Feb 24: A Obra e boa!

Oi, familia/amigos!

Tudo esta bem aqui.

On Thursday I said goodbye to my dear companion Sister S! She went to serve Spanish speaking in South Austin! She will do so great!

My new companion's name is Sister T! A brand new missionary from Ogden! She just recently turned 19, and she has such a great attitude and excitement to be here! I'm so excited to keep serving here in the  Merrilltown Ward with her!

Yesterday our recent convert  J passed the sacrament for the first time!

Brother M came to Sacrament meeting yesterday also! His first time being in any church for 30 years! He is so close to being baptized. He has told us!  Wow, a mighty change has happened in him over the past couple of months. Sister T and I taught him on Friday night and we taught him a super lesson with the Restoration and Plan of Salvation (to fit his questions/concerns). The Spirit was powerful! I'm so grateful for the Spirit that testifies of this restored gospel!

I have a testimony that church is a place where we can receive revelation, and that when we invite friends to church we don't need to worry about what will be said or whether the lessons will be just right, because when we bring friends to church, they are in the Lord's hands! Over and over again I have sat in a Sacrament meeting and been awestruck at how perfect every talk and musical number and lesson is for the investigators who are there! Heavenly Father is so aware of us and our friends and family and will bless us with the things we need if we will just enter into His church and be where He wants us to be on Sunday morning! Yesterday was so incredible. I'm so grateful for a ward that we can trust and who trusts us! We know that when we bring new friends to church that the ward members will help them to feel welcome and show them around. The bishopric also explains carefully the Sacrament and sustaining and other things we do throughout the meeting.

We met an incredible family of 9 last week! Sister S and I knocked on a door and a lady named Me answered with two of her kids (Jt and Jn) and she asked who we were and what church we were from. When we asked if we could share a message with her, she welcomed us in! She even looked surprised that she was letting us in. We sat down and got to know her a little. She and her husband have 7 children! The first child’s name starts with an A and the second child's starts with a Z...and then they have 5 who start with J's! haha! She was so funny! She said, we covered A-Z with the first two kids... and then the other 5 came!  We prayed and shared the first lesson with her and she was soaking it in! She really understood and asked great questions! By the end she told us she felt God had sent us to her and it was no coincidence we were there. They had just had a few deaths in their family. (Plus, we had also been praying to find a family!) As I was thinking the words "when can we come back?" she asked "When are you coming back??" It was incredible! We set a return appointment. Sister T and I went back, but she had run out to the grocery store, but we met her husband and saw Jn and Jt again! And the kids were so excited to see us! We have an appointment to meet with the whole family tomorrow!

Thanks for your emails and letters! I'm so glad you are each doing well!

Christ lives and this is his church! Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God!

Love you!

   -Sister Greenall

Feb 17: Oi Familia!

Oi familia, tudo bem? 

What an incredible week!

Transfers are on Thursday and last night we got our phone calls... Sister S is leaving! I am staying and training! Big changes are coming! Sister S is incredible and she is going to do great work in her new area. She will probably be Spanish speaking. 

On Wednesday we had Zone training. It was an incredible meeting and I learned a lot! At the end we talked about finding prepared people...

So afterwards Sister S and I went out to find some prepared people. We tried to visit the H Family. Not home, so we went around the complex. We met a lady named D on her porch, watching her three grandkids. We talked to her, she was very nice, we found out she was looking but hadn't found a church in a while where she felt comfortable. I told her we would love to share more of our message with her and Sister S said the words I was thinking! "Could we share more with you right now?" I'm so grateful for a companion who acts on the spirit! D said yes and got some chairs for us! So we sat on the porch, opened with a prayer, shared the first lesson, and recited the first vision to her. After the first vision -the Spirit was very strong- there was a slight pause, and then D said "Wow. ...Wow! That is.. incredible!"  Sister S invited her to be baptized. D said "Yes...but I’ve already been baptized." We continued to teach her about the restoration of the priesthood through Joseph Smith. We got another incredible reaction from her. "Wow! ...Wow. That's amazing. This is just amazing." She then continued to explain to us that her own baptism wasn't done by proper authority.  "So that means that I haven't actually been baptized! That's so silly... all this time I'm walking around thinking I'm baptized, but actually I'm not! And that means that every other church that thinks it is baptizing people actually isn't because they don't have the authority."   Wow, D is incredible! The first vision is truly powerful! She and others, like Ni that we are teaching, have recognized the truth of that experience as soon as they heard it!  

Also on Wednesday, we met with Brother M again! He has been so sick with multiple serious health problems... and he is trying to deal with his father's recent death and handling his will all at the same time! Every time I am around Brother M I feel Heavenly Father's love for him so strongly! I feel like he is one of the reasons I am here in Texas! We have only taught him maybe 3 times, but every time, I feel the Spirit so strongly that I can't keep my legs from shaking!  And we haven't even taught him any of the basic lessons yet. We've tried teaching the plan of salvation, but he just has so many questions that we always end up back in the Book of Mormon, reading and helping him find faith in Christ. They have been powerful lessons and have helped me learn what it means to teach to a person's need. We are excited to teach him the restoration next time we are able to meet! Last lesson he described how he felt like he was at a gate or doorway and that he had to step through it or not... Sister S and I were both thinking "baptism!! It's the gate!" we invited him to be baptized...he said he is getting very close. 

An and Ni are both progressing and excited about their baptism. They are incredible people!  

On Saturday, Mi and her children, Ch and Little Ja were baptized into the kingdom of God on earth! On Sunday they received the gift of the Holy Ghost! They are making an incredible journey and have overcome many challenges in becoming part of His true church, becoming part of a loving ward family, and knowing that God loves them! 

I feel so BLESSED!  

I hope you are each doing well! I love you! 

Chau!

-Sister Greenall

 

 

I'm going to miss this Sister!!!

 

 

 

Mi, Ch, and Little Ja after their baptism

 

 

Ab, Mu, Ja (baptized a few weeks ago), Me, and He (future missionary)

 

 

Only in Texas can you find multiple foods in the shape of the state!

 

 

 

Feb 10: Uma Semana Legal!

Hello family and friends!

Well it seems I will be in Texas a while longer! Probably at least another transfer or two! I look forward to it! (6-12 weeks)

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and treats! I enjoyed more gluten free cookies from my Sis! Orange glazed sugar cookies! I've never had those before! They were delicious.

I also appreciated the card and note from Grandma and Grandpa G and Grandpa S!  I am hoping to have time to write them some thank you notes today.

Our new convert J received the priesthood on Sunday!! And that same day he was home taught, and went out to home teach, and went to a priesthood meeting that evening! It's incredible to see him enjoying these blessings and progressing in the gospel!

Today during companion study, Sister S and I talked about raising our vision and the vision of members and investigators. It was recently that we were talking with some people at church, and someone mentioned how in the past -super past, way back in scripture days!- there were lots of prophecies made. The person mentioned that it seems like there aren't really many prophecies today, but we see more of the fulfillment and looking back on those of the past. But today Sister S and I realized otherwise. As we discussed the big emphasis on "every member a missionary" and member missionary work, we started to realize the potential for that kind of missionary work in the future. It is happening now! But we thought about how the number of young full time missionaries has increased...then we started to think about all of those people's children! We thought about how our own desire to be member missionaries after our missions has drastically increased! (It was there before, but we hadn't realized before how much we could do as non-full time missionary members!) So then we began to think about all the future families of all the current missionaries and we imagined our kids being raised with a missionary mind-set, then serving full time missions, then raising children that way! Someday, members will be doing the finding! And the missionaries will be so busy teaching, that we will need more and more missionaries! Sister S said "We will need 6 pairs of missionaries in one ward!" It hit me that prophets prophecy today just as they did in the old and new testaments, and in the Book of Mormon, and as Joseph Smith has! I like to think of the Proclamation to the World. At the time when it was released in 1995, we thought the situation of families around the world was pretty bad. So it was easy to look at the proclamation and think it was just for the immediate situation. But today, we look at the proclamation of the family and realize how much more it is needed! And I'm sure it will only become more and more needed in the future! To me, that is a prophecy. And I look forward to seeing this emphasis on member missionary work continue to unfold! 

Mom and Dad, I love reading about your missionary work so much! It is incredible to see the way you are so dedicated to making sure the B family can attend church and be involved in the activities, even if it isn't a convenient sacrifice at all. Knowing that my parents are hard at work as member missionaries, and knowing that soon my sister will also be a full time missionary, makes me the happiest missionary in the world! I look forward to continuing missionary work after my mission, and becoming a life-long missionary for the Lord! :D 

Something I learned at church on Sunday is that to sacrifice doesn't mean to give something up, but it means to make something sacred. I thought about all the sacrifices we make each day. Sacrificing could be doing anything you don't necessarily want to do, but do for someone else! ...Waking up early, giving a ride, making a child a lunch, doing the dishes for your parents/spouse, attending church. It could be almost anything! I realized that there are many things I do each day, ultimately for the Lord, but often I forget the purpose. I do things out of habit or routine, but I hope to be more focused on the person for whom I am sacrificing. I hope that by thinking of the Lord more often that the little things (waking up, making phone calls, writing in a journal, teaching a lesson) can become meaningful sacrifices that I make for him.

But I also think that as we do these things for the Lord, they don't feel like sacrifices at all! We come to love the things we do, because we know who we are doing them for. I think this enables us to sacrifice more! As the little things become blessings to give rather than sacrifices, we are able to find new things that we can give, to stretch a little further and give a little bit more of ourselves to him. 

I am so grateful to be a full-time missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! I love being here, and I love it because I know who my sacrifices are going to! I know that the little things I do each day are for the Lord, for the people here who I love so much, and for my family at home (as you have assured me that you are being blessed as I am away)!

Com muito amor,

Sister Greenall

Feb 3: Milagres en Texas!

Oi, tudo bem?

This was an incredible week! Mi and her children Ch and Little Ja will be baptized on the 15th of this month! Ni also committed to baptism on the 15th! Talk about prepared people!

We are also teaching a girl named An, can't remember if I mentioned her before. She basically referred herself to be taught by the missionaries. She is from LA and wants to be around people who don't smoke or drink, and she had seen Mormon ads before, and she remembers that Mormon people have always been very friendly to her. In the people we are currently teaching, there is so much evidence of the importance of member missionary work!  Whether someone simply sees you and your life style and associates it with the LDS church, or whether members are at lessons with them and friendshipping them! Missionary work is the greatest!

The experience I wanted to share today happened on Friday.

We were knocking on potential investigators' doors...but nobody seemed to be home! Even though it was beautiful outside! It was rather strange.  As we drove to a different area, we passed a huge park where there were several people. We pulled over and decided to get out and make some phone calls, and enjoy the weather, and be somewhere where people could see and approach us.  After finishing that, we decided to walk into the more concentrated park area, where the playground was. There were so many people! We were terrified. As we got out of the car, I laughed a little as I remembered the verse we had shared with a family the night before. 1 Nephi 4:6 "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." So we went! We talked to a man with a nice white dog and his daughter. He was friendly and catholic. Some of the first people we saw who we kept passing while at the park were a man in a wheel chair and a woman beside him with dark curly hair. We also kept seeing a blonde woman with her dark haired teenage son. We talked to a man sitting on a bench. He was very friendly, and served at a nondenominational Christian church in our area.  He kindly told us that we had different beliefs.  Sister S then talked in Spanish with a mother pushing her son on a swing. They were really friendly! We talked to a couple people as we made our way around the park. After making the rounds and heading to leave, we noticed we were behind the woman with dark curly hair and the man in the wheel chair again. He was rolling himself up a steeper little area, and Sister S commented that he was very strong!  He (Jo) and the woman (Di) smiled but didn't seem to hear/understand. As we got closer to the parking lot and were near them again, I said something like "It's a beautiful day! Have a nice one!" They just smiled, very friendly. Finally Sister S asked "Habla espanol?" Do you speak Spanish? Di smiled and said "Brazil." I spun around and said "Brazil??!!" I asked "Fala Portuguese?" Do you speak Portuguese? She got excited and started speaking to us in Portuguese!  It was my first time hearing Portuguese from a native speaker! It was so beautiful! And a little bit more difficult to understand! It was so wonderful! She was so excited to hear I was going to Belem. She said "ha muito quente" (it's really warm/hot) and when I told her my mission was the whole state of Para, she said the whole thing is “super quente!” Soon, the blonde woman (Si) and the dark haired son (Lu) joined us too! Turns out they were all from Brazil. It was the neatest thing! They were the kindest people!

After we had gotten in our car and were sitting there, the woman with the curly hair came to the window with another woman, Ma (who spoke more English). Ma said that Di wanted to invite us over some time. So she gave us their address and phone number.

We called them the next day, and went over that night. They told us about Brazil. Di and Jo are from Rio de Janeiro (Sister A is going there!), and Si and her son Lu are from Sao Paulo. Ma and her husband live here in Texas, and the others were just visiting. They are returning to Brazil on the 5th. They asked us about missionaries and told us all about Belem and the giant mosquitos and the rain and humidity, and the fish and the people!  Before we left, we shared the message of the first vision. It felt incredible to be able to teach them in Portuguese and to share the first vision in Joseph Smith's words. We showed them the Portuguese Book of Mormon online. Di said her dad has one in Brazil! Di and Jo especially were very receptive it seemed. Di and Si are both in the navy.  After the first time Sister S and I had met Di, we had asked each other, "Did you SEE the light in her eyes?? She is ready!!" They really did have an incredible light in their eyes. We sang "Grandioso es Tu" for them (How Great Thou Art).

I feel so blessed to have met them! As I first met, and then got to teach them, I felt a huge love for these people! The Spirit testified to me that God has work for me to do in Brazil! I love these people so much! And the feeling of meeting Brazilians for the first time and hearing their Portuguese is hard to describe! It was a tender mercy of the Lord that taught me that I am in the right place right now, and someday will also serve in Brazil!

I love being a missionary! I love the people here! And I love the people of Brazil!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true!

Hope all is well!

Com amor,
     Sister Greenall