So that big ol´ title is the name of our new area! We´re opening it and learning where we are very quickly :) Sister Melo got here and she´s from Mine gerais, Brasil.  She´s AWESOME and incredibly sweet.  She has an amazing desire to work, and to do it right.  She´s learning super fast and teaching me a lot.   We live with Sister Nascimento and Sister Machado who are both from Brazil as well. They want to learn how to speak english so we´re starting to practice the song, Come Thou Fount, all together.  fun stuff :) 

Also, thank you so much for sending the package! Sounds like Thanksgiving will be a frigid one this year. haha  Warm hearts, cold fingers. haha  I hope the family continues to receive blessings of health and safety!  Also, heads up, We´ll be skyping on the 22nd of Decemberthis year because  that´s our pday.  It´ll be 40 min, don´t know what time yet.  

Don´t have much time this week, but way to support the missionaries!  I agree it´s incredibly hard for people to go to church alone, Shows they have a lot of faith when they stay strong :) I´m definitely going to be in contact with Sister Alcocer.  We´ve already made plans to be roommates at BYU! hahaha It´ll be ótimo :) 

This week was really good.  We´ve got our map in hand, and we´re talking with lots and lots of people. Part of our area is right next to a lake. TONS of people live there.  THe sisters before us (one of whom is Sister Tenney who is in our stake! she returned home this week. If you see her say hi for me?) already had some investigators, two of which, Marinelda and Gabriella are so ready to be baptized. They´re excitement is contagious. Super sweet.   The ward is awesome and I got the opportunity to give a talk on Sunday.  They are doing a 40 day fast for missionary opportunities, so one person fasts per day and passes it off to some one else.  Pretty cool idea and we´re already seeing the blessings of it.  I´m excited to work here and give them all I have.

Sister Melo and I

With Glicio and Erika, our investigators in Planalto :)

All together at a conference!  Sister Silva, Sister Sosa, and Sister Alcocer.

I know the Lord is blessing us and helping us everyday.  His Atonement has such power if we but apply it every day in our lives. He gave us the power to choose, to CHANGE.  What an amazing gift.  I know He loves us.  I know He wants all of His children to return to live with him again someday .  What a glorious message we have to share!  "perfect love casteth out all fear!" Pray for this love!  

I sure love you all! have a wonderful week! Be happy be healthy!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Tan line, horrible!

a road we walked a lot in Planalto, Rua do grupo

I got to see Sister Jackson again!!!

Transfers are already here, and yep, I´m being transferred and I´ll be training.  Ah!!!  What a humbling call.  I guess the Lord has some more growth in store for me. I´m grateful for the opportunity!  I´ll meet my new companion tomorrow afternoon and then they´ll tell me where I´m going.  Lots of people to bear a departing testimony too! but leaving them in the hands of Sister Alcocer means I´ve got nothing to fear. :)

So Mom, you and Dad are in Bakersfield living with Katelyn and Lemuel. haha So awesome.  And sounds like Thanksgiving in Idaho will be a little frigid!  I´m sure Ethan will be fine. Little kids are practically made of rubber and heal super fast. haha  One day I´ll read Griz´s books too.  Holding up really well!  Eating lots of delicious fruit :)  The members feed us a huge lunch everyday so yep, eating really well :) And yes, if you could send the package to the misson home, that would be great. the address is. 

Av Santos Dumont, 1789 -Sl.1612 - 

Aldeota 60150 - 160 Fortaleza Brasil.

Sounds like a good musical production.  Yeah I knew some day he´d have to sing in front of people becaues he has an awesome voice!  haha Way to speak up as a visitor Dad :)

Katrina, I can´t even imagine a frozen nose and eyelashes. ow! STAY WARM PLEASE! haha and yes the sun is sure making me change colors. haha  And Greg and Ashley are going on an adventure!  Sounds like Mary Kay is really fun for Ashley :0 I´m sure Brynlee would like to try everything too! Walking.  I can´t hardly believe it. As for a Christmas present... A bar of chocolate and pictures :) 

Nichole, Heavenly Father definitely answered that prayer fast.  Justin will be awesome and I´m sure you´ll get to know the missionaries there really well too.  You´re learning tagolog! All I remember from Tyler is Kilikili, and pananampalataya and ongoy.  Haha hope I wrote that correctly.  Thanks for the pictures!!1 you´re kids are getting so big! goodness gracious sakes alive. 

Favorite spiritual experience this week...hard to choose. haha We met with a couple, Erika and Glicio this week. They´re awesome!  Seriously love them. They have an amazing desire to raise their family right with good morals.  Like all families, they have their trials and like all of us, can be a little hard headed at times.  The lesson we had planned was not the lesson we taught. It was definitely led by the spirit.  Sometime the spirit instructs us to be firm, sometimes more loving, and other times more relaxed.  Hard to explain. but it was what they needed.  They came to church this Sunday. I was overjoyed.  Something so simple, goingto church, but so important! I know if people put in the effort to go to church every week with a humble heart, the Lord will provide a way.

Also, Kaue and Lucia were confirmed this week.  IT´s complete and official!  They can now repent every day for the rest of their lives, be warned, comforted, instructed, etc.  What an amazing gift.

Also our investigator Francisca came to church.  She´s overflowing with questions, but she has such a strong desire to learn.  She´s incredible!  We saw her in the street walking with a Restoration pamphlet.  She then took us to meet her friend Joseni with whom she´d just been telling everything she learned from us.  She asked for another pamphlet to give to another friend too.  She´s incredible!  Looking for truth :)

This week i found a scripture that taught me a good lesson in (Ether) and its talking about the brother of Jared and his people as they travelled across the waters. èter 6:8 which says,"E aconteceu que enquanto estavam sobre as águas, o vento não deixou de soprar em direção á terra prometida; e assim foram eles impelidos pelo vento."  THe wind will always blow in our lives. We´ll always have trials, but know that their pushing you towards the promised land, closer to the savior, closer to heaven.  We´ll never get there without the wind.

Thank you all for your testimonies, for being witnesses of truth along with the prophets, apostles, missionaries, and other members throughout the world.  Love you!!!

-- Love always and forever

Sister Harston

What a good week it was!  Every week the Lord blesses us so much :)  Yesterday Kaue and Lucia were baptized :)  They were so ready!!  I can´t describe the feelings of joy that were present.  It´s just so amazing when people humble themselves and decide to follow Christ, to change, to repent, to be CLEAN!  They´re amazing.  Can´t wait til Sunday when they´ll receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Sweet sweet experience. 

(also some things here in Brazil are a bit expensive.  I was also told that if you send a small package it would get here in a month.  I thought I´d mention a few things it could include if that´s ok. 4 Mascara, 1 deodorant, daily vitamins, and a little bit of sunscreen)  thanks!

Thank you for the pictures! I love them all!!!! bones and turtles. what a combo. haha  and Brynlee´s smile! AW! Did Nichole´s family have some fun too??

Primary Programs are the BEST!  Sounds like it brought a lot of people together and a sweet spirit too.  THanks to an inspired mother who invited others to join in!!!  There´s a lot of power in an invite :) Yay a whole family together forever.  I bet they´re excited to go to the temple in a year. Adam as Laman or Lemuel. Hmmm....should be interesting :D  And I receive e-mails every week from Sister Mishler and Sister Sturtevant.  They really are doing an amazing job.  Awesome missionaries.  And Grandma Harston, a little note truly can work wonders in the heart of the person who writes it and receives it.  

 This is week was amazing.  Truly, we saw the Lord´s hand very clearly in the work. Sister Sosa and I were companions Thursday in my area, while Sister Silva was with another sister and Sister Alcocer went to Pecém.  We talked with a family that we saw sitting outside their house on the street and they agreed to let us come another day to share out message.  When we came back (me with sister Alcocer this time) we went to the door of the house we thought was correct, and found the brother of the people we talked to and his wife and kids.  What seemed at first to be an accident turned out to be a nudge from the spirit.  THey let us in to talk with them all and share the plan of salvation.  THey´ve encountered a lot of challenges in their lives as we all do, but THE SPIRIT THERE WAS POWERFUL!  Hearts were heard.  THe Lord knew what they needed.  We´re excited to visit again and help the to truly understand how their family can be together forever through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We´re also teaching another couple who we love dearly. Their names are Jovenal and Luiza.  He drinks and smokes and she wanted us to help him quit.  Seems like he needed the spirit and the invitation because, when we visited again, he hadn´t used any all day! wow.  THey´ve also accepted the baptismal date of the 7th of December.    

Elder Barton (left) baptized Kaue, and Elder Borges (right) baptized Lucia.  I´ve already forgotten what we were laughing at. haha

All the people who were baptized Sunday!

Everyone´s excited!

This week I´ve been studying and pondering the Christlike attribute of Virtue.  Our mind is a powerful thing. Everything we do starts with a thought. We can choose what we think - be it positive, or negative.  But we can change our thoughts in the second we receive them because we have the gift of agency and the power of the Atonement.  We have hymns to sing, scriptures to repeat, a prayer to speak, and service to do.  Choose now to be better, not tomorrow, not tonight. NOW.  We won´t be perfect, that´s a given.  But you can be happy NOW through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It´s your choice :D  I invite all to memorize a quote, or scripture this week that has great meaning in your life, as individuals and families.  I promise your week will be better as a result.  

You´re in my prayers!

-- love always and forever 

Sister Harston

Oi!  It´s already November!  I can´t believe it.  Sorry, no Halloween photos, it doesn´t exist here!   It´s funny because THanksgiving is definitely an American tradition too and so the people have already skipped over to Christmas. :) How was Halloween for everyone down there?!! Pictures are always appreciated :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER GREG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Can´t believe you´re already 26 you old geezer! haha just kidding :)  Hope it was wonderful! also want to send you a letter that´s sealed and ready to send off (not sure how long it will take to get there) but I need your address.  I wasn´t sure if you´ve moved or not since the last time I got it.  

Mom, Sounds like an awesome set of missionaries down there.  That´ll be an amazing baptism to witness.  Transformation is a good word for it.  Something that starts on the inside, but starts to show on the outside after a little while.  I can´t believe there´s only 6 kids in Primary.  Whew!  Many just go with what´s easiest and do reject the gospel, but Like you said mom, God is merciful with those who don´t completely understand.  Also I hope when I purchase things that it doesn´t charge too much to switch from dollars to Reais!

Dad, I only remember what cold is because that´s the temperature of the water here. haha  That was the only option until President Bonini made warm water available through a fancy device thing that they plug in. wow! That´s cool that the Elders use music.  We sing a hymn to open every lesson and my mp3 is always playing when we´re preparing for bed each night so I sing along :) I´m memorizing hymns in Portuguese so when we sing them while we´re walking down the street, the people can understand us :)  Still LOVE music :)  I´ll try to remember our family songs, sadly some things are escaping my memory!  Leaves are changing colors....what? haha 30 degrees would be excruciating for me now I think. hahah

SOOO, Lucia and Caue are preparing to be baptized this Saturday!!  Sister Alcocer gave her a skirt and some shoes she wasn´t using so she could feel more comfortable at church.  She loved it!  Truly special lady.  And Caue´s reading skills are improving as he reads a couple sentences with us in the Book of Mormon ever day, and we leave an assignment for him to read while we´re gone.  

We found another family, Família Neves, they´re married!  And have 4 kids, 2 of which are already members.  The Lord wants them back that´s for sure because He sent us!  They´re awesome.  THe dad already knows the Book of Mormon is true, and the spirit was definitely there in the first lesson.  WE´re hoping that they, the família Silva (Otasilho and Cosminha) and Lucia and Caue can all come to a Noite Familiar at the house of Elder and Sister Seganti.  They´re like a long lost aunt and uncle.  Love them! 

Sister Alcocer and I are doing well.  I´m learning so much from her. She´s an AMAZING missionary and has a great determination to learn english, so during language study we do work, then switch to correct each other. It works great! haha

Got a new bag! (better to use due to all the walking we do)  It has the symbol and theme of the mission on it.  "Começar com o resultado final em mente" which means Start with the final result in mind, meaning the TEMPLE!

Walking around Palmarim (sneaky photo!)

Starving and ready to eat lunch with our Branch president Maia and his wife
​

I gotta say, the Lord is doing an amazing work. He does so much more than we ever do. He continues working even after we leave in extraodinary ways.  Each person we talk with leads to another person and another and another, in a network that only God can see. He has a plan.  He gives every one of His children a clear chance to know the truth.  He loves us that much!  Show your faith, ask Him, and He´ll tell you. That´s a guarantee.

Read your scriptures daily, pray individually and as a family, be an example, love everyone, serve, be obedient, and be HAPPY!

-- Love always and forever

Sister Harston

Kaue, all ready to be baptized!

Elder and Sister Seganti!   They are a wonderfully special couple who help us out sooooooo much!  The branch we´re in really relies on them

This is at Stake Conference.  Elder and sister Seganti, then Sister Silva, and Sister Sosa (who we live with)

Summer will soon be in full force here.  So weird since people are already putting up Christmas decorations.  Shouldn´t it be cold? haha  Also, forewarning, I´m going to be buying a few things because My shoes are dying and a few shirts...lets just say I´d be embarrassed to wear them. haha so yeah, they´ve been put to good use these last 14 months!  Also funny story,.I got mosquito bites on my eyelids while I was sleeping! needless to say I looked a little strange with puffy eyes.  We got a good laugh out of it :)

Mom, way to be an example of the believers and for being a second mom for all those kids :) It truly is a special and important role.  Many families today are struggling, all over the world!  THe gospel will help!  There was a man on Sunday who bore his testimony.  He didn´t know how to read but is teaching himself by using the scripture.  INCREDIBLE FAITH!  it was really cool.  I thought he read pretty good :)  The spirit is essential in missionary work, that´s for sure.  We don´t know people´s hearts or feelings or family situation but GOD DOES.  He knows when the right timing is.   That´s interesting to compare the even with the twin towers to doing work for our ancestors.  cool!  

Dad, I love having the title of Sister too :) never gets old! And remember the things I´m learning now are being reimbursed because I first learned them from you and Mom.  Hugs and kisses, headlocks, all of it :)  That´s an impressive lesson you learned as a 6 year old. wow

Grandma, I´m SO HAPPY to hear your surgery truly worked wonders. Sounds like lots of fun with the grandkids and great grandkids :) Love you! 

This week Lucia has really been preparing for her baptism.  She has such great humility that once she learned about the word of wisdom, she immediately began living it.  Also, her grandson Cauen is going to turn 8 this week! They can be baptized together!  What a special experience that will be.  AND, we finally got a chance to talk with her husband. 

YAY!  We hope to start teaching him this week too so their family can one day be together for eternity :) Special people!

The family Barbosa is pretty special too.  The 2 daughters, Darlani, and Luana have already been taught a bit by the previous sisters, and we taught the Restoration to Lauriani which was amazing.  This week we got a chance to teach the husband Darlan.  He´s awesome. Very calm.  Initially the parents didn´t want to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, but when they gave it a chance, the spirit testified!!!  You could see it in their eyes that they were feeling something different.  Many times the Lord gets to us through other people, and with families, that´s our soft-spot! I know each member of the family will help the others to feel the spirit and find the truth :)

Also the family Silva. Socorro is a hoot always, we´re always laughing with her, but her husband Jairo is awesome too.  WE had a family home evening with them this week and we taught about the Book of Mormon. We played a little bit of the game Telephone to show that things change a lot when spoken, so God made sure they were written. It was really cool because Jairo made a comment towards the end about the Bible and Book of Mormon - that the Book of Mormon clarifies what the Bible says - something we hadn´t taught (and he´s never ready the Book of Mormon) but that he had been taught by the spirit.  SO amazing. 

Our message is different.  It´s unique. It´s powerful.  It´s important and incredibly valuable. Just give us one chance, one visit, one testimony, and I promise the spirit will be there to cary the message unto their hearts!  If they´re open, if they´re ready to have all of the truth, they´ll let the spirit in and He´ll work the change as he has worked already on our hearts.  The change is our desire, our faith, our very nature.  We change to become more like Christ.  More humble, more grateful, more service oriented, more loving, more prayerful, more like a child of God should be.  I know the church Jesus Christ established has been restored. It´s His and it´s HERE, accessible now.  What an amazing and priceless gift we´ve been given and have to give.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Read your scriptures, live the gospel, share it with others :)

-- Love always and forever

Sister Harston

One of the roads we were walking down in Palmarim.  Mountains!!!

Oi! Tudo bem?! This week flew by! Seriously seems like times goes faster and faster.  Learning so much!  We meet so many people, give so many hugs, and it´s truly an experience to be cherished. 

Katrina!  You´re gorgeous! and your roommates too :)  Wow looks like it´ll be a fun semester. Walking, good stuff!  Still working with Little Caesars? I think I´m craving pizza now.  they just don´t have it here. hahaha And yeah, I´m not THAT far away. haha  I think the branch needs your piano skills, mine have suffered from a lack of practice. haha  But I love it anyways, as long as it brings the spirit right?!  right :) I´m sure they´ll use you up in those callings once things get rolling. I got Justin´s e-mail about staying.  They usually do give you the choice to go or not.  For me, I just went. haha It was like I didn´t have to choose I just knew. But he definitely showed great faith in his prayer to know God´s will!

Dad, the opportunity was there to extend and there´s just more to be done, to learn, more people to serve, to love!  Charity never fails, a slogan for all, not just the relief society :) Casey Blakely sounds like he´ll be a fantastic missionary.  Wow!  Big changes since I last saw him.  SO cool. You´re an awesome member missionary dad! great patience :)

Mom, I seriously laughed when you said what you picture Satan´s reaction is when we do what is right. Good stuff :)  Pumpkin farm adventure! Glad it worked out, not glad for the headache.  We really are blessed to have the family we do!

SOOOOO notícias for this week :)  It´s pretty hot outside, dark by 6 which is nice because it cools off.  It´s weird because it´s october but it´s summer. haha  Lucia has been sick this week with a fever and all, but she has incredible faith!  She prayed and knows the Book of Mormon is true, only from us reading with her since she can´t read on her own.  And she went to church with us Sunday despite sickness.  She´s amazing. She always makes this coconut dessert for us and even had Caue bring some to us when she wasn´t home.  So sweet. She´s agreed to prepare to be baptized and it´ll probably be the 8th of November.

We´ve also been getting to know Palmarim, a little farther down the road from our apartment, about a 25 min walk, but Enrique and his WIFE  Andreza were home and were very receptive to our message.  His dad is a pastor for another church and was very nice :)  Enrique even took notes about how Christ´s church is built on a foundation of Apostles, prophets, and the power of God.  

We found a family, family Santana.  They´re awesome.  The dad Glydson is very intelligent and he does his research.  We´ll get to teach them the full restoration this week which I´m excited for because we know he´ll have good questions.  Teach by the spirit! Grateful to have Sister Alcocer who can understand everthing and helps me out :) his Family is so sweet!  The daughter ohana got a notebook out for the lesson.  WE also have a fun habit of singing a hymn to start every lesson :) Hymn and a prayer! 

Jarliani, 23, came to a Noite Familiar (FHE) with us at the home of Elder and Sister Seganti.  It was really good.  She was fellowshipped well.  She just has lots to do.  She got an answer that the church is true!!!!  But she´s busy caring for the kids of other people.  We have faith she´ll be able to come with us to church this sunday :)

ALSO, We talked with Lauriani, the mom of 2 girls who were being taught by the sisters before us.  She was busy doing laundry at first, but when she sat down and listened, whoosh the spirit was there.  She even began to cry.  What a sweet experience.  She´s a good mom :) Also provided a plate full of cookies to eat after.  :)

​view from our apartment here in Caucaia (and an Ônibus which everyone uses here to get places, you stand or sit and hold the rods bolted to the roof)

We walked by here sometimes in Montese  ( the van looking thing in the middle, lots of people use this type of car)
​

I testify that the Spirit speaks all languages.  I know that Christ wants this message shared with all His children.  He has us to work with to deliver that message.  The Atonement of Jesus Christ is truly a powerful thing that can help us overcome every inner challenge we face and also those that are physically hard.  It´s amazing.  How people live without the gospel, I DON`T KNOW!  It´s a blessing, it´s a gift, it makes me happy, and even more happy to share it with those willing to listen, and even better, those wanting to change :)

The church is true :)  Stay strong! Be safe!

-- Love always and forever

Sister Harston

Here are some photos!!!  Sorry couldn´t upload them last week. Also can´t walk around with our cameras or they´ll get stolen, but I´ll see what I can do to sneak a couple shots of where we are :)

we´re getting tan!

Robeirio and Elisangela and their son Gabriel on the left, and Auricelia with her daughter in the middle.  Investigators in Montese! Roberio offered us bread every visit. haha  Miss them!

Sister Alcocer and I arrived safely in Caucaia (which is where we live) in an apartment with Sister Silva (brazilian) and Sister Sosa (from Argentina). It´s been great!  We live outside our area (Planalto C) so it´s about a 20 min walk to get there.  It´s been pretty entertaining to find addresses and people that the sisters before were teaching. We´ll ask, do you know where the street Travessa da senhora de Fatima is?  They´ll either not know or point in a direction that we follow and never find the street. haha  But we´re learning quickly and walking walking walking which I LOVE!!  THe area´s really different. We´re in the country so sometimes there´s people riding a little wagon pulled by a donkey, chickens walking around, rocky/dirt roads, and more space in between houses. It was definitely a blessing to remain with Sister Alcocer. She is an incredible missionary.

Sounds like the band was a wonderful experience.  Many people deserve the honor of being recognized for their selfless and courageous service!!!  thanks to them we can go out and preach the gospel now!  Eek mom!  Lice would not be fun to deal with in a school.  I´d be paranoid too! That´s a cool idea to have people go up and talk about the revelation they received during conference. I LOVE the mormon tabernacle choir.  You can always feel the spirit when they sing.  Cannot believe that Ashlynn is 4! what happened?! Is she going to start school next year?  I think I need a recording of Brynlee laughing, that would be awesome.

Dad, it was audio translation :) and I agree that our President is inspired and called of God. That would be hard to choose only 6 favorite conference talks!

Also before I forget!!!!!  I´ve decided to extend my mission for 30 days, but I thought it might be good to gauge my family´s houghts on the subject. so thoughts?

We´re in a little branch and so I get to play the piano because no one else knows how.  But we had an investigator at church!  Alucia walked all the way there with us. She is incredibly sweet and humble. We met her this week.  She has already prayed and said she knows the church is true.  What a special sweet experience it is to talk with her. She doesn´t know how to read, so we´ll get the opportunity to read with her when we visit :)

We´re meeting so many wonderful people who just accept us right away even though we´re strangers from another country.  Such a loving and humble people!  

Something I learned this week was about agency.  It´s an incredible gift from our Heavenly Father that must be used carefully.  If we have thoughts or feelings that are negative, we must reject them immediately and not dwell upon them.  Dwelling and worrying allows Satan to have more power over you than He deserves.  Fortunately because of the Atonement of Jesus CHrist we can CHANGE!  We can have so much more power than Satan.  We can choose how to react.  We can think things through, we can read the scriptures and pray for revelation. I love this scripture in Mosias 4:9-10 

Acreditai em Deus; acreditai que ele existe e que criou todas as coisas, tanto no céu como na Terra; acreditai que ele tem toda a sabedoria e todo o poder, tanto no céu como na Terra; acreditai que o homem não compreende todas as coisas que o Senhor pode compreender.

  10 E novamente, acreditai que vos deveis arrepender de vossos pecados e abandoná-los e humilhar-vos diante de Deus; e pedir com sinceridade de coração que ele vos perdoe; e agora, se acreditais em todas estas coisas, procurai fazê-las

So yeah it´s in portuguese, but it´s amazing!  I know the church is true.  I know Christ is at it´s head.  It has all the pieces that the Bible talks about but no one seems to understand.  We have a prophet, we have apostles so the church will never be led astray.  That´s a guarantee!!!  What a wonder it is to be a part of such a wonderful work :) Sure love you all!

-- Love always and forever

Sister Harston