Apr 29

so I just finished typing up my relatorio for president milder adn it erased everything! So, this is gonna be short, cuz I have to re write it.
We had a meeting with Pres. Milder Monday about hte law of sacrifice adn really quick what stuck out the most to me was that sacrifice is an expression of love. Thus, our love is measured by what we are willing to sacrifice for that person. This was taught by Elder Ballard. I love you all and am grateful for your prayers and emails.
Thanks, Laura, for that poem! I thought it was hilarious!!!
Love, Sister Ellis

End of April already?!!

Hello, Family!
So...I basically only have a 10 minutes now so this´ll be quick.
We finally moved into our aparment here in Verdão. It took a lot of work, and we spent a few days without electricity, but now everything is coming into place! It is such a blessing to be living here close to where we work. Our house is really cute and we are working hard in this ward. The members are really excited to have missionaries here again and are excited to go teach with us and give us referals. It is all coming together! :) I am working on being led by the Spirit to do this work according to the Lord´s will. Everyone is excited to have Mom and Dad coming and they remind me of it constantly! I´m excited too, just trying to stay focused on the work.
So...there´s a lot of Dange going around here in this area and I was wondering if someone could send some very strong deet bug spray asap. I don´t want to get dange!! Lots of people are dying from it too so it´s kinda scary, but I know that as God´s representative, He will bless me and protect me. Thank you for all your prayers.
We were also thinking it would be fun to have competitions with the members to see who can give more referals and reward them with American candy. Does someone want to help out with that? ;) Also, one of the Brazilian sisters here loves gummy worms and I said I´d ask for some for her.
Plus, my sweet little companion hasn´t received one email or letter or package from her family. She´s one of two members out of 10 children. Her parents aren´t members either. She´s learning English right now and sings I am a Child of God all day! :) It´s really cute. She´s working on an assignment to write a letter in English right now. So...I thought it might be sweet if some of my loving, thoughtful siblings and adorable neices and nephews, wanted to do a service project and send my companion some drawings/letters or something. Just an idea...
How wonderful that Abby is home. I loved the pictures, Nat. Tell her to write me an email please!
In other news, I am learning a lot of patience. I am also learning a lot by the members examples. I love seeing and hearing the member´s testimonies. There are truly some amazing people here! I feel so blessed and honored to get to rub shoulders with them and work with them in building Zion.
We worked a lot with Irmã Nilsa this week. She is quite the trooper! She is kinda old and has vision problems (aggravated even more by the sun). Yet, even so, she went teaching with us several times this week in the blistering hot sun of Cuiabá! She bore testimony powerfully and boldly to everyone we encountered. It was so cute! She was even dressed up like a missionary--skirt and blouse, and comfortable walking shoes. I want to be just as active in preaching the gospel after the mission. What a great example she is to me!
Thank you everyone for all your updates and support. I love you all very much.
Love, Sister Ellis

April 15

Holy Cow! I had so much to do today, this internet time started as an hour, then an hour and a half and is now going on 2 hours! I had a lot more to report to President Milder being a senior companion now and then I had to read everyone´s blog reports. Thanks for all the updates and pictures! I was in heaven seeing my beloved family!

Laura--I don´t really know what that means, but I´m praying for you adn the twins.

Nat--I´m so excited it´s going to be a girl! That´s hilarious about Sam and his girlfriend! Watch out.

Joy--What a dirty little trick. You know how guilable I am! And it´s even worse via email when you can´t see or hear the tone of voice! But, I will forgive you. :) I´m glad the boys are all growing well and developing their abilities and talents (acting, playing instruments, grunting, etc). :)

Life is good. I´m kinda stressed out about training and all, but with faith in every footstep...:) My companion, Maria Sena is very sweet. Actually, she´s a lot like me! HAHAHAHA! In the good ways and not-so-good. It´s really funny and Heavenly Father works--giving me a junior who is the same way I was when I arrived. God really does have a great sense of humor! :) I´m learning a lot about working hard, setting a good example, teaching, and following the Spirit.

This morning I studied patience which is a celestial virtue (according to Pres. Monson). I am grateful for this opportunity to develop more patience with others and myself. It is wonderful to see how God counsiled the sons of Mosiah in Alma 26 to have patience in afflictions and if they would, they would be blessed greatly. That promise was fulfilled and they were instruments in the Lord´s hands in brining millions of souls into Christ´s fold! Wow! What a great example! I never knew the virtue of patience was so powerful. This week, I´m really focusing on developing more patience.

The work continues forward. We are living in 8 sisters in Cuiabá right now and commuting to our area of Verdão. It´s kinda rough, not going to lie, but what a blessing to exercise patience! We study and plan in every corner of the apartment--kitchen, hallway, bedroom, etc. It´s pretty funny. Hopefully, we´ll find an apartment soon in Verdão and get to move there.

I´m excited to see Mom and Dad at Stake Conference. (Want to go teaching with me and my companion?!) That´d be a blast! But, like Mom, I don´t want to break any rules. But, we do have a goal to teach 20 lessons with members every week so as your calling is to serve Dad and be a witness of Christ, maybe you could kill two birds with one stone and go teaching with us! HAHAHA!

I´m glad the baby blessings went well adn everyone had fun at Conference weekend. Holy Cow! Emily is getting so grown up!

I would have to say one of the biggest miracles of late is that I got transferred to Verdão. We (Sis. Barboza and I) had been working with Estella (less active) and her family (two sons and husband), but they weren´t in our ward boundaries so we didn´t have permission to continue. I prayed a lot that something would happen for us to continue working with them if it was according to God´s will, because they had gained a trust and love for me and I for them. Then, what would you know, but I got transferred to their area! YEA! I am so happy and grateful for the opportunity to continue working with them. Truly, God hears and answers our prayers. I´ll keep you all posted on their progress. We´re going to mark their baptismal dates this week.

Well...I´m working hard and truly striving to be 100% obedient to be worthy of the companionship of the Spirit. Thank heavens for the Atonement and the opportunity to repent and do better every day!

Well, I love you all so much. Thank you for being such a wonderful, supportive family! May God bless you all!
Love, Sister Ellis III

P.S. Is it true, Dad, that the Church doesn´t ´allow´ Conferences with just the Sister Missionaries? I heard from Sister Cavalcante that y´all did Sister Zone Conferences in MBSPN.

April 8

Dear Fabulous Family,

Well...4 new sisters arrived yesterday and the biggest shock of all is that I am going to train one of them! AHH!! Talk about butterflies in your stomach...:) I know Heavenly Father knows what He´s doing and that He will magnify my abilities. I don´t know her name yet, but we´ll pick them up in a couple hours.

So, I only stayed with Sister Barboza for about 3 weeks. :( She´s so sweet and I´ve really loved being her companion. We worked really well together. The happy news is that we are going to be living together still (we both are going to be training the newbys). After almost 7 months in Cuiabá, I´m moving to another area! Crazy! I´m excited for this new chapter in my life and mission, but it is bitter sweet saying goodbye (as you all know). We are moving to Verdão. We went looking for apartments Monday and Tuesday (hahaha--good old memories of SW) and finally found one that is finishing being remodeled. It´s a really cute green color (freshly painted) and on the fourth floor in a very safe condominium with 24 hr guard watch. We will move in Monday. I´m really excited! The members seem really helpful in Verdão. The bishop´s first counselor and ward mission leader helped us a lot looking for apartments. (What a blessing to have a ward family wherever you go in the Church!) I´m also excited for the challenge this new area represents (apparently they haven´t baptized a lot recently). I´m excited to fire up these members! They still meet in a house, but already have the land to build the chapel. Now it´s our privilege to baptize more people to fill up the future chapel!

So...Dad, when you come, do you want to go teaching with me and my companion? Live up the old days? I think it´d be a blast! And it´s always good to teach lessons with members, right...? Mom--are you coming too? I thought I was going to get transfered out of the stake so I wouldn´t see yall when you came, but I´m still in the stake!

I was hoping someone could send me a penn drive. This makes a lot more sense to save my mission pics on because it´ll be less money and hassle than buying and finding a place to burn CDs every time my 1 GB memory card fills up. Could someone send me a pen drive please? Thanks!

Congrats, Darrell! I know you´re going to give excellent service to your ward. You are a hard worker and the Lord will help you wiht the needed inspiration. That´s awesome about your calling, Joy! Hahaha! 4:30am is kinda rough, but I have faith that the Lord will give you the strength you need. You´re an amazing woman! How´s the organ playing coming?

Kit--Could you send me 2 copies of that pregnancy picture of you and Kev in the snow wearing black? Sister Bulhões and I wanted a copy. :) Thanks!

John--Congrats on BYU! That´s my vote cus then we could study together! AWW...:)

How were the baby blessings? Thank you all for the emails and updates. Emily--thanks for the drawing. It is very bonitinha! ;) How have you been? How was the quick trip for Conference?

Love, Sister Ellis

P.S. Could someone pass along the message to Abby that I would love to hear from her when she gets a spare minute? Thanks!
P.P.S. Rob--Did you know Joey Stocking got engaged?! How crazy is that that Carnivorous is going to be a married man?!! HAHAHA! I´m really happy for him.

APRIL 1ST!!!

Well...I thought about only sending this to those who emailed me this week (which include: Rob, Kit/Kev, Nat/Matt, Spencer, and Grandma Turtle), but then I decided to ´do unto others as you would have them do unto you´. What a great blessing it is to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost helping me to be more Christ-like with every decision! ;)

So...I have to share this amazing recipe of a fruit salad dessert I at Sunday. It is positively sinful!! Dad, you´ll love it! You cut up all the fruit and then as a sauce, you mix creme de leite and sweetened condensed milk. It is amazing! The family loved the story of ´it´s gone?!´ that I shared as I cut up the fruit, remembering all our fun times in São Paulo and Dad´s great love for fruit salad and ice cream.

I am so excited or General Conference!!!! I hope you are all having fun together. I´m not really going to think about that part since you´re all together having fun and couldn´t even remember me long enough to write a quick email! (sniff, sniff)

Thank you, Mom and Dad and Em for the easter egg. I am going to eat it with my companion very soon.

In other news, we were finally blessed with an apartment check from President Milder this week. He saw how many things were broken in the apartment and ordered repairs/replacements. Yea! Among these repairs included our shower. I have been taking cold showers morning and night every day for the last 6 months and in conditions of probable electric shock! (there were electric wires that were uncovered and received a bath of water with every shower we took). The day our shower was fixed, we got soaked and arrived home freezing cold adn soaking wet. It was such a blessing to have a safe, warm shower. I had forgotten how heavenly it is to have a warm shower. Heavenly Father is so kind! :)

Everyone here is excited for Dad to come. They always remind me every time I see them (the members, that is). They always say that I´m getting trunky too. But don´t worry, I´m staying focused on my goals this month and we´re already going to have the baptism of 2 amazing women this Sunday--one single mom and another 34 yr old single lady. They are both very special, Juliane and Lindinalva. They are studying the scriptures even more than we ask them to and are completely enthralled in learning more about the gospel. It is such a beautiful thing to see the lives of others blessed with the gospel. I love having this opportunity!

Love, Sister Ellis III

P.S. Thanks for the pictures, Nat and Kit. Holy cow are Ethan and Elle getting big! They´re huge!! How fast they´ve grown in just 7 months.