Letter #3: One Day More

Dear Family!                         

I got your mission ties (letter) around Thursday or Friday. I love it. There is a way that mission ties works while you are in the field- like on your mission and it supposedly cuts the mail travel time in half. Ask Zach (Brough) about it. If he thinks it's a good idea or a waste of time/money. I like mission ties because I make notes about what you talk about during the week so I know what to write you on my computer time. BUT I left my notes upstairs!!!! I'm so mad! But what I will tell you is I am so proud of my family! You guys are the best family in the world. I love you all so much.

Katie! Good job on the run! I can't wait to come home and do it with you. Audrey- I am sorry I didn't give you a shout out last week. Forgive me former roomie. You know I love you. Allie- I am so proud of you for being on the Honors Roll. I knew you could do it. Aaron- you are so awesome and such a motivation and example to me. I'm so proud of you!!! Mom and Dad- I love you two so much. Mom- I love you and I think you are the best mom in the world. My favorite conference talk was the one about mothers. It made me cry because I know how much you have sacrificed for our family. Dad- this week my companion, Elder Groom, and I are studying the Christlike attribute of Charity. It made me think of you. You are the most Christlike, charitable person I know. You are always making people better and making me better. Family I love you and today I am mailing you a letter- so you'll probably get in like three weeks. hahaha.

Donks (Nay's pet name for our family), remember how when I was little you used you ask me if I thought about you during the day? And then you would ask when? Well, I just want you to know that I think about my whole family every day all the time. I love you all so much and I can't wait until we will be reunited again in 2 years. It will be faster than you think. And the mission will bring so many blessings to our family that we will never be able to understand. I love  you  all!                                                                                                                                               
Family and Friends- Thank you all so much for the mail and the love and support and the prayers. They mean so much to me. I want to thank my family, Erica, Elder Andersen, Elder Smith (Chad), Carlie, and Auntie, Nanie, Courtney, and Uncle Bob and Aunt Dolores. I loved loved LOVED your letters. Thanks to anyone else I may have left out and please forgive me for not remembering, I left my note card of what I wanted to write upstairs. Please bare with me.

Today I went to the Federal Police Station. What a nightmare. It was a ZOO!!! We were there for 4 hours and all we had to do was give them our finger prints for our visa. But it was fun to chat with the missionaries in the other districts that I don't get to see that often. This past week has been crazy. I love the mission. It is the best choice I have ever made. I feel so close to the Lord and I am so grateful for His help.

KEITH MEYERS!!! Holy Momma!!! Congrats!! Australia!!!???? I am so happy for you!! That is the coolest thing in the world. If I could give you any pieces of advice (As if it would help...)
*Know the Book of Mormon better than you do now
*Read it more than you do now
*Know Peach My Gospel more than you do.
It helps so much. I love the Book of Mormon. This week I have really grown to love it more than I ever have before.

Here is something cool. I've gotten a lot of questions on conference. Yes, it was so awesome! Me and my district's favorite talks were the one on mothers (We all cried, we are like the stripling warriors, fighting a spiritual war, having faith in the Lord because of our mothers) and Elder Holland's talk! What an amazing man! Brazil is 4 hours ahead of good ole G-town, so we started conference around 1 and the second session at 5 and then watched priesthood sunday morning and then the same schedule Sunday afternoon.

The only downside of Brazil is that we didn't get to see any general authorities for conference. BUT GUESS WHAT! Elder Nelson is coming to visit the missionaries in the CTM on Thursday! I am so excited I can barely sleep at night sometimes! It is so awesome! I cannot wait. Elder Holland is also coming to Brazil. I think he's here now. There is a slight chance he might stop by, but probably not. Oh how awesome!!! I get to meet an apostle of the Lord! I am shaking with excitement. (I loved the Duty talk and thought of the same thing.)
  
I was thinking about something I wanted to say this week to my loved ones (For you are all loved by me) back home. This week I was walking upstairs to my room (seventh floor, top story HAHA) and a song popped into my head. It was an old one I was raised on. This is the reason this email is entitled One Day More.  It's from a musical entitled Les Miserables. Many people wonder and ask tons of times "Why do you want to serve a mission?" or "What made you decide to serve a mission?" Well to me, Val Jean puts it best... "My soul belongs to God I know, I made that bargain long ago. He gave me hope when hope was gone, He gave me strength to journey on," and that is why I am serving a mission. I love the Lord! I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I know that He loves me and I know that He loves you too. The Book of Mormon is true.

I am really good friends with these missionaries in the Brazilian district and even though we don't really speak that same language we still share a love for each other because of the gospel of Christ. We have the same gym time and afterwards they ran down the Basketball Court shouting "The Church is true! The Church is true!" I love God! I love the Book of Mormon and the sweetness of it. Portuguese is hard for me to learn. But I know the Lord will bless me. He will continue to bless me. Me and one of my roommates, Elder Beach, Read the Book of Mormon in English and Portuguese every night together. The Prophets have promised us that doing that will help. And I know that our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, is a prophet of God. I know the Church is true! I know the Book of Mormon is true. As I began to read more earnestly this week, I found all of my thoughts revolving around it. I'm getting ready to finish it again. I love the mission. I love my mission and I can't wait to "Bring the world His truth!" I hope you all are doing fantastic! I pray for you everynight.