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