#64 - Giving = Happiness

Hi family!!!! :) :) :)

Sorry for e-mailing late, I was at a BBQ eating chicken hearts! :) We had a B-day party for a sister in our zone and it was a wild hoot! I even made brownies. :) And guess who I saw! Sister Ribeiro! :) I LOVE HER! It's so good to see the people you love so much! :)

Speaking of people I love, sadly, this is my last day with Sister Melonakos... :( She is being transferred tomorrow... :( But! Guess where she is going? Serrinha! My first area aqui! She will love it and I am so happy for her, but goodness, I will miss that girl. I have loved being her companion and her friend. Heavenly Father knew I needed her. I am so grateful for her and I know that our friendship that has blossomed here in Brazil will continue for forever! :) 

My new companion is Sister Granata who I know almost nothing about, but I am excited to work with her. Please pray for her. She's about to get a really nutty companion. :)

Anywhoo! This is our week:

- We are working a TON with less-active members and it is AWESOME. I seriously love re-activation work. Anderson, who has recently been re-actived, has been going on visits with us and introducing us to all his other less-active friends.  4 of them came to church after begin gone a long time. It was wonderful! 

- Wednesday was President and Sister Hart's last conference. It was so bitter-sweet. I love them so much and they don't even know how much they mean to me. :) The last conference was a hoot though. We had a really spiritual meeting which had just about everyone in tears, and then we had a Pregar Meu Evangelho Activity which included us answering questions from Preach My Gospel and then shoot goals with a soccer ball. When Sister Hart made a goal everyone jumped up and cheered and all the sisters swarmed her and lifted her up on our shoulders. I could not stop laughing. It was then best last moment with them and captured their happy, spiritual nature. :)

- We had an awesome FHE with Flor and Aylton and a family from the ward. He wants so badly to get baptized, but she doesn't like the idea and is very anti-mormon. But she is slowly opening her heart to us. And I don't think the banana pancakes we made that night hurt. Ha ha! She hasn't stopped talking about it since. :)

- Some other sisters from our district had a couple get married this week. The couple has practically nothing and it was an arm and a leg for them just to get the documents to be legally married. The sisters took it into their own hands to do the rest: the cake, the dress, the decorations, and so on. At district meeting they asked us if we had anything to contribute. I remembered that for the Christmas show I did in December, I had bought a beautiful white, lace dress in a street market. I love this dress a great deal, but I decided to give it to the bride. It fit her like a glove and she looked radiant in it. They offered to give it back after the wedding, but knowing they don't have much, I just told her to keep it. I felt so happy inside. :) As I was gleefully pondering on this experience of giving, I thought about how happy our Father in Heaven must be. I gave one dress and felt so happy, and Heavenly Father has given us EVERYTHING. Imagine how happy He must be! He must be the happiest person ever! He has given us our lives, the air we breathe, our families, the earth, and so many blessings. He even gave us His own son. I love Him so much and I am so grateful to share in His happiness. :)

Blast! I had so much more I wanted to tell you, but everything is closing down for the Brazil Soccer Game this afternoon and that means we need to high-tail it home! I love you, family! SO MUCH! 

All my love,

Sister Mann

P.s. The church really is true. For real.