Making Every Second Count

Oct 23, 2014

Hellllooooooo family!

Yes, this week we had an unexpected change of plans and ended up having our lideranca [leadership] meeting in Teresina on Wednesday.  We left here Tuesday and got there Tuesday night.  We had the meeting Wednesday all day, left Wednesday night, and got here this morning at 5.  We had to take the buses to our home and it took almost 3 horas [hours].... man it was a looooong 2 days.  haha.  But it was soooo good.  The meeting covered a loooooot about how we can better our areas and help people really understand the importance of baptism.  There are sooo many things we will be changing to help this area and leave this mission strong!!

I’m soooo excited!!

My new companion is Sister Oliveira!  She has the same amount of time left in the mission as me so we’ll be leaving together!  How strange, huh?  In this next couple of transfers, about 17 sisters will have left the mission and not many arriving (about 3 or so), so they will be closing down a toooon of sister areas.  We’re almost positive it will be a lot of the ones far from the mission office, so Sao Luis, and Tiangua will be left with a lot of elders..... how sad. haha.

Sister Oliveira is an amaaazing sister.  She has been a leader in the mission practically her whole mission.  She’s 24 and pretty much will be the general RS pres or something one day … so just remember Thatiane Santana Oliveira, because she will be famous one day …  haha.  But yes, I’m excited because this transfer we have a tonnnnn of amazing people ready for baptism.  Now is that amazing transfer where we will leave this area with a legacy!  I’m so excited for the miracles that we will see this transfer. Sister Oliveira is a sister of Faith and this last meeting we had some trainings that were super powerful and inspiring.  I have so many things to change and reorganize!  I’m sooo excited but sad that it’s really just now at the end of the mission that I’m realizing all of this!!  How unfair haha. :(

Man, I will just confess right now, this last transfer was real tough and sloppy.  It is reallllll tough sending a companion home.  I feel like there was sooo much time wasted this last transfer.  Time that I can sadly never get back.  It was tough trying to keep focused and keep working.  I decided I will NOT do that in my last transfer.  I want to end strong.  I want to really take advantage of every second we have.  It’s the weirdest thing.  I feel so normal, like it’s just another transfer, because it IS like any transfer.  Well, it is the last and, sadly, everyone likes to remind us..... >:(

LOL.   But it’s cool.  I definitely feel the Lord preparing me.  I remember when I left the US, the intense feelings of never wanting to go home, wanting to be a missionary forever … haha … Seriously.  Now that I’m so close, I feel the Lord preparing me to go home.  Impressions, memories, thoughts, etc. but it gives me just that much more motivation to keep working even harder.  I still don’t want to go home, but at least now I’m realizing how much more important it is to use every minute.  [I am coming to realize] the reality of it all and also what the real purpose of my mission is -- to change and prepare me.  I hope I can really become who the Lord wants me to become from this mission. 

This week we will be meeting with Rafael.  He found the Book of Mormon in the trash of his neighbor and started reading it.  He believes it is true and believes everything we’ve already taught.  Apparently, he has family in Codó, another city in Maranhão, that are members, but he never learned about the church.  The only tough part is that he needs to divorce his wife and marry the woman with whom he lives.  But man, they are sooooo cool.  [They are] so eleito [elite] and so ready to have an eternal family.  The  Book of Mormon is so powerful.  It is the word of God that truly testifies to the hearts of whoever reads it, and the truths contained therein.  I am so grateful for this blessing!!!

Well, it’s not really our pday today so we just get time to write and I have to go now,  but I love you all sooooo much and keep you all in my prayers every day!! 

<3 Sister Yoshimoto

p.s.  I got to see on the missionary site the missionaries in our ward at home!!  How cool you have 2 sets of missionaries!!!! How are they??  I’m super excited to go out with them when I return!  How strange that it’s elders and sisters haha.  Is that normal?