Transfers are coming

Hey there! Well another week gone by huh. This transfer is almost over!!!! I can´t believe it! It feels like just yesterday that it started! So I don´t think I´ll be able to email next week due to the viagem (its like 11 hours down to BH, so there just really isn’t much time. But who knows. Maybe they´ll give us some time. )
This week has been HOT. 42° this week!! I´m almost positive that this is the hottest weather Ive ever experienced in my life. So that´s been an adventure. We pretty much arrive DRENCHED in sweat at EVERY house, and immediately ask for cold water. Haha. But it´s been interesting to experience because I can´t help but notice I have a higher endurance for heat than I thought. Well, in reality I´m DEVELOPING a higher endurance because of these experiences. Yay. And I´m fairly positive that by the end of my mission I will have satisfied that desire –that I´ve had my whole life- to live someplace that doesn´t have winter. Not that I want to live in Alaska or anything, but now I can appreciate seasons a lot more. I´m still looking to live pretty much everywhere though, so who knows where I´ll end up. So anyway, yesterday in district meeting I was asked to give a training. I laughed out loud when he told me the subject i´d be training on. Organization. Yeah. It´s ok that you´re laughing too. But it went well, and I have a new commitment to become an organized person (it really is one of my goals. I think I´d better start with my desk though..)I used the spiderman web Becky sent me as an object lesson. (we have to web everything together to make everything we´re doing function as one unit..) Resourceful? I think so..I also gave a talk on Sunday about fasting. It went alright. Not FANTASTIC, nor did I say even a third of what I planned.. I get so nervous when I have to talk! So I ended my talk (it was even a surprise to me, I had all this stuff planned, and I was in the middle of it, and then without even thinking about it, I started bearing my testimony and ending the talk- and I sat down and thought “well that was unexpected..”) but apparently I didn´t talk for quite long enough because we still had HALF an hour left of sacrement meeting, and I was the last speaker.. SOoooooooooOOo, the 2nd counselor got up and gave a 30 minute talk- on the spot. I, personally, was impressed.
Today Sis. Sorenson told me an awesome quote by Pres. Kimball, that I´m hoping will change your lives and mine:”Any excuse, as valid as it may be, weakens our character.”Isn´t that so true?!?!?! SO- when we plan to do something- lets DO it. This is something that I´ve sucked pretty bad at in the past, but I´m working really hard to overcome this weakness of mine.
Also, I read some really cool quotes in preach my gospel about our responsibility to share the gospel.
‘there is neither man or woman in this church who is not on a mission. That mission will last as long as they live, and it is to do good, to promote righteousness, to teach the principles of the truth, and to prevail upon themselves and every body around them to live those principles, that they may obtain eternal life.” – Brigham Young
“That is your mission, my brethren and sisters of the church, that is your responisibility. Freely you have received and your Heavenly Father will expect you freely to share with His other sons and daughters these glorious truths. We will attain our exaltation in the celestial kingdom only on the condition that we share with our Father´s other children the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ and observe the commandments that will enrich our lives here and hereafter. “ – I forgot to write down which President said that, but it´s in chapter one of Preach my gospel…
So I thought those were pretty cool. All in all, we need to be sharing Christ´s love and teachings with everyone.
With that thought as well, I found a cool scripture that makes it REALLY clear the necessity to obey the commandments and to USE the tools the Lord has given us to mold ourselves into celestial beings! D&C 78:7
So that´s that. Over all, things are great! Hot. But good. I´m excited for the transfer, but bummed at the prospect of changing companions. But I´m sure whatever happens will be in my best interest- because that´s how the Lord works.
Oh, something interesting about this week:I made a goal to ONLY speak Portuguese. When I made the goal it seemed ALMOST impossible. I was scared, but I knew I had to do it. But then by the end of the week, it was pretty much natural! I met my goal, and I felt fantastic about it! When I reached the end of the week I thought to myself “wow, I´m not even going to go back to English, because it´s so good for me to speak just Portuguese..” But wouldn´t you know it, I just really enjoy speaking English.. SO I learned 2 very important things:
1. I´m capable of speaking just Portuguese.2. If I´m not TOTALLY dedicated and bent on accomplishing a particular goal- I WILL not accomplish it.There is a saying here that EeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEvery one says; “Se Dê” Which means “eh, if every thing works out, or if it happens to work out, then yeah, I´ll (go to your church or read this book, etc.)”But that attitude won´t get ANYONE – ANYWHERE. People we need conviction in our lives.We need to give ourselves to whatever cause we are engaged in- WHOLE heartedly. Myself included.We need to give our all to EVERY moment of EVERY day. THAT is living. That is what life is all about.So we need to see our decicions- our plans- in BLACK and WHITE. We either WILL or we will NOT do it. But if we´re going to do it- we need to do everything in our power to accomplish it. Be creative! If it doesn´t look like it´s going to work out one way- start looking at it from different angles- and FIND the way to accomplish it.As I used to always say (but rarely applied..) Do what you SAY you´re going to do.
Anyway, I´m hoping off my soapbox now. I hope someone changes their life because of it though. I know I´m going to.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmk loveyoubye. -SB
(Wow, I think I´m pretty safe to say that who ever ACTUALLY reads this whole letter- ACTUALLY loves me.. haha)