Brazil by way of South Carolina!

Morgan has been temporarily reassigned to Columbia, South Carolina while she awaits her
visa from Brazil. She is super excited and will be flying out 7 am Monday morning.  We are expecting to get a phone call from her sometime early that morning!!

Week Five!

Oi everybody! 

I get my reassignment this Friday! I am so excited. Almost as excited as I was for my first mission call :) They let us email our family and tell them so expect an email on Friday from me! We also get to talk to our family before boarding the plane, but I will give you more details when we get our travel plans! Oh and technically I did send one picture last week. I sent a picture to Ginger of me and my package so maybe she could send it to you? Anyway I plan on taking quite a bit more pictures in the field, but right now I spend about 99.99% of the time in a classroom. Which is important, but not exactly "picture-worthy" :) I absolutely loved the pictures you send me though. It means a lot. I was able to print them off, so I can look at them anytime I get homesick! It made me realize how important pictures are so I will be sure to take more in the future! I hope you are having fun with Little Lou! I bet you two are having a blast with all that girl time! 

We had TRC again! I love it so much. We were able to talk to a returned missionary who went to Brazil and who is currently attending BYU. His name is Blake. Just found that a little interesting :) We also taught an older woman named Sister Rice who was actually called to be a TRC missionary and help other missionaries prepare for their mission. She had to learn to speak Portuguese and everything! She was born in Mexico and speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and English! What was so amazing is that although we had planned the same topic for volunteers, the lessons turned out completely different! Hopefully that means the Spirit was prompting us! With Blake, I felt prompted to share an experience-about how the Book of Mormon had given me confidence because I could feel the love that Christ and that God had for me. I invited him to share any experiences he had during his life and he shared some really touching ones about his mission. I really felt like we connected and at the end of the lesson his comment card said that he felt the Spirit really strong when we both shared our experiences! YES! I am improving each day when it comes to recognizing and acting on the Spirit! When we taught Sister Rice, I felt the prompting to just share a simple testimony. She was so sweet that I just never wanted to stop talking to her! At the end of our message, our teacher said that Sister Rice was very touched by our message and that she wanted to be more like us! She also said that she had really felt the Holy Ghost as we testified of the Book of Mormon. I just love teaching real people! I am getting more excited and more nervous to go out into the field every day!

This week one of our teachers, Irmão Buttars, taught us a lesson that has really stuck with me this week. He said that 60% of returned missionaries go inactive within six years after coming home! I couldn't believe it. I have already had such faith promoting experiences here and I haven't even gotten into the field yet! Irmão Buttars said it was because those missionaries have never been truly converted. They may have had strong testimonies and amazing experiences, but it was not enough. Having a testimony is not enough. As I was evaluating my own life to see if I had been truly converted, I read in the Bible Dictionary that conversion is "a conscious acceptance of the will of God." It is a conscious decision! This last week I made the conscious decision to change. I want to be someone who has diligence and charity. This last week I prayed morning and night and all during the day for these Christ-like qualities. I am really striving to develop them. Some days are better than others and I make a lot of mistakes, but I have faith and I have hope that Christ will help me develop these qualities as I earnestly seek for them. It helps to repent daily and evaluate my efforts daily. I know that it is going to be a long process. I want so much to be a different person than the one I was when I came here. I want to change and become more Christ-like. I want to be truly converted. I think if I work as hard as I did this week for these goals, then God will bless me. I can become the missionary and the person I want to be! It says in the Bible Dictionary that "To labor for the conversion of one's self and others is a noble task." Wish me luck on this noble task! I'm going to need it! 

AHHH! I'm so glad that Rachel got such an amazing job! I am sure it was an answer to prayers! We went to the temple today and I put Dean's and Shane's names in the prayer box. Those are some powerful prayers so hopefully it helps! 

Caden! Congrats on your awesome STARR scores! Who knew little "pokey-puppy" would be the one to come in first for the ACT?? :) How was your first day of 7th grade? And good luck with basketball tryouts1

Blake! How was your first day of 7th grade? You sounded a little nervous in your letter. I don't know why! You are going to do so good, especially in reading :) "You is smart. You is kind. You is important." You should also read "The Help" :) Your career class sounds like fun. I wish I had taken it since I have almost 20 and STILL have no idea what I want to be when I "grow up." Congrats on the new fish! Hopefully she lasts a little longer than your first one ;) 

Lexi! Sorry I didn't get to send you a separate email this week. I don't know where the time went! But I think you definitely should open up an ETSY shop. Feel free to treat me as a walking advertisement. I live with a lot of girls who I am sure would love some personalized art work! That and I wouldn't mind to have some personalized art from my dear irmã! Mom sent me some pictures of you and Taylor and you guys are of course adorable. As always! Also sent some pictures of that thing with Christian.How was that? It looked like fun hanging out with the old ward! Oh, and what classes are you taking for fall? You know I'm dying to know. Some things never change :)   

Pops! It sounds like you are having fun with the boys! Sorry it took so long for you to get that "boy time!" I love how you talk about Mom. So sweet! I also loved your advice--as always :) I think I have been truly blessed with the language and I think it is coming along pretty well. Our teacher challenged us to speak only Portuguese for the remainder of our stay here. Today was our first day and it was hard. Most of our vocabulary deals with teaching the gospel. I am afraid that our every day language is severely limited, so I have to walk around with my dictionary and am forced to look up words like "to print" and other words that are not included in Preach my Gospel or the scriptures! It makes for some very choppy conversations, but it is definitely giving me the opportunity to work on verb conjugations! 

Mom! I really appreciate all the letters. I look forward to them every day. I love that we have a family motto. I think that is a great scripture to chose! I want you to know that I think of you every day. We had someone suggest that we be "the missionary you're mom thinks you are." So I am really trying to be the missionary you deserve for your daughter to be! 

I love you guys so much! I love every letter and I'm sorry if I can't respond as well and as detailed as I want to, but I hope you know that I would if I could!

Love Sister Daniels

Ginger sent Morgan a package "full of sunshine" that she adored and was so grateful for!  

Week Four!

Oi!! 

I have been in the MTC for almost a month! Isn't that absolutely crazy? I'm disappointed that I only have 17 months left! It's going to go by so quickly! 

The cabinets look incredible! I think they really brightened up the kitchen! I am so proud of you and Dad for going with the missionaries to visit Tracy! Way to charge forward :) I love all of your letters but the one you sent on Sundayreally touched my heart! For one, you called me one of your "prized possessions" and who wouldn't want that? :) Serious tear jerker right there... I thought the stories were really inspiring and makes my sacrifice seem rather diminiative! I am really excited to meet people and to fill their empty cups with the love God and Christ have for them! I took that knowledge for granted most of my life, but NOT ANYMORE! 

I received a letter from my mission president's wife...IN PORTUGUESE. I have a sneaking suspicion that she doesn't speak a word of English, which is going to make things interesting if I ever get to Brazil! I have been reading the Book of Mormon in Portuguese every day and let me tell you it is sloooowww going, but I do get a little faster and reference the dictionary a little less each day. I'm learning a lot! It is actually suprising how much of the language I learn just from reading the scriptures every day! Someone will ask "What does ________ mean?" and I can tell them because I learned it from the Book of Mormon! Elder Cobb said that a general authority had promised that we will be fluent by the time we finish it! My goal is to finish by Christmas! I'm counting on the fact that I will get faster at some point :) I also read a talk in Portuguese from Richard G. Scott and I understood almost every word. MUCH easier to understand than the Book of Mormon. I, actually, have an easier time speaking Portuguese and reading it than understanding someone else speak it. Being a visual learner, I actually have to write out the words in my head when I hear them and then just read them back to myself. The problem comes when the way a word sounds does not match the way it looks. Like when a "d" goes to a "g" sound or an "r" to an "h". Then I write it wrong in my head and then of course don't recognize it because it isn't spelled the right way! Also, we had a guest teacher from Brazil talk to us about....phonics and pronunciation. 

O_o

My two favorite things, no? Needless to say I am going to have the strongest American accent out of my district! I just hope Brazilians find my accent endearing. "Poor girl. At least she is trying!" is a phrase I think I will hear quite often :) 

We started today (and last P-day) going to the temple. Can't think of a better way to start my day! I loved the new film! I thought they portrayed the relationship between Adam and Eve far more realistically. They were the only people on earth--of course they are going to be fond of each other! And I like that this film showed it! Anyway last Tuesday was probably the best day I have had at the MTC. The temple trip was truly inspiring and brought the Spirit into my day and it just kept growing throughout the day! I felt it during personal study and during choir practice, but it was during the devotional that my heart felt as if it was burning with the Spirit. Elder Richard G. Scott came and spoke to us!!!!! ELDER RICHARD G. SCOTT (my second favorite apostle, I might add) WAS IN THE SAME ROOM AS US AND SPOKE TO US!! The love he had for us was so palpable. After he finished his talk and as he was walking out, he kept turning around and yelling out phrases like "Be good!" and "We love you!" It was as if he didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave either! His talk--unlike others we have received at the MTC--was not energetic, invigorating, or particularly forceful. His talk did not leave me with the overwhelming desire to grab my weapon (ie. Book of Mormon) and march in a "one-two--three- four" formation across the world singing "We are All Enlisted", but it was powerful nonetheless. He was quiet and bore his testimony of prayer. It was so sincere that the Spirit was able to piercce the hearts of every person in that room. He did it without flair. He did it without clever analogies or multimedia presentations. He didn't need them for he had the Holy Ghost and every single person in that room knew it. He gave us an apostolic blessing that we will receive the gift of tongues and the guidance of the Lord according to our faith and diligence. How cool is that?! Our MTC president said he had only heard a few apostolic blessings in his life and that we should write it down and never forget it! This talk was something special. It truly felt that the words were coming from God. As he finished his prepared talk, he paused. I'm sure the translators and prompters threw their hands up in frustration at this point, because for the last ten minutes he did not go by a script. He said he felt his wife in the room although she had been dead for almost 20 years! I think every person-Elder and Sister- teared up at this point! He talked about prayer and our missions. He said every good thing that occurred in his life happened because he served a mission! He said that prayer was not something trivial and that we should share our deepest feelings with the Lord through prayer. He said that God answers us in three ways and that one of those ways is by not answering us. This form often leaves us frustrated or feeling alone, but he said that it means He trusts us to make the right decision on our own. I'll have to remember that next time I t feel like I haven't received an answer! I really tried to take this talk to heart. I went home and prayed for a long time. Longer than I have probably ever prayed before. I tried to talk to God differently than before and really tried to listen to Him as I prayed. And I can definitely say that God answers prayers! I felt as if a blanket of love and comfort completely surrounded me. It felt so real and tangible, but when I opened my eyes no one was there! I think my relationship with my Father in Heaven is growing so much and I am really excited about it! 

Can you tell Grandma that I got her letter and loved it? It was my first hand-written letter! I hope her and Grandpa are doing well and that the storehouse isn't wearing them out too much! 

How is the job hunt for Dean and Shane?

Blake! 

I loved your letter! Except that part about Jack loving you more than me... :) It sounds like you went to the pool more this week than I will in more than two years! Congratulations on the the new "knot-tying" skills! Not as good at numchuck skills, but definitely a step in the right direction ;) I heard you are going to be getting braces soon. I bet you are just loving that, huh? Take consolation in the fact that I might have to get braces when I get back and I will be in college! Good luck saving up all that money for a gun! It better be the gun of the century for all this work! Love you Blake! 

Anyway, I love you guys so much! I love receiving your letters and hearing about your lives! 

Sister Daniels 

Lexi's Letter

Lou! 

I loved your email. Obrigada! Good luck on your finals! You'll do great. Here is a little secret: college finals are way easier than high school finals. You wouldn't think so, but it is true so don't stress too much about it! And I spent my finals week discovering and then proceeding to watch the entire first few seasons of Parks and Recreation, so you seem a little more dedicated than I was. I love that you get to paint your apartment! I'm guessing the mint was your suggestion, right? :) Mom said you had a little trouble with the roommates. I'm so sorry about that! I don't know how any person could act less than" fall on the floor in gratitude" to have you as a roomy. They crazy! But tell me about all your life!  Dad says you have been to a few concerts and other cryptic things called "adventures." Details please! We all know that I would be vicariously living through you even if I wasn't on a mission ;) And I am a little offended that you thought I didn't know what a NCMO was and even thought it necessary to write a pronunciation guide! Honestly, I did go to college and I did leave the library at least once ;) While I don't kiss and tell.... Haha just kidding! I did not participate in any crazy NCMOs. Oh and I have decided that Hamilton is not your future husband, but some guy in my district most certainly is. More details next week! 

Sister Daniels 

Week Three MTC (no letter) very sad face! Got One!!!

Modeling the outfit we sent her for an early bday present. i like that we can see her room a little bit!

Holding some of the letter she has received.  She loves all the letters and support!

Sis Jackson and Morgan always manage to match she said.

Sis Russell and Morgan, Quite the height difference!

I received pictures today but no letter!  Sad, i wonder is she just ran out of time!  Anyway cute pictures of our missionary girl!  She looks happy!

Oi family! 

I am so glad you had a great birthday, Mom! You definitely deserve it. I just wish I could have celebrated it with you! The cabinets look AMAZING, which is not surprising with Pops on the job :) I love, love getting your daily letters. Please keep it up. Dear Elder has been having a hard time getting every letter to me, and I know I am missing a few you have sent since you reference  something from a previous letter-one I never received! So if I don't answer a question or comment on something that is why!

I can't believe my time at the MTC is half-way done! The time here is so funny. Each day seems like a year but each week seems to pass in a second. This week was a pretty tough one, but there was a lot of really good experiences too!

We had our first TRC experience, which is where we talk to actual people. Most are members.  TRC supposed to help us learn to share mini experiences when we go to members' homes. I loved it so much! I love meeting new people and learning about their lives. It is almost as if I am reading a story, which makes the "no books" thing a little easier to bear :) I love sharing a spiritual message and bearing my testimony to them. I know I am going to love the people in my mission so much because...I ALREADY DO!

I love that you are studying about the Atonement. We had an incredible lesson on the Plan of Salvation from our teacher. He really went into depth--way more than we will go with out investigators--but it made the Atonement and the divinity of Christ all the more real to me. He talked about Christ and even Lucifer in the premortal life. When I think of the premortal life, I usually think only of the war in heaven, but my teacher put an emphasis on something else. He said that Christ and Lucifer were intelligences, like us. My professor said that we progressed in the pre-mortal world, but Christ and Lucifer progressed the fastest. Isn't that interesting? Before, I felt like I couldn't understand Christ because He was something altogether different from me, something far more great than I could comprehend. And He is, but He also went through the same things we did! So we are similar! He just did it much better and much faster than I ever could. It is interesting to think about. We knew Him before. We must have trusted Him so much, knowing that if He didn't complete the Atonement that we would be lost. Can you imagine how we acted or what we felt as we watched Him struggle through the Atonement? To see the Brother we loved hurting so much for us? And to know that if He let the cup pass then we would truly be lost forever? I bet if people could feel even a glimmer of what they felt then, we would cease to be tempted by Lucifer ever again!  I feel like my understanding of the Savior and His love for me has really grown this week. My love and understanding of Him and what He did has also grown exponentially. 

Many girls on our floor are leaving on their missions and almost all of them are getting reassignments to somewhere in the states! People have been called to Arizona, Utah, Montana, Wisconsin, TEXAS, California, and so many more! At first, I was worried about being reassigned, but I am not anymore. I'm actually looking forward to it! It will be as if I got to serve TWO missions. How lucky is that? My teacher actually was reassigned for 8 months! Yikes that is almost half of my mission. He was called to Lubbock, Texas, and had to learn Spanish and French in addition to his Portuguese. I can't even imagine that, but he had the most amazing experiences in both missions. If the Lord sends me to Utah or Montana, then it is where I need to be so I'm not stressing about it! 

I have had a hard time this week with my companion. It is so hard to have someone with you ALL THE TIME. I'm kind of a loner, if you didn't know :) She is someone who gets frustrated and stressed very easily, and I try to give her pep talks, but it isn't exactly my "special talent" as Dr. Barron would put it. I feel as if the Lord is really trying to teach me patience. Unfortunately, I can't say that I progressing at a particularly fast pace! If you have any advice, I would love to hear it! 

Many people have told me that God blesses the families of His missionaries and I believe that He will. I prayed long and hard for Uncle Dean and Uncle Shane that they would be able to get the right job. When I prayed, I "cashed in" all the promised blessings of my mission that they would get jobs. I don't know if God works this way. We can't bargain with God, but I thought I would give it a try and I felt the Spirit as I prayed so I think that means that Uncle Dean and Uncle Shane will get a job and that it will be everything that they need it to be. 

Pops! 

Thank you so much for sharing your missionary wisdom! It is always perfectly timed to what I most need to hear. Talk about inspiration! I loved and really needed to hear the saw mill analogy. I fear that sometimes I do focus too much on the sawdust like my own testimony and knowledge and not so much on loving my investigators and even my companion. I am actually going to change up my study habits in order to focus more on the lumber and less on the sawdust! 

Aunt Ellie! 

Thank you so much for your letter. I am sorry I can't write you individually, but I appreciated it so much. I think your missionary efforts are amazing. Keep it up! I think I really needed to hear that story about Uncle Scott's brother. It helped put me in the right mindset. I am not serving a mission just to go to Brazil. If God has other plans for me than that is what matters. Not the country. So thank you so much for sharing his story! 

I love you guys so much! I think of you every day and am often overwhelmed with gratitude for being a part of the "Daniels Six Pack!" 

Sister Daniels  

Letters to Lexi

Oi, my favorite sister!

Thank you so much for your letter. It was the best thing in the world to get to my dorm after the long day and read it. I think you were truly inspired to write what you did. It was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I particularly liked the scripture you shared. I shared the experience in the letter to mom, so you can ask her to forward it to you if you want! The MTC is a truly humbling experience, but I have learned so much and felt the Spirit so strongly that I know I am where I am supposed to be. I love my district (group of people in the same class who do everything together including eating together at lunch and going to choir together). They are each so strong and I love hearing their stories and getting to know them. It is so remarkable to me just how different we are and yet we were all called to the same place. Prove that God needs all kinds of people! Please send pictures of you at college! I have some pictures to send you guys if only I can figure the computers out! I love you and miss you so much. Hopefully I can write you a longer more detailed letter next week.

Love you!

Sister Daniels

Lexi!

 

Why you so cute?? Those pictures were adorable. Seriously.

 

Congrats on "nailing" your sociology test! I'm not suprised. You are brilliant after all and I love your idea , "His Holy Hands." I think it sounds truly inspiring! Maybe you can do His little hands clumbsily carving something? Or healing someone? Or clasped tightly like during the Garden of Gethsemene? I'm just tossing out ideas, but definitely send a picture of the finished product! And I love hearing about the drama in the real world. Especially when it invovles espionage and covert operations :) The biggest drama around here is when a girl wears open toe shoes. *Gasp* "Oh, no she didn't!" It is all thoroughly exciting but I like hearing about yours a little bit more :) How is school going? Finals? Glenwood? Boys? Spill woman! Again I send Mom an email with some of the more spiritual experiences, so hopefully she can forward it!

 

I think you are something special, Lou! And I think you have so many talents and abilities that you haven't even begun to discover! I admire you so much and think the Lord has something BIG in store for you. I hope you know how much I love you and more importantly how much your Pai Celestial (Heavenly Father) and Jesus Cristo love you!

 

Love Sister Daniels

2nd Letter!

Oi, everbody!

 

AHHH! I love getting all of your letters so much! It makes me feel as if I am home with you all. The outfit from Bohme came and I LOVE it! Thank ou so muh. You guys spoil me too much :) How did I luck out on such ana amazing family??? Oh and I (and my hips) love and appreciate those MTC packages but you must be spending a fortune! Don't worry about sending me packages. The letters are plenty! Oh and Sister Nielson loved the letter and the packages so much and is just dying to meet "the best mother in the world." I definitely agree with that statement! Thank you so much for sending her some things. I think it really made her feel special. Oh! Happy Birthday! I tried getting you a birthday card at the MTC Bookstore but they were sold out! All they had was this hideous pastel sympathy card which is probably not the most adequate substitute (or maybe it is seeing you are well into the 40s ;).

 

We have devotionals every Tuesday nights and they are probably my favorite part of the MTC exeperience. So spiritually uplifting! I really loved the closing paragraph of his talk. "We must batle for the souls of men. We are not holding the line. We are charging forward with all our might, mind, and strength!" I felt like in high school I merely held the line. I followed my beliefs and kept the standards and didn't sway, but I didn't charge forward. I wasn't open about my beliefs and clutched them close. I was scared, you see. I was scared I'd be considered pushy, preachy, arrogant, or accused of having a "holier than thou" attitude. I was scared my beliefs would be mocked. It took a little bravery to hold the line, but a far greater courage is necessary to charge. We are in the battle for souls. My discomofrt and fear seem like insufficient barricades, when there is something so precious at stake. I am glad your ward is participating so much in the missionary efforts! We practiced tracting yesterday and that is so hard! Our pretend investigator was really busy and had an attitude of "ain't nobody got time for that." I think referrals would be so helpful, so I'm glad they are encouraging that!

 

You asked a little bit about what I do here in the MTC, so I'll type up my schedule. Every day is a little different but it basically looks like this:

6:30 Breakfast

7:00-10:00 Classroom Instruction (usually includes us teaching a lesson in Portuguese to an investigator)

10:00-11:00 Personal Study Time

11:00-11:45 Lunch

11:45-1:30 Additional Study time (I don't know if you have noticed but we study A LOT)

1:30-2:30 Language Study

2:30-3:30 Gym

4:00 Dinner

4:45-5:45 TALL (computer language program like Rosetta stone except the vocabulary consists of words like atonement, gospel, and Book of Mormon instead of banana, cell phone, and car)

6:00-9:00 Clasroom Instruction and another lesson with an investigator

9:00-9:30 Planning session

Personal time (for showers and what not) until lights out at 10:30

 

That's my life! But I have been really blessed. I am learning the language  quickly and I think it comes easier for  me than for others (not like that last bit matters at all), but best of all the "confidence and courage" promised in the set apart blessing has totally happened. I don't get nervous or frightened to give lessons or talk to complete strangers about the gospel. I actually thoroughly enjoy it! I like getting to know the investigators and hearing their stories. Many people have difficulty looking the investigator in the eyes, but I don't. I want to connect with them. I am animated and enthusiastic during the lessons. Who is this girl? It's like I'm not even the same person that I was before! I know the Lord has really strengthened me and I feel as if He is really preparing me to be a good and effective missionary. I don't want to let Him down, so I have worked really hard these last few weeks!

 

My district is really amazing. There are four girls (including myself) and ten boys. I'll go into more depth about their personalities next week, but we are all becoming really good friends! I am sending a picture of all of us so at least you get some kind of visual.

 

Oh and I almost forgot to tell you about our first investigator. His name is Rajen and he is from Nepal, but is attending BYU. Anyway, it turns out he was a real investigator! Or at least he represented a real investigator. Our teacher was impersonating his friend, Rajen, who is taking the lessons from our teacher. Our teacher said he used some of the things from our lesson to teach Rajen! So we have practically had our first baptism already :) During our last lesson with the fakey Rajen, I felt the Spirit more strongly than I have probably ever felt when testifying of the Holy Ghost. I know that fakey Rajen felt it too. My companion even thanked me for my testimony and said that it was the strongest she had felt the Spirit during any of our lessons! SO COOL!  

 

Pops! Good luck on your board exam. I have been praying every day that you will do well!

All grown up and heading out to serve.  Whitney is heading to Japan!

Morgan and Whitney in Waco Texas for Thanksgiving!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience at the MTC with me! What a powerful story! I had a story that was kind of similar. While my companion and I prepared our lesson we both felt the need to look up the Portuguese word for 'pride.' It was so ludicrous that we ignored it. We had a lot to do and study before our lesson and this word didn't even apply to the lesson we planned to teach! During the lesson, Rajen asked us to explain "orgulho" and why it was bad. My oompanion and I just stared at him in stunned disbelief. What was that and what did that have to do with our lesson?? After about five minutes of pantonmine and drawing on the board, we discovered that "orgulho" actually means pride! We wasted a quarter of our lesson because we didn't follow a prompting. It taught me an important lesson though and that is to follow promptings no matter how small. Especially if our companion has the same prompting!

 

Caden! Oh my goodness. How does such a little guy have so much sass?? Your letter left me giggling throughout the entire day. So Portuguese. It is a little tricky. For example the word for repentence is "arrependimento". Looks like Spanish? YES. Pronounced like Spanish? NO. The "rr" makes an "h" sound and the "d" makes a "g" sound. So knowing some Spanish doesn't exactly come in handy in most situations. But it isn't too hard and I think I am catching on pretty quickly. Oh and I hate to break it to you, Cay-Cay, but you are only just a temporary replacement in Jack's heart. We all know the second I get home who his favorite will be :)

 

BJ! Congrats on saving so much money! And I am so proud of you for reading your scriptures! I know it will make your life so much better. You will feel peace and confidence in yourself. At least that is how it is for me :) I have a goal to read the Book of Mormon in Portuguese so I guess we will see who finished first :)

 

Sorry this letter was so sporatic! But I want you all to know that love you very very much and pray for you daily.

 

Love, Sister Daniels

 

PS I just saw Whitney Harris and we took a picture. But just know that this is the only day I have left the dorm in a T-Shirt and no makeup. Bad timing is my one weakness it would seem :)

 

( I love her reference to Larkrise to Candleford!) 

1st Letter Home!

Oi, minha familia!

Thank you! Thank you!  Thank you! I LOVED getting your letters and the packages. Seriously, it felt like Christmas. I also loved the letter you wrote for me. I read it on the plane and bawled the whole time. The poor guy next to me looked thoroughly baffled and uncomfortable!

The MTC is hard, but I've begun to realize that all the best things are. We were expected to give a lesson the Fridayafter we got here.... in only Portuguese! At that time I could barely say, "My name is", so I think you can understand just how daunting that task felt! My companion and I prayed and studied and planned out the most basic lesson in existence--he's Hindu so we started with there is one God. Such a simple truth that I often forget that some people don't know it. We practiced with our teacher before talking to the investigator. During the practice my companion did so much more talking than I did and seemed to know so much more Portuguese and I'll admit. I was envious and even a little mad that she monopolized the conversation. I believe these thoughts took the Spirit away completely from our companionship, which is why I think we struggled so much during the first lesson. When the time finally arrived for us to teach Rajen, we walked to that his all imposing door and knocked. It was definitely one of the greatest acts of faith I have probably ever had to do. I was so nervous and scared and trying desperately  to remember how to say 'we are missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.' The door opened and I didn't faint, which is probably a good sign! We started with basic questions in the effort to get to know him and to find out what how the gospel can specifically apply to him. While we did manage to voice our questions (albeit in the style that resembles an ignorant caveman with less than a rudimentary grasp of language), we both merely gaped as he opened his mouth and flooded the room with perfect Portuguese. So that's what it sounds like! Anyway I understood maybe one out of twenty words and could merely nod, say "It's all good" in Portuguese, and quietly die inside. My companion and I finally shared our message after bouts of awkward silence, stuttering, and painful "help me" looks to each other. I know the Spirit wasn't there because of the negative thoughts I had had towards my companion. During the lesson I even felt a grim satisfaction that she made more mistakes than I and forgot what she was supposed to say. How horrible and un-Christlike! No wonder the Spirit wasn't there and we were left floundering! I'm embarrassed to even tell you, but I learned an important lesson that day. I made the decision right there that I would love my companion and to think of only her positive attributes. Our next lesson was fantastic. The exact opposite of our first. My companion and I studied so much and prayed for the Spirit and to know what our investigator needed. We practiced and tried to listen to each other's points of view. There was no animosity at all and the lesson went so well! We got our message across, understood most of what he said, and felt the Spirit strongly the entire time! AHHHH! Our investigator even complimented us on our grasp of Portuguese and said he felt something. SO MUCH HAPPINESS RIGHT NOW! I left that room practically skipping with joy. My companion and I looked at each other with the cheesiest and biggest smiles in the world, squealed, and gave each other a hug. God will help us after all we can do! I know He will! And now is definitely the time in my life that I am relying on Him the most. I think I'm getting the language pretty good. I'm really good with the vocabulary and know words and phrases better than some who have been here a lot longer. Hopefully that continues! My district is FANTASTIC. Everyone is so strong in the gospel and are so dedicated. They have such amazing insights to share and seem to have a close relationship with their Savior. And these are 18 and 19 year olds! It's an impressive sight and I know they are going to do amazing things in the mission field. My heart seems to be constantly on fire. I have never felt the Spirit so strongly and so constantly before in my life! I feel as if my heart will burst with happiness and yet it always seems to grow to accommodate it! I also thought you were truly inspired to send the scripture in 1 Nephi and the C.S. Lewis quote. I don't have time to go into details, but it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I also loved Dad''s advice on the MTC. It appears to be a veritable roller coaster of emotions. There are good and bad days, but I really feel that this is where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to be doing!

Tell Caden I miss his sassy self and that of course I remember him! (Although I wish he would forget that horrible nickname ie Gertrude). His letter cracked me up and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Life in the MTC is hard, but awesome. I am not the best in my class, but I hold my own. How was the birthday?

I have been trying to eat healthy and I think I've lost quite a bit of weight. I don't have access to a scale, but I think I'm down at least 10 pounds! It helps that my roommate likes to run and work out and since she can't do it without me by her side I have to drag my out of shape self after her. Good luck on the health challenge. I think I''m going to have you all beat :)

The boys birthday sounds like a blast! Don't forget to send pictures!

G sent me a "Dear Elder" letter but I don't have her email! Will you tell her thank for me? It meant a lot. Oh, and tell Barret that Sisters can play basketball, too, but not with the Elders and that we can't keep score. Don't want it to get too competitive :) Oh and tell Barret not to steal Jack. He is MINE!!

I love you guys so much and pray for you everyday. I miss you and hope you are getting a plethora of blessings!

Sister Daniels

Her companion Sister Anna Nielsen

Two best friends saying farewell!

Aunt Ellie and Nichole to stand in for me!

Car turning into the MTC--no going back now!!

These little squirts will look a lot different when she gets back!

Temple Trip and Final Goodbye

Such a blessing to be in Utah for Morgan to go to the temple with both grandparents and her Uncle Dean and Aunt Bozie.  Draper Temple was such a perfect choice.  Beautiful but also small.  There were only a handful in our session.  Morgan was given such great advice and counsel from the matron of the temple.  She was absolute delight.  Morgan and I were able to go to the San Antonio Temple together before she left and I will always treasure these days.  She was set apart by our Stake President of the Round Rock Texas Stake, President Kent Huntsman.  He gave her a beautiful blessing.  Then the hard day of saying goodbye had arrived.  There were tears shed, mainly by me, but they were tears of joy mainly!