March 24, 2014

Sorry this keyboard is crazy!!

  Dear Family and Friends,

This has literally been the fastest transfer of my mission thus far. We are entering week 6 and I cannot believe it. I have learned a ton with Sister Felix about the importance of Relationships with people in our area and the importance of organization and leadership. When I entered this area, I became a little stressed out looking at everything that needed to change or improve. Our ward has more than 450 members, but only about 60 are truly active and those that are active are divided.  We started trying to schedule meeting with the leadership, but  nothing was working. The ward was unexcited and full of offended members. Finally Sister Felix and I sat down and planned, brainstormed ideas about how  we could help the ward here in Icoaraci.  We started fasting for the Icoaraci ward. Things started to change. I have gained a strong testimony of fasting and that truly through God all things are possible. This was the result of our fast the Lord's help.  We have scheduled four families home evenings this week to invite friends and re-activate less actives. we created a schedule for when the women of the ward can go  out teaching, and they  actually starting teaching with us daily!.  The bishop called a couple to be ward missionaries. We planned a combined activity with another ward for this coming Saturday and has a planning meeting with more than 30 youth and the ward is excited!  I started teaching English at a local school three times a week and we have met a ton of interested people. We also started doing more that 100 street contacts per week and yesterday had our first ward council meeting for the first time in 10 months! We presented our new ward mission plan which was approved :) I can feel a difference forming. The leaders are starting to fulfill their callings and the excitement for missionary work is being re-lit. I am honestly so grateful  for my companion Sister Felix and the spirit that we are able to share with the ward. We are working hard and trying everything we can to help this ward grow in the gospel. It is an ongoing process. We are working side by side with the members and trying new things. One thing I have learned here in the mission  is that to obtain  results like  you have never seen before, you have to do things that you have never done before.  Change is a good thing. It is a hard thing, but it is through hard times that we truly become more like our Savior.

I love my Savior Jesus Christ, I am eternally grateful for the sacrifice he made for me and know that he really does live. He is  at the head of His Church    and standing at  our side with answers to every problem. We just have to ask. I know the Lord calls each o us where   we are needed and will magnify our abilities to accomplish the tasks placed before us. I could have never served  a mission alone or had the courage to do things as boldly as we have here in Icaoraci.  I know what the Lord's hand  is guiding this work and that we never are, were, or will be alone as long as  we remain faithfully enduring to the end.

I love this work and the special time I have to serve the people here in Belèm, Parà.  This time is priceless.

Have another wonderful week and remember to smile :)

Love always,

Sister Sender

PS: 2 funny moments of the week

1) Is we were waiting to cross the road   one day, a homeless (I think hungover) man came up to me and said "you are really pretty . . . but you are a servant of God.... you can’t be pretty..... that means that you are a prostitute of God.... I just said "Boa Tarde" (good afternoon) and we crossed the street smiling haha (we saw him the other day and I don’t think he remembers....
Moral of the story.... missionaries can’t be pretty.          

2) we were walking past a church looking trying to find the address for our lunch appt and I saw a teenager moving rocks on the sidewalk. Water exploded out of the ground and he smiled at us. and  woop....(read between the lines) he started taking a shower.... soap  and all.... we turned away super fast....