Hello dear family and friends. This week has been full of crazy experiences. One that I´d like to share with all of you.
Sister Andrade and I were leaving a member´s house, and as we turned the corner there were two young men, on a motorcycle. If you live in Fortaleza, two young men on a moto is always a bad sign. We turned the corner one got off the back of the motorcycle and asked (actually he actually yelled with force, which was not appreciated) for our cellphones. As missionaries in Brazil, we dont have iphones, we dont even have a fancy android, or an iPad like the rest of the world. We walk to pamphlets, Bible, and Book of Mormon. We sweetly explained that we were missionaries and that we had nothing. He looked over my companion, and seeing that she really had nothing, came over to me and grabbed my planner and asked what it was. This planner has a picture of my family on the back and I responded "Its my eternal family! And you can have one too. Come to church with us this week and we can explain how you can have an eternal family!" And he ran off, alittle upset and went on his way.
I was a little shocked with myself that I managed to contact a robber and share a little testimony of eternal families. Sadly, he didn´t show up to the church on Sunday but I know I planted a seed in his life. This week I´ve reflected alot about my own eternal family.  Sometimes we have to be thousands of miles away to appreciate what we have. Each of my parents have gone through the impossible to give me the gospel and an eternal family. I will never understand exactly what they had to go through but I know without a doubt that it wasnt easy, and it wont be easy for any one of us to have our families forever but thats a challenege I´m more than willing to take. And that´s a huge reason why I chose to be a missionary. Because I dont know how to do what my parents did for me yet, but beingon the mission is the best training I could get. I love my family and Im so grateful that they are mine forever. There is no better message than this one: OUR FAMILIES CAN BE TOGETHER FOREVER.

PS no one freak out, I do live in Brazil but I have angels protecting me.

Big Spirits

Hello family and friends... I dont have much time today but I´d like to share a thought that has stayed in my mind this week. I had the privilege of having my interview with President Bonini. I went into the interview with a head full of stuff passing through my mind. A missionary goes into freak out mode when you start to realize how fast time really does pass by. And you look at the time the Lord has given you and you´re like "WHAT I GOT HERE YESTERDAY!!". Then you look down at your tan marks and realize you´re a whole other race now and that in fact you did not get here yesterday.
But President said something to me that made my heart swell... "Sister Myers, you are small in stature but your spirit is big.". I got a little teary eyed, I wont lie. I just want to say that living the gospel gives you a light that you wont find in any other place. And this light will help you touch the lives of others and thats why I love the mission. I wouldn't want to be in any other place than Fortaleza, Brazil.

Boa semana meus amores.
Sister Myers

Um ano e pouco

One question that never gets old on the mission field is "how much time do you have in the mission field?". Actually, it doesn´t get old until you start to get old in the mission field. Today I´ve officailly hit over the year mark. It´s funny because you dont ever feel old on the mission; I feel like I got here yesterday. You know why? Because the feelings you have when you bring a soul to Christ, are the same awesome feelings that you had from the very frist day in the field.

This week I got to feel that sweet spirit as we baptized Andre and Cristiane. Andre has been an investigator of the church for 2 years. My companion and I decided to pass by his house in the beginning of the transfer to see where he was in his conversion. I was shocked over and over again by his willingness to commit to the challenges that we left for him. He accepted a baptism date, that was originally really difficult for him to do with the other missionaries. I´ve seen a light come into his life these past 4 weeks. As he walked out of his baptismal interview. the elder that did his interview said "thats gonna be a great priesthood holder one day". I was so happy to see him finally enter into the waters of baptism. He´s a dad of two daughters. One day I hope the rest of his family will eventually accept the gospel.

And my sweet, sweet Cristiane. Last transfer, Cristiane went up to the chapel and saw some kids playing in the front (which is super common her in Brazil because every night the chapel opens up its soccer quadro). She asked a member what she ahs to do to visit the church. The other sisters were passing her house but she was never home. When I got into the area, the other sisters still hadn´t seen her. With luck, and help from the Lord, we finally got to teach her. And without a doubt, she is one of the elects. She has a soon that has a disorder(i dont know waht its called in english) and was so touched by the Plan of Salvation and to know her son will be perfect one day. She already has big plans to enter into the temple. Her bus route to college passes by the construction of the Fortaleza temple everyday.

I love this sweet gospel and Im so grateful for the privilege I have to share it.

Missions are like rapadura

Missions are like rapadura. For you gringos, let me explain. Rapadura is a sweet here from Ceara that is basically 99% rock hard sugar and 1% flavoring. It´s one of the worst things that I´ve ever eaten here lol. But something that is super common is people compare missions to rapadura. Why? Because it HARD and its SWEET.

This week was... hard. I think its hilarious that every single missionary passes through hard days, hard weeks and no one hears about it because we´re trained to only say great things about our areas and mission. But I´m brutally honest and this week was hard.  We found very little new investigators, and our super firm baptism fell through. So I sit in my bed sometimes just thinking "alright, you´re tired and you dont know what to do anymore." I SHOULD be getting on my knees and asking for help but usually I just think and think and think until I fall asleep. This week I was thinking A LOT. And sometimes you want to give up but every night Heavenly Father put a thought in my head. If I give up, who is gonna find those souls that need the gospel?  What would have happened if the elders in Tampa, Florida and Detroit, Michigan gave up and didn´t find my parents? They didn´t know that those converts would go on to serve missions, get married in the temple, have a eternal family, and their daughter would too serve a mission. We just dont know the plan of God. And it kills me inside to know there are souls that I´m not finding. So when all else fails, I have to work harder. And that is what I´ll do.

Missions are like rapadura. They´re hard but they´re sweet too. I love love love my mission. Seriously, it´s the best experience. Not because I´m traveling around Brazil and meeting awesome people. But because I´m sharing the Gospel that changed my life, that is still changing.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE TERERE

 mission conference! Sister Chamberlain and I´s training? CRUSHED IT.

 the view of my area from our apartment

First Week in Paracuru

Weeks pass by faster and faster and that makes my heart hurt so much. This week was good! I had the opportunity to visit PARACURU. Definitely my hardest area one the mission, as missionaries we would say that I passed my "Gethsemane" there, but it has a special place in my heart. It was so nice to see some members from the branch and my sweet recent convert, Antonio, who was SO SO SO excited to see that I brought him a tie all the way from the United States.

As for our area, it is super different. It´s almost.... normal. Normal as in the culture is almost close to the American culture. Everyone has goods here, which is strange for me to see. I still freak out walking into the super Walmart here. It´s a huge learning expereince for me and I´m grateful for the challenge. We´ve had some awesome investigators in church these weeks so we´re praying and fasting for their decision to be baptized.

I came across a talk in the Liahona from Jefferey (the man) Holland, that had the following quote "...such people know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon." I almost fell out of my chair because of the power this quote has. It´s powerful.... BECAUSE ITS SO TRUE. Sometimes, as human beings, we like to pick and choose the commandments we follow with strict obediance. I, Sister Myers, have been guilty of this my whole life!! And so I started to think... in what areas do I like to keep my summer cottage in Babylon? And wow theres alot. But thats a reflection I needed to do, and that I´ll continue doing. So I can be a true representative of my Savior now, and forever. I DONT NEED A SUMMER COTTAGE IN BABYLON. I DONT EVEN WANT ONE. But they why do we keep building these cottages in our lifes? Strict obediance brings strict blessings always. So when life gets hard, and it always will, lets move back to our primary residence with our Heavenly Father.

I hope everyone will have a great week! I´m so grateful for your support and prayers. If I could ask for one thing, it would be your prayers especially on Wednesyday because I will give a training to the whole. entire. mission. Thank you!!

tchau guanabara, oi monte castelo

Happy Monday!! First week of the transfer has passed with alot of "new this" and "new that". New area, new companion(kinda), and new experiences. I´m officially in Monte Castelo. It´s super strange for me because all of my areas I´ve passed have been more simples and humble. I´ve been overwelmed with tiny things like people having cars and normal cell phones... its crazy how a mission chages you. But on the bright side, my area has a huge Walmart. I´ve never been so happy to see a Walmart in my life. I walked in and held back tears. I have a special place in my heart for Jardim Guanabara... a family from that area visited me here already in my new area. Its amazing the impact people have on our lives.

My new area is super metropolitan. A lot of apartment buildings and old school houses. And its the size of Africa. Seriously. That will be a great difficulty as I´ve never worked in a "city city" before. But whats a mission without a little bit of difficulties, am i right or am I right? Nothing huge happening here, just getting settled in really. As LTS, I´ll be taking care of the sisters in Paracuru, that is my old area so I´ll be traveling there this transfer. WOOT WOOT!

This Sunday I was asked to give a talk about missionary work in my new ward. Even as a missionary, I feel like I´ve heard those talks about "every member a missionary" over and over. But something that has always touched my heart. In Mark 2, tells the parable of the paralytic. In Jesus the Christ, explains something that I love. Jesus Christ heals him because of "their faith" not "HIS faith". Or in other words, becase those loving four friends used their faith and love for that paralytic, he was saved. And so maybe we know someone who cant reach the house where Christ is, they need our help, our strength and our faith. Theres so many more details but raelly study out the parable. Its changed so much about my perspective as a member missionary.

Thank you for your love and support. I´m still astonished that everyone remembers I exist, even if it means my hair is 10x longer, I´m 5x chubbier, and my skin is 100x darker.

365 Days serving the Lord.

This week was AWESOME. My companion and I have been focused on studying dilligence. Missionaries have the tendency (not I) to get trunky during the last week of transfers. They think they will be transfered or that its okay to slack off. And that is exactly not what I wanted to teach my daughter. So we worked harder than we ever have this week. And when we give EVERYTHING we have to the Lord.... we have "MILAS".

mila (noun): mila is an abreviation of the word "milagre" or "miracle" in English
-often used by missionaries in brazil

This Sunday we woke up with POURING rain and we had confirmed 10 people for church. I literally had to swim my way to church because when it rains here it pours. And to my surprise (and little faith) 8 of our investigators came and had a very special experience. AND... in this area we´ll have 6 baptisms this week.

BUT I will be transfered to a new area called Monte Castelo with my old companion Sister Andrade. Im SO exciited but so sad to leave my daughter and this area that has taught me so much. I love servnig the Lord, espcially this past year in the beautiful land called, Fortaleza.

My daughter finishing her training.

 Drinking Sao Geraldo, a soda that only exists in Ceara

 1 Year on the mission!!!