September 22, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Another week!!! NOSSA!! Well we are doing great :) I love my companion and we are having a ton of success. It is so wonderful having someone to laugh at my silliness and just have fun while working. I think I have laughed and smiled a lot more this past week, which was wonderful!! 

 

It was a challenging, but wonderful week. We taught a ton and walked a ton too. I tried to teach my comp how to do a street contact inside of a city bus full of people, but she chickened out... leaving me alone in the front of the bus full of people.... she was laughing at my craziness, but surprisingly I wasn’t nervous and it was quite fun! I have learned that if we are comfortable in our little comfort zone, we do not progress. How do we progress?? Change! Do something different! Preach the gospel on the city bus again :) haha she laughs at me, but we are having success because we are doing things differently than we have tried in the past. I love this work! 

 

I have loved my time serving the people here in Belém. We are so blessed o have the luxuries that

September 15, 2014

 

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow what a week!!!! I finally have a companion again!!!! Yay!!! Sister C. Cardoso. It is quite funny because I already served with a mini missionary named "Sister G. Cardoso" and now I am serving with Sister C. Cardoso. So many Cardosos!!! 

 

We had a successful week full of teaching and running around our area trying to organize Andressa's baptism. She was so excited. It was great to see her in white :) I am not sure if you all remember Jamilli? Well she is an incredible member missionary!!! Andressa is her best friend, and Jamilli took charge helping us teach her friend. It was the most incredible sight watching your recent convert share her testimony at the baptismal service of her best friend. The spirit was so powerful. I love this work!!! 

 

I have thought a lot about "missionary work" this week. I pondered and reflected about just how incredible it is that 80,000 young men and women voluntarily serve missions! As we taught a preacher of one of our investigators this week, he was full of questions about missionary service and he just couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around the fact that we serve voluntarily. He asked "How do you motivate 80,000 young people to do that?!! We replied, "it is simple! Because we know that our message is true and can change lives". 

 

I know that this work is true and that I am being guided by my father in heaven. I love him! I love this people and I love my mission! 

Have a wonderful week!! Stay Warm!! (that shouldn’t be a problem for me) 

 

Love always,

Sister Sender 

 

Cultural:

It is normal to throw trash out your car window, or even your house window. (I don’t though haha) 

Because it is so hot, it is normal to spend all day walking around in just a towel. 

We eat a lot for lunch but to eat dinner is rare. 

 

September 8, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

What a week!!! It was a week of changes for sure! I was "single" this week which was so weird. My companion was transferred to Belém on Tuesday and I stayed here in a trio/ with members doing splits whenever I could. It was so weird not having a companion. I was a little lost to be honest. I realized that it will be such a hard adjustment when I get back to make decisions and just simply walk in the street alone!! Weird!!!! haha  

With this experience, I also learned the importance of companions. I only have 50% of the inspiration and without the other 50% our work doesn’t run smoothly. I am so grateful that I will have a companion in these next few days :) Today I was studying in Isaiah 41 and wanted to share a bit that I learned. i was really touched by verses 10 and 13.  

10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, i will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 

13 "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not; I will help thee." 

When I read these verses I felt an overwhelming love of my Savior knowing that I am not alone in this work. He is holding my hand and guiding me where I need to go. We don’t need to fear in this life! Fear and faith cannot coexist! Our Savior is with us! He can never forget us because his hands are marked with each of our names. I find so much comfort knowing that my Savior knows how I am feeling and has lived every hardship that we each pass in our lives. I love Him. 

I hope you each have a wonderful week :) Love you all!! 

Love Always,

Sister Sender 

Ps: I will be staying here in Castanhal :) I think I will be finishing my mission here which will be wonderful! I love my district!! We are setting records and seeing miracles :)

PS: yesterday was independence day here :) (They don’t use fireworks... only for soccer games haha) 

love you all!! 

 

September 1, 2014

September 1, 2014 

Dear Family and Friends! 

What a week!!! Flew by and was full of miracle after miracle!!!! My district had four baptisms this week!!!!! We baptized Andre and Isabel :) Yes!!!!! It was a beautiful baptism :) Isabel was so excited and adorable in her little white jumpsuit. After 78 years she was finally baptized and has never been happier. I love her!! She calls me her beautiful daughter and never stops hugging me I love it. Watching her being baptized was one of the tenderest moments in my life. It was a promise fulfilled from many years ago and I know the heavens were rejoicing :) Andre was also super excited. He has quite a heavy past life and changed so many things to be baptized. The church saved his life and he is so happy and finally clean.  

I was thinking about that this week. How through baptism we are made clean again. What a promise! The Lord has given us the tools and the commandments, and if we are faithful, we can be clean of every sin that we have ever committed. It is remarkable!! I am so grateful for the mercy God shows to each of his children.  

I know he lives and loves us!! We were sent here to earth to gain the knowledge we need and to do everything we can possibly do in order to return to his presence. I know that charity is and pure love of Christ and that through Christ-like love, miracles happen.  

I love this work and have felt the power of the atonement change me. I am still "Haley", but just with a different sparkle ;)  

love you all! Have a wonderful week :) 

 

Love always, 

Sister Sender 

 

cultural:

I dont know anymore hahaha everything is normal... hmmmmmm American culture will be weird. 

 

tchau!! I will send pictures :) 

August 25, 2014

Dear family and Friends,

Well I made it!!! 21 times around the sun and still kicking hahah wow 21!!!!! ahhhh that is just old.... My birthday was great :) super simple, but full of serving so it was fantastic :) I wanted to share a miracle that happened.it was the best birthday present I could have asked for.  

So I wanted to drink Açai on my birthday, but I wanted to drink it with Isabel our 78 year old investigator. We went over to her house that evening and I bought Açai for us all to drink and share. While we were teaching her, she started sharing an experience. She had told me a few days earlier that she had had a dream about me. She started sharing her dream... 

She said that a few years ago she had this dream... 

she was at home with her husband (he passed away 11 years ago) and walked outside. She started hearing a bunch of noise and became very scared. She thought the world was ending. She ran home and called for her husband. He told her that it wasn’t sounds of the world ending, but of trumpets of angels sounding. She went back outside and found the place where she was hearing the sounds. She entered the place and saw three angels in long robes. The first was a short small angel in blue. Another was in a large angel in a green robe. And the third was a tall thin white angel in a white robe. She said that the angel was whiter that anything she had ever seen. With tears in her eyes (and mine) she looked at me and said "It was you". Isabel continued and said that i was the captain angel guiding the others and that I started talking to her (in the dream) and said "Isabel, do you have faith?" She replied "yes".  

Isable continued to explain that she knows that the Lord sent us to rescue her. He sent us to her house to find her, In that moment she said that she knew she needed to be baptized. I was then crying like a baby. It was like reliving a memory of a past life. I know it wasn’t a dream she was describing. It was a memory. 

 

It was the best possible birthday present I could have received. It was the most powerful spiritual experience that I have had during my mission. More powerful than speaking without an accent with Khalil, silvo praying, deborah receiving her answer, or afternoons with Henriqueita. I have had countless spiritual experiences here in the mission field, but my 21st birthday was the first time I touched the other side of heaven. 

 

I will never forget the day we walked past Isabel's house and the impression and clear voice of the spirit to go back and knock on the door. We are rescuing one of my dearest lifelong friends. Isabel. A friend from long before this life. Her baptism will be beautiful. We finished the evening laughing, drinking açai and looking at old photos of her 7 children. She is an angel. As we left we embraced for awhile. As if two best friends embraced after a distance apart. I couldn’t help but say "I love you Isabel" and she replied "I love you too". 

 

I know that I was called to Belém for a sacred purpose. I know my savior lives and that the Lord knows each of his children. If he could sent a 21yr old sister to a 78 year old widow. He knows us. 

 

I love you all!  

have a wonderful week:)

 

love always,

Sister Sender 

Ps: Wyllon was baptized sat!!!! It was incredible!!!! 

pps: we had 8 investigators at church yesterday and the power went out.... it was an adventure!!!!! :) love you all 

August 18, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

What a week! It was a bit of a tough one, but we learned a lot. We were rejected a lot and honestly I had the opportunity to feel the sorrow our Heavenly Father feels when his children do not come unto him. My main purpose as a missionary and most important in my opinion is to invite others to come unto Christ through his restored gospel. It is a simple and yet complex purpose, but is so rewarding. This week was full of challenges and I won’t lie, I got a bit discouraged. I felt like I wasn’t fulfilling my purpose. We were rejected so much, our appts fell through all week, out scheduled baptism fell through 20 mins before it started and we were just not seeing the "fruits" of our labors. I came to a conclusion. A prayer filled answer really. We were inviting and doing everything we could (100% obedience has always been my goal), but we don’t have control of how others will react to our invite or if they accept it. Christ was not accepted by everyone he met. He was rejected day after day until his eternal sacrifice, why would I be exempt from being rejected as a representative of Christ? Rejection really means we are doing the Lords work. 

 

On Thursday we had a testimony building experience with this idea. We were searching for an address and stopped in front of a house. We clapped at the gate and a man came to the door. We asked for directions and he started yelling questions about what church we belonged to. We told him " A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Ùltimos dias". He replied "oh those Mormons!!" In that moment he started angrily screaming that Joseph Smith was not a prophet, the Book of Mormon condemned God, that we were part of a cult that didn’t believe in God, that only the bible was truly the word of God and he continued for a while screaming. He asked a few questions and really the spirit took over. my companion was a nervous wreck, staring at him (she even asked for a cup of water!! haha). Our convert Jamilli was with us and was shocked. I was surprised to find myself completely calm and answered every question with the Bible and the Book of Mormon. After answering a few questions he stopped looking at me in the eyes. He talked about a book he had that talked about other religions. I didn’t want to "Bible bash" or debate so I just testified. He didn’t stop screaming, but we calming testified of truth and said good afternoon. 

 

My testimony was strengthened during that 5-10 min conversation. Knowing that we stood our ground and defended the true gospel of Christ. I invited him to search for himself, to pray and ask God. We invited him unto Christ, he just chose not to accept our invite. I know that the Lord was guiding our words and thoughts that afternoon and that he knew the power 10 mins had to strengthen my testimony of this work and gospel. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He paid for every one of our sins, and that only through him we can one day return and live in the presence of our Father in heaven. I love my Savior and am so grateful for his example of truly enduring to the end.

 

Have a wonderful week!! 

 

com amor,

Sister Sender