Oi, wonderful people of my life!

Email received

September 24, 2013

Oi, wonderful people of my life!

To answer my Mom’s questions…

Happiest moment this week:

Last night, we were home and in bed. Sister L left and I figured she was out studying in the hallway like usual or something. I laid in bed a lot...kind of thinking about myself...how lucky I am to have such awesome family and friends, about the mail I've received, the cool package from Elder R, what I would write to everyone for p-day tomorrow... after a while, I had the thought I should check on Sister L. Interesting that I didn't hear that prompting until I stopped thinking about myself -- that's a lesson for me.  I got out of bed and climbed down my ladder (I'm the top bunk above Sister Ch), and soon realized Sister Ch was also gone.  I went out to the couches in the residence hall entrance area and found them both sitting together, tears streaming down their face. Sister Ch was comforting Sister L and talking with her.  Sister Ch had received the prompting to find Sister L way before me. I admire the way Sister Ch receives and understands specific promptings from the Spirit. :) Sister L is going through some challenges concerning her home life, yet she is SO strong and so incredible. She left all that behind to serve the Lord, even though it is so hard. She inspires me.  She has such a quiet strength.  Anyway, by the time I got there, Sister Ch had already done most of the comforting, and they were both feeling better. The three of us are very different but time and time again, the Lord has blessed us with experiences that have brought us so close together and have helped us to understand each other and love each other more like the Savior does. We all talked and shared our testimonies and thoughts about the Savior and how incredible and strong each of us is and how much we love each other. The Spirit was warm and comforting in our hearts and around us. Sister Ch said "It feels like Heavenly Father is giving us a big hug. He's the only boy you can hug on your mission." :)

Saddest moment this week:

Only seeing my sweet companions having some hard times has been sad. But every time one of us comes across something challenging or doubts or fears, we lift each other and most of all, the Lord lifts us, and he makes us stronger than we were before! I really haven't had much sadness here in the MTC. Me and my companion Sister Ch actually had a similar experience -- feeling doubts about being a missionary and not feeling good enough. We were all able to talk and lift each other, and we shared some experiences.  It's so great that we can cry together, testify together, and strengthen each other.

Funniest moment this last week:

The day Sister Ch learned why Sister Greenall sings alto.
This was last Sunday, just two days ago. We were sitting together in the Sunday night devotional, singing the opening hymn. It was a hymn I was less familiar with and I couldn't seem to find the alto line...so I resorted to singing soprano...loudly.  I have this weird theory that if I sing louder I can sing higher. Anywho...we got to the chorus and I went to sing a beautiful high note - I envisioned it going well - and the weirdest sound came out of my mouth - super loud.  My voice cracked so bad!!  And Sister Ch just turned and looked at me and we both cracked up!  I had to stop myself from laughing and tried to keep singing. But we joke about it all the time now!

BY THE WAY: I'M SINGING IN THE GENERAL RELIEF SOCIETY BROADCAST! LOOK FOR ME :D ...No wonder they put me on the 2nd Alto part- lowest women part possible.  Hahahaha!

Also, an awesome moment was last p-day in the laundry room when it suddenly started hailing like crazy out of nowhere!  So awesome!

Most spiritual moment this week:

There are so many, but definitely our last lesson with Carlos. We taught the first vision. After Sister L and Sister Ch taught about some things, I was able to share the first vision in Joseph Smith's words in Portuguese.  I memorized it about a week ago...but as I talked to Carlos sharing with him about Joseph Smith, I could feel the Spirit building inside me. It was very present in the room.  And it testified to my heart so strongly of what I was about to say. As I began, the spirit filled me even more!!!  I felt so full! It was flowing through me, and the words came smoothly and naturally. I wasn't sharing a memorized script or quote, I was sharing a message that Carlos NEEDED, a message from God straight to him. It felt incredible. That was our best lesson yet.  And by "our" I mean my companions and I and the Spirit, because the Spirit definitely did all the work!  I've learned that as missionaries, we are only, only, only instruments in God's hands.  Have I said that a billion times already?  It's so true.  The best thing I can do as a missionary is to keep myself as clean and pure as possible (through constant repentance and application of the Atonement) so that the Spirit of God can flow through me freely without any obstructions.  Like a tuba. When it is clean inside and the air can flow through fully, perfectly, and smoothly, it sounds beautiful. When the tuba is full of spit and gross sticky things, it sounds awful and disrupted. The Spirit makes what I testify and teach beautiful and powerful!  Naturally, I am a saliva-filled sticky gross tuba that could never convert a single person.  But if I allow Christ to make me clean and pure, through using his Atonement, the Spirit can flow through me and make miracles happen and make something beautiful. :)

OH! Another funniest moment last week:

The day I found out I was asking people where they die, instead of where they live.
We've been practicing street contacts. We have a goal for our district, so we each need to do 4 contacts a day per person to reach the goal. I had been asking people "Onde voce morre?" instead of "Onde voce mora?" I got a lot of confused looks for like 3 days straight...until some more experienced Portuguese missionaries clarified to me that Morrer is to die and morar is to live.... Whoops!  Hahaha!

Well, our professor, Brother Porter, told us that we have to make 5,000 mistakes before we can master the language, so I'm trying to get in all the mess ups I possibly can as fast as I can.  Oh!  We found out that Brother Porter was Brother Miller's teacher in the MTC before Brother Miller went to Brazil isn’t that cool??? Brother Porter has been teaching here for 3 years, and Brother Miller just got back from his mission 3 months ago. They are both amazing. Every day they fill our hearts with the spirit and uplift us! In class we learn by the Spirit. The Spirit speaks to us and our hearts so clearly. Brother Porter is so good at being that instrument to invite the Spirit and let it work through him. He is truly inspired in the way he teaches us.

Dad, every Sunday the sisters get to watch Music and the Spoken Word before Relief Society!! The elders don't get to -- haha! But I love it so much! We all look forward to hearing music! And especially such uplifting music!! I always think of you as we watch!!  I loved your mission experiences and letters. :) Thanks so much for sharing!! It means so much! It really uplifts me and helps me focus even more!

Another funniest moment!

Elder J, our district leader, says with a straight face "You make me sick" as he hands me a huge pile of mail. "It's 10 in case you were wondering."  Hahaha! I had your letter and 10 dear elders!! From all the blog posts you sent me!!  Hahaha! It was great! If only Elder J knew that most of those were actually from myself! haha! And I was so wonderfully happy to find the messages from you and dad in there. :)  I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!

I want to send Sister K my love and tell her a big thank you! She sent me a SUPER awesome gluten free package!!! Which me and my sisters thoroughly enjoyed!!! :D

Oh, I forgot to tell you.  As part of our Portuguese learning supplies, we also got these super fancy filter water bottles. They will last our whole missions.  All water we drink we are supposed to drink through the filter. And you can drink ANY water with it! Like even out of a puddle in the middle of the rainforest!!  Super high tech.  [And super-worry-reducer for Mom!]

Oh! I bought Jesus the Christ from the book store! It was only $8 with the missionary discount and I get $8 from the MTC on my missionary card every week so I just used my missionary card! It's so good!!  

I got a sweet letter from Brother D with some money, which I was able to buy my shirt for the Relief Society Broadcast Choir. :) I'll be wearing that shirt on the broadcast! Thanks, Brother and Sister D!! You are so kind!!!!

Another awesome thing is TRC when we get to teach REAL people! They aren’t “acting” like investigators or anything; they just come as themselves.  We taught Brother H (in Portuguese of course, everything is in Portuguese).  He's a member of the church with a wonderful family and it was so special to pray for him, share a message, and talk with him.

Fun fact:  P-DAYS are the most stressful days of the mission!  hahaha!  Mostly the laundry room... but we are getting better!  [ Let's see 3500 missionaries divided by 6 possible P-Days = 583.33 missionaries trying to do laundry every day!  I wondering how many machines they have???]

Jamie sent me so much awesome mail -- package and post cards!  Aww, I love her!!

And Brianna is doing so well!!  :D

Romans 8: 24-25

(24) For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?   (25) But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

I LOVE YOU ALL! I'm totally out of time! But I want you to know that I think of you and pray for you. I am so grateful for all you do for me and your support and kind words. I love you SO much. I am so blessed to have each of you.

-Sister Greenall