Miracles and Tender Mercies

August 26, 2013

Oi Minha Querida Familia!!!!

Whatta week!  Well,  first of allllllll...WE GOT A BISHOP FINALLYY!!!! WOOOOOH...JUST yesterday!!! And BOY OH BOY WE COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER BISHOPRIC!!! So the bishop is the old EQ's President who hosted the BBQ that was SUCHA hit with the investigators and was sooo great for fellowshipping.   He is AMAZING and is so focused on everyone else and the youth and helping the missionaries.  Poor guy!  You could just SEE in his face that he was overwhelmed with the magnitude of this calling. But we could just feeeeel how inspired this call was. He will be amazing and JUST what this ward needs. And his counselors. Oh boy, get this:  first counselor: the Ward Mission Leader. WAAAAAT hahah! Sooo great!  He was the BEST these past few weeks as we went bishopless trying to get the ward involved with the mission work. and Second counselor is this AWESOME brother who has been one of the KEY people in helping us fellowship this new family. He is ALWAYS making himself free for some missionary work and is genuinely concerned for the people we teach.  This is gonna be GREATTTT. and we already have some ideas for who the new ward mission leader will be haha.  We are STOKED and READY TO GO!!!  It's been a dry transfer--or 2 as I've been told--with no baptisms in this ward--but we have some people who are SO ready and we just need to get them there. But now that we have the ward on board--or almost--we are ready to let the floodgates go!  I'm so excited! I honestly am just so thrilled to be out here!!!

It's so crazy just seeing how seeing these people's progression really does make me so insanely happy!  It is literally a taste of that pure joy that we will feel when we finally do bring those souls to Christ. WOW. So miracle of the week--we had exchanges for the first time and it was weird...  Very stressful because I was staying in this area and would be leading the companionship for the first time. I conducted the planning, the lessons, the day! and it was scary stuff.... But it turned out pretty well. kept busy, not everything went as planned--silly me, thinking I could plan out the day--but we were able to make it work with the help of the Lord. I definitely have a testimony of relying on the Lord. He kind of just reminded me that day that I can't do this myself.  I just can't. (ESPECIALLY since we went phoneless that day cause Sis Jensen-Coon accidentally took the phone with her to the other place..)  So that was fun.. haha but yeah so we defintely had to rely on the Lord that He would guide us and help us make everything work out in the end.

MIRACLE: so on this day of exchanges, I was planning the day and put down this one family who is less active and we were gonna invite them to church the next day.  I didn't realize but they were in another section of our area and way out of the way. but we decided to go cause it was planned. So we went over there and passed by Helen's house.  The garage was still closed and so we just kind of chatted about her and how amazing she was when we got to talk to her and how sad we were that we couldn't see her anymore.  Then we got to the less active's house and she was sick so we couldn't see her. So we didn't know what to do, out there in a different area. So we decided to go stop by Helen's and just knock on her door even though she said she only answers the garage when it's open.  So we went over and knocked. Rang the door bell. knocked again. Nothing.  Then I decided to knock one more time. Realllyyy loud cause I know she's kinda deaf.  And a few seconds later we hear the garage door open. OMG. we run over and see her coming out and her arms are open for a hug and says "Come here!" and I  run over and hug her and we are all so happy and omggggggggg!!!  It was A MIRACLE!  It turns out she was going to the garage to get her pants from the dryer and she heard the last knock. She said she'd been going outside to sit in her garage waiting for us in the mornings but we don't go out of the apt until after studies which ends at like 1pm so we never were past there when she was out. She said she figured we gave up cause her garage was closed so often... which we did.. and she was so happy we were there cause she had just gotten out of the hospital again and was thinking about us all that day.  She said she'd gotten her answer to her prayers and the answer was "Not her will, but His will". We got her to recognize the spirit and that the answer she got was through the Spirit and we taught her about baptism and told her to specifically pray if that's the decision God wants for her.  She agreed and we have an appt tomorrw. I am soooooo happy for her OMGGG!!! She is so much happier and wants the Spirit with her always and WANTS to feel God's love for her all the time. and i just KNOW that's the reason she's still alive, even if she doesn't want to be. God wants her to be able to enjoy that peace and happiness for even just a short time before she goes.  Wow it was the most amazing experience ever. I gave her a origami flower. :) THANKS DAD! what a great idea!!!

Well there was so much more that happened I wish I could share it ALL with you but it's really too much haha. but that was definitely the high light of this week!!!

I'm so excited for your talk, Emily!! :D how exciting!!! haha You should invite all your friends and all my friends who know you and they can cheer you on! wooohooo!! haha. I want to hear it! record it and send it to me hehe. jk I know you'll do awesome.  Family prayer and reading scriptures together at the end of the day is so important. I never realized it cause it never occured to me but it really does keep every individual in the family strong and at the same time bring the entire family so much closer to each other and to Heavenly Father. It's something worth making the few minutes sacrifice for.

Well, I'm sorry to hear about all that craziness going on in the ward! Sister Moura and all that. My prayers are with her family and with the ward! I Hope her service went well. But I know she's happy now and can finally be reunited with her family and teach them there :)

Did something happen to a missionary up there? I didn't really understand but I guess some one said something happened and someone had like a hemorrhage or something? scary! I'm praying for you all up in SJ!

Well I just wanted to thank everyone again for all the support and love and prayers! Especially Sister Stevens and her lovely card I received and the Bertognalli  family and their constant support and uplifting letters, and Sister James and her amazing gift! What an awesome idea--a special journal for the mission! thank you all soo much I really appreciate it! and I'm sorry I can't write all the time or rememeber. My brain is probably gonna explode soon hahah. but I love you all and keep you in my prayers!

Keep up the good work in SJ! Love you all and give referrals to the missinoaries! Never be afraid to share something you love with someone you love! The gospel truly is for everyone and will be such a gift to anyone, no matter what is going on in their life!

Eu Amo Todos de voces!!! Ate a Proxima Semana!!! <3

Sister Yoshimoto

Cute Little Dog Bit Us

August 19

Oiiii minha querida familia!!

Como vao???  I miss you alll!!!!!  I JUST got to get onto the computuer! omg!  We were stuck outside for an hour cause no one came to unlock the door for us to the family history center! 

So updates: Megan and Craig, the couple we wanted to get married.... sighhhhh.  The bishop of their ward--not our bishop cause they live in the other ward boundaries--special situation, they wanted sisters teaching them instead of elders :) --so that bishop went and visited them for a second and kind of explained really quickly how they cant get baptized until they are married and I guess he didn't realize we already explained that so he kinda went more shallow than we did and she took it the wrong way and thought he meant don't get married until you're ready and then get baptized..... sooooo we gotta work on that with them ):  This past lesson though I realized that they didn't even really understand why they would want to be baptized.   So we're gonna start there and get them really fired up to be baptized and then get that to be the key to them getting married.  They're out of town a lot and so I'll update that again later.  Kinda cool though cause they wanted a cultural marriage--She's Navajo--so that includes him having to butcher and cook a cow and serve it to her whole family..... that'll be interesting! hahah

OH MY this week has been an interesting one!! hahah. Soooo first of all, Sis Jensen-Coon and I got bit by a dog! It was the cutest dog and totttttalllyyyy reminded me of Rusty!!! WOW! even the one ear up one down thing! and his patchy spots! This one was more grey though. he was tied up and ran around a pole so the rope was shorter and we were walking by after talking to his owners. Then the dog got smart and as we were walking away, unwound from around the pole and so the rope was longer and we didnt even notice but he ran up to us and I honestly didn't think he would do anything cause there are  SO Many dogs here that bark crazy but are the nicest things ever.  But yeah he actually came up and bit us!!  He hit my knee so it was bone and I kinda saw it coming the last second and jerked my knee up by instinct I guess and hit his mouth and I think it scared him so he ran after Sis Jensen-Coon and she was a  little ahead of me so she I guess it looked like she was running away and he bit her thigh. It left some big bruises on us but nothing punctured and so we were all good.  We got it cleaned just in case but we're both fine.  Just awesome stories for later! hehe.

Awesome story number 2!

We ran into a Priest from another church and we were contacting him on the street and he started talking to us about how he knows Joseph Smith had the vision but it was actually the devil angels in disguise and we were all posessed and that's why we all believe it so firmly.  He was like I KNOW that you're possessed. You're both so sweet but its sad seeing you so possessed. So we set up an appt with him to kind of just discuss our beliefs and stuff and we were scared he was gonna throw holy water on us at the door or perform a seance or something but we just discussed the bible and proved our beliefs with scripture and he was super open and it was an awesome discussion with him and his wife and guess what!! It turns out a lot of our beliefs are the same and Mormon beliefs can be proven in the Bible!! Who'da thunk. hahah. I was like ... yeahhhhhh that's what we try to tell people but for some reason no one believes us. haha. fun stuff.  We have a return appt where we'll teach the Plan of Salvation with scriptural backup because he's very against the idea of the premortal life. But here comes the Bible references!!

WOW I learned how much I LOVE studying!! When an investigator has a question and we say we'll look it up and return and report, hehe, we go home and it brings up tons of other questions that I had growing up but never really thought about or asked or kinda just pushed aside because I didn't know the answer ... and I would search them up and find things in the Bible and Book of Mormon that made so much sense and everything just falls into place and its the coolest feeling!!  It's such a testimony builder when I realize that this gospel really DOES answer all the questions! If people would just be open to hearing us out they'd realize that we DO have all the answers!  Even members need to  realize that, I think.  I never felt comfortable asking these questions because I was raised Mormon and thought I had to know everything.  So I just wouldn't talk about it.

One big thing for me was the Godhead.  It really was a tough concept for me to understand but I knew what we believed, they're separate beings, so I just accepted it and moved on. but when we have to explain it to people I realized I don't actually know what I'm talking about so I had to study. It's amazing how much my testimony of the gospel and the scriptures and the Book of Mormon and the nature of God has grown just from me learning and studying it out for myself. 

I've learned so much about how we are all still learning and will CONSTANTLY be learning until we're perfected AFTER this life in yearsssssss and years to come.  It's okay to have questions. God gave us that ability to think and question for a reason--that reason being to find out and when we do find out, that's when we grow and it builds that testimony! It's the coolest feeling ever.   I looooove it!  Funny, cause I always hated studying before... school, church, everything. haha. oh, the things you learn on a mission ;)

BEFORE I FORGET! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY CAMI!!!!!! I don't remember if I wrote it last week. but our pday last week was cut short cause of appts so we didn't have time to write any letters): hopefully I'll have time today!  I hope you had an aweeeesome birthday!!! woooooh! youre old(;  haha.

So we've been having a lot of success with LTM's but our finding is suuuufffering.  I think only like 3 new investigators a week ):   It's so hard cause we don't have a bishop. Our bishop moved last week and the whole time I've been here, he's been prepping for the move and kinda in that awkward stage of what to do cause he couldn't really start anything cause he wouldn't be here to follow anything through and now it's our second week without a bishop and we're DYING HERE!!!!  We had 1 ward council so far and it's toughhhhhh!!!  I honestly wish every ward had a bishop like you, Dad.  We don't even have a Ward Mission Plan, or if we do, no one knows what it is. ):  I just sooo greatly appreciate the amazing dfference the ward makes in this work.  It literally cannot go forward without the ward.   The Bishop is suchhhhhha huge help and If we had a  bishop like you, we'd have the HUGEST growing ward ever!!!  We have the families and members and everything who are willing to go out with us and everything but its so hard to coordinate activities or events or anything to get people to bring friends to!  There was one event, and EQ BBQ and it was the biggest hit. the EQ prez had a party at his house and we had soooo many investigators go it was amazing.  We need more activities like that at the church and stuff or something. and we need to get involved with the youth!!!!!   It's so hard to get anything done without the bishop. ):   We were hoping for one this past Sunday but nope. Gotta wait another week then!  Prayingggg!!!!! haha.

Its kind of funny how not many people understand what missionaries do.  They ask us what we do for fun or for our breaks and stuff.  When I first came, they're like "Oh, is the other sister on vacation??"   haha. stuff like that.  We're like wow no one realizes that this is all we do.  All day. Everyday. haha.  It's funny cause its such a huge thing when I think about it like that.   But while I'm here it just seems normal ... like... We volulnteered for this. We're PAYING to do this. hahahah! We were joking about that.   Next time someone asks us we'll emphasize that we WANT to be here so bad, we're paying to do this haha. but really its kinda amazing how the days and weeks flyyyyy by!  I can't believe its already almost another transfer!!  This feels like a SECOND compared to the 6 weeks in the MTC even though the MTC was way more chill and fun haha.  This is the WORK part. and it's amazing!  It's reallly soooo coool how one amazing thing makes the entire day a good day!

So my testimony of Fellowshipping is growing sooo much as well!  Being on a mission teaches me sooo much!  Shows me the kind of member I want to be when I go home, what kind of family I want, what kind of ward I want, what kind of HOUSE I want haha. and so many things.  I realize just how important it is for the ward to welcome those who are intersted in the church.  They might have the biggest testimony, but they won't be able to get over the huge difference of just the culture. and it can't work without the people welcoming them in and makin them a part of it ... and its SO FRUSTRATING WHEN NO ONE DOES IT!!!!  We can't be the fellowshippers!!  We're leaving in a couple of months at most!  It's so hard ): but idk. we will definitely fix this after we get a bishop!!!!! ahhh!!!!!!

Okay wellll I gotta go.  All these misssionaries are waiting for the comps): sadddddd. Hopefully I'll be able to write all the letters today and send them out!  I'll be sending them soon! Send my love to the ward!

Love you allll!!!!!!

Miss you, all!!!! Praying for you all!
Thank you mom for the letters!  I'm glad youre having fun with the stuffing ENVELOPES now haha.  I will write a letter today for you cause I gotta goooooo!!

MUITO AMOR!

Ate a Proxima Segunda!

-Sister Yoshimoto<3

Learning and Improving

August 12, 2013

Oiiiii minha Familia!!!!

Wow this week is crazy!  I have a looooot to write!  But first of all, I'm in the Boulder Springs Ward!  Oh and what ward is Uncle Jimmy in, in Hendersen?? just curious.

I got the pics from mom! So pretty!!! Awwwww I love it!! haha. So cute! And the story of the snails and fertilizer for your plants and stuff haha!  Well when I get back I want a home grown feast! hehe. from all the plants and stuff you got back there! :) yummmmm!

We got some pics coming in soon from the Temple. WE GOT TO GO ON FRI!!! sooooooo great!  It will probably be the last time for my mission unless I'm here another couple of months. I'm so sad there's no temple in Teresina. but I do hope I can get there soon!!! :)) I wanna be able to speak Portuguese with people!!! I miss it!): but I'm keeping it up. saying all my prayers in Portuguese and songs during companion study.

This area is pretty strange now that I've learned more about it!  It's got about 30,000 people in this town, but like 8 wards or something!  Crazy!  The members here barely know anyone outside of church!  How sad! They like to keep within their bubble so finding is hard here.  We're trying to get people to meet their neighbors and parents from school and stuff...  It's a work in progress.  We need creative ways to find... goal of this transfer.

So a lot of the people here are pretty nice and will a little less harshly reject us, but the other day we acutally ran into a lady who was pretty crazy.  She was watching us and sitting in her garage so after a while we went over and before we said anything she asks us how many husbands we have. and we were like uhhh none. We're missionaries and were explaining what we do but she kept cutting in with stuff like don't lie!  You have 10 husbands!  And some other pretty vulgar things I can't say  haha.  She basically cussed us out and ran us off the driveway.   It was a very interesting encounter.  It got more bizarre when her neighbor, who we briefuly talked to before, saw and started yelling at her to leave us alone and then they started scream fighting as we quickly walked away awkwardly.... Oh my. what an advcenture.   We felt so bad that they started fighting.  We were down the street and turning and could still hear them fighting :(  sooooo we stay away from that house now.

I got the letters and packages! WOW mom!talk about inspired! that talk haha! and now I have it in portuguese too!! Thanks dad!!  It's super good!  I got the alpha smart thing! so coool!!! Is there a place to connect it to the usb? I couldnt find it, but I didn't look really hard yet.  That's super cool though.  I think it'll definitely be handy in Brazil maybe.  The Ensigns! im so excited to read them!  They're sooooo interesting already! One's about Jesus Christ and the other about the Book of Mormon, if anything its good for me to use as reference to some of the most common questions in missionary work. plus language study material!! Thank youuu!!!  I was starting to run out of material haha.

I talked to the elder from my MTC district who's in brazil already. he said the language comes so quickly now.  I'm so happy for him, cause he had such a hard time with it in the MTC.  But I'm also pretty jealous haha! I can't wait to head over there and really use this language!!  I can/t wait to see the people of Teresina!!!   They sound soooo nice and humble and genuine, already! :)

Well, with the companion, things are going well.  I think much better now.  Man, the thing about missions is you get to see who you reallllyyyy are and sometimes---most times--its not what you thought before.  And for me, it wasnt good news.  I really start to see things about myself.  I would just hide and push away.  Now I'm forced to see them and not only that, but change them.  Which is really the super hard part.  I never realized just how prideful  I really am.  I have a hard time LOVING people instead of just tolerating them. and that's what I really have to do with this companion. I'm also a very closed off person. I don't like opening up to ANYone unless I really know/ like/trust them.  This is super hard for me cause esp with my companion, its essential to be able to open up to her.  I really don't want to cause I like to kinda do things on my own and with Heavenly Father's help.   But that's whats so amazing about the Atonement, it allows me to lean on Him as well as others who He provides me with to help me. I just gotta really learn to use that.  I hate it, but it's gotta be done haha! and I know I will be thankful for it in the long run.  Once I had a real talk with my companion I feel like it went better.  We talked about how she kinda had the same problems when she first came out.  Her comp was a super bubbly friendly lets hug 24/7 girl and they didn't get along at all. but I only saw them at the end of the transfers where they were super close.  So of course I felt like everyone gets along like that from the start and it was just me who couldn't make things work.  It was definitely comforting seeing that I'm not the only one who has to change in order for things to work. haha. oh, that pride.

Well,  Helen is pretty much a dropped investigator):  She doesn't come out ever and we haven't seen her since the first time.  But we have other people who are progressing and even a family!!  How exciting!!  It's tough because each person has their own challenges and concerns that we need to address and only so much time to meet. B ut one couple we're teaching is Megan and Craig.  They're a couple and they have a 3 year old and are pregnant with another. but they're not married!  They want to get baptized, but we have to help them get married first.    Soooooo if it all goes well, we might be wedding planners this transfer!!!! wooooh!! hahah. how exciting!!!  I'm just so excited cause if they do and are baptized, Craig can get the priesthood and bless their new baby and baptize their 3yr old when she's 8! !!! oh mannn.... what blessings. It's hard during the days where there aren't a lot of appts or people cancel and every one rejects you, but then there's just that one lesson where it all goes right and you walk away and think what an amazing day! I love how that one person's progression makes everything else kinda not matter.  They don't even see how amazing this is for them yet, they know they want it, but they dont see just how amazing it is yet.  Then there are those who I wish I could just SHOW them what I see and be like OMG! LOOK WHAT YOU COULD HAVE!! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST READ AND PRAY!   but we can't...... so we gotta work WITH them haha. but I guess thats what missionary work is really about.

I'm so excited to hear about the mission plans back home!! Mini missions!!!  That's awwweeesome!!! I love how bold commitments are the best.  They really are hard to make but they are the ones that mean the most. or bring the most out of them.  The bolder we are, the stronger the spirit can testify!!! haha. its crazy cause I know how hard it is for members to really do their part. but I also know how important it is to do it. Missionaries cannot do this alone.  We are barely a fraction of the process. it's mostly up to members. and I always heard this but man, its true. when I go home, I'll be the BEST member msisionary ever hahahahha. just cause I know how frustrateing it is whne they don't help at all.  Here, we just teach the members that we really just need to invite.  Our job is to just GIVE people that chance to hear and accept the gospel.  They just need that chance.  and if we do our part to invite and fellowship, the rest is up to them. WE succeed when we invite.  I loooove how Mom is really going out there and inviting people! So cool!!  I love it! People don't realize the impact we have from just talking about the gospel in a casual conversation.  The gospel isn't some big scary secret!!  It's not something just for us! It's something we love so much we want others to have as well!   It's something that is literally a part of us so we can talk about it whenver we want! and if they happen to have questions about that part of us, we answer them! Mom's ideas of conversation  starters were so cute hahah.   Monday's are my fave day! why? cause my daughters on a mission and can write home now! hahaha.  Sneeeakyyy mom. hehe jk. but really, it's that simple. but that important.

On top of that, just living like we should is such a good missionary way.  Being examples.  People are watching us cause they know we're different. We can all be Mormons, but are we all Latter Day Saints?  We have to live as Latter-day Saints. Because that's what we are. and that can be the best way to invite others. :)

Well that's my spiel for the day.  Just a few quick updates:  We had sushi with that member who thinks I don't eat meat haha.  Cleared that one up. although the tofu he gave was awesome too hehe. and he gave me tamarind candy!  Sooo good! never heard of it before!  But he also gave me TONS of nori! WHAT A BLESSING!!!!! hahahah.

Blesssingssss!!!!  Well I gotta go soon but I just want to let everyone know how much I love you all!!  I love all the support and letters I get from home!! I miss you all and pray for you every night!!  I hope you're all doing better ... Especially mom and her shoulder!

Emily, how's your schedule!??! Teachers?  When you start?

DAD that trip sounds soooo intense!!   Is your shoulder okay now???  That is so hardcore haha

Kei!  So excited you're going to another ward now. funnnn!!!!!

Love you all!! I'll use the Alpha smart next week so maybe I'll have more time to write!! :)
<33333

Sister Yoshimoto

Happy Birthday Mom!

August 5, 2013

Oi minha querida familia!!!!!!

First of all, Happpppyyy Birthday Mom!!!!!! I'm glad to hear you got my letter!!!  I think it might have gotten there a little late. I was planning on sending it on Tuesday so it would get there Friday but the days go by so fast here and I forgot 'til Thursday   D: sorrryyyyy..... I hope you got an aweeesome dinner and clean house! wink wink at Emily hehe. and tell Keely i said CONGRATS AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMRROW!!!! :)))))

I also wanted to encourage ALL of you to go read Elder Hollands talk "Lord, I Believe" its an AWESOME talk from last conference i think about faith and believing.   I guess I didn't pay attention that well last conference haha. but its so good. about how its okay to not KNOW for sure, just believing is good enough and its a start.  Even just having the desire to believe. if we hold on to what we DO know, then it will all work out. idk  Go read it.   hahaha.   It's much better than just that. 

... andddddddd i just wanted to know about the Dear Elder letters.  Do they cost money for you??   If it does, no need send those!  They're awesomeee but don't need send haha. I will survive.... maybe. hehe jk. I will. :)  

I heard Emily got her Patriarchal Blessing!!! OMG how excitinggggggg its soooo cool reading it now vs back when i got it. it just really means so much more when you can apply it to different stages of your life.   Keep it safe!!!  ps: i seriously laughed so hard at your letter Emily..the mango..  hahah I love how you can just HEAR the person saying these things when it's just a letter. but man hearing about Rusty from Mom and Emily is soooo funny!!  That little boy is such a snot! hahahhaha miss him so much!!   There are dogs here EVERYWHERE!!!   There are so many types I've never seen before. but Rusty's the best::))))   God defintiely blessed me with lots of dogs to play with here though. not as cute as Rusty, but it'll do until I come home:)

Mommmmmmm,  how's your shoulder doing??? ):   I'm glad they give you some other work to do though, so you can kinda just let it rest a bit.   The other work sounds interesting hahah.   Like an office job --ish? Sweeeeet.  You can sit and chill and still get paid the big bucks huh? hehe. love it! 

Dad!!  So i met Sister Smith!  She's training the sister who came with me from the MTC to here, from the other district but also going to Brazil.  Sister Smith is so cute! and suuuper sweet and nice.  I didnt get to meet her for a while but we talked a little.  I didnt know she was your friend's daughter!  I will ask her this Friday on the temple trip!   So cool! and random her connection with Sister Jensen Coon haha. wow! I can't WAIT for this Friday's temple trip!  Probably the only one I'll be able to go on until I come home from the mission... no temple in Teresina )): so sad. So I will hold on to this one bigtime!! haha.

Oh and thanks soooo much for the mission plan from AR ward.  Suuuch good ideas. I think we definitely need to get involved with the youth here, but it's hard cause Sis Jensen-Coon isn't really on board with it. idk.... we'll work something out. haha. but those are super good ideas. I will definitely bring some stuff up next ward council meeting.  Thanks soo much!!   Especially for the flower origami idea. I'm definitely gonna do that for her next time we see her. Which might be in a  while, she's hard to get a hold of.

So the mission work here was sooooo slow since I got here and I didnt know at the time, but apparently its been the worst few weeks Sis JC has ever seen.  I was just so stressed!!!  This is going no where! But apparently its not always like that! so YAY! and its definteeeely picking up!  We have dropped a bunch of people, unfortunately, and now miracle investigators are popping up everywhere!!  This next week is going to be an AMAZING week!!  I can't wait!!! So many miracles!! It's hard to rememeber them all but one for example, is this one street contact who turned out to be an inactive member from like 40 years ago or somehting.  We stopped by the next day thinking it was someone else's house, we forgot, and then we were like oh. wellll lets go see him again anyway. we talked and just discussed basics and their beliefs and our beliefs and just clearing up misconceptions about the church and then asked if theyd be interested in hearing more of what we believe and they invited us to DINNER this wed!   hahah ... We literally skipped/ran back to the car after we left.  Miracles.  They are so prepared. 

It's also a miracle with the weather.  Its almost constantly 100 degrees here so when its like 95 it feels perfect. hahahha. and when its 70 in our apt I literally have my peacoat and blanket on while studying. its freezing..... I'm so ready for brazil hahahah.  Humidity here I comeeeee. 

The jambus I haven.t been able to wear here cause of the open back.... but my flats have been working out pretty well.. especially since we have a car so we dont walk very much--which is why I've gained sooooomuch weight hahaha! ... so ready for Brazil. LOL but its awesome.  I definitely appreciate it before I leave. haha. 

Ahhhh no timeee!!!!  That typer thing sounds pretty cool but idk when i'd have time to type it out before! we're alwayyyys doing something. which is awesome! but yeah idk. it'd prob be useful in brazil though. idk for sure. i have no idea what Brazil's gonna be like!  I learned I can't anticipate lot of things haha. 

And yes, I got Cami's dresses!! I loooove them!!! Thank you sooo much! so cute!  I get so many compliments, ;D ahhaha. from sisters. Don't worry. lol. Thank you so much!! You didn't have to send the extra stuff but my goodness thank you! haha looove the letters and notes and stuff!  So cute and definintely a good pick up when I need it!!<3

ps. Did Kei get the stuff I left at the MTC for Magre to pick up??? idk !! D: lemme know thanks!!

Oh and I'm so glad to hear Keilyn is moving and stuff!! sounds soooo fun!!!! im excited!! update me on how that goes, Kei!!!  I miss you tons!!!!!!!

Man well the work here, as I said before, sorry so disconnected haha, is going alright.  It's slowly picking up speed. but some other miracles.  We got a family of investigators who came to church 2nd time yesterday!!! AHHH so exciting. and it was suuuucha good testimony meeting!!! I loved it. and then another guy, Steve, came. and he's bad with committing but he CAME!  So amazing. They really loved it.  It's hard because a lot of people here just don't see the need for the gospel.  They don't feel the need or want to change.  They're content. and they won't give us the chance to SHOW them what this can really do for them.  It's sad. but hopefully, as we keep coming around, they'll see how much it really can bless their lives!! 

Sorry, I haven't been able to go into a lot of this week.  My mind is everywhere.  I don't know how missionaries do this letter thing.  It's so stressful! haha. next week I'll try to be more organized. but I really do have a testimony of this Church and the power of prayer and fasting.  When there seems like nothing else can keep me going and I just feel so frustrated, praying seems like the only thing that can pick me up.  Knowing that no matter what I feel, my Savior feels it and can take it from me.  It's the most hopeful thing I've ever experienced. and it is what I hope I can give to everyone because I  KNOW everyone needs it so much.  I love this gospel and all I've already learned from it.  I love you alllllll!!!!!!  Telll everyone at home I love them!! and the sisters! how's everything there going???

Where's Sis Barker at? 

Love youuuu!!!!!

Sister Yoshimoto!

ps.   thank you all for the letters and cards and kala and bday stuff!!!  I can't remember if  I already said anything but yeah thank you all sooooo much they mean a loooot to me and I keep them safe and hopefully can reply to them... my goodness I'm the worst at this hahaha. but I have read them and everything just can't remember or find time to write. :P love you alll!!!<333333333333

Much love to the ward! I''ll be sending out thank you's soon, hopefully this week to all the Ward family who have sent me amazing letters and cards!  Thank you so much! <33

OI!  I forgot hehe. Sorry,  I just had some extra time. soooooo yeah! Kei! learn some portuguese from your roommate and then when I get back we can talk!! :D

Tell her "minha irma e na missao e ela e muito legal e o melhor!" there arent any accents, but she'll prob get the message :)))

and tell Bro Jones I said HII!!!!!! so cool!!  Tell his bro to go to Brazil. hehe. yay!  okay love you all byeeeee!!!<333