immense pain). How grateful I am Christ did all He did for me. It is because of His love and selfless sacrifice that I can repent of my imperfections and gain eternal life! What perfect love!
--Sister Ellis III
Oh my goodness!!! I am so happy for Mark and Aup!! She´s beautiful, your little girl. What´s her name? How long was she nameless after being born? I can´t believe my brother is a dad!!! Crazy! I´m so happy for y´all! How´s it feel being parents?
Kit—Thanks for all the cute news about Ryn and Elle. It made me kinda baby hungry, not going to lie, but I´ll get over it. ;) See how Ryn can´t even be happy with her accomplishments now without you saying good job? Just a comment to ponder…Hey! If you get a chance, could you send some pictures of your cute belly before Eden comes?
So…life is beautiful as a missionary. We´re really busy preparing for Elder Cook´s visit. We´ve been visiting less actives and recent converts like crazy! I just hope they will have enough room for everyone to hear Elder Cook! Thankfully, Sis. Bulhões and I will have a front seat as I am going to accompany the choir. Oh how grateful I am I learned to play the piano! Thanks, Mom and Dad! Tonight he is going to speak to all the members in Cuiabá at 8pm. Tomorrow, just the missionaries have a meeting and lunch with him. I´m pretty excited!!! I read the article Elder Holland wrote about Elder Cook in the Liahona. He is truly an amazing man. What a blessing it is to receive the visit of an apostle of the Lord on my mission—esp. here in Cuiabá which is in the middle of nowhere! I´ll let you all know what I learn from these meetings next week. Or maybe on Friday if I have time. Pres. Milder split our PDay because of the visit of the apostle. Today we´re only sending an email to y´all so y´all don´t get worried. Then, we are going to work like normal to visit as many people as possible to tell them about the apostle. Then, Friday, we will have our normal PDay.
Today I studied about prophets. I liked the promise in DC 20:26 to those who heed the prophets´ words. Truly, they speak for God (DC 1:38). So, even if we don´t understand the reasons for their counsil, we should follow it anyway. God knows much more than we do! (Isaiah 55). We had a meeting with Pres. Milder on Monday. It was truly a spiritual feast! He quoted Spencer W. Kimball when he said that any excuse—even if it be valid—only weakens our character. That was pretty bold and I was touched in my heart of the things I need to improve on. As they teach in SW, there are 2 kinds of people in this world—one looks for an excuse and one finds the way to accomplish their goal. Pres. Milder ended talking about the last week of Christ´s life. I was so touched by the Spirit, remembering all Christ did for me! Yes, He was perfect in all things, but that doesn´t mean it was easy for Him to do what He did to atone for all mankind! What a perfect example we have of 100% selfless love! He had lived a perfect life and then, all within about 24 hours, He felt all the pains and sufferings of every imperfect being that ever lived! And the pain was so terrible, He didn´t want to go through it. Yet, He focused on doing the Lord´s will (saving us) and not on His own (being free from the immense pain). How grateful I am Christ did all He did for me. It is because of His love and selfless sacrifice that I can repent of my imperfections and gain eternal life! What perfect love!
--Sister Ellis III
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Jan 21st
Family—
I am so happy to be a full-time missionary!!! Life is wonderful here! We had the best Sunday of my life this last Sunday. We had 15 investigators at Sacrament Meeting (5 families). That was the most we´ve had so far on the mission and it was a total miracle. Sister Bulhões and I went to wake up 4 of those families. We were running to their houses and apartments in the rain in skirts! Hahah! We really must´ve been quite the sight. We got completely soaked, but it was definitely worth it to help those families find the way to church to feel the Spirit. Now, they know how to get there, and now they can go by themselves. Unfortunately, none of the couples are legally married, so we are working now on helping them get married so they can be baptized. The documents take at least a month to get ready. We´re going to baptize 3 people this week end. These really are miracles because 2 of them tried to back out or not make the commitment in the first place. We let them vent what the real reason was for their hesitance in accepting baptism. Then we marked their baptism. CREW method, baby. ;) Hahaha!
I am so grateful to be a missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ. I really can´t even express in words my gratitude for this privilege. Heavenly Father is so kind to me. I love being His mouthpiece and getting to see first hand the miracles when people find the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for all your prayers and news. I love you all so much!
That was one thing that impressed me this week. How blessed I am to have been sent to this family. Thank you for all the support you all gave me growing up and continue to give, tirelessly! Thank you for all the concerts you went to, plays, all the games you played with me, etc. Paula is a less active we are reactivating. Her mom is espirita and really stubborn. I love her to death, but she isn´t really supporting Paula and it breaks my heart to see. Paula went to New Beginnings all alone the other night. Her sister, Fabiele, was going to go, but ended up going to a cook out with her older sister instead. We went to get the mom to surprise Paula, but she absolutely refused to go! I couldn´t believe it. She had nothing to do, but just didn´t want to go to church—even when she knew it would´ve really made her daughter so happy. This experience made me so grateful for my parents and family. You all put my interests and needs above your own so many times—just to show your love for me. You really showed your love—not just through the words you said, but through your actions. And that speaks a lot louder than any amount of words ever could. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!
One thing I thought was hilarious is my mission president. In all his trainings, he defines words for us—that is breaks them down and tells us where that root comes from. It´s just like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding! HAHAHA! It cracks me up! I love President Milder and even more now that he reminds me of cute little Gus from that movie! HAhaha!
Mom—Thanks for the recipe book and pictures. I loved them! You are so sweet! I shared your story of how you stayed active completely alone in your family with only 12 yrs. Old with Paula and Fabiele. We are baptizing Fabiele on Saturday and Paula we are reactivating. It is awesome to see their progress! Paula is starting to use modest clothes and wear skirts to church! I was wondering, Mom, could you type up your testimony—how you stayed so firm in the faith without the support of your family even at such a young age—and send it to me:? I think it´d really help some of these girls we´re teaching. Also, can you send me your scone recipe? The one that you cook in the oven? Thanks. ;) THANK YOU SO MUCH for printing off and deleting my emails!!! It was such a beautiful sight to see my inbox with only 55% instead of 94%! Thanks! What an amazing woman you are. I really am so blessed to have you as my mother. Is there anything I can do to help you? I´m glad your trip to Fazenda Bela Vista went well. I´m excited to go there when I´ve been ´honorable released´ as Dad said. ;)
Mark—That companion of mine, Sister Reynolds, and I are planning to take a road trip to Iowa after the mission to visit y´all and learn how to make those earrings k? Just so you can get prepared…We´re willing to baby sit as well! ;) Hear that Hank?!
Kit—I´m so excited to have a new niece!! I won´t comment on the name you chose. I know my opinion really won´t change anything anyway. I´ll just let you guys choose and I´ll love her no matter what you call her. I need pics of your belly!!!!! I´ll study Timothy and get back to you next week, k?
Nat and Matt—I`M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!! Rest assured, you are in my prayers!! I have been praying you could get pregnant again soon. Heavenly Father truly does answer our prayers!! Happy Birthday, Nat, this week! I love you so much and am so grateful for you as my sister!!!
Dad—HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!!!! I love you so much. Thank you for all your support and wisdom you share with me. I´ll take good notes with Elder Cook and share them with y´all. I´m going to get to go to the member meeting and the missionary one (cus I´m going to accompany the choir). What a blessing to play the piano!! Who´s the authority that´s going to accompany Elder Cook to Cuiabá? I think you should. ;)
Rob and Christa—Thanks for the pictures. I loved them! How are y´all? Haven´t really heard much from your end…
Clay—Thanks so much for the email. You are such a great cousin!! I hope school is going well. Send me another update asap. (when you get a chance) Also, tell Mick happy birthday from me. I don´t have his email. Give him a big smack on the cheek from me, k?
Sorry this email is so sporatic. I´ll try to organize my thoughts better next time. ;) So…does anyone want to report on what they learned from reading that talk from Elder Kimball or John? Or did no one study them? What are you all doing to help the missionary work in your respective wards? I want to hear a report! You have 7 days til I check this email again…Love you!
I am so happy to be a full-time missionary!!! Life is wonderful here! We had the best Sunday of my life this last Sunday. We had 15 investigators at Sacrament Meeting (5 families). That was the most we´ve had so far on the mission and it was a total miracle. Sister Bulhões and I went to wake up 4 of those families. We were running to their houses and apartments in the rain in skirts! Hahah! We really must´ve been quite the sight. We got completely soaked, but it was definitely worth it to help those families find the way to church to feel the Spirit. Now, they know how to get there, and now they can go by themselves. Unfortunately, none of the couples are legally married, so we are working now on helping them get married so they can be baptized. The documents take at least a month to get ready. We´re going to baptize 3 people this week end. These really are miracles because 2 of them tried to back out or not make the commitment in the first place. We let them vent what the real reason was for their hesitance in accepting baptism. Then we marked their baptism. CREW method, baby. ;) Hahaha!
I am so grateful to be a missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ. I really can´t even express in words my gratitude for this privilege. Heavenly Father is so kind to me. I love being His mouthpiece and getting to see first hand the miracles when people find the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for all your prayers and news. I love you all so much!
That was one thing that impressed me this week. How blessed I am to have been sent to this family. Thank you for all the support you all gave me growing up and continue to give, tirelessly! Thank you for all the concerts you went to, plays, all the games you played with me, etc. Paula is a less active we are reactivating. Her mom is espirita and really stubborn. I love her to death, but she isn´t really supporting Paula and it breaks my heart to see. Paula went to New Beginnings all alone the other night. Her sister, Fabiele, was going to go, but ended up going to a cook out with her older sister instead. We went to get the mom to surprise Paula, but she absolutely refused to go! I couldn´t believe it. She had nothing to do, but just didn´t want to go to church—even when she knew it would´ve really made her daughter so happy. This experience made me so grateful for my parents and family. You all put my interests and needs above your own so many times—just to show your love for me. You really showed your love—not just through the words you said, but through your actions. And that speaks a lot louder than any amount of words ever could. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!
One thing I thought was hilarious is my mission president. In all his trainings, he defines words for us—that is breaks them down and tells us where that root comes from. It´s just like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding! HAHAHA! It cracks me up! I love President Milder and even more now that he reminds me of cute little Gus from that movie! HAhaha!
Mom—Thanks for the recipe book and pictures. I loved them! You are so sweet! I shared your story of how you stayed active completely alone in your family with only 12 yrs. Old with Paula and Fabiele. We are baptizing Fabiele on Saturday and Paula we are reactivating. It is awesome to see their progress! Paula is starting to use modest clothes and wear skirts to church! I was wondering, Mom, could you type up your testimony—how you stayed so firm in the faith without the support of your family even at such a young age—and send it to me:? I think it´d really help some of these girls we´re teaching. Also, can you send me your scone recipe? The one that you cook in the oven? Thanks. ;) THANK YOU SO MUCH for printing off and deleting my emails!!! It was such a beautiful sight to see my inbox with only 55% instead of 94%! Thanks! What an amazing woman you are. I really am so blessed to have you as my mother. Is there anything I can do to help you? I´m glad your trip to Fazenda Bela Vista went well. I´m excited to go there when I´ve been ´honorable released´ as Dad said. ;)
Mark—That companion of mine, Sister Reynolds, and I are planning to take a road trip to Iowa after the mission to visit y´all and learn how to make those earrings k? Just so you can get prepared…We´re willing to baby sit as well! ;) Hear that Hank?!
Kit—I´m so excited to have a new niece!! I won´t comment on the name you chose. I know my opinion really won´t change anything anyway. I´ll just let you guys choose and I´ll love her no matter what you call her. I need pics of your belly!!!!! I´ll study Timothy and get back to you next week, k?
Nat and Matt—I`M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!! Rest assured, you are in my prayers!! I have been praying you could get pregnant again soon. Heavenly Father truly does answer our prayers!! Happy Birthday, Nat, this week! I love you so much and am so grateful for you as my sister!!!
Dad—HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!!!! I love you so much. Thank you for all your support and wisdom you share with me. I´ll take good notes with Elder Cook and share them with y´all. I´m going to get to go to the member meeting and the missionary one (cus I´m going to accompany the choir). What a blessing to play the piano!! Who´s the authority that´s going to accompany Elder Cook to Cuiabá? I think you should. ;)
Rob and Christa—Thanks for the pictures. I loved them! How are y´all? Haven´t really heard much from your end…
Clay—Thanks so much for the email. You are such a great cousin!! I hope school is going well. Send me another update asap. (when you get a chance) Also, tell Mick happy birthday from me. I don´t have his email. Give him a big smack on the cheek from me, k?
Sorry this email is so sporatic. I´ll try to organize my thoughts better next time. ;) So…does anyone want to report on what they learned from reading that talk from Elder Kimball or John? Or did no one study them? What are you all doing to help the missionary work in your respective wards? I want to hear a report! You have 7 days til I check this email again…Love you!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
this week...
Hello! This has to be quick so please forgive any grammatical errors. ;)
This week was good. I am learning a lot. I would like to ask for the pregnant ladies in the family to send pictures of their cute bellies! I am missing the fun of seeing you personally, but I don´t want to miss it completely!! How are you feeling, Kit and Aup? Anyone else pregnant?
Mom and Dad—did you get my DVD of pictures? I certainly hope so. We had family home evening with Sister Cavalcante and her family here from my ward. Her niece was baptized this Sunday and it was a beautiful baptism. I really like Sister Cavalcante. She is so sweet!!! She told me lots of stories about the mission that I never knew. You two were awesome mission presidents! She loves you a lot. I passed along your emails to her fyi.
I would like to suggest that everyone who reads this email read the talk by President Spencer W. Kimball entitled, ´It Becometh Every Man´. I loved it and I´m sure you all will too. Just go to lds.org and search for the talk. ;)
Mom—Thanks for the Excedrin and the makeup. I will remember your advice to use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!
Dad—I received a check from SW in a package from Jenny Mobley that my old roommate had given her. What should I do with it? Hang on to it till after the mission or send it to you?
Mark and Aup—Thanks for the body wash and earrings. I loved them! My companions liked the earrings too. If you´re feeling generous, they wouldn´t mind having a pair as well. ;) But don´t worry too much, Sister Reynolds will be back up at BYU with me after the mission. You will love her when you meet her! Thanks for the advice. You are so wise!
Joy—I don´t know if I thanked you for your Christmas package. I thought it was so cute the little tree and the sugar cookies snowman tin. My companions and I enjoyed the candy as well. Thanks for thinking of me even when you have so many other things to take care of!
Jenny Mobley—I got your package too. Thanks so much! It was so good to finally hear from you? So, you got a ring on that finger yet? ;) Where´d you get that KHS pencil from Homecoming 05? Did you save it since then?! Haha! You can email me you know. That´d probably be easier for you and faster for me to get your news. I´ll just have to write you snail mail. Love ya!
In other news, my wallet got stolen out of my bag Friday. Unfortunately, I had over 200 reais in it. I had been feeling I shouldn´t carry around all my mesada with me. That´s what I get for not listening to the Spirit. Let that be a lesson for you all—ALWAYS follow the promptings of the Spirit. If you don´t, you will surely regret it! Thankfully, I had listened to the council of my mission president and been saving some money for previous mesadas. So, I´m not going hungry. ;) What a blessing! Heavenly Father really is so kind to me.
I have some really good news for Em. I found you a husband!! Hahaha! He is pretty much the sweetest guy I have ever seen. He´s 15, black, has a great smile, is a worthy priesthood holder, is excited to serve a mission, teaches lessons with us, sings beautifully, etc. What more could you ask for?! I´ll pass along your email to him the next chance I get and yáll can be pen pals, or keyboard pals, k? ;) C´mon, just give him a chance, k? Spence—I also have a few options for you. Don´t think about it now, but when you get home, I´ll introduce you to some of my companions, k? Hahaha! Truly, I have developed a knack for Christ-like service on my mission. I seek to serve everyone I come in contact with—even remembering my siblings far away! What a blessing!
But seriously, I am really so grateful to be serving a mission. In my interview with Pres. Milder, he asked what was the difference bw the sister Ellis that arrived and the Sister Ellis I am now. So many things have changed I didn´t even know where to start! I told him I was learning a lot and maturing a lot on my mission. When I got here, I thought I knew everything. (He said that wasn´t too hard to see! Haha!) But now, I realize how little I know. I am so grateful for the gift of the Atonement and that I can repent and change. Please forgive me, dearest family and friends, for being so horrible and selfish. I really don´t even know how you all tolerated me for so long. Please be comforted by the fact that I am learning and changing for the better. When I come back, I hope you will all be able to see the light of Christ shining through me. He is my example in every way. My goal is to become more like Him with every passing day. Please forgive me for all the hurtful words or acts I have done. I have no desire to be that girl I was before. I will not be that girl I was before. I only want to be an instrument in Christ´s hands.
Monday, we had a meeting with Elder Tobias (member of the 70). Coming up on the 28th, we are going to have a meeting with Elder Cook (member of the 12)! I am so excited! What a blessing it is to learn from the servants of God! May God bless you all. I love you so very much. Thank you for your love and prayers. Know that you are in mine as well.
Love, Sister Rachel Ellis
P.S. I have been studying about how we need to build upon the rock of our Savior. If we build upon that foundation, we will not fall even when Satan beats upon us with all the temptations and evils of the world! Hel 5:12, 3 Ne 11:39-49, 1 Cor 10:3-4, DC 6:34
This week was good. I am learning a lot. I would like to ask for the pregnant ladies in the family to send pictures of their cute bellies! I am missing the fun of seeing you personally, but I don´t want to miss it completely!! How are you feeling, Kit and Aup? Anyone else pregnant?
Mom and Dad—did you get my DVD of pictures? I certainly hope so. We had family home evening with Sister Cavalcante and her family here from my ward. Her niece was baptized this Sunday and it was a beautiful baptism. I really like Sister Cavalcante. She is so sweet!!! She told me lots of stories about the mission that I never knew. You two were awesome mission presidents! She loves you a lot. I passed along your emails to her fyi.
I would like to suggest that everyone who reads this email read the talk by President Spencer W. Kimball entitled, ´It Becometh Every Man´. I loved it and I´m sure you all will too. Just go to lds.org and search for the talk. ;)
Mom—Thanks for the Excedrin and the makeup. I will remember your advice to use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!
Dad—I received a check from SW in a package from Jenny Mobley that my old roommate had given her. What should I do with it? Hang on to it till after the mission or send it to you?
Mark and Aup—Thanks for the body wash and earrings. I loved them! My companions liked the earrings too. If you´re feeling generous, they wouldn´t mind having a pair as well. ;) But don´t worry too much, Sister Reynolds will be back up at BYU with me after the mission. You will love her when you meet her! Thanks for the advice. You are so wise!
Joy—I don´t know if I thanked you for your Christmas package. I thought it was so cute the little tree and the sugar cookies snowman tin. My companions and I enjoyed the candy as well. Thanks for thinking of me even when you have so many other things to take care of!
Jenny Mobley—I got your package too. Thanks so much! It was so good to finally hear from you? So, you got a ring on that finger yet? ;) Where´d you get that KHS pencil from Homecoming 05? Did you save it since then?! Haha! You can email me you know. That´d probably be easier for you and faster for me to get your news. I´ll just have to write you snail mail. Love ya!
In other news, my wallet got stolen out of my bag Friday. Unfortunately, I had over 200 reais in it. I had been feeling I shouldn´t carry around all my mesada with me. That´s what I get for not listening to the Spirit. Let that be a lesson for you all—ALWAYS follow the promptings of the Spirit. If you don´t, you will surely regret it! Thankfully, I had listened to the council of my mission president and been saving some money for previous mesadas. So, I´m not going hungry. ;) What a blessing! Heavenly Father really is so kind to me.
I have some really good news for Em. I found you a husband!! Hahaha! He is pretty much the sweetest guy I have ever seen. He´s 15, black, has a great smile, is a worthy priesthood holder, is excited to serve a mission, teaches lessons with us, sings beautifully, etc. What more could you ask for?! I´ll pass along your email to him the next chance I get and yáll can be pen pals, or keyboard pals, k? ;) C´mon, just give him a chance, k? Spence—I also have a few options for you. Don´t think about it now, but when you get home, I´ll introduce you to some of my companions, k? Hahaha! Truly, I have developed a knack for Christ-like service on my mission. I seek to serve everyone I come in contact with—even remembering my siblings far away! What a blessing!
But seriously, I am really so grateful to be serving a mission. In my interview with Pres. Milder, he asked what was the difference bw the sister Ellis that arrived and the Sister Ellis I am now. So many things have changed I didn´t even know where to start! I told him I was learning a lot and maturing a lot on my mission. When I got here, I thought I knew everything. (He said that wasn´t too hard to see! Haha!) But now, I realize how little I know. I am so grateful for the gift of the Atonement and that I can repent and change. Please forgive me, dearest family and friends, for being so horrible and selfish. I really don´t even know how you all tolerated me for so long. Please be comforted by the fact that I am learning and changing for the better. When I come back, I hope you will all be able to see the light of Christ shining through me. He is my example in every way. My goal is to become more like Him with every passing day. Please forgive me for all the hurtful words or acts I have done. I have no desire to be that girl I was before. I will not be that girl I was before. I only want to be an instrument in Christ´s hands.
Monday, we had a meeting with Elder Tobias (member of the 70). Coming up on the 28th, we are going to have a meeting with Elder Cook (member of the 12)! I am so excited! What a blessing it is to learn from the servants of God! May God bless you all. I love you so very much. Thank you for your love and prayers. Know that you are in mine as well.
Love, Sister Rachel Ellis
P.S. I have been studying about how we need to build upon the rock of our Savior. If we build upon that foundation, we will not fall even when Satan beats upon us with all the temptations and evils of the world! Hel 5:12, 3 Ne 11:39-49, 1 Cor 10:3-4, DC 6:34
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Jan 7
Family—
Well...the work continues onward here in Cuiabá! Today is Sister Bulhões´ 23rd Birthday! I made pancakes for her this morning and some irmãs from our ward are making cake for her tonight.
We´ve had some more miracles this week which is a blessing! A couple months ago, we tried to find a referral from some elders. They had baptized the mom and wanted us to teach the son and his family. We walked and walked up and down this highway, but the address didn´t exist and no one knew a Benedito. So, we couldn´t do anything more because the elders didn´t pass on his telephone number. This week they finally called and gave his number. We set up an appointment and finally found their house (ridiculously far, but it was worth it!). They live way out in the boon-dogs. We felt like we were serving in the amazon! ;) They are a very sweet family with a great desire to know the truth. I´m excited to teach them more. The mom only says good things about the church (of course) and so they´re very interested. Thanks to another church he used to attend, they are legally married!!! Halleluiah!! Benedito has a very serious illness (I forgot the name) that has no cure. His stomach swells up and his legs and feet. It´s hard for him to walk, but even so, he promised to come to Church (even though he has to walk a long way just to make it to the bus stop). It was so wonderful to feel of the Spirit in their home and see this man´s faith.
I hope you are all doing missionary work in your respective wards. I know you´re probably rolling your eyes, but it´s always good to have a reminder, right? There is always room for improvement. I would just encourage you all to think back on your missions: how you would´ve liked for the members to give you referrals and be actively seeking investigators for you (which is their duty as members). Remember, DC 88:81 says everyone who has been warned must warn his neighbor. And then we are given the promise that our sins will be forgiven when we bare our testimonies to others (DC 84:61). Don´t be afraid that you won´t know what to say, the Lord promises to bless us in that very moment with the right words (DC 100:5-7). I love you all so much. I am so blessed to have you as my examples and friends. Thank you for all the love you are showing to the missionaries in your wards by helping them in the work (teaching with them, inviting them to teach friends at FHE, giving referrals, etc.). Just think back on your baptismal day. How did you feel? Wouldn´t it be great to share those feelings of joy and happiness with our friends, aquaintances, neighbors?! Que coisa boa!
Love, Sister Ellis III
Well...the work continues onward here in Cuiabá! Today is Sister Bulhões´ 23rd Birthday! I made pancakes for her this morning and some irmãs from our ward are making cake for her tonight.
We´ve had some more miracles this week which is a blessing! A couple months ago, we tried to find a referral from some elders. They had baptized the mom and wanted us to teach the son and his family. We walked and walked up and down this highway, but the address didn´t exist and no one knew a Benedito. So, we couldn´t do anything more because the elders didn´t pass on his telephone number. This week they finally called and gave his number. We set up an appointment and finally found their house (ridiculously far, but it was worth it!). They live way out in the boon-dogs. We felt like we were serving in the amazon! ;) They are a very sweet family with a great desire to know the truth. I´m excited to teach them more. The mom only says good things about the church (of course) and so they´re very interested. Thanks to another church he used to attend, they are legally married!!! Halleluiah!! Benedito has a very serious illness (I forgot the name) that has no cure. His stomach swells up and his legs and feet. It´s hard for him to walk, but even so, he promised to come to Church (even though he has to walk a long way just to make it to the bus stop). It was so wonderful to feel of the Spirit in their home and see this man´s faith.
I hope you are all doing missionary work in your respective wards. I know you´re probably rolling your eyes, but it´s always good to have a reminder, right? There is always room for improvement. I would just encourage you all to think back on your missions: how you would´ve liked for the members to give you referrals and be actively seeking investigators for you (which is their duty as members). Remember, DC 88:81 says everyone who has been warned must warn his neighbor. And then we are given the promise that our sins will be forgiven when we bare our testimonies to others (DC 84:61). Don´t be afraid that you won´t know what to say, the Lord promises to bless us in that very moment with the right words (DC 100:5-7). I love you all so much. I am so blessed to have you as my examples and friends. Thank you for all the love you are showing to the missionaries in your wards by helping them in the work (teaching with them, inviting them to teach friends at FHE, giving referrals, etc.). Just think back on your baptismal day. How did you feel? Wouldn´t it be great to share those feelings of joy and happiness with our friends, aquaintances, neighbors?! Que coisa boa!
Love, Sister Ellis III
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