week 53 -- Pres. Colleoni finishing mission

Eaiii gente!  (Hello people)

Sorry for not writing this past week.  My body passed through literally every type of enfirmadade (disease) you can imagine and I hardly had strength to make it to the computer to talk to my family.  But God is misericordioso (merciful) and still managed to bless the life of small e pequena (and insignificant) Sister Staheli more than she deserved this week (and always).

President Colleoni

Sister Colleoni

My mission president is in the last 3 weeks of his mission and we had our last conference with him and Sister Colleoni.  There’s never been a shadow of a doubt in my mind that Presidente Colleoni is a man who knows his Savior.  He has always loved us like unto the love of the Savior, humble and trusting, yet also not afraid to queimar (correct us) when we need it.  I am so grateful for my time with him because I know I never heard his words, but the word’s and inspiracao (inspiration) straight from my Heavenly Father.

Heloiza

A miracle that happened this past week was being able to see Heloiza.  Just to recap, when I was still starting off the mission and was hardly speaking/understanding Portugues, we met this woman on the street and started to teach her.  Now this woman at the time was dating this super shady dude who lived in Dubai and was always having some random accident or needing hospitalization, or some type of expensive incident that she was constantly sending money for.  Did I mention they met online?  And that she found another account on facebook with the same dude but a completely different name?  Yeah “ShadyRight?  For quite a while we just sat and listened to her vent, but there was one lesson that was incredible.  We taught about how the evangelho (gospel) is the unreo caminho pra voltar a viver com nosso pai celestial (is the only way we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again).  My companion left the end of the lesson for me to teach.  Although I stumbled, and was completely inadequate, God gave me His words and spirit in that moment and she accepted the challenge to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized.  Long story short, soon after she disappeared and no one knew where she had gone or what happened to her.  Well it turns out, she moved to Mossoro, found the church and the missionaries and not only was she, but also her 2 nephews were baptized.  Needless to say, seeing her out of nowhere at the temple dedication, worthy, with a recommend was more than Sister Staheli could handle. 

Last miracle was Kaio.  Remember that rapaz (boy) that’s caused me more agehia e alegria, (aging and joy), tears and laughter, frustration and love than any other person I know?  Anyways, after 4-5 meses (months) he was finally baptized on Saturday.  Never have I met anyone who had more obstacles in being baptized.  And he is 13 years old!  I have never met someone with a more pure and innocent love for the Savior in my life.  Afterwards I asked him how he felt and he just goes “Sister Staheli, I’m so happy, I’m so, so happy!  It’s like before I always had this angustia (anguish) and heavy and oppressive feeling hanging on me and when I went under the water to be baptized, it all went away!”  And then he just ran off so giddy and feliz (happy) with the other rapazas.  (boys)

Man, I love my pai celestial.  (Heavenly Father)

Look for the miracles folks.  They’re real and they are in your life.

Sending my love.

Sister Staheli

1 year mark

Week - 52

No letter -  Anne skyped us instead.  She has been feeling a bit under the weather as she caught a nasty bug this past week.   

Week 51 -- Let your Gatinho Frolick

This week I got thinking a lot about comparison.

What happens sometimes is that we get so focused on what is happening in the life of someone else, that we forget to be grateful for all of the things we have been blessed with. 

The tendency to compare and compete with those around us is one of the adversary’s most powerful tools in making us forget about our own personal value; making us feel inadequate or worthless because we aren’t a carbon copy of our neighbor.  When we start to compare ourselves with others, we blind ourselves to all of the unique talents and abilities God has blessed us with, using our lives like a "spot the difference" painting, where one is “perfect” while the other is lacking in one aspect or another.  Thinking that every difference in color or position of the gatinho (kitten) in our picture vs. that of someone else, represents some type of failure or defect.  Falling into the trap of thinking why isn’t my gatinho (kitten) drinking leite (milk) on top of the geladera (refrigerator) like his, instead of frolicking in the catnip like there’s no tomorrow?  (You see the ridiculousness in the question?)  Who says that he has to be?  How boring would it be if all we had were gatinho’s (kittens) drinking the same dish of leite (milk)?

Maybe in the beginning it starts as something small, but comparing has a tendency of self -replicating…exponentially.

Embrace who God has made you to be, and trust in Him to help you become more.  I know He will guide us if we only open our hearts sincerely and humbly enough to ask.

Homework assignment:  Look up “Who Says” by Selena Gomez and sing it at the top of your lungs (or at least listen with a singing heart to understand just how unique, important and valued you are by our loving Heavenly Father)  #Works #SpeakFromPersonalExperience

LET YOUR GATINHO (kitten) FROLICK. 

love you all!!

<3 Sister Staheli 

fotos:

What happens when you buy everything needed for a solid açai (banana, granola, leite em pó, leite condensado (powdered milk, condensed milk)) EXCEPT.. cups!  #3cups16missionarios #ThrowItAllInTheBox #AteAçaiOutOfAPlasticBag

The beginnings of "festa de juninha"(June Festival) - aka the biggest carnival to hit Nordeste that consists of every type of corn-based food you can imagine and lasts an entire MONTH (more pictures to come)

Divaneide and Nicole (6 aninhos (years)) - the literal BOMB.COM of Mossoró and have been such a blessing to see them progress in the gospel

the aftermath of a lunch where I actually thought I was going to die #MomIThinkSheMadeMeEatAnEntireLASAGNAsozinha #passeimal 

week 50 -- Semana/Vida Consagrada

 SEMANA/VIDA CONSAGRADA <3 (WEEK/CONSECRATED LIFE)

Ok so what a week of tender miracles. (wow I know I say that a lot haha but it's the truth!)

So this week all of the members in the ward organized a caravana (caravan) to head to Fortaleza (3 hours away) to visit the new temple that took 10 years to build - anddd was a whopping 5 HOURS CLOSER than what used to be the nearest temple in Recife!!   (Fortaleza is at the top, Mossoro where Anne lives is around #304.  And Recife where the next closest temple is around #408 on the bottom right.)

 See pictures inside and outside of Brazil’s 7^th temple  -  the Fortaleza temple….

https://www.lds.org/church/events/fortaleza-brazil-temple-open-house?lang=eng

Fortaleza, Brazil temple

It was a tender mercy because Francione, a filha dela E o namorado dela foram pra visitar and Francione absolutely died of felicidade. (Francione, her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend went and she absolutely died of happiness.)

The temple is a place that when you enter, you automatically feel different. You enter and you feel with every fiber of your being that it's the house of the Lord because of how strong the spirit is - WAYYY more than any normal church building you find. Like Heavenly Father always asked His people to create and visit temples in the past, they are places that still have HUGE significance for the members of the church. And because God just loves us more than anything in the world, these temples are where He has given us the ability to be married not just for this life but for eternity, allowing us to live with our families forever. 

It's always my favorite part to be able to teach people about…eternal families. I remember one contact on the street we made with this man holding his 2 year old crinançinha and we asked him the question - "If you could really have and live with your family forever, even AFTER this short earthly life, what would that mean to you?" And he just gets serious, looks so lovingly and caringly at his little daughter and goes… "wow.. can you imagine?  It would mean the world to me." And it's just like one of those things I always took for granted and thought everyone already knew about, this wonderful promise Heavenly Father gives us. 

We always set it as our goal to share with the people we teach, and it just completely changes the way they think and approach the gospel. 

God really is perfect in that way, creating the world and our spirits, putting us in a family that never is entirely perfect but who we still somehow love no matter what... 

But because temples are so holy, they usually aren't open for the public to be able to enter any normal day, so it was pretty amazing for everyone to be able to visit and get to see the rooms where people are married as well as the baptismal font. Needless to say Francione ADOROU (LOVED IT) and got super excited because, when they saw the baptism font Gabriel (namorado da  (the boyfried of) Ana Clara), who ALWAYS is completely joking about getting baptized goes "heyyy seria legal tomar banho naquela piscina" (“hey it would be nice to bathe in that pool”) and I think Francione's heart just about exploded in excitement.

#NoteToSelf:NUNCABRINCASOBREBATISMOCOMfrancione #elanâoconsegueaguentar (#NoteToSelf:I am going to give you a chance to learn how to live with them forever.)

Just sending out a shoutout and saying how much I love my family and how grateful I am that God has given me the ability to live with them forever.

LOVE YA GENTE 

<3 Sister Staheli

look up more pics of other temples if you want! There's one in almost every state in the US and there are tons being constructed every year in the US as well as countries around the world! #youlldie 

Here is a picture of the Denver temple where my parents were married.

Denver, Colorado temple

Frankfurt, Germany temple

Temple where my mom served in Frankfurt Germany

Seoul, Korea temple

Temple where my dad served in Seoul Korea

Brennan served in Romania and the Rome temple would have been one of the closer temples to him.  Here is an 11 minute video giving a tour of the Rome Temple.

Two Apostles Lead a Virtual Tour of the Rome Italy Temple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhWgPwEQQ98

Rome, Italy temple

Los Angeles, California temple

Jonathan served in California and his temple was in Los Angeles where my grandparents were married

Week 49 -- HAPPY DIA DAS MÃES

HAPPY DIA DAS MÃES. (Happy Mother’s Day)

Getting to talk to my family yesterday was just the most tender blessing ahhh :) I know that we can talk with them every week but it almost never works out, so talking and laughing, teasing each other about the types of foods we were both missing out on (I may not have Ruffles Dad but how many fresh guavas do you eat on a daily basis?? #HAH), and just being there was such a normal thing. I thank my Heavenly Father every day that because of our Savior, we have the promise of being able to live with our families forever <3 #ManAreWeBlessed

It's funny to think that the last Dia das Mães (Mother’s day) was my farewell talk with all of my grandparents and family in Colorado before going on the mission.  #WhatIsGoingOnItsAlmostBeen1Year. 

- This week we had a HUGE slumber party on the veranda. Because we had transfers -- there were 6 sisters staying in our house. And what happens when you have 4 beds and 6 sisters? You drag all of the mattresses outside and sleep under the stars. The mission has an intensity of stresses that I've never experienced in my whole life, but then you also have those moments that you just go.. my life is so blessed. How could anyone sit there looking up at the great expanse of space and not think about the creation of everything, and not acknowledge that there HAD to have been One entirely intelligent and infinitely loving Being who created it all just for us? I just am so grateful for Heavenly Father and how much He really loves us, how He does EVERYTHING so that we can return back to Him and our heavenly home.

- With transfers this week I found out that I was here to stay and that I get to finish the training of minha meninha mexicana (my little Mexican companion) Sister Arámburo! And we also got a newbie Sister Forsyth - the first missionária escocês (missionary from Scotland) to hit Brasil!! Tall, ginger, blazing blue eyes and entirely HILARIOUS -- you could say that although it’s only been 5 days, we've already passed hours laughing and getting real about life and the mission; like friends who've known each other for years. Everyone gets starry eyed and always asks her a million questions about Scotland, and apparently a Scottish accent in ingles (English) is WAY easier for them to understand than from the states..??

- Other funny thing that happened is we were getting ready for bed one night and everyone's kneeling down to say their individual prayers, I knock out but Sister Vega and Arámburo continue to talk right? When Sister Arámburo finishes her prayer she looks over to see Sister Vega just sitting there waiting and Vega goes "I waited for you to finish because I'm afraid that if we pray at the same time, I don't know which prayer Heavenly Father will choose to listen to".  J

- This week is going to be really different for me. You know how there's always things that everyone needs to improve right, and I'm hit in the face a lot of the time with everything I still have to grow and learn. But this week as sisters, we have decided to make it our week of consecration. We were challenged to have a whole lot more fé (faith) and a whole lot more consecrated and diligent effort, knowing that in the end, God would bless us and the people we have been teaching with a whole lot more miracles. 

I found a scripture that I really love that talks about this in the Book of Mormon - 

"For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them, wherefore, he showed not himself until AFTER their faith." (Ether 12:12)

Yes, God wants to bless our lives, but like all of the people in the scriptures who followed Christ and were only healed AFTER their trial of faith, we must do the same. We have to show God that we are willing to work for the miracles, that we are willing to take that blind step into the darkness, that we are willing to put our faith and trust in Him to the test by doing something that is unknown or scary. 

It's only AFTER this faith that He will make weak things become strong (Ether 12:27), or rather weaknesses and faults that we have to become strengths.  

I know that if you put your trust in Him, He will never let you down!! Trust in the promises of the Lord!

love you with all of my heart <3

LOVE AÇAI. 

LOVE BRASIL. 

LOVE THE LORD. 

Sister Staheli <3

week 48 -- Feliz 5 de Maio Gente

FELIZ 5 DE MAIO GENTE.  (Happy May 5^th people)

I think it's super funny because I've managed to celebrate this day almost EVERY YEAR with a mexican buddy #SeriouslyLuckyIKnow - whether Delanie, my best bud from high school or Sister Arámburo minha filha abençoada do Guanajuato (my blessed daughter/companion from Guanajuato, Mexico). Oh my gosh did you know they celebrate because of a battle they won in Mexico?  Also did you know that there are parts of Mexico that get snow?? #NowYouKnow 

Sorry for not sending out a letter last week, I spent all of my time skyping my fam and catching up which I haven't been able to do in a while. #ManILoveThem <3 

-My grandparents on the Staheli side were visiting my family and apparently haven’t been able to hear from me in 5 months (aside from a few handwritten letters) because of computer problems. But because I called home, I got to talk to them…. received a TON of counsel about drinking water and wearing pants and could wish my grandpa a happy 90th birthday!! 

BUT WOW. What another week of tender mercies gente (people)!

More Rain.......

Teaching more women how to make cookies.....

So rapidinho (quickly), I wanted to tell you about the miracle of Francione.

It has been awhile that we have been teaching her, but she is the mom of a girl who was baptized about 6-7 months ago.  We had marked the date for her baptism MANY times, but she always ended up changing her mind.  We gave her some space, but she would still bring her daughter Ana Clara every week for church and would stay to listen.  One day we decided to visit her and to tell her, "We're not going to even say the word baptism.  We just want to focus on helping you strengthen your testimony and faith in God."  And for a few visits, we only talked about who we are and what God's plan is for us here on earth.  His promise of being able to live with our family forever if we are obedient and trust in Him.   Then out of nowhere, she approaches us and says "When can I be baptized?"  :) 

 

Watching her faith and love of God strengthen and change her life, watching her embrace the restored gospel, but most importantly, seeing her get up to bear her testimony with a pure joy and one short phrase, "I know I can live with my family for eternity."  TOO MUCH TO BEAR, I LITERALLY CRIED FROM JOY

The gospel is seriously such a blessing - who would not want the peace, the rest and pure happiness that comes from it which isn't found anywhere else?

P.S.  Ana Clara, her daughter, has a boyfriend and the only thing Francione can say is "Oh my goodness, they HAVE to be married for time and all eternity.  Ana Clara just likes him so much, they just have to.  They have to have their family forever and be married in the temple” (where people are married for this life and the next life.)

So I had been getting hard on myself about the language these past couple of weeks, beating myself silly because I hadn’t been speaking perfectly and other nonsense right?  (I know silly mission stuff), but which really plays a huge part in like everything we do every day.  #WaitYouStopAndMeet&Teach25+PeopleEveryday?  And I just kind of broke and was like WHY AM I focusing so much on this and got down and prayed, confiding and venting my frustrations to my Heavenly Father and asking Him to forgive my weakness.  And asking and pleading that these people would not be affected by any shortcoming on my part, and was really like “Ok, I’m letting go now.  I trust you.”  What happened after that day and the next I think was just the most unreal thing.  I think there was about 4 or 5 instances that after talking with someone on the street or after a lesson they go….”Wait a second, how do you speak so well” or “Man you are already fluent - how long have you lived here?  You’re from the US?  I thought you were from here just listening to you talk.”  At first I was like yeah no, they’re just being nice.  Ha-ha, let’s all make the Americana feel good right?  But after the 3^rd or 4^th time, I was like wow, ok, I get it.  I get it.  Super easy to think – oh yeah I deserve this.  I’m just the best.  But there is a scripture that’s found in Mathew 5:16 that I have kind of set as my mantra:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

God doesn’t give us gifts/talents to feel good about ourselves, but to bless the lives of other people.  And when we receive praise, imagine how happy He gets when His children say “Aah no, I wouldn’t be anything if God had not given me my love of art, or passion for running etc.”  As you recognize His essential part in your talents, what does He do?....Bless us and makes us capable of so much more.  Feeling truly humbled by the tender mercies of God.  It’s real folks.  He loves us.  He listens to our prayers.  Trust Him and recognize His hand in your life and He will bless you so much more.

Shoes have lost their soles.  Bag is changing colors from getting wet daily and permanent tan lines .....

Life is good!

<3 Sister Staheli

Wearing pants grandpa Staheli  :)

Week 47 -- skyped

No letter.  Anne was able to skype with her family and in particular her 90 year old grandfather.

Week 46 -- EAIIII 'ee-ay-ey'

EAIIII (pronounced 'ee-ay-ey' and is how everyone greets each other here)

Just wanted to send out some of the miracles/funny moments from the most amazing and special week of the year!!! 

1. Ok so maybe a mix of a miracle/disappointment - EASTER as we know it in os Estados Unidos (the United States) just does NOT exist here. No Easter bunny, no colored eggs (would be kind of hard given that almost all the eggs here are brown), no competitive and adventuristic Easter egg hunts that sometimes include climbing the roof or tall pine trees.  

However, it DOES include: 

 - LOTS of 70 year old senhoras (ladies)  found in literally EVERY praça,(square) sitting in large prayer circles and wearing these incredibly bright and bedazzled Maria Mãe de Jesus camisas (Mary, mother of Jesus shirts). They all sit there CHANTING with a figurine in the middle.

- Because it was Semana Santa (Easter) and ALL the catholic holidays are huge here, no one had work/school so how do they celebrate? …………………SLEEPING.  #whoopwhoop 

- Without all the hubbub, I was able to really study day-by-day about the last week of Christ's life and the significance of it was just so much different. Like wow TODAY was His last day with the apostles or TODAY was the day He suffered for us, or TODAY was the day that changed the history of the world when He rose again. It was pretty impactful. 

 

2. Long story short - Caio's mom ACTUALLY SIGNED the form for him to be baptized!! I don't think I have ever felt that much happiness in my entire life oh my gosh my heart felt like it was going to burst. 

3. I taught everyone what it means to be a "borboleta social" (social butterfly) because yesterday, we brought probably the most cutsie and hilarious, humble miracle of a family to church for the first time. OKAY FOR REAL I JUST HAVE TO TALK ABOUT ANSELMO.  So Anselmo is the pai (dad) of the family and just to show how important he is, God put him in our path 3 TIMES before we finally consented to go visit him and his family. He is way talkative stopping to talk to literally EVERY person on the street (which is why he usually takes about 4 times longer to get someplace XD), watches a TON of Discovery and always asks a lot of questions about the states, wears these adorable thick blue glasses, and just is the humblest of the humble. The first few times we talked to him, I don't know why but I didn't really get the impression that he would be that receptive/interested in the gospel right (even with him saying 'hey come visit us" - which happens a lot but without real interest right #everyonewantstoknowhowlifeisintheUS #doyouguyshavepineapple?). But after seeing him on the street walking with his 2 sons and then AGAIN on the street a few days later, I consented and we went to visit what has become my favorite family. We went and taught them about the Book of Mormon and about how we have a living prophet hoje (today) and the spirit in that tiny and humble home was just powerful. When they said that they would all go to church (Elizete mãe, (mother) Ezanael (18) and Daniel (14) and their super sharp amigo Osea (28)), with giant smiles and excitement glimmering in their eyes, and then seeing how everyone at church the next day just straight out EMBRACED this humble and innocent family.. it was just a real miracle you know? 

You know those days when everyone is just so ridiculously happy and you just think, wow, this is what it means to live. Yeah even though I am without sem (the) chocolate or colorful Ukranian Easter eggs, and thousands of miles away from the people I love more than anything else in the world, this Easter will always be marked in my heart. 

Heavenly Father is so good guys, just incredible. 

The Savior of the world really is Jesus Christ and He lives and loves us. 

Sending my love and gratidão (gratitude) for all of you beautiful people - I hope you squeeze your family a little extra-tight and send a prayer of gratitude to Deus (God) thanking Him for all the tiny miracles in your life. (and don't say that you don't have any because there isn't a person on earth that doesn't have at least a dozen)

<3 Sister Staheli

Week 45 -- feeling grateful

NOSSA GENTE. 

This week has been filled with many awesome things that make me grateful for being alive here in Mossoró Brasil - 

RAIN

I love the rain

1.  You know how much I love fruta (fruit) right?  So knowing exactly how fã (what a fan) I am, multiply that by like 10 MILLION and you have how much Sister Arámburo loves fruit - it’s not even funny. We had the prime opportunity of gaining 4 mamões (papaya) and 5 melões (honeydew) from this guy Germano that we met for the first time.  And we're hauling this MASSIVE sacola of fruta (bag of fruit) back home and passing melon here and there for random people on the street, but we still arrived home with a good quantity of fruit to be enjoyed (perfeito) (perfect). Well so while we may have arrived home and gone to sleep with 3 goodly sized melões (honeydew) and 3 huge mamões (papaya), I definitely woke up in the morning to find that my sweet Mexican companion had eaten an ENTIRE mamão SOZINHA (alone) and later consumed an entire honeydew. ALSO SOZINHA (also alone). We have been buying food as a casa (house) and sharing the cost but we have unanimously decided that it wasn't such a good idea because an entire sack of apples disappears in a matter of an hour if you're not paying good attention. #whatdotheyputinthefruit? 

2. I finally got the package that my fam sent for Christmas (shoutout to CONNER #obrigada (thanks)) and was able to read the adorable letters that my cousins wrote me about 6 months ago from Thanksgiving (#died "Anne where are you." "when will you come back" "Brennan says you have a super heavy Brasilian accent and talk a lot with your hands" @laura;) ) Also watching everyone gawk over what the heck a vegetable peeler was or trying almond butter for the first time was also pretty hilarious. OFFICIALLY I have music finally too because of my champ of a brother who spent hours downloading them all on a pendrive #JOHNO . also 2 words #pineconenecklace-Colorado

3. Officially joined the ranks of the time de futbol (soccer team) São Paulo (view jersey attached) - it's like a life or death battle out here on the mission which team you side with. It's funny because there's just a couple of crazy missionaries that get all of the estrangeiros (foreigners) to root for their team because we don't know any better #butttt #sãopaulo-soccerteam-ISTHEBEST 

4. I have seen some pretty amazing examples of faith this past week. Life really tries us sometimes and God tests us to see how much we are willing to sacrifice. There's this guy we have been teaching who has really been trying to be courageous and tell his parents that he wants to be baptized (his sister was baptized about a month ago), and Caio approached his parents this week to talk about it again. Beforehand, we talked with him about how his mom would really try his faith as she had with his sister. We said that it wouldn't be easy for him, and we asked him exactly WHY he wanted to be baptized and what he would tell his mom. His response consisted of "all I want to do is follow Christ. I want to serve Him like He's served me." He then asked if we would pray for him (on top of his personal prayers) and we knelt in that small side room of his humble home, asking God for strength to talk to his mom and that she would understand. When we returned the next day, we found that Caio had talked to his mom that very night, and after saying that he wanted to be baptized, his mom came at him with vehement "essa nâo é a igreja verdadeira" "vôce não ENTENDE o que vôce fala" "O Livro de Mórmon é FALSO" and lots of other whiplashs. (“this is not the true church” “you do not understand” “The book of Mormon is false”)  Joyce (his sister recently baptized) came back in rapid defense, bearing her sincere heart out that it really was true and that it wasn't all nonsense. She wasn't shaken with the doubts of her mother because the testimony she had gained hadn't come from the missionaries or from some other person, but was knowledge gained through the spirit from the One who knows all, God. There really was a test of his faith, and when we passed by to see him the next day to head to church, he made excuses and wouldn't come with us. I left his house just in tears because of how confused I was and how sad I was this is what he had decided. As we are sitting in sacrament meeting, I was thinking a lot about the Lord and how He must feel when we get so close to choosing to obey and then turn away - it just tears your heart right out because you really love these people and you know what decision will make them happy. 

But as we were starting the opening hymn, I looked around at all those that were present and glancing towards the back I see one last family slip in the double doors, shuffling in late into the last row. I see one green shirt and a bright smile, and I turn back towards the front crying again because it was Caio who had decided to come after all. 

I think there will always be those who doubt and question us in life, não importa (no matter) what your stance or belief is. We will always be tested.  That's kind of the point of our life - but I know that God always gives us strength to be stronger than the problems He gives us. He is always there for us.

Feeling grateful, even if there is a significantly less amount of mamão (papaya) in my stomach.

sending my love!!

Sister Staheli <3

Week 44 -- Gratitude

I am just so infinitely grateful to Heavenly Father. I have been immensely blessed in my life to be born in the place, time, and put with the people I call my family and my best of friends. Things just get super real on the mission. You appreciate the grand plan of salvation that God has made for us, the infinite love and tenderness and care that He has for us by sending his Son our Savior Jesus Christ to the earth; and just how miraculous it is that we can actually return to live with our Heavenly Parents again, even with all of our weaknesses and shortcomings, and Heavenly Father just forgives us for it all.

There's nothing that is more real or important to me than Heavenly Father and the Savior, nothing. It's because of THEM that I am here, that I have such a firm testimony and surety of who I am and what my purpose is here not only on the mission but in my life and existence, that I have been blessed with the gift to see clearly when so many are blinded by the darkness.

Listening to President Nelson speak, I just couldn’t bring myself to look away - it was like one of the moments when I really sat and absorbed the fact that he wasn't speaking anything of himself. But it was God who was speaking to us through him. I have really been able to see how much I have changed, and how much I’ve grown. The mission is the most tender mercy that I have ever had and I think one of the biggest things I have really been able to appreciate is…

1. Trust in my Father who knows infinitely better than me and 

2. Value and treasure those people that He has put in your life. 

We aren't expected to do everything on our own, neither was that ever part of the plan. But sometimes we just make it so darn hard for Him to help us. I am so grateful for the gospel and for having such clarity in this twisted and confused world. 

<3

Sister Staheli