Irmã Brooks.: `Quando eu for para o templo, eu quero ser selada ás batatas fritas.´ -Nelma

PESSOAL!! LOVES OF MY LIFE. WHAT AN AMAAAAZING WEEK. OHHH MY WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE.

First off, GENERAL CONFERENCE FILLED MY SOUL. WHY MUST IT ALWAYS COME TO AN END? Oh, so...we started by watching the woman´s conference, and literally during the opening hymn I just started bawling and Sister Blanco looks at me like I am crazy and then starts dying laughing. Yeah, whatever, I´m ridiculous, but I just look forward to this for so long and it finally comes and then I just see that conference center and it´s like my heart is whole again. Oh...soo much happiness in one weekend. I cant even handle it.

So many amazing inspired words that I needed to hear and that our investigators needed to hear, and it was so wonderful. Obviously, I loved the talk by President Monson about using kind words and trying to see from other people´s perspectives and loving each other. It was a wonderful reminder for me that we never know each other´s circumstances and that the Lord is the only one who can judge others. We must love everyone, and not so much that we need to love more, but that we need to love better. And about our four minutes on earth. Because, really this time is so short and it´s so important that we use this time wisely and make and keep our convenants, and literally the Gospel is so simple that I feel like I am repeating myself always. But, anyways, it was SO good. And I wanted to cry when it ended. In the words of Captain Jack, ´Why´s all the rum gone?!´

Ah and then the olympics special came on after and I gasped and cried when I saw Kate´s face. But then her voice came on as a Brazilian lady, which hurt my heart a little bit, but it was still so good to see her.

Oh, I hope you all loved it as much as I did. I hope all of your prayers and questions were answered, and I hope you all watch it again and again and again. I cant wait to get the Liahona---pray it comes asap and doesnt take six months like the last one....

But, oh my goodness, the most AMAZING thing happened. Well, this week we were focusing A LOT on Fatima and Francisco, because they are so ready, and we had an amazing lessing with President Melo, and the spirit was so strong and we explained everything so clearly, and we left just knowing that it is all in their hands now. Well, we went after General Conference and we were telling them how amazing it was, and then we invited them to come on Sunday, and THEY SAID THEY WOULD. which they like never do, because here in Portugal everyone says, ´Se Deus quiser´ou ´Vamos ver´ ou ´Vamos tentar.´ Nobody like to give a sure answer, because they never want to go back on their word slash they all claim we dont know if we will wake up tomorrow, buuuut....thats not the point. They point is, they said they´d come! So, we walk out of there on cloud nine. The next day, we call them to remind them, and Fatima is sick and Francisco is at work for the first time in a month. We look at each other and want to cry. Then we call Francisco and he says no one has come by, so he will come back home and we can all go together in the car. Perfect. We go to try and get Fatima ready, and she is in her pajamas in bed. Ayiyi. She starts crying, and we are just on such a spiritual high that we are being happy and telling her that General Conference cures all (because, hello, it does.) Well, shes not having it. Then she calls Francisco who tells us that people JUST showed up and he´s going on a trip with them and he wont be back til like 30 minutes after conference starts. SATANÁS DESGRAÇADO. Well, luckily we had another ride, so we offer that to her, but she still isnt sure. Suddenly, we start humming a hymn--no idea where that came from. So, Sister Blanco and I decide to sing that hymn, and literally the second we close our hymn books, she pulls off the covers and gets out of bed to put her dress on!!! I HAVE NEVER SEEN HER MOVE LIKE THAT! So I braid her hair real fast and we are in the car before she can change her mind. MIRACLES!!! Then, as soon as we get there the first talk was the one by Elder Uchtdorf about being grateful, and it was literally EXACTLY what she needed to hear!! I obviously started crying, because God is SO good. But this time Sister Blanco was crying too, so when we looked at each other we just started laughing together. Ohhhh, how am I going to survive without her? Anyways, seriously SUCH a miracle!! God is SO good. He really is a God of miracles, and I am SO grateful that He loves us enough to bless us and give us latter-day prophets.

I LOVE YOU ALL. I MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH. I cant believe how quickly time is flying. I will leave you with these beautiful words that healed my soul from President Uchtdorf.

´When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace....This is not a gratitude of the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind.´

LOVE YOU MORE THAN I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE!

xoxo

Sister Brooks