9 Months!!!

Happy Monday everyone!!!

This week was pretty normal... Not a whole lot to tell. But it was a good week nonetheless!

On Friday we had an "Obra da Missionaria" activity! It was way fun! We're doing an activity every Friday night for 4 weeks, and each week there's different competitions that everyone competes in. The ward is divided into 4 different groups, and they win points for doing certain things. (including bringing a friend to church and/or to the activities.) Hopefully we'll see lots of success from these activities! Plus, they're just super fun, and it's a great way for the ward members to be more united!

The other exciting thing from this week is that the bishop is trying to get the ward more excited to do missionary work, and so on Sunday, there was a training to teach all of the members how to teach the Restoration. It was actually super fun, and the ward members all got super excited! They partnered up in duos and signed up to visit all of the recent converts from the past two years, and to teach them the restoration! Whoo! This is seriously the coolest ward!!!

Other than that, I don't have a lot to tell this week... It'll be better next week though, because on Saturday we have a conference with the whole mission, and Elder Bednar is going to be there!!!! I'm so excited!!

Have a wonderful week everyone!!!!

Love,

Sister Shelton

Moroni 10:7 "And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever."

Pictures:

-My companion Sister Diaz (from Argentina)

-And the other Sisters we live with; Sister Jaburek, and Sister Batista.

Cuidado! The rain burns!

Hello again! 

Well, not a whole lot has happened since I last wrote on Wednesday. But one thing is sure. I am so very grateful to be serving in a mission that is almost always hot. This past week has rained every single day since Thursday, and because it's interior, it's actually pretty cold. (not Utah cold, but for a person that's used to the heat of Recife, it's super cold.) But don't worry, the little umbrella that could is still going strong!!! I honestly don't know how, but it is! Haha, I have so much pride in that little thing. :)

But, before any of you get too nervous about the subject of this email. The rain isn't actually burning. But, did you know, that it is WAY easier to get a sunburn when the sun is hiding behind tons of rain clouds, because I didn't. I put sunscreen on two times, and still got fried- even though I was hiding under an umbrella most of the day! I don't understand it!! Hahaha! 

One of the other exciting things from this week happened on Sunday. First off, I'm going to give a talk in sacrament meeting this coming sunday, and on Saturday, we had lunch at the bishop's house, and he told me that it might be possible that I'd be asked to speak the next day (yesterday), instead of next week. Well, I was sitting in Sacrament meeting, super calm and happy with my life, and I looked up to see bishop looking at me. He motioned to me that I would actually be speaking during this meeting! So, I quickly pulled out my scriptures and prepared a talk while the first person was speaking. Luckily I already had a pretty good idea what I would speak about, but it was still a little nerve racking. But, in the end, the second speaker ended up speaking super long, and they didn't need me to speak after all. Whew! Hahaha, but it was pretty funny, and we all laughed pretty hard about it afterwards. 

Overall, it was a pretty great week! Wet. But good.

Have a wonderful week everyone!!!!!

Love,

Sister Shelton

3 Nephi 15:9- Behold, I am the law and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life."

The Little Umbrella that Could!

Hello again!!

This week has been kind of a crazy one! Sorry to not have written on Monday- everything has been closed due to Carnaval. But luckily, I'm in interior, and the only difference with this week being Carnaval, is that everything is closed. Literally everyone left the city to go to Olinda and/or Recife. The missionaries there weren't even allowed to leave their apartment for a whole week, but here in my area, we worked like normal. :) There were just a few more drunks on the street yesterday.

Other than Carnaval, we had a few more exciting things happen. Like I mentioned last week, we had transfers this week! My new companion is Sister Diaz from Argentina, and she's on her last transfer of the mission! She's wonderful, and I'm really learning tons from her!

The other exciting thing this week was the baptism of Erisvaldo! I don't think I really talked a whole lot about him in earlier emails, because to be honest, we didn't have a whole lot of faith in him. But, after a little bit of time, he really started to change, and to demonstrate a desire to be baptized. He stopped drinking coffee after having drunk coffee his entire life, he started praying, and he even walked super long to church all by himself. His baptism was Saturday, and it was really great! I'm just really grateful for the gospel, and to see how it can change someone's life. :)

And finally, the other crazy thing from this week was all the rain! Man did it rain this week. Friday we were sitting in the house of our recent convert, Vitoria, and it started to slowly rain. By the time we left it was a downpour. Because we weren't too terribly far from our apartment we decided to run back and grab umbrellas, and to move our shoes out of the rain on the balcony. It was quite the sight- two girls in skirts running in the rain, getting soaking wet, and laughing super hard. Haha! It was actually pretty fun. The rest of the day it continued the same. Downpour. We had to take cover at the house of some members for a little bit to wait for the worst of the rain to pass. But, the miracle of the whole thing, is that my little 5 dollar umbrella I bought at Walmart before the mission, and have used ever since the beginning of my mission, is still going strong! Man, I love that little umbrella. :)

Overall, it's been a super good week, and I'm just really grateful to be a missionary! I love you all, and I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Sister Shelton

Alma 15 6-8 "And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand:Believest thou in the power of Christ unto Salvation? And he answered and said: yea, I believe all the words that thou has taught. And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed."

Things are about to change!!

Hello again!!

This week has been a pretty great week! It's weird having a birthday on the mission, because it doesn't really feel like your birthday. It was kind of just a normal day. But it was super good! My companion and the other sisters we live with surprised me with a cake when I woke up (one of the ladies in the ward made it for me.) and with an entire can of foam in the face. :) Hahaha! Sister Avila was pretty excited about that little surprise. Then, after lunch (and before starting our fast) we all bought ice cream at this SUPER good ice cream place that I love. I also received lots of well wishes (and LOTS of hugs) from the ward. Overall, it was a pretty great birthday! Oh, and one of our investigators said that she's going to make a cake for me on Tuesday, so the birthday is going to continue. :)

Also, things are about to change in Boa Vista!! We have transfers this week, and my companion, Sister Gomes, got transferred to the city, and I'll be receiving a new companion, Sister Diaz! I'm super sad to not be with Sister Gomes anymore, but I am so excited about Sister Diaz! I got to do a divisão with her once when she was in a trio with the LTS (STL in English?) and she is super great!! She's from Argentina, and this is her last transfer in the mission, so I'll be sending her home! Hopefully I'll have my camera back by next week, and can send you all a picture. :)

Lastly, I just want to say that I love you Jacobs Family. You're in my prayers.

Have a great week everyone!!! 

Love,

Sister Shelton

2 Nephi 31:20 "Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the father: Ye shall have eternal life."

Happy 20th birthday Sister Shelton!