Birthdays and Maraponga

Happy Birthday DAD :D woot woot! 

I hope it´s a great one. I´ll bet there´s ice cream cake involved... ;) ha the one year older and wiser too is more like an option, if you want to be, you can be older AND wiser, or just older :) but i trust you´re gonna take advantage of the year and make the wrinkles count :) you can judge by the wrinkles in your leather boots too if you wear em out :)

we had transfers! :) ha so every transfer that I´ve been on my mission I´ve gotten a new companion. Its bittersweet because I become friends with them and then we switch, but I meet a lot of new sisters. Today I got called to train a new sister that I´ll meet tomorrow when she flies in from the missionary training center in sao paolo :) I´ll send a pic next week of her. She´s either hispanic or brazilian, but they´ll assign who trains who after their interviews with the president. Today at transfers President announced that the Apostle Elder Neil L. Anderson will be visiting the mission! :) I am so excited, there will be a choir that I´ll sing in. And the same weekend an area 70 Elder Mozagarde will speak at a devotional in the stake I´m serving in. I´m really grateful to be part of this mission and hear them speak. They´ll be giving trainings in the area and will take the opportunity to speak to the missionaries :) 

Today I went to spent the night in an area closer to the mission office with another sister who´s going to train, Sister Jones my old companion :) in... guess where :) MARAponga :) my home here in the mission, its my 4th time visiting ha. I´m excited because the sisters have done a really nice work in the area and kept up with the people we taught. Tonight we´re going to have a family home evening with Juan. a recent convert Sis Jones and I baptized together, who is the new secretary of the elders quorum :) What great plans! I´m really glad I was assigned to stay at her house for the night. I am in such a good mood, I know that these things could all just be really nice coincidence, but actually it´s because my Heavenly Father knows me personally and wants me to be happy. He wants all of us to be happy and will bless us as much as possible in our lives. He´ll also let us go through hard times so that we can be strengthened. But I know that he´s aware of me. Every transfer has had a reason and been a really big help to my learning experiences on the mission, and given me opportunities to serve and teach people too. The mission is so good :) Everyone should make plans to go on a mission in their lives I think. I want to serve more when I´m old n grown, or in the temple because it lets me feel loved so much. I can tell that my Savior Jesus Christ is there for me. I know he´s there for each of us, right next to our Heavenly Father. I don´t think Heavenly Father is patiently waiting for us to return to live with him, I think he is ACTIVELY participating in our progress so that we can return to live with him. Jesus Christ is the star player in the process through his infinite atonement. There really is nothing they won´t do to help us. when we keep the commandments they give us, it shows what we´re willing to do to help ourselves. If we accept their help in our lives, there is nothing that will throw us off track. like helaman 5:12

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the^arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your ^bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty ^cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

At church sunday the speaker talked about what are we doing now that will prepare us for when the storms come. Because the time to build up defenses is before the rain. Something we have to do is to read the scriptures and pray. The scriptures are available online at lds.org and prayer is a conversation when you direct your thoughts to God. I know that these things bless us and will prepare us for everything we are facing. I love you guys :)