Sept 22nd

Hello!

Have I ever told you how much I love, love, love reading all of your email? They fill me up with so much love and happiness and the spirit. Thank you so much for every little email. This last week the advice and love and words of encouragement were literally what saved me and got me through. I am SO blessed to have such an amazing support staff. I love and thank every one of you. 

This week, we didn´t have a ton of time to work which was kind of frustrating but overall it was a great week! We are slowly constructing a good teaching pool that is progressing. Our sweet little Vanessa wasn´t baptized this week because of a few little complications but everything will work out for this Saturday. She is ridiculously excited. At church on Sunday she came up to me and said 

"I have a mission"

I asked her what it was.

"I´m going to go give that old sister a hug and tell her I love her."

She then proceeded to march across the chapel and embrace with so much love a 87 year old sister in the ward. I love our little Vanessa. She´s the chubbiest, cutest little 9 year old in all of Brazil.

Another investigator, Carlos (the single dad) will probably be baptized with Vanessa this weekend. He got over his coffee addiction and is progressing a ton! He is very excited to be baptized!

I love seeing people change their lives and helping them do it!

We also started teaching a new family  this week that is just perfect! I´ll write more about them next week but please pray for Ana and her 11 year old twins.

This week during our exercise time we went running to the "feira"- like a farmers market only way cooler. There´s a street in our area that closes down on Saturday morning and everyone sets up booths to sell cool things.We bought a bunch of fruit and our fridge is packed! I´ve been eating mango and cantalope and grapes papaya and guava and al sorts of yummy fruits that don´t have names in english  that I love for breakfast everyday. I feel like I´m living in the Garden of Eden.

We had 12 new american missionaries arrive this week. A majority of them were waiting for more than a YEAR to get their VISA´s. That is persistence! One of the Sisters that arrived will be finishing her mission in 12 weeks! I am sooo grateful to HF that I got mine so soon! 

I´ve been reading a bunch in the Book of Mormon this week and almost finished! 

Today, I was reading about the brother of Jared and it was amazing to see how the Lord really gave to him only what he needed and only when he really needed it. The Lord has a perfect plan and always will answer our prayers giving us what me really need because He really loves us. I love to remember that the Lord cares a lot more about our eternal progression and happiness than our immediate comfort. 

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. 

I love this work, I love the gospel and I love my family soooo much!

Thank you for your prayers, I really need them!

I LOVE YOU!!

Sister Brown