My Last One

Happy Monday everyone!!!

Well, I can't really believe it, but this is my last email before going home! I'll be in Recife next Monday, so I won't be able to enter my email, and then Tuesday I'm headed home! I'll take a plane from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, from Rio to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to Utah. I'll be getting home Wednesday morning, and I am very anxious to see everyone! It'll be one of the hardest things I've ever done to leave Brasil, but I am beyond grateful for this last year and a half of my life that I was able to be here in Brasil serving the Lord. I will never regret serving a mission. It was, like everyone says, the best and the hardest thing I've ever done, and my life was changed for the better because of the experiences I've had and the people I've met here.

This week went great! We had to run from one thing to another to get everything done, but it was a fun week. We're still working with Tiago, and are preparing him for his baptism this Saturday. Keep him in your prayers!!

A fun story from the week-  an old drunk man on the street asked me to marry him and stay here in Brasil. hahahaha!

Well, I love you all, and I'LL SEE YOU SOON!!

Love,

Sister Shelton

Sister Jessica Shelton will speak in Sacrament Mtg at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 25, 2018.
Lindon Stake Center- 1050 E. 100 N. Lindon, Utah 84042

The Signs of His Coming

Happy Monday!!!

This week went pretty great here in Escada!! We're working with our investigator Tiago like crazy, and trying to help him use the full power of the Atonement in his life! It's such a great feeling to see how someone can start to move their life for the better. Keep him in your prayers!

So, there's definitely a signs of the last days happening here in Escada right now. At the last General Conference, President Nelson said that difficult times were coming. He also told us to not use the nickname Mormon. Well, we saw a little part of why he said that this week. A group of missionaries showed up in our area, using white shirts, black pants, ties, and black bags like ours. Their name is very similar to "Mormon" and everyone is confusing them with the church of Jesus Christ. But here's the real problem- they show up at people's houses yelling at them to repent and to organize their lives, and preaching all sorts of apostasy. (multiple Gods, etc.) We already don't have a lot of support here in the city, and now with these missionaries, people are starting to hate us. But, it's just one more testimony that the church is true, because if it weren't, Satan wouldn't be working so hard against us. So, we're just going to have to work even harder to help people get to know the truth!

But other than that, things are going well here! 

I hope you all have a great week, and always strive to strengthen your testimony, because difficult times are coming, and we'll have to be prepared.

Love,

Sister Shelton

Alma 5:27 "Have ye walked keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?"

Our Trip to the Beach!!

Happy Monday everyone!!

This week has gone super great!! We're working like crazy, and finally starting to see some results! We're working with a man named Tiago right now, and he is really starting to progress. He went to church yesterday, and is working to get over his addictions to drink and smoke. It's been really cool to see how happy he's been the last few days, and to see the difference in him from when we first met, until now. The gospel really is a gospel of joy!

Also this week, Sister Oliveira and I had the opportunity to visit the most famous beach here in the North Eastern Brasil. Porto de Gallinhas!! Hahaha, it wasn't really much of a visit, because we went to try and find a reference we had received. (It's like two hours from our area, but we're the ones that take care of that area, because there isn't a church there yet) But at least we got to see the ocean! It was honestly super beautiful!!! I understand now why it is such a big tourist spot. In the end we didn't find the house of the reference we received, but it was still a way fun experience!

Well, I guess that's about all for this week! Until next Monday!!

Love,

Sister Shelton

Jacob 5:22 "And the Lord of the Vineyard said unto him: counsel me not..." 

-At times we try to tell the Lord what he needs to do for us, but we need to trust him, and let his plan happen.

Enjoy to the End

Happy Monday everyone!!

So, this week has been pretty normal- nothing too exciting to tell. We've been working like crazy trying to find new people to teach! Escada isn't the easiest area, but I am grateful for the challenge here! My goal now is to enjoy to the end (not just endure to the end), and really use all of my time these last few weeks!

I do have a pretty incredible story to tell!! On Tuesday Sister Oliveira and I were walking down the street, and out of nowhere, I tripped on a rock in the middle of the road as we were crossing, and it threw me forwards. I just saw the ground getting closer and closer to my face- with nothing I could do to stop. But then (inches from the ground) I stopped and rose back up. And as I stood up, my stomach where my bag was clipped was hurting a little bit. It was as if someone (there was no one behind me...) had grabbed my bag and pulled me up before I could hit the ground. Both my companion and I just looked at each other for a minute, and then she asked, "What just happened?!?" ... I know I am being protected by the angels of the Lord, and I am so grateful to be a servant of the Lord here in Brasil. 

I hope you all have a great week, and know how much the Lord wants to help you. Trust him!!

Love,

Sister Shelton

Alma 37:34 "Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls."

Blessings in Escada

Happy Monday everyone!!

This week has been pretty incredible!! I don't have a lot of time to write, but I have to tell you about two miracles we experienced this week!!

First off, our investigator Grazielle got baptized!!! We've been working with her for a while now, and she's just so great! She's received some pretty incredible answers to her prayers, and was just so prepared to be baptized. It was the first baptism in over a year here in Escada, so the members were all pretty excited. We're all just so happy for Grazielle, and for the miracle that is taking place in her life!

The other miracle we experienced was with our investigator Edson. We've been working with Edson for a couple of weeks, and last week he watched General Conference, and then this Friday he went to an event they have here in Brasil called "MeetUp". He returned super happy, and super excited about everything to do with the church. He even bore his testimony in sacrament meeting yesterday saying that he knows the book of Mormon and the church are true, and that he's so grateful for the help he's receiving during this transition in his life! It was pretty incredible, and we were all pretty amazed with him!

The Lord is so good, and he is definitely in charge. I'm so grateful to be a servant in his vineyard!

Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Shelton

Alma 56:48 "We do not doubt, our mothers knew it."

The Beginning of the End

Happy Monday!!

Well, I'm sure like most of you, we were sure rejuvenated here by the spiritually full weekend of General Conference. I'm so grateful to have a living Prophet to lead and guide us in our day. Watching in Portuguese was fun, but I'll be glad to hear the actual voice of the prophet and apostles in the future.

Also, today is transfers day, and Sister Oliviera and I will stay together!! She's going to be the companion that "kills me", seeing as today officially marks the first day of my last transfer. It's crazy how fast my mission has gone, and it will be sad to leave these people and experiences that I've had here. But I am so grateful for the time that I've had to learn and grow here on the mission.

Sorry for the short email today, I promise to write more next week! 

Have a wonderful week!!

Love,

Sister Shelton

3 Nephi 18:21 "Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed."

It's better to feel tired than to feel guilty!!

Happy Monday!!

This week started out a little bit difficult, but it ended pretty great! One of the difficulties we're having here in our area is helping people progress. They're almost always open to hear the first message, but to make any sort of commitment is almost impossible. Including Alan and his sweet family. Their neighbors (who are inactive members) started talking bad about "the Mormons" and now they don't even want to talk to us. They literally changed from night to day, and we tried everything, but it was already too late. They've decided to listen to their neighbors more than us. It was super super sad. 

But in happier news, we decided that if there would be a lot of difficult people, we would just have to work harder to find even more people; and in the middle of all these people, there would be someone who would progress. And that's exactly what happened! We've starting working with a sweet woman named Grazielle. She's the ex-daughter in law of a member of the branch, and recently moved into the house of this member because of some difficulties with her family. (it's kind of a complicated situation) But she has a great desire to be baptized, and we're preparing her for baptism this Saturday in between conference sessions. The only thing that could keep her from being baptized now is if she drinks coffee this week. So pray for her to have strength to not drink any coffee!!!

To finish off, I'll tell you about a funny story that happened this week. (it's funny now that it's over...) On Saturday morning we walked out the door and after about 10 seconds the sole of my shoe started to fall off- but I continued walking. 5 seconds later I looked behind me, and there was the bottom half of my shoe on the ground. It had completely fallen off!! So, tudo bem, we returned home really fast and I grabbed another pair of shoes. About 10 minutes later, we're walking towards our investigator's house, and it happens again, the sole of the shoe started coming off, and then completely fell off all together!! By this point we were already pretty far from our house, and would have been late if we returned back to get other shoes, so I kept going. That's when the other sole on the other foot fell off!! But luckily, the Irma (sister) from lunch gave me a pair of old shoes to use.... só que... these shoes were a little bit small for my feet, and I ended up with blisters so bad by the end of the day that another member let me use some flip flops to get back home. hahaha. It was not my best shoe day. But it's all good now, because I just bought some new sandals that will hopefully last two more months! The adventures of missionary life! hahaha!

But all is well here in Escada. I hope you all have a great week, and a fantastic General Conference!

Love,

Sister Shelton

Alma 5:60 "And now I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you unto his fold, and ye are his sheep..."