Letter from 2/16/2015

This week was crazy!! We had a bunch of stuff going for us, a bunch of miracles happening...and I was emergency transferred a week before the actual transfer! President called on Friday and said that he needed me to be in the new area on Saturday. I´m now in Icoaraci (Like 40 minutes from where I was) and I´m with a short term missionary, who´s going back home this week. Then I´ll be training a greenie! I´m so excited, it´ll be so fun! The only scary thing is that I don´t know the area...so we´ll just learn together. Woohoo! This area is definitely full of miracles, and I´m excited to see them! Thaat´s about it...but here´s some pictures!!

That food is bull tail. gosh it was good. and the rest are pictures with some of the members I left! (president let me go visit church on sunday to say bye :D )

Have a wonderful week! 

Sister Neal

Oh, also, that man in the 3rd picture isn't a member, but his wife is. He knows the church is true, but just won´t give up drinking to be baptized. When I got there, everyone told me not to talk to him because he didn't want anything with anything...but we started having FHE at his house and he started participating. Then he said that a long time ago he´d sworn to never talk to a missionary again...but then when I told him I was leaving, he got really sad and told me that he was preparing himself to be baptized. UGHHH. But that´s okay. At least he´ll still be baptized!! 

Letter from 2/9/2015

Hey guys! I've been super negligent in sending emails...just forgive me, it´s easier that way. BUT. These past few weeks have been great! We´re learning so much! Our recent converts/less actives are starting to come back to church! Our ward is growing! Last month we had like 65 people in the ward on Sundays, and these past two weeks have been 100 people! Our ward´s growing and the ward is really helping us find new people to bring in. I still haven´t been transferred..but I think I´ll be eliminated at the end of February. So, we have a little investigator named Trinity. Her mom´s a member, but she lives in another city, and her dad´s not. BUT, she decided the other day that FINALLY she wants to be baptized....so we´ll be baptizing her and PROBABLY her sister this Saturday! Woo hoo!! 

Also, I learned about faith. You can´t just decide to have faith randomly one day. You gotta start, like, YESTERDAY and develop it in the little things every day! That´s why positive attitudes are so important, because if we stay positive and SHOW our faith, God´ll give it to us! I know it! We gotta start practicing our faith now...and one day it´ll become UNSHAKABLE. I love you guys!! Have a wonderful week!

Sister Neal

Bunch of pictures! Ants buliding a home in our freakin sugar, The Elders had 3 baptisms and it was awesome (we helped them out) and 2 birthday parties. woo hooo!!

No Group Email from 2/2/2015

Just to let you know that I didn't skip a week, she just didn't write a group email.

Letter from 1/26/2015

Hey guys! An apostle´s coming to visit us on the 28th of February!! We´re super pumped and preparing a month of miracles to be ready! Also, I contacted a girl like 4 months ago when I was on exchanges and she was baptized in another Elder´s area here in our zone!!! WOOO small and simple things! I got super happy. also, rejection is the hardest thing in the mission, becuase we´re literally knocking on their doors (or clapping) Amnd GIVING salvation...and they just sometimes don´t accept it. Ugh. I get so sad. But then I learn how HF feels when we do something we know is wrng when he´s giving us the right path....but yea.

I love you guys!!!

Letter from 1/19/2015

Here are pictures from birthday last week!

Letter from 1/12/2015

Hey guys! This week was pretty good...we ALMOST had a baptism, but it fell through at the last second. We were super bummed about that....but we´re working to work everything out this week. Pray for Antonio, pllease! And Ruam! Thanks thank thanks :)

But....my birthday kinda rocked! Can´t believe I´m 20!! I always told myself that I´d never tell anyone when my birthday is during the mission...but now I´m thinking that every new area I´m just gonna invent a birthday, because it was awesome. When the members and investigators know it´s your birthday, they go CRAZY. Guys we ate so much cake. And ate so much food. And partied. As much as a missionary can party. Sister de Jesus, in my district also had a birthday on the 8th, so we celebrated together and had a party with the 8 missionaries in this close area. It was AWESOME. I got tons of cake, Arthur, who was baptized last month gave me tons of chocolate, and a I got a cactus. And I heard more ´happy birthday´ songs than any other day in my life. Also, I ate breakfast in bed. It was only an apple...but I mean, I ate it in my bed. But I LOVED IT. I´ll send pictures next time, this dumb computer won´t let me. But I hope you guys all had a wonderful week and have a better week this week!!

Also, I was reading 1 Nephi 8:34 and it scared me. Guys, ya can´t even pay attention to the worldly stuff, or you´re a goner. Just be careful!! I love you all, Keep the faith!!

Sister Neal

Letter from 1/5/2015

This is the photo card we sent to Sister Neal.

Her response:
I LOVE IT!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Haha, don´t worry, I´m making sure everyone knows that my birthday´s coming up!!! :D I´m so glad you guys are having a great time, thank you so much for thinking of me!!! It makes me feel so good!! I love you guys!!! Hope you had an awesome new year! I ate pizza :D But it was gross. But whatever!! :D LOVE YOU! IM ALMOST 20!!!

nicoooole!!!

She didn't write a group letter this week, but this is what she wrote to Seth and the pictures she sent:

Seth I love you! I hope you have the best day at school ever and that you have lots of friends who are way less cute than you!!!!!

This is my house! We live in that little corner! And this is what happens when it rains, water comes in!! It was so annoying, I got wet!!! I LOVE YOU MY SETH!!!

Letter from 12/29/2014

Hey guys! This week was super good! Christmas was awesome, we ate a ton, and we went to a Christmas program at night. The choir was gorgeous, and there was AC so I actually felt a little bit cold. We spent a lot of time with members and less active people, and we were able to bring the message of Jesus Christ and how HE is our gift to a lot of people. 

We were teaching someone named Antonio when out of nowhere other missionaries from another church came and tried to take over our lesson. Hah, it was super annoying. The funny thing was, the only Brazilian there was Antonio. The other two missionaries are from Korea, and my companion is from Peru. So a bunch of foreign people were at his kitchen table talking about religion, and he was just sitting there laughing a little. I finally said we would argue anymore, and they got kinda upset. The good thing was that Antonio stayed on our side when we were defending what we believe about having a prophet. Sorry, that was really poorly written, but I hope you guys get it. (We won). 

We also got people at church! Isaac´s firme e forte and is planning on getting married so he can get baptized. He´s loving the gospel and loving the blessing´s he´s seeing in his life. Michelle also came with us, and she´s liking having God in her life now. 

I love this work and I love bringing this joyful message to everyone that´ll listen. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and an amazing new year!!

Love,

Sister Neal

Our Christmas conference! Haha love all of them. That last picture´s awful, but it really displays all of their personalities. The tall Americans. love you guys!

Christmas and birthday package!

All opened, before Christmas...ha!

The tall one is Elder Morse, Sister Morse´s cousin!

They have rats in their apartment and she's on the attack!

LOL SHE PUT EYE SHADOW ON MY EYES you can delete that one. haha love you guys thanks so much for EVERYTHING!!!

Letter from 12/23/2014

This week was absolutely fantastic! We had our Christmas Conference and it was amazing. We played soccer and volleyball and ate a TON and it was just good. It´s nice to see everyone when you don´t get to hang out with the family. 

Thanks for the prayers for Isaac! The woman he lives with is suuuper rude, but I was finally able to talk to her and convince her to sign the marriage papers! She wasn´t happy but I told her she was living in sin, and as a Christian woman she should get married. She didn´t like hearing about her sin, so we´re going over there to sign today :D I am SO HAPPY. We´ll get the papers in on the 5th, and Isaac is planning to be baptized on the 10th! It will be amazing. 

Arthur is so happy about his baptism, thanks again for praying for him. 

I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas! I am SO excited to talk to my family! Remember that CHRIST is the first gift! He made our eternal life possible. HE is the way. Remember him always, and this will be the best Christmas ever. I love my Savior. He lives!! Merry Christmas!!

Sister Neal

Letter from 12/15/2014

This week was unbelievable stressful and WAY worth it! You guys remember Arthur from last week? He´s been being taught for 6 months, and he was FINALLY baptized this week!

I've spent a transfer and a half working with Arthur, and last Sunday (for like the 3rd time) we put a date on him. His baptism was to be the 13th of December. We followed up every day, brought members there, worked everything out so the baptism would be EXACTLY how he wanted it (Very few people and he wanted to be confirmed directly after the baptism, not in sacrament meeting) Which worked out because this Sunday was stake conference. WOO! Then...Saturday came and it didn't happen. We got super bummed out and super stressed...but we marked it again for Sunday the 14th. 

On Sunday, I called him so much...I definitely felt like a crazy ex girlfriend. But we couldn't get a hold of him. But...we wanted a baptism, so we went to the church and got the font ready. While we were filling it, Arthur called and said that he wasn't sure, and that he was really scared. He wanted to wait for another day. But we said nooooooooo. And he said FINE, then it has to be right now. I´m on my way. 

Needless to say, we were ecstatic, especially because he didn't even give certainty that he´d be baptized on Sunday..but we were prepared and it happened! Now he can enter the kingdom of God! We are beyond happy!!

We also have an investigator named Isaac. He wants so badly to be baptized. We contacted him in the street and he didn't want anything...but he went to church all by himself and now he wants to be baptized. The problem is that he needs to get married. The woman he lives with has been wanting to get married to him for 20 years, but he´d never agreed. and now that HE wants to, she doesn't. Satan, right? Gracious. She won´t even let us talk to her and she won´t sign the papers. But we´re working and fighting for it! So if you guys could pray for her to have an open heart, that would be AWESOME. 

I love you all, thanks for all the support!!

Sister Neal

Letter from 12/8/2014

Hey guys! This week was sad and happy at the same time. My companion left and went home, but I'm still here serving strong! But It´s sad because I definitely feel like my time is getting shorter...I just want to do all I can and help all the people that I´m meant to!

This week was full of miracles. Arthur, who´s been taught for 6 months, has FINALLY agreed to be baptized this Saturday. PLEASE pray for him so that this can happen, that he can have the courage and won´t have any doubts. Also, we had tons of people at church this Sunday and they all loved it. We´re planning to have a white Christmas here (baptisms...because it doesn't even almost snow here) and it´ll be wonderful.

I love the spirit of Christmas! Even though it´s hot here, I know that Christmas is coming. The spirit is so strong! And every day I am more and more thankful for the sacrifice that Christ made for all of us. It´s because of Him that we can go home! The greatest gift of Christmas is our salvation! We´re all full of joy here and super happy to be serving the Lord. Remember Him! He is the reason for our happiness!

I love you all! Here are some pictures!

Letter from 12/1/2014

This week absolutely flew by! It was definitey because Sister Domingues went home today. I´m gonna miss her so much, we had the greatest time ever. 

My new companion is Sister Urbano! She´s from Peru, and she´s really awesome. We´re gonna have a great time. 

We had an activity at the chapel where we did a play about the Plan of Salvation. It was hilarious and super fun. I wish you guys coulda seen it. We had investigators there, and it really put it into perspective for them the plan that God has for all of us.

Ana, the woman we baptized last week, was unable to be confirmed last Sunday because her son got super sick. But we worked this week for it to happen this sunday...and it happened! She (again, because of her son) arrived about 45 minutes late. She entered into the church running, super sweaty, and SUPER excited to get the gift of the holy ghost. She really understood the importance of all of it, and seeing her running into the building was amazing. I know that Heavenly Father watches us and knows of our needs. If we do our part, he´ll do his and we will be blessed. Now the rest of Ana´s family is interested in the church, and we´ll be teaching them this week. I love this work and I love that Heavenly Father is letting me serve him here. As missionaries, we get a front row seat to see the miracles of this Gospel...there really is no greater call.

I love you all, have a wonderful week!

Sister Neal

Letter from 11/24/2014

This week was pretty sweet! We were working and fighting for baptisms to happen for the investigators that we´ve been working with...but they just kept not working out. We were working, praying, fasting, doing everything that we could...and still, it didn´t happen the way we were hoping. But then, one of our super recent investigators out of nowhere just said "I want to get baptized....I´ll be there on the 22nd and I´ll stop drinking coffee."

So, we were pretty stunned and extremely excited and thankful that the Lord touched her heart and showed her that she needed to follow. It was a beautiful ceremony with tons of support from the ward. Our paths are not the Lord´s paths. If we do our part, He´ll do His. He´s already helping us out find other super elect people. I´m learning to trust in the Lord, and I´m growing a lot. He lives and is aware of us!!

Have a wonderful, powerful, amazing week!

Sister Neal