Brasil Week 5

"The powers of heaven are real and can dramatically influence the course of events in our lives." (I think Bruce R. McConkie said this)

How true this is! I see it happen in each of our investigator's lives as we find them (or even better, members refer them to us..), we teach them by the Spirit about the restored gospel, and they come unto Christ in faith, repent and are baptized. Lives are changed! Souls are saved!!! Generations to come are blessed! How glorious. This week was sooooo wonderful. Emails don't do these weeks of miracles justice. This week, Marilando had his baptismal interview and will be baptized this Sat! He still struggles with smoking, but is trying and we have faith this week we will see the end of it. He loves the Book of Mormon and knows it is true. Please pray for him that he will be ready for his baptism this week! Luciano will also be baptized this week- the whole ward is thrilled about it because its the primary president's husband. And most importantly, HE is soooo excited to be baptized. Speaking of primary, yesterday the ward put on a primary program in sacrament meeting and they asked me to be the pianist- I was super nervous but it turned out to be great. The Spirit was so strong during the program- The Spirits being sent to the earth at this time are truly special ones, and that was very evident yesterday as some of them (primary age!) bore their testimonies. Mara was at church yesterday as well! Wahoo!! She is what you would call a golden investigator. After the sundy school lesson about the plan of salvation, she told us, "Sisters, I want to be baptized." :)

Now that we are finally feeling more comfortable getting to know our area (that is huge!!), the work is speeding up and we are really excited about it. This week we found 2 families- Queteria and her 3 boys (they were at church yesterday!), and a couple- Vania and Welington. I will tell you more about them next week, but I realized this week more than ever that the Lord really does lead us to these people. We had fasted that day we found and taught both. Fasting is a way we can receive the powers of heaven more in our lives, and I saw this come to pass in a very real way this week.

I love these people, and I love seeing the Hand of God work in each of their lives! How glorious!

I hope you have a wonderful week, and I am reeeally excited to talk to you on Christmas, wahooo!!!! Tchau for now!

Love,

Sister Katherine Elizabeth Thornhill

P.S. A picture of Bia, a young woman in our ward who loves teaching with us- Future missionary! We love her!!

P.P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER JACOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU

Brasil Week 4

Wahoo, this week was great! One of our investigators with a baptismal date, Luciano, is doing wonderfully. He was at church yesterday, and was also at a baptism the elders had. What wonderful opportunities to feel the Spirit of the Lord in preparation for his own baptism. We had a lesson with him last night, and with every commitment we extended to him, his immediate reply was, "com certeza" (in English its like a firm "of course" or certainly). He is so ready and has a sincere desire follow Christ, and it is so wonderful to see. We also have another person with a baptismal date, Marilando- He is great as well, but is having a hard time with smoking. We had a powerful lesson with him yesterday after church with two members of the Priesthood quorum- the Spirit of the Lord was there. I LOVE working alongside members- Its so very true what Pres. Hinckley said about anyone who knows missionary work, knows that there is a better and higher way than simply tracting- and this way is through the members of the church! Yesterday Sister Hamburgo and I gave a stack of pass-along cards to 2 youth-aged boys, and they went around contacting people on the streets- soo awesome! Oh another investigator we have, as of just yesterday is Mara. She is amazing! We were truly led to find her- she was a contact on the street! She came to church for the first time yesterday and loved every bit of it. She said its very different than anything she has experienced before, but that she felt peace and happy there. She is the sweetest older lady- when she hugs us its like she doesnt want to let go haha- She always tells us, "I just love you so much!" Truthfully, the love she feels around us and at church is the love the Lord has for her. But we love her too! We visited her last night and she had made us a cake.

 

I could go on and on about the people we are serving here, and teaching the restored gospel to. How special each one of them is to our Heavenly Father. And because of this, He sent His Son Jesus Christ. It is His work and His glory, and how grateful and honored I feel to have a part (as small as it may be) in helping to bring this to pass. I am learning sooo much here on a mission, I can't believe it. I pray everyday to have only a desire to serve these special children of God- to serve with ALL I have. I love the Lord, and I love being in His service!!!

 

I love all of you very very much!

 

Sister Katie Thornhill

BRASIL WEEK 3 :)

All right family, this week is going to be a shorter email, the internet is really slow today and having problems. Sorry about that! But I'm doing great! :)

 

I am loving life. You know you're loving your mission when the thought of ever leaving gets you teary eyed. I love it here- everything about it! (okay maybe not the toilets..) This is the most important work there is, the SALVATION OF SOULS!!! It is a great honor and privelege to be serving here among these wonderful people in Braziil. How do I deserve to be so very blessed? I am a full-time missionary! Of course this was the Lord's plan for me- this is confirmed to me each and every day. This was always part of the plan. It is amazing to me how great and marvelous His plan is for each person! Every single person on the earth is a child of God. And He has a very specific, glorious plan for each of us!

 

This last week we worked hard and although we haven't seen huge results yet, we know our work is acceptable to the Lord and we will see the fruit of our labors soon enough. Last night we had a miracle! We taught the husband of the ward primary president who is a non-member, and he wants to be baptized! His name is Luciano. He meets every qualification for baptism (D&C 20:37) and we are so excited and happy for Him to enter into the covenant of baptism- and what a blessing for this wonderful sweet primary president! They will soon be able to be sealed eternally.

 

I love the Lord. I love His Gospel. Eu sei que a igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias é Seu Igreja na terra hoje. Que benção!!! I love all of you and thank you for your prayers and love! Christmas is just around the corner and I can hardly wait to see and talk to you (skype)! Boa semana para vocês!

 

Love,

 

Sister Katie Thornhill

 

BRASIL SEMANA 1!

Olá!!! Minha querida família,

 

My first week in Brazil has been BOM DE MAIS! (reeeally good)!!! I still can't believe I'm here. Nothing here as far as the culture goes is really familiar, but I strangely feel right at home! I can't tell you how good it feels to be here- It is humbling to know that Heavenly Fathercalled me to serve His children here. I don't speak the language well yet, and I know I have soo many weaknesses, but He loves His children SO much that he puts His trust in us to assist the Lord in this great and marvelous work- It truly is a labor of love... and I LOVE it! The people here are wonderful!! I know that I was to serve in Arizona and in a way I didn't want to leave- I loved serving the people there in Mesa. But now that I am here in the place I was called to, oh, it is the greatest feeling of peace in knowing I'm exactly where the Lord needs me at this time. But enough about me.The work here is really going- Sister Hamburgo and I are a new set of missionaries to this area so we are both trying to get to know the area, the people, the ward, etc. The area we are serving in is called Chacara Santana. I don't know how to describe it but there are a lot of people here. Our district has a goal of 50 contacts everyday, so we talk to everyone.:) The people here are wonderful like I said- Even if they aren't interested in our message, they still listen and are super nice. Yesterday was our first Sunday going to church in this ward, and the ward members are awesome! Just to give you an idea of how selfless and goodhearted the people are here, the RS president came with us teaching for an entire day!! I couldn't believe it. Members are so so important. Do you know who the missionaries are in your ward/stake? You should go out teaching with them! :) Miracles are happening. Just the other day we met with a family and extended the baptismal commitment to the mother and son who were there in the lesson- they didn't want to. Then walked in her other little son who is 9 years old, Milton, and he was carrying a Book of Mormon in his hands! He said that the elders had given it to him and he read part of it and knows it's true, and wants to be baptized! A miracle.

 

There are many like little Milton who are ready and waiting to receive the restoredgospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I know the message we share with the world, the restoration of His gospel, is true. I know that we are living in the last days, and it has been said that it compares to the days of Joseph Smith- we live in a very important time! Never forget that. YOU were sent by our loving heavenly father at this special time, and you have great purpose.

 

I love you all so very much, and pray for you everyday! We went to the temple the other day (São Paulo) and it was glorious! How blessed we are to have temples and for the opportunity it is to make promises with our Heavenly Father.

 

Boa semana para vocês!

 

Love,

Sister Katie Thornhill

ARRIVED IN BRAZIL!!!

Dear family,

 I am in Sao Paulo Brasil!! I don´t have much time today other than to let you know that I am here safe- I got here yesterday and I am LOVING IT! The language is coming, the culture is so different here. But I know the Lord is with me. I know I have been called by a prophet of God to be here. Getting my visa IS a miracle, I still can~t believe it. But I know I am supposed to be here- The people are wonderful- I have never been kissed on the cheek so many times haha- Thats how women say hello to each other here, even if you don~t know them. We had district and zone meetings today which was SO great. In the mission now there is a focus on reaching out to the one. My companion is Sister Hamburgo, she is from Salvador, Brasil. She is bom de mais!!! (very good). Life is wonderful, no need to worry about me. I hope everything is going well with all of you! I LOVE YOU!!!

Sister Thornhill

Mesa, AZ WEEK 4

Dear Family,

The work is moving forward and as always, I'm loving it. I continue to be impressed every week with the members and how willing they are to help us. Yesterday Sister Sallstrom and I taught Relief Society in one of our wards and we did a roleplay with them, and tried to show them that it's really not scary to come with us to lessons! It really is essential at this time when the work of the Lord is hastening that members and missionaries work together. Our stake president said yesterday that in the past we, in a way, viewed missionaries going down one road, members down another. But now, the Lord is changing our view- And that view is members and missionaries on the same road. The work of the Lord truly is hastening. I feel it everyday, and it seems that this feeling even magnifies with every passing week- the members are feeling it too, and it's so exciting! The time is short really, and so we should always have a sense of urgency to be about our Heavenly Father's business.

Sometimes when I stop and think about it, it's still crazy to me that I am serving a mission! I don't care where I am- Arizona or Brazil - The Lord calls each of us where we are needed (to who we are needed), when we are needed. Every P-day we spend our day with a wonderful member family, the Lomax's. They are an older couple and they treat us as if we are their grandchildren- we even have a key to their house. Sister Lomax always says things like, "Anytime you need, whatever you need, even if it's 3:00 in the morning, you're welcome here!" They truly understand what it means to consecrate yourself to the Lord. They are wonderful we love them! The first week I was here Sister Lomax after finding out that I wasn't 19 said, "I would think you would be at home married and with a few kids!" It was funny because that's what I've always thought would have happened by now, but the Lord had a different plan for me. And how grateful I am! I know that I will be a wife and mother someday, I know it! Because I know that I am a daughter of God and that His Plan is perfect and more glorious than we can imagine. Only He knows the end from the beginning, and we must trust in His plan for us and His timing, because it IS perfect. Gordon B. Hinckley said: "Today many sisters are being called to serve. Many more are preparing to serve- not because they aren't married or don't have anything else to do, but they have desired to serve. One reason that the Lord wants more sisters to serve is because within the next generation He will send His Priesthood army to the earth. He wants to send choice spirit children to mothers who have been prepared, trained and taught in the gospel. What better schooling can a mother have than the experience and growth she gains through serving a mission."

As always, I love Sister Sallstrom and she has many strengths as a person, and as a missionary, that I desire to develop in myself. She is a gentle and kind hearted (Christlike) person who never stops trying to be the best she can be. I have thought about this a lot lately- the principle of striving to be the very best you can be, and just simply striving. I remember one of my bishops at BYU once told us that a person is progressing and happy when they are striving to do good. This week I thought about a few of our investigators who seem to be progressing, but are they really? And I had the thought that perhaps when we see one of our investigators simply striving to do good, it is evidence that they are truly progressing. When we strive to do good, what we are really doing is trying to be more like our Savior. When we see our investigators showing charity to others, we can know they are progressing. And that's something I need to be aware of in my own life as well- I need to ask myself, am I progressing? And how am I doing in my strivings to "do good continually" as the Savior would?

The mission has definitely been a transition for me and in all honesty, it hasn't been the easiest. But I have to keep telling myself that it's the first transfer and of course it's a transition- But it's more than that, it's an opportunity. I have an opportunity to work on those "strivings." There is always so much more I can do, and so much more that I can be. I love the Lord and His Gospel. I know that I am a daughter of God and that the people we come in contact with daily are His children.

Look up the video in the gospel library app: "My Joy Is Full." It's wonderful

I love you!

Love,

Sister Katie Thornhill

Mesa, AZ WEEK 3

I am so happy!!! I love being a missionary! And I love the people here in Mesa, Arizona! Sorry everyone, but I am in paradise and think I will stay in paradise until I get back. :) The weather is absolutely perfect everyday here- People keep telling me how lucky I am coming to AZ in the winter months and they are definitely right. Sister Sallstrom and I have become joggers/runners (mostly joggers) and every morning it amazes us how beautiful it is. Also, I have never seen such beautiful amazing sunsets as here in Arizona. And I never have seen so many Halloween decorations, it's so funny. People loooove Halloween here and we have the trunk or treat this Wed yay! We have been inviting lots of non members.

This week we had lots of trainings! So it was a little interesting trying to fit in all of our appointments, but somehow we did it. We had one training just for sisters, another for trainers/trainees, district meeting, correlations and ward councils this week for both of our wards, etc. I love it! It's hard work but worth every minute of it. I have never worked so hard. We recite everyday this quote during companionship study: "I have often said one of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work. If a missionary works, she will get the Spirit. If she gets the Spirit, she will teach by the Spirit. And if she teaches by the Spirit, she will touch the hearts of the people and she will be happy. There will be no homesickness, no worrying about families, for all time and talents and interests are centered on the work of the ministry. Work work work--There is no greater substitute, especially in missionary work."

We currently have one investigator with a baptismal date- his name is Antonio. He has been through a lot and we feel the Lord has been preparing him to receive the restored gospel. He may look big and scary on the outside with all his tattoos and piercings but really is a teddy bear on the inside. He has a good heart and is very loving. We have seen so much progress just in the past few weeks and he is being converted! It's amazing! He walked into church yesterday and I was sooo happy. They stayed all 3 hours and Sister Sallstrom and I laughed after dropping him off at Elders Quorum because we were just so proud and happy of him- It felt like dropping our child off to nursery. :)

I love every person we teach. I love the members. I love Sister Sallstrom! And I love the Lord most of all. He blesses us when we follow Him.

I love you all!!!

Love,

Sister Katie Thornhill