Time Flies ....

Christmas box... already?! Wow, that´s great because that means that Christmas is arriving! I guess you can put in there what I sent in the other e-mail to tell Nana. If it´s not too pricey, peanut butter is delicious too! Yes, I´ve gotten a few cards here and there, thank you! And tell Kylie that holy smokes, I´m so happy for her!!! That´s incredible!!! Hey! Do you know what time she reports to the CTM? Because I´ll be in Salt Lake City that day haha! I know she´ll do great speaking that language and warming those russian hearts :). Glad the primary program went well and that you kept the kids hungry with your tasty popcorn perfume. I bet they loved that haha! Keep on keeping on in your religion class. You´ll do great!

Yesterday was Stake Conference here in the Aracajú Sul Stake. I got to see almost everyone from Gragerú 1 and my oh my how people have grown! People who were pregnant have babies that are 7, 8, 9 months old. Babies that couldn´t even walk are now walking and talking. Little girls have already become beautiful young women and everyone is getting their mission calls. How did this all happen in less than one year? It just reminded me of how fast time goes by and that talk from two conferences ago about our 4 minutes here on earth. We need to live up every moment because everything´s going to pass by way too fast. Before we know it, we´ll be standing before Christ, being judged for what we did here. I hope that I can be happy and proud of what I did with my life. 

This week was just full of finding more people who are willing to accept us and accept Christ. We´re working hard. Really appreciate all your prayers and your love. I hope that everything continues to go well back home for everyone. Tell Emmalee thanks for the e-mail and that I´m praying for her. E-mail is being super slow, so I don´t really have time to go back and send her a message. But I love her and all of you too! Can´t believe that David Priebe will be home soon! My how time flies! :) Okay, stay strong, stay cool and keep loving everything and everyone with all your hearts!

Com amor,

Sister Ball

P.S. I haven´t heard from Elder Woodbury for a week now, but he was doing great and Elder Jones too! They´re great missionaries!!!! Miss them! And miss you!

 One day, we made lunch at home and decided to make Mexican food since there´s none of that here. We got to make it all from scratch and ohhhhhhh my goodness, we were in heaven!

 Eating açaí to celebrate one year in the mish for Sister Bento and Sister Barros

 Sister Lopez, Mouri and I completed 13 months in the mission this week!

 With a great group of members at lunch yesterday after Stake Conference

With some lovely sisters 

"On Wednesdays, we wear pink." We tried to spell pink, but this was our failing attempt haha

Date Home Received

Bom dia, querida família! So my english is worsening... I guess that´s one of the sacrifices of serving a mission haha. One of the irmãs here in Eduardo Gomes likes to read my blog and always mentions the little words that I leave in português when I can´t remember in english. You´re not the only ones noticing a difference haha :). It looks like everyone had a blast at Green Bluff eating apple dumplings! I would try to make them here, but the last time I tried to make apple dumplings was at BYU and they just turned out horribly ugly... I think I´ll wait until I get home. Speaking of coming home, Mom and Dad, I forwarded a special e-mail with my flight information for March 10th and 11th! Ohhhh yes. So everyone back home is using glasses now? That´s cool. I might have to join you guys after this harsh sun on a daily basis. Maybe it´s just my brain playing with me, but it seems that my eyesight has worsened a wee bit. Not a ton, but just enough to maybe fulfill my lifelong dream of using glasses like all the other cool kids. Mom, I´m so happy that you´re continuing with your BYU classes. Keep it up! This week, I read a lot in the church magazines about continuing our education and striving to always learn. It´s so important! Dad, good luck helping with the marathon. That should be fun! And yes, they do a primary program here too... at least they did in Gragerú last year! I hope it goes super well there back home this next week!

This week, we spent most of our time trying to find new people to teach. To be honest, I got a bit disanimated (?) being rejected door after door and person after person, but everything changed on Saturday, when we woke up and decided to change our attitude. We did everything with lots of energy and joy haha. Holy smokes, did it make a difference! Everyone accepted us and we managed to put a smile on each person´s face with whom we talked. We also found some great people to teach, so we´ll see where things go with them this next week. My lesson of the week was this--a reminder that our happiness and success only depends on what´s within us. I love you guys and hope everyone is doing well! Send my love for the boys and Grand Dad!

Com amor,

Sister Ball

With Laércio, one of the polititians here in Sergipe... these past few months were filled with lots of political propaganda! Personally wasn´t rooting for Laércio but I liked his thumbs up ;) 

General Conference

Hello Family! Mom, it´s great to hear that your getting used to your classes and enjoying your religion course. My Book of Mormon and Living Prophets classes at BYU were my favorite by far! Okay, Spanish was cool too. Steven sounds like a beast. Glad that kid is still loving soccer. Tell him congrats on the xc race! Cam sounds like she´s having fun too, enjoying the freshy fresh life! And Noelle, I hope she´s learning to love the college experience, but I´m sure she is :). David sounds as sweet as ever. I really do appreciate the fact that he´s always saying Mama Dutch is with me here in Brasil. That´s so cute and probably true too!

This week was wonderful, mainly because of General Conference. My love for this incredible opportunity we have to listen to the prophet´s voice grows every time conference comes around. I loved that everyone talked about learning to strengthen our testimonies and support the prophets and our leaders so that we can be true disciples of Christ. Sister McConkie shared a story that I truly enjoyed. She spoke of the prophet Elijah, when he visited the widow and asked her to feed him. She told him that she only had enough meal and oil to make a little cake for her and her son and then die because that´s all they had. But Elijah, being a man ordained by God, told her not to worry--to make a meal cake for him and then for her and her son. He blessed her with an unlimited supply of meal and oil, telling her that she would never run out. Imagine how hard that would be, knowing that you´d be giving a man you´d just met the very last of your food. She was already weak and fragile, ready to die at any moment! But with faith, she did as the prophet said and reaped the blessings afterwards. Are we too willing to give all we have to follow the prophets, who voice the will of the Lord? I hope so. I know that I have some work to do, but I´m excited to apply the things I learned during the last two days to my work and my life in general.

Speaking of the work here, we´re really trying to find new people to teach who are willing to accept the gospels in their lives. Please pray that we can find these people, that their hearts can be softened enough to recognize  the truth we have to share. I love you all and hurrah for Israel!

Com amor,

Sister Ball

P.S. Thank you so much Katie Ringger a.k.a. Koconut for the card! Love you!

It was a week of frogs, with the Lima's at General Conference, and a cake Marinalva made for me for my birthday during lunch at their house Sunday.  Love that family so much!

Tough Week Turned Better

First off, can I just say how excited I am for General Conference? Nossa, I´m so dang excited! THIS WEEK! Last night, we got to watch the general women´s meeting and I loved all they said about being worthy to enter the temple and make covenants with the Lord. We really need to live in such a way that we can be spiritually ready to enter those holy doors at any moment. The temple is such an incredible place. It´s great to hear about everyone back home... Alyssa is going to serve a mission! And Callie too! Wow, I´m so happy for you guys. You´re going to love being a missionary. This week was a bit tough, to tell ya the truth. But yesterday made it all better. I can´t tell you guys how happy I get whenever I see our recent converts, V and A. A is soaking up everything she learns and truly recognizes the importance of staying faithful and firm in the gospel. She´s so happy to be surrounded by people who recognize the same thing. And V, despite his little learning in school, is progressing so well! Yesterday, he showed up in a white shirt and tie and I got so excited when I saw him sitting where the deacons sit to pass the sacrament. He was sustained to the Aaronic Priesthood and helped pass the Sacrament! I literally cried a bit as I raised my hand to sustain him. Ahhhh it´s so wonderful to see people you love so much doing good things. I truly love this gospel and this work. I´m excited to work hard this week to find the Lord´s elects and I hope you are all well back home. Praying lots and sending my love! Hurrah for Israel!

Com amor,

Sister Ball

Our new quartet! Welcome to Eduardo Gomes, Sister Lopez!

Being a little girl, climbing walls

With some of my favorite moças at the General Women´s Meeting (is that even the name of it in English?) last night!

Catch Up!

Sept. 15

Ah glad Noelle made it there safely and it looks like she´s already doing well! Is that her with Chanelle and their roommates? Looks like a fun group! I can´t believe it´s already in the 20s... holy smokes, that´s ridiculous! I´m excited for you and your fun run too... or fun walk haha. I know you can handle it and of course I´ll be praying for you! Tell Grand Dad to eat an extra apple dumpling for me. Hope he makes it up there safely. Transfers are next week, but I think the only one leaving here is Sister Martin... who´s going home :(. But I´m pretty sure I´ll be in this area for awhile. Presidente is wanting to leave missionaries in their areas for more time, but who knows! We´ll have to see next week! And yes, I can´t believe that this week, I´ll be completing a year in the mission. Where did all the time go? It´s hard to believe that I´ve known some of the people I met in the CTM and in my first area for almost a year now. I just don´t believe it! And as excited as I am to be home sooner than later, I also get a little sad each time I think that I´ll have to say goodbye to Brasil and the mission soon. Of course, six months is still a long time, but I know it´s going to fly by like crazy. But what can I do about? I´ll just have to live each moment to its fullest and continue to work my hardest!

So this week was wonderful. First, A was baptized!!!!!! She´s been such a great person to work with and I´ve come to love her so much. She´s a less-active member´s mom. We had been trying to catch the member at home but she was never there, so we decided to sit down with A and start teaching her. She already visited the church a lot awhile back, so it wasn´t her first time for everything. But a few years ago just wasn´t the right time for her. So we helped her learn everything she needed to know and develop a testimony of the gospel and Heavenly Father´s Plan of Salvation, and she decided to be baptized this last weekend! She´s proof to me that the Lord really does have His own timing and we need to trust in Him.

Yesterday was also Ward Conference, which I love here. The members get all dressed up and it´s a huge deal! The Spirit was so strong yesterday during church. I know that our investigators felt the sweet Spirit there. And I also got to see Marinalva and Elizamar which was absolutely wonderful! Ah, I love those ladies! It was so so so good to see them. Oh and Sister Barros and I got to sing in the ward choir. I miss singing in choir so much! So it was good to get to participate in that. A little boy in our ward sang a solo that was so sweet. I think everyone had tears in their eyes.

Words really can´t describe how great this week was. I don´t think I´m doing a very good job at explaining everything because it was just that great. And as each week goes by, I fall in love with my mission and with this gospel more and more. I can´t imagine my life without these great blessings! Know that I love you guys heaps and am praying for you! I hope all is well back home and in all the other places that you guys might be. Noelle, enjoy college and make the best of it! Hurrah for Israel!!!

Com amor,

Sister Ball

P.S. Jacqualine, Karsten and Jaynie, thank you so much for the birthday letters!!!! Loved them! A big thank you is on its way!

Sept. 22

Hello my dear family! I love so much hearing from you guys and reading about your experiences back home. Dad, I absolutely loved this e-mail. It´s so good to hear that the deacons are 100% active. That´s incredible! And Bryan and Liss had another baby? When did that happen?! haha Boy or girl? And I can only imagine the joy you must feel, seeing how far the races you´ve helped organize/created have grown. I´m excited to see how much they´ve grown next year when I´m home! Mom, congrats on finishing your 3-day walk. So happy you finished strong and had a good experience. Cam... I´m gettin´ to ya ;)

This week was incredibly bittersweet. It was the last week of lots of sister missionaries here in the mission, including Sister Martin, who I was living with for the past two transfers. I learned so much from her and already am missing her but I know she´s moving on to greater things! I´m grateful for all the other people I had the opportunity to meet and learn from that go home this week too--Sister Smith, Sister Rodriguez... but okay, I´ll stop being trunky now. It was also great to see one of Sister Martin´s and Sister Bento´s pesquisadoras get baptized, A! They´ve been teaching her for a bit now and, even though I wasn´t really involved in her progress, it was still so good to see her make such a sacred and important covenant with God. Everyone was so happy for her! I can´t tell you guys how incredible this ward is. I feel so great here. The members treat us like family and are always willing to help, asking when they can go out and help us teach, giving us referrals and treating us how they would treat their own children if they were missionaries. It really is incredible when a ward is so involved in the work and has such a great love for it. It makes me want to be a better member missionary once I´m home so badly.

I honestly don´t know what else to say. Our recent converts are doing great. The other night after visiting V, he told us how he´s a different man now--how the gospel has blessed his life so greatly. Sometimes I worry about him because he´s so shy, but it makes me incredibly happy to know that he´s staying strong and desires so much to be a better person. A is coming to every single activity possible, studies the Book of Mormon like a mad man and is constantly asking when she can go out with us to make visits. I love these people. I love this gospel. I love our Savior and our Heavenly Father! What He has prepared for us is so so good! I hope everyone is well back home. Know that I love each of you beyond what words can say. 

Oh!!! And thank  you so much to Grand Dad, Heidi, Brett, Jayden, Spencer, Bella and their soon-to-be-daughter for the cards! And Chuck and Cindy, I can´t tell you how happy that box you sent made me. Thank you so so much! Have a great week, everyone! Hurrah for Israel!

Com amor,

Sister Ball

Small and Simple

Thanks so much for the e-mails, my wonderful family! Ah, so much happened this week and I have so little time... first things first. We got a wonderful visit from Elder Aidukaitis, a general authority, who helped us improve in so many ways. Something that he seemed to really focus on was how God works in small in simple ways, line upon line and precept upon precept. I always love thinking about that. It´s incredible how we can look back and see how much we´ve changed and improved when we´re applying the gospel in our lives. In the moment, we might not even realize it, but a little later, we can see that we´ve grown so much! We´re also seeing our investigators progress so much. I love the people we´re teaching. They´re absolutely incredible and amaze me with the faith and determination they have to follow the Savior and do God´s will for them. I can´t believe Cam´s in high school and that Noelle´s going off to college this week! My prayers are with you guys!!! Mom, good luck with your race. I heard that Dad did that relay again. Sounds so much fun! I´m so sorry this is incredibly short. But know that I love you all. I love being a representative of our Savior and seeing His miracles happen every day. I might not be seeing people being baptized and converted left and right, but I know I´m being converted and that´s what matters. I hope you´re all well and again, love you bunches!!! Hurrah for Israel!

Com amor,

Sister Ball

P-Day Acai

This week, we had lunch with an irmã in São Cristóvão at their cítio (like a mini farm)... us holding crabs

-Sitting in tire chairs at a tire table and more photos at the citio lunch

While waiting for the ônibus (which takes forever to arrive in São Cristóvão), we made contacts and climbed the Senhor dos Passos, a statue that sits on top of a hill, overlooking the small city... kind of like Pipilá in Guanajuato :). It was a quick five minute climb with beautiful views!

 Almost made it to the top of this light house!

Miracles Happen in His Time

Hello!!! Boa tarde! Ou pra vocês, bom dia! (Since Mom and the boys are just waking up in the tent!)

This week was so great! As I mentioned last week, we got to see one of our investigators enter the waters of baptism. It doesn´t matter how many people are there or who´s being baptized--the spirit during a baptism is always so sweet and strong. Words can´t describe the feelings that come when you see someone you´ve helped apply the Atonement in their life take that next step of washing away their sins and starting a new life. So V´s baptism was the highlight of the week, com certeza. Yesterday was also a miracle. Sister Barros and I left our house early to pick up some investigators to bring to church with us but no one could go with us a.k.a. didn´t want to come. At least we knew that our lovely family would be there that we´ve been teaching. But it was a miracle when we were waiting at the doors and saw a man dressed in a pink polo and white pants pull up on his motorcycle with a little boy sitting in front and another on the back... it was JR!! An investigator! Then another miracle happened when we saw a little old woman walking by and enter the front gate... it was A!! Another investigator! And then another miracle happened when we saw an older woman hugging her granddaughter goodbye and the granddaughter running towards us, excited for church... it was J! Another investigartor! All these people were people that we were ready to give up on because things just weren´t working out. But we had been praying for them, that things would work out. And they did! I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers in His own time. I haven´t been seeing these miracles happen during my entire mission, but that´s because the Lord´s ways are higher than ours. He knows when and where we´re needing His miracles.

 Keep up the family history work, thank you so much! When I come home next year, I´ll be sure to help. Congrats on returning to school too! That should be a great experience. Tell all those wonderful Primary children that I love them and hope they´re doing well and the family that I love them bunches! I just want to finish with a quotation I read today by Presidente George Q. Cannon:

'There is not one of us but what God´s love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, and that He has actually given His angels--invisible beings of power and might--charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping.'

I love you all!!! Hurrah for Israel and Happy September!!

Com amor,

Sister Ball

Entrance to Eduardo Gomes

V's Baptism

Frosting fight at an 8 year old investigator's birthday

-Bem-vindo á Tijuquinha, aqui Alemão passa mal... Welcome to Tijuquinha, here Germans... I don´t know how to finish that in English haha