May 26, 2014

Sometimes the things most worth it are the hardest to achieve

Dear Everyone,

     I hope everyone is having a great week! Most people don´t like Mondays, but I like to see the week as a whole new opportunity to do things right. Maybe the last week you said you were going to change something, but didn´t quite get it right. Well, now you have a whole week, so just go and do it. I didn´t like Mondays before the mission, but there´s always something I realize I can do better that I want to put into action for the week.

     I can take pictures again! One of my camera chips is now virus free! And is going to stay that way, because I´m going to make sure of it! I don´t know why some people don´t have this problem, but I guess it´s just technology´s way of telling me that serving a mission is not an escape from its hatred of me. Oh well, opposition in all things.

     We met so many new people to teach this past week! SO MANY! Why? Because we are talking to everyone. I realized that it got a lot easier to talk to complete strangers in the street, on the bus, in their stores __insert any location__ when I stopped thinking this was my mission. Every missionary is working to invite others to come unto Christ. I am doing a part of it, but really this has nothing to do with me, so I decided to stop letting my fear get in the way of other people´s opportunity to hear the gospel. If they want to tell me they don´t want to hear what I have to say, that´s their choice, but at least they won´t be able to say I never asked them if they wanted to know. 

     My companion is so cool. She´s already fearless. I think President Cabral assigned her to train me.

     This week we saw some blessings of fasting. We were meeting with a woman who has been trying to stop smoking for a while. She always had the attitude of "We´ll see if I make it," but when we decided to fast together, she changed her attitude to "I can do it." We have been teaching her for a while and she´s always had this kind of attitude about things, not really having confidence in herself or in the Lord, but she is starting to change, starting to have more confidence. This was probably the hardest fast I´ve ever done. It seems like as soon as we started our fast the sun came out full blast and we were running from one end of town to the other. At night, our legs were exhausted and hurting, but we knew it would be worth it. Sometimes the things most worth it are the hardest to achieve, but it´s always possible.

     I love you! Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Arthur

HAPPINESS is a choice. CHOOSE it.

My beutiful Argentinian

Dear Everyone,

     WOW! Guess what?!? I have a new companion! That makes a different companion every two weeks for six weeks! I´m going for a record here. Just kidding. I think Sister Medrano and I will stay together for a while, because I am training her. She is from Argentina and she is literally the cutest thing you ever saw. Sometimes it seems like she´s much younger (she´s 19, so we´re pretty much the same age), but then she starts talking, and you´re like "Oh dang. She knows what she´s talking about." She is such a blessing! She is hard-working, doesn´t complain and is always smiling. She looks up to me for everything, which is kind of scarry. I´m trying to be the best example I can. Most people ask her if she´s 15 or 16, because she has a baby face and speaks softly, but she´s also very insistent, and it´s funny, because sometimes you just don´t expect it.

TRANSFERS

     We were on the bus and it would be about an hour and fifteen minutes before we got off. The bus kept filling up and people didn´t have a place to sit, so I gave my seat to someone and Sister Medrano held by bag. She asked periodically when I wanted to switch, but I just kept saying "I´m good." She asked again and I responded the same (I don´t like to take up a seat when others are tired and I am perfectly capable of standing). She stood up, gave me my bag, grabbed hold of the bar and said "We´re going to switch." I just sat down...for a minute and then gave the seat to someone else. She didn´t complain. We think alike in a lot of matters.

      We are seeing so many miracles happen! Last night we had exhausted all of our options for people to visit. We´d already taught some people, but it wasn´t time to go home and we had to teach one more lesson before the night was over. People weren´t home or they didn´t want to talk to us or I don´t know, but we weren´t sure exactly how this last lesson was going to happen. We knew it would. We just didn´t know how. We said a prayer asking for direction and the name of a member popped into my head. I said told Sister Medrano that I had thought of Manuel and Betty. Maybe they needed help or had thought of someone we could teach. We started heading there. Like always, we said hi to everyone we passed, but one guy caught our attention and we asked if we could share a message. He was sitting at a table in the division of the road and said sure. He was just killing time. We taught Claudiney about the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ and invited him to pray. He said he never thought he could know for sure which church is the church that Jesus Christ established. He is excited to pray and said when he receives an answer, he will be baptised. We´re going to meet with him tonight to see how it went and introduce the Book of Mormon! He´s very cool. Afterwards we still had a few minutes, so we went to see if we could help Manuel and Betty with anything. They weren´t home, so I guess we just had to be heading in the right direction.

The view from our balcony. That´s right. We have a balcony
...2 OF THEM! It´s not really that fancy though.
If you have a 2nd story apartment, you have a balcony
or part of your house is just open. It´s incredibly different here.

     We had a special training just for sisters this Friday. It was very cool and motivating and there was so much fruit and vegetables! It was great! Sister Medrano likes to eat healthy and runs with me every morning. "There can be miracles if you believe." o em português "Milagres sâo reis!"

I hope everyone is having a great week! If you´re not, a lot of people say to think about all the people whose life is harder than yours. I think this is the wrong approach. Think about how much you are loved. Think about the potential you have and the power you have to change your own attitude even if you can´t change someone else`s attitude. Happiness is a chioce. CHOOSE IT!

Sister Allred is an angel I met in my district in the MTC.
SHE FINALLY ARRIVED!

My companion of two weeks

I LOVE YOU!

Love,

Sister Arthur

It’s the highest, holiest service assumed by humankind. 

It’s the definition of selfless service. 

It’s both a daunting responsibility and a glorious opportunity. 

The divine role of motherhood is a gift from God, and 

key to His plan of happiness for all His children.

MOTHERHOOD

Dear Loved Ones,                  May 12, 2014

     I got to talk to my family! I love them. They´re the best! My dad asked "why are you giggling so much?" I said "I don´t know! It´s just so easy to talk right now!" Haha. Speaking english with my family felt like a new experience. My sister asked me a list of questions "If ....happened to you, would they send you home?" I think she misses me a little bit. I LOVE MY FAMILY!

     I know it´s a little late, but HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!! There are so many fantastic mothers out there, but mine is the best. Sorry. I don´t want to offend anyone, but sometimes the truth hurts. 

     It is such a big job that mothers have, raising children today. I think it gets harder every day with more and more troubles hitting closer to home. I´m so greatful I was raised in a home where I was taught to be strong and stand up for what is right, because a lot of people weren´t blessed in that way. 
My mother is a strong woman and taught me that no matter what anyone says, I know what´s right. She helped me to make right decisions before I was faced with the problems so that I could choose the right when they came. She taught me the importance of following the Holy Spirit, so that I can have the guidance of the Lord in my life. She taught me that the Lord´s way is higher. My life would have been very different if I hadn´t consulted the Lord in prayer before making a decision. I can´t thank Heavenly Father enough for the blessing she is in my life. I LOVE MY MOM!

     I am also so greatful that she always encouraged me to serve a mission, because I know the experiences I am having now are helping me prepare to be a better mother when that time comes.

     I know there are so many moms out there who don´t have things easy, because it is a hard job they have, but I hope we, as their children,​always help them to realize that all they do is appreciated. Let them know that we love them! I LOVE MOMS!

Love,

Sister Arthur

What Brings Happiness

Novidades!                   May, 5 2014

     Monday night at 11:00pm, I received a phone call. I had already been sleeping since 9:30 trying to kick the remainder of the sickness out of me. It was the third missed call of the evening. My companion and I are heavy sleepers. The elder on the other end explained to me (many times and very slowly) that I would be transferred to Parque das Bandeiras on Tuesday (in a few hours). When I explained it to my companion who woke up afterwards. I told her I was being transferred to Parque dos Bandidos (Park of the Bandits) instead of Parque das Banderias (Park of the Flags), so logically she thought I was messing with her. Anyways, we got to packing right away and now I have a new home and a new companion! Sister Rueda is way cool! She´s a hard worker and we get along very well. It´s only been a few days, but it´s all good here. This transfer ends in a week, so this is a likely to change again and I´m not unpacking my suitcases until we know for sure. Haha. Life would just be easier that way, but I´ll probably stay here. My companion, on the other hand, has already been here for four months, so she´ll probably be leaving... But who knows? Not I!

Family Home Evening.Members love having FHE with us, but they never
want to give the message or do it on their own. 
Any ideas to help them out?

     Oh funny story. I arrived in the new area after having announced (to our relief) the end of the english course there. When I arrived, the elders in the area said "Oh yay! Another American! You´re gonna help us teach english class!" They didn´t understand when I sat down in the middle of the street and started crying. Just kidding I didn´t do that. It´s cool. We have a curriculum...ish here and so at least we have an idea of where to start and we don´t have to invent everything the night before.
     I'm now famous in my mission for the back-breaking package I just received from my Mother...everyone's like DANG! That's a LOT of LOVE!

     We had an amazing experience visiting a family who had stopped coming to church. When we got there, the son came to the door and told us that the bishop and stake rep were already there. We had an amazingly spiritual lesson with this family. It is a widdow and her two children. The father died young and we all shared the stories of how the gospel has made an impact in our lives. I told them that I have always been a member of the church and I don´t like it when people discredit my faith because of that. They think I only go, because it´s the only thing I´ve ever known. That´s not true. I go, because I know what´s right, because I´ve learned from experience what brings happiness in this life. I know that being a member of this church does not stop the trials from coming. Trials are a part of life, and opportunity to prove ourselves. Being a member of the church makes me stronger. The gospel of Jesus Christ helps me to know who I am no matter what challenges I may face. I am a Daughter of God.

Love,
Sister Arthur

P.S. Happy Mothers Day to all of you amazing moms!