This is it- the last email.

Where do I begin?! So many wonderful things happened this week that I could spend 5 hours writing about just this week. So how an I expected to write about my mission? 

Remember the one young woman named Bianca that we found and showed her the "Because he lives" video? Well

 yesterday,

she 

was

BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!

The Lord tests our patience and faith, and sometimes it´s hard to continue, but he is ever MERCIFUL. Bianca is really, really special. I really love her so much- how is it possible to gain such love for a whole country? I really love Brasil. 

And right now it´s hitting me that I´m going home. OF course I´m excited to see my family and go to the temple and everything, but oh, how I will miss this beautiful country where the people´s hearts are so warm and open.

It´s hard to say goodbye.

I have never felt so much love as I have felt for my companions. The Lord has really blessed me with companions that I love with all my heart, and have helped me become more like my Savior. 

It´s hard to say goodbye to my Mission Presidente and his wife, President and Sister Genaro. What a grand example they are to me. 

I love this language, Portuguese. Who would have ever thought that I would be able to speak and understand a different language very well in just a year and a half? Who would have ever thought that it would be extremely difficult to speak english. (all those at home, beware: the last time I spoke english was over 3 months ago... nobody in the house here speaks english.) 

Also, little things: mom, please pull Preston and Brandon Blake out of school to see me at the airport. I´m already very sad that I won´t be able to see Tyler because he´s working in a different state (over 2 year and a half since I´ve seen him) and Tanner because he´s serving a mission. But please, let me see my other brothers as soon as possible.  Everyone´s invited to me ver (oh no!!!) *see me when I get home!! (May 7th.)  

So I arrive home Thursday morning... can I go to the temple thursday afternoon?

Oh man, this is the last email I will send home encouraging all you to be better missionaries- better examples. wow. I didn´t think it would be so hard to say good-bye. 

But I feel very satisfied with my work- I have felt like an instrument in the Lord´s hands so many times. I am honored he has trusted me as his servant. I know this gospel is true with all my heart. I can´t express it with other words. I love my Savior. I believe in his redeeming atonement and am forever grateful. 

I love you all. Very much. 

See you soon :)

Sister Eliason

Missão Brasil Londrina

P.S. please switch my email address: eliasonbl@gmail.com or contact me on facebook!

What I feel I need to say

I have a million bajillion things on my mind that I need to say, so sorry if it´s all kind of out of order.

First off:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON BLAKE!!!!! (APRIL 22) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!!!! (APRIL 24))

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!!!!!!! WE ARE A FOREVER FAMILY!! (APRIL 25)

And thus our annual family party week has begun!!! Save me a piece of cake ok? (no, I´m just kidding!!)

Ok let´s get down to business. (name that movie. easy. everyone knows it.) 

So as it turns out, I am coming home quite soon, and as such, I will have the opportunity to eat many things which I have not eaten in a year and a half. So I have put together a list of delicious foods I would like to eat in the first or second weeks home (no, I am not being trunky, just prepared):

 -root beer (let´s not do barques, ok?)

- chinese orange chicken

- that one sandwich of roast beef that you dip in sauce (I don´t remember the name of this food)

-stir fry

- cheesecake with raspberries

- that one spiral chip I love (you know the one. I just forgot the name)

- ribs :)))))

- taco salad

- pizza (it´s a given :)) 

Next: This week was awesome!! Actually it was pretty hard- we are struggling to find investigators that have real interest and will actually progress.... And we marked 7 appointments on saturday... but all of them fell through. Until the last one. Well, actually it fell through too because the man we talked with on the street and marked the appointment, he wasn´t there, but his daughter was. Her name is Bianca, and we showed her the church video "Because he lives" and then I asked how she felt. She told us she felt different- good- something she´s never felt. We invited her to come to church, and she came yesterday. She is someone that has real intent. Really. We learn in Doctrine and Convenants that the Lord´s elect understand and harden not their hearts to the truth. When we taught her last night, it was very, very spiritual. When I cited the first vision, you could tell she believed. I never get old of this experience. It doesn´t happen often, but it is a tender mercy of the Lord. 

It´s funny, as I am ending up my mission, I guess I expected the work to die down as well, but on the other hand, it´s hastening. We are constantly looking for more people to teach and bring to church and to BAPTIZE!!!! 

For now, I challenge you. Make a list of all your favorite, cherished people in your life. Can be anyone. Now who is the first person on the list NOT a member? Now GO! tell this person you love him/her and bare your testimony.

Love you all,

Sister Eliason

The sun is setting...

I realized that the sun is setting on my mission. I have to give everything I´ve got!!!!!!!!!!!! All my force and everything. Soak in these last moments... But at least when I get home, I won´t have to walk with a huge hole in my left shoe... (I'll send a picture someday....)

But anyways, this week I´ve regretted all the times I thought French class was boring and didn´t even try to remember French after 11th grade. "WHY?" you may ask.... Well because there are so many HAITIANS here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are such a loving people who are searching for God and love missionaries. They are incredibly poor, incredibly happy, incredibly loving people who sometimes understand portuguese. We taught and brought a Haitian couple to church yesterday, and the husband (Mackso) speaks and understands portuguese very well. However his wife, (Natasha) speaks only Creolo (French.) And well, I don´t remember anything. 

Funny story: We taught a different Haitian man, and he lived in the Dominican Republic for some years, so he speaks fluent Spanish. And well, my companion, Sister Vargas happens to be from Peru! So we had a lesson in Spanish! (Tanner (Elder Eliason), are you proud of me?!) I really don´t know anything, just know how to bare my testimony in Spanish, so my companion basically taught everything. But it was kind of awesome, because I understood almost everything!!!! 

The man who came to general conference, Jamil, unfortunately didn´t come to church yesterday because he traveled to Mato Grosso (another state) to look for a job.... surprise. But we will continue to try to visit him and teach him whenever he gets back.

Hey, I love you all!!!! Hope you have a fantastic week! I know the savior´s hand is in our day to day life.

love,

Sister Eliason

 

 

Lovin' it all

This week was pretty good- we had some good experiences with the new video "Because He Lives." Sister Vargas and I decided to enter in as many houses as possible, be annoyingly persistent, and show everyone this short video. Well the first experience we had to show someone was kind of funny. We walked down a street, trying to find a house, but saw a man outside on his porch. We approached him, and immediately asked if there was a woman in the house. When he affirmed that yes, there was, we asked if we could enter and show him a short video about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He let us in, but then we had to spend about 10 minutes fiddling with his DVD player, and amidst all the cords and wires and behind the TV, I realized that we never even asked his name. So we asked what his name was, and introduced ourselves. Well, we finally got the DVD player to work, and showed him the video and bore testimony about Jesus Christ. And he started crying. A lot. He grabbed a towel and everything. It was such a sweet moment.

He came to General Conference yesterday with his son, and we will go visit and teach him tonight. 

Unfortunately we were not able to watch the woman´s conference or the priesthood session, as they start at 9:00 at night, the same time we need to be inside our houses. So we´ll just wait until the Liahona gets here.... but by that time, i think i´ll probably be home....

But that´s about it. I love my companion- she´s awesome! I love pastais. I will learn how to make pastel dough so I can make a bunch when I get home. i love the profet. Hope he is doing well. I love general conference (does somebody know why Elder M. Russel Ballard and Elder Richard G. Scott didn´t speak?) I love that I understood everything because I watched it all in portuguese. 

 

I love you all. And I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Love,

Sister Eliason

 

​my companion loves cats.

one of our "Because He lives" we passed out. We found this our first day of distribution :(

funny tree

"welcome home" - we found this guy in our house when we got home last night.

​With some of the sisters at the conference yesterday!

​I asked a woman if I could use her restroom. There was a chicken living there.

 

​ovos de pascoa!!! (easter eggs!)

ohh loco!

So this week. Well I´m supppppper excited for General Conference!!!! Not only will we hear a living prophet and apostles, and feel the spirit super strongly and receive answers to our prayers, but guess who I´ll see? Just for those who don´t know, I and once again serving in the Maringá stake, the same stake as my first two areas, so I´m going to see all the members from my first two areas, Campo Morão and Sarandi!! wooooohoooooo!!!!!!

My companion is Sister Vargas and she´s from.... (drumroll please!) PERU!!!!! From Nasca!  And she´s super excited about everything! So it´s fun to work with her. 

This week we found a bunch of people to teach, which is good. So we found and taught a young man and then yesterday walked with him to church.  And i thought that sacrament meeting was very good- I felt very uplifted. But afterwards, this young man told us that he had to go home and not stay for sunday school, he told us that he didn´t feel good and refused to let us mark and hour to pass by. and we tried to give him a book of mormon, but he refused. AH! it´s so hard when this happens, because you try so hard to share with people what you value most and BAM! direct rejection. In your face. The thing is, if you are there to learn with an open heart and trying to feel the spirit, your will feel WONDERFUL!  But, as that one hymn goes: Let us all press on in the work of the lord.....

Love you all! I know the church is true and there is ALWAYS someone you can share your testimony. So go and share it! This gospel is the most important thing in the world! Without it, and without Jesus Christ, we are nothing!

Sister Eliason

 

 

what I thought I knew.

I thought that I knew about the transfer- everyone said that my companion and I would stay together here in Morangueira. Well I guess the lord has some other plans because Sister Garcia is leaving. WHAT?! It came as a shock. 

This week was a bit difficult, but we toughed it out and ended up teaching a part member family yesterday, and the other part (the non members) told us that they will come to church next sunday. I have a very good feeling about this...... :)

Oh man, I kind of very sad (I know that doesn't make sense) about transfers and I can´t really remember very well what happened this week. It´s all a blur. 

WHO WILL KILL ALL OF THE COCKROACHES NOW!?!?! Sister Gracia and I made a deal that I would kill all the spiders (After killing all those wolf-spiders in our house and Virgina, these spiders are nothing)  and she would kill all the cockroaches (which I find are incredibly disgusting.) 

I heard that my new companion is Hispanic. Another hispanic!!! i guess this is a sign that I really do have to learn Spanish... she being my 4th hispanic companion. 

Hope you are all well. Feed your missionaries. Go to church early and listen to the prelude music. Be a peacemaker. Read Preach My Gospel for FHE. And PREPARE FOR GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!

lOVE YOU ALL!!!! 

lOVE,

SISTER ELIASON

 

The sad face foto was when we learned about the transfer.  :(

 

I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful....

Many things happened this week! But first of all, I hope everybody is doing well and reading their scriptures every day! A recent convert yesterday shared with me that she read a scripture which answered her worries and gave her an answer of exactly what she needed to do with her life. It´s awesome when someone tells you that!

So big events:

Friday AND Saturday, it DIDN'T rain. WOAH! :) 

Thursday was one of the best days of my mission- ZONE CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!! I love love love love love love lvoe love lvoe love love love love love listening to the trainings of President Genaro. I try to write down EVERYTHING he says because it is ALL inspired. A cool activity which we did was this. Before the conference everyone was told to bring their area book. So we did, and at one point, we traded area books with another companionship, and after saying a quiet prayer with our companion, we had 10 minutes to find 2 people in the area book that the other missionaries need to contact. It was all about revelation, and was a moment of spiritual growth and confindence in the Lord. You could really feel the spirit was there. 

 

After the morning training, we had lunch, then came back and the assistants gave a training about how to use the "My Family" genealogy booklet. Then President Genaro spoke again. This time about the Atonement, and if just the subject doesn´t get you crying, just wait until you are in a President Genaro training. At one point, we were all given a small nail, and with our eyes closed, president Genaro at the pulpit, every time he said a word, we had to press the nail into the palm of our hands. (not super hard, but hard enough to feel a little pain.) He said words like "contention. Resentment. Being really really trunky. Disobedience. Laziness. etc." 

I know that although this mission is very hard- the hardest thing I´ve ever done in my life, I am getting to know my savior better. Sometimes it´s frustrating. like when you see some lazy missionaries having lots of baptisms and sometimes it feels almost unfair. But that´s when you have a lesson about humility and just have to work harder. Know that the Savior knows how you feel. Knows how much you are hurting and striving, and you have to just trust that the blessings come in His timing. 

Love you all. A whole heck of a lot.

Love

Sister Eliason

 

some fotos of the zone conference. Some old companions were there!