Friday, April 25, 2014

Olá gente!

Note from Katie's Mom:  Katie finishes her mission on May 13th.  She will speak in our Church on May 25th at 11:00a (Riverton Tithing Hill Ward).  There may be an open house the Saturday night before, but I will leave it up to her how she wants to reconnect with everyone (our son preferred to connect one on one and not have an open house, dunno what she will want).  She'll probably post on facebook when she returns, and she can let you know.  Thanks everyone for your support!  We can't wait to see her!  Cheers!
Olá gente! Posso escrever em portugues por favor? é bem mais fácil! 
I´m very short on time... and there´s so much to tell you! 
Quick updates.... 
Miracles are REAL. Many miracles have happened this week. José marked his baptismal date!!!!! We aren´t even in his branch anymore, but the live on our street so we pass by to say hello. His granddaughter, Isabele,( remember?) was baptized on SAturday and José was touched deeply. He said the closing prayer and asked perdão..... ai ai my brain is not working in english with the stress o time hahah... anyway, he was very touched. Yesterday we went he he has marked his date. I cried with the sweetest happiness. How I love that family. They have captured my heart completely. 
We are loving the new area. Think of the most backwoods place you can imagine.. with dirt roads, nothing but fields, horses, cows, crops, chickens in the road, in the house.... that´s our new area :) hahahah we are having a blast. So much fun. There were so many pictures I took this week that I wanted to send you but I don´t think I have time! Next week :)

We cross a bridge every day.. it goes over a big lake. The most beautiful place. It reminds me of daybreak lake... always brings back several memories haha.
I gave me last testimony today in our zone meeting....... very very strange.
We have FAMILIES here. Big families that we are teaching. So special. This week a family of SEVEN came to church. All  of them. It was incredible. I was so so happy.
I love the mission. So much. I don´t feel like I`m in the end.... Nor do I want to haha. I am happier than ever. I love this gospel. In this area I have learned so much about my Heavenly FAther and my SAvior Jesus Christ. I have come to know them in a much truer way than ever before. I have developed a sweet relationship with my Heavenly Father here and felt the sweetest peace.
I love each of you. Thank you for the endless support. I am so so proud of each of you. I wouldn´t be here without you. I wouldn´t be who I am today without you. Thank you for getting me to this point. My life has changed for all eternity because of it. This gospel is true. Let´s spread the good news.
I love you! Have a wonderful week! 
My love and prayers,
Sister Kane

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

O Bom Fim

Bom dia! 
Looks like everyone´s doing great. Thank you for the updates and the pictures! 
This week was great. Finally the things started picking up here! We found 2 incredible families this week! And José is close.. really really close. We´re hoping to officially and finally mark his baptism for this Saturday... it´s already marked for his granddaughter, Isabele (I´ll send a pic of her.. I´m absolutely in love with that little girl) and now it´s time for José to finally commit to his word and be baptized with her. Oh how I love that family! 
Well with all the long awaited success this week we were shocked to receive the news about the transfer... we´re headed out. To a place really really far away...... the other side of the city :) We´re going to switch branches. We´ll stay together, Sister Pereira Silva and I, but we´re going to work in the other area now. I was very surprised... opening an area in my last 4 weeks haha.. but I know it´ll be great. They are leaving a great group of investigators for us. It was interesting because we found out when all the missinoaries were at a combined activity with the two branches on fridaynight. there was a young woman there named Daiane who was baptized on Saturday from the branch where we´re headed to. When we found out we´d be switching branches, that young girl caught my attention right away and I felt strongly that we were headed there in part because of her. To help her stay strong and (hopefully!) get prepared for a mission, and to help the rest of her family enter into the path. That night when we were going to sleep, Sister Pereira Silva said that she felt exactly the same thing. Interesting how Heavenly Father works, huh? Well, guess what the name of the new branch is... Bom Fim. Know that that means? Good End. hahah. It will be a Bom Fim indeed. I´m excited. I believe I have the record in the mission of the person who stays the least amount of time in each area. Heavenly Father´s got me switching things up all the time. :) But I´m grateful. He knows me well and knows that change is good for me. 
I love this work. I am happy as can be. I don´t feel like I´m at the end. Two feet in the mission, as my wise brother always counsels me :) I am grateful for the way the Lord teaches me each day. I am grateful for the love that I feel for the members and the people wherever I am, no matter how little time I stay. New beginnings, new adventures :) Our new area is over an hour away from our house... we´re going to get thin haha. 
I love our Savior Jesus Christ. Each day as I learn more about Him, I feel a greater desire to become more like Him and to help Heavenly Father´s children know about Him. I know He lives. May we remember Him even more as we prepare to celebrate Easter this week! 
I love you so much! Have a most wonderful week! You´re in my prayers. 
Sending my love and prayers from São Gabriel, 
Sister Kane



Wednesday, April 9, 2014

A melhor conferência





Good morning, my dear family! Thank you for the wonderful emails. I loved every one. I love that you all loved conference as much as I did. My goodness, it was incredible, wasn´t it?? There´s so much a want to share with you! But for lack of time, I´ll keep it short and sweet. 
I.LOVED.THIS.CONFERENCE.
I have never loved a conference quite like I loved this one. I felt the sweetest spirit through the entire weekend. It was absolutely incredible to me the way that Heavenly Father instructed me and answered all my questions through each session. Earlier this week I was looking back to my notes from conference exactly a year ago... looking at the questions that I had written down.. wow how my life has changed in this last year. I could hardly believe it. I also was looking at the number of missionaries.. one year ago: 65,634. This year: More than 83,000. Incredible. I feel absolutely priveleged to be part of this incredible work in such an incredible and historical time. It´s truly an honor. There are so many things I loved this conference, so many talks that touched me deeply. I have to admit that I had an inkling of hope that President Monson would get up on Saturdaymorning and say that sisters could serve for two years... haha didn´t work. But I felt a very very sweet peace through this conference as the Lord taught me from on high and gave me the answers that I needed to help me in this last transfer and also to prepare me for the next phase of life. My hearts been overwhelmed with emotions this weekend and tears have been present at more than a few moments. I love this work. In a way I never thought I would. My hearts hurts to think that I have little time left to participate in it as a full time missionary. I can´t fathom the thought of leaving the house without this little black badge! But I know that the Lord has a plan for me. As President Uchtdorg so wisely told us, "There are no endings, only everlasting beginnings." During the last hymn yesterday, I felt a deeper peace than I have possibly ever felt. A peace that comforted me deeply. A peace that has stayed with me. I love this gospel. I love the idea of eternal progress. I love that wherever we are, there is work to do, there are hearts to lift, and people to serve. Now it´s time for me to continue running, to give it all to the Lord. There´s people here who need me. There´s people here who need help taking the first step to eternal life. How grateful I am to be a servant of the Lord with the authority to help them. I love our Savior Jesus Christ. I am certain that He lives. That He loves us. If I´ve learned one thing above the rest during this beautiful journey, it´s that our Heavenly Father and our Savior are so keenly aware of us and love us SO. MUCH. I have felt it in my life, and I have seen it felt in the lives of others. 
I love you. I am so grateful to know that we are sealed forever. I am so proud of each of you. Have a wonderful wonderful week! May you feel my endless love and prayers! 
Sister Kane

Thursday, April 3, 2014

CONFERÊNCIA!

Bom dia começa com alegria!
Thank you for the wonderful emails! Seems like everyone´s doing great! Getting excited for conference, are we? Wooohoo! I am so so so excited. I can´t wait! It´s truly the most wonderful time of the year. The most rewarding weekend of all. Joe, I´ll try to at least take a sneak peak of you translating! You´re the coolest! I am so proud of you! We´ll see what announcements the prophet has for us this week :) 

This week´s been great. Lots and lots and lots of learning. As always :) This week I´ve learned more about the importance of looking UP. Many times we look to our side, to our friends and family for help, before looking UP. I´ve always had the dearest of friends at my side through the mission and I often made that mistake of looking to them for advice instead of looking up first. Here I´ve learned to look up before looking anywhere else and I´ve felt the greatest difference. It´s incredible to see how Heavenly Father is so ready to answer us and to help us. He literally is just waiting for us to look up and to ask Him and He answers us immediately. 

We are teaching some great people. Janine is the greatest. She´s 24 and she is loving everything about the gospel. She wants to be a missionary :) Haha. But sadly she´ll have to wait becuase she´s got two little boys already. But she is really special. She honestly accepts everything we teach with so much excitement and willingness. People like her bring so much joy into a missionary´s heart! José is progressing.. haha he´s a stubborn one. But we marked is grandaughter´s baptism for the 12th and we´re praying that he´ll finally make his choice and be baptized with her. But I love this place. The Lord is touching hearts here. Mine included.

My companion is doing well. I am so grateful for her. She teaches me so much! She is one of the most special people I have met on my mission, who is changing and blessing me more than she thinks she is. I have no doubts that we knew eachother before we came to the earth and that we were already chosen to be companions one day here. The Lord placed us together at this time for a wise purpose in Him. How grateful I am. 

Well, gotta run. Have a wonderful week, and a marvelous conference!! Woohoo! Oh how I love that Tommy Monson. I´d like to be more like him! 
I love you! Thank you for the endless support and love! You´re in my prayers. 
Sending my love and prayers from São Gabriel, 
Sister Kane