Week 21

It´s Christmas Time Here in Brazil!!‏

Week 21-Dec.14, 2015

My Christmas stories this week:

Okay, so our awesome house was without water on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and SUNDAY!!  No flushing, no washing of hair, or dirty feet, nada, nothing, zip!  Let me just tell you for a missionary that is a little frustrating!  I don’t think I have ever been more grateful for running water in all my LIFE! GEESH!!  So during this awesome drought in our home, the assistants call us and told us that there will be 12 Sisters arriving at our house on Monday night for the Mission Christmas Party!  12 SISTERS AND ZERO RUNNING WATER!  I was like haha this is going to be fun!!(;   We called the secretary, and he said he had already called trying to get us water.  So we have been hoping, praying and waiting for water.  Then this morning, during our personal scripture study, I was in another room reading The Book of Mormon out loud in Portuguese when I could actually hear the water fill up the pipes in our house, I scream “SISTER AGUA”!!!!  We were literally jumping up and down because we were soooo happy.  I was as happy as a child on Christmas morning, WOOT WOOT!!!  I ran to the running water and splashed it on my face hehehe(: It felt wonderful!  So this was one Christmas present this week!!(:

My other Christmas story this week:

After we had our district meeting we got to stop by the office where all the mission stuff is, secretaries of the mission, and Pres. Kuceki´s office is.  Guess what I FINALLY received?!?  THE LIAHONA IN ENGLISH!!!  I have been waiting forever for the mission to receive some and I finally got the general conference talks to read over and over and over...because listening to conference once is NOT enough.  Our brains don’t remember every detail.  Anyway, I’ve been reading all the talks this week and HOLY FREAK! Please, dad, mom, Kylie, Aleece, Ryan, grandpas, & grandmas read my 2 favorite talks;

A summer with Great Aunt Rose by Pres. Uchtdorf and A Plea to My sisters by Russel M. Nelson! 

These talks have been my boost for this week! The first talk is about faith!  It teaches us how faith can transform our lives, every situation, & every feeling into hope, happiness, and joy! When I read this it reminded me of my favorite quote!  "If miracles have ceased, it is because faith has ceased."  I can’t remember who said this but it is so true, especially here on a mission.  Without faith or trust in Christ, we have nothing.  We can apply this to every time we question something in our lives..whatever the situation.  I realized that when we question something, when we are afraid, when we lack trust, when we are frustrated or when something doesn’t turn out the way we want.....we aren’t having faith.  We need to have faith & trust in our Father in Heaven even when things don’t turn out how we want.  I love the story of when Jesus was sleeping on the ship and his disciples were panicking in the storm and woke Christ up and said save us!!  He was like, oh what little faith you have...I am God!  Christ created the waters he knew there was a storm, he could snap his fingers and it would stop the storm in an instant.  Then, he did calm the storm and save them.  I also love the miracle of the woman who had a disease in her blood and she believed all she needed to do was touch Christ´s robes and she would be clean, and guess what, because of her exceedingly great faith she was healed! WOW!   With faith in Christ we hope for a better future, a better world, we live a happy life without fear.  What more could we want??  I loved the picture of the pioneer girl skipping!  That will be hung up in my house.(:

The other talk, Pres. Neilson gave and holy cow!!  If the talk doesn’t pump up us women, I don’t know what will!  We need to stand up, be a light to the world and the salt of the earth like in Matthew 5:13-16, we need to let our light shine.  People are attracted to it because it is the light of Christ!!  I love the ending of his talk when he says, I bless you to rise to your full stature, to fulfill the measure of your creation, as we walk arm in arm in this sacred work.  Together we will help prepare the world for the second coming of the Lord.  HOLY AWESOME!!!  Stand up, make a difference, share what you know to be true, have faith, and you will be happy forever!! 

-Sister Smith

Happy Birthday Sister Matos

Breakfast in Brazil!

Feast!