Happy Thanksgiving!

What?! It´s already time for Thanksgiving??? Where has the time gone? I reached my Three month anniversary this past week, and let me just say, It´s been a week of miracles!

Since this is the Week of Thanksgiving, I think that I will send you a list of things that I am grateful here on the mission.

1. I am grateful for rain! This might seem strange, but let me just say, before it rains, Santa Cruz is like a bubble of humidity. It´s AWFUL! But you always know it´s gonna storm. I love when it storms. It makes missionary work more of an adventure! Usually I throw my unbrella to the side and take a shower in the rain. It feels so good when you´ve been sweating all day.

2. I am grateful for almoço. LUNCH! There´s nothing better than sitting down at a table of three other missionaries and a family to eat. I love lunch because you don´t have to worry about what you´re going to eat. The members take care of you!

3. I am grateful for my apartment full of Sister Missionaries! Me, my campanion and two others. Half of the time we´re lying on the floor laughing!

4. I am grateful for p-day! We work Tuesday through Saturday where everything is amiss. We hope for a miracle on Sunday, but if everything goes wrong, Monday is P-day! This is a poor translation of what my companion quotes every week, but seriously, even if we have a week full of craziness, we can always look forward to p-day. Usually this is the day to prepare for the week. We grocery shop, write letters home, etc... but with the missionaries in my district, we never get anything done! We´re too busy playing at the church and cooking food!

5. I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because this is my pathway to Salvation and an eternity of joy. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ I know my purpose in life and always have comfort through times of difficulty and trial. I have hope for the future. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ I can live with God, Jesus Christ and my family forever. Que Bencão!

6. I am grateful for my opportunity to be a missionary because I can have experiences like this:

Don´t pay attention to how horrible my hair is in the picture, but focus on that cute little lady dressed in white. Yesterday, I was blessed with my first baptism of the mission. Nerci! We found her teaching record in our area book. She had received all of the lessons and had attended church many times back in July and August, and was almost baptized. So, we set out to visit her this week. She was ready for baptism. She wasn´t sure why the sisters had stopped visiting her months before. But here we were again. A new set of Sisters for this cute child of God. She was baptized last night at 6pm. Que Milagre!

Anyway, family and friends! There are so many things to be grateful for! I´m grateful for each one of you and I´m grateful for this chance I have to be here!

Have a perfect week and a perfect Thanksgiving!


Love,

Sister Stevens