April 28, 2009

Hello everyone!!!
How was the week for y´all (shout out Trav and Chan ;) ). HAPPY BIRTHDAY Brett! Hope you did something exciting to celebrate!! Oh mom and dad thank you so much for the Easter package!!! It was so fun to get and my entire district says thanks for the chocolate! The chocolate here just isn´t the same. You all rock! I appreciate the letters and emails from all of you!!!YAY! It is my last p-day in the CTM! It is kinda crazy...I feel like I have served my time here and I am more then ready to leave but at the same time I´m a little nervous to be thrown into the real world of Portuguese. I feel confident here speaking and I feel like I´m understanding fairly well too but I also think that once I get to the field it´s going to hit me just how much I have to learn still :). Either way I´m super stoked to go! One of my teachers, Irmão Nacimento is engaged to a girl who is serving in my mission right now. She was called to be there for three weeks because one of the Sister´s had to go home for a health reason so she took the place for the three weeks before I get there. She actually came back today but Irmão Nacimento said that he is pretty sure I will have a Brasilian companion and that he thinks he knows the area I will be going apparently a little bit out of the main city area...he says it is great! I´m excited! I am hoping for a Brasilian companion...I feel like it would help my Portuguese improve a lot more quickly. So, I had a dream that the entire family was learning Portuguese...so...how is it going? It´s a great language to learn! I hear it´s the second most dominant language in the church. LOL I would love to come home to all of my nieces and nephews speaking Portuguese to me :). So we went proselyting on friday for the last time in the CTM. It was another wonderful experience and as I have expressed before it is so refreshing to get out and talk to people and TEACH about the restored gospel!! WOW...it´s amazing! I love these people!! They are so open to stop and listen and so patient with us forgeiners trying to speak their language!! I think we, in America, can learn a lot from them! I already have and I can only imagine what more I will learn from them in the next 16 months. A small accomplishment that I feel like sharing with you all...I did three pull-ups this week (yes total). Hear me out for a second :). I have never really tried to do pull ups in the past...I think in elementary school I had to do the hang above the bar thing for golden sneaker but other then that I can´t remember the last time I tried. But about three maybe four weeks ago my companion wipped out 5 pull ups like it was nothing so I thought sweet I´ll give it a try...only to find out that I can´t do a pull up. So I have been working on it...and struggling. On Thursday of last week I finaly did one...just one but I felt really good about myself, and then last night I did two in a row!! Haha! I hope I have somewhere to keep working on it once I leave the CTM. There is a quote by a general authority...I can´t remember who or what it says but something about how the spirit can increase our spiritual, mental, and physical abilities. I´m grateful for the help!!Well since it is my last week in the CTM I just wanted to share some thoughts about what I have learned here in the past 2 months. I look forward to learning much more once I get to the field of course :). *Faith works MIRACLES! This is not a new concept for me but my understanding and testimony has been strengthened causing me to have and act more on my faith.*God loves exact obeidience! As missionaries and members of the church we have the awesome opportunity to be constantly led and protected by the spirit and through the spirit we will have guidancein ALL aspects of life...we are blessed with this through being obedient.*I want to be trusted by all especially our Father in Heaven. As a missionary I am making it a goal to be trusted with His elect, so God can place them in my path and know I will recognize them, I want to be trusted by my mission President, my companions, the members, the investigators in any area with any companion, etc so that I will carry the work and never hinder it.*House of order. I tend to be spontaneous and just live life as it comes which is fun and can be fine as long as there is order! I have thought a lot about this here in the CTM...the importance of planning the importance of order, etc.*Always look for ways to improve. Watch and pray for ways to improve myself, my relationships, teaching, studying, all aspects have room for improvement and it happens line upon line.*Last one I will share (I have a long list but not time for all of them)...the power of LOVE!! I do love people pretty naturally but I don´t ever want to take that for granted or forget to express it. Love is central! I mean CHARITY really loving as our Savior does. ALL is possible because of love and without it we are nothing and could become nothing...with it we can have everything and become everything our Father has promised!!On that note...I love you all!! You are amazing! You are in my thoughts and prayers always!
Much love!
Sister Chelsea Dawn