7 Nov 2013
Dear Mom & Dad
I’m still alive :-) Thanks for all the prayed & love & support. Thanks for always pushing for family home evening and daily/nightly scripture study and family prayer. I didn’t really see it’s importance but being here where the church is still pretty young and many families don’t do these things I see how much of a difference these things make. For example we have a Grandma who lives on our street, she’s actually the Bishops mom and she takes care of two of her 9 year old twin grand daughters. Her mental health has been declining. You can only imagine the situation. Their mom didn’t want them so she dumped them with grandma-don’t know where dad is, and grandmas house is supposed to be fun - old people aren’t fun for really long periods of time ‘ that’s why eventually they die. Especially for little-kids, we stop by often to help clean the house, wash the dishes, read the scriptures (they have an awesome picture book of mormon) and we’ve started doing weekly family nights. Basically family night forces you to enjoy each others company, its great and it makes you work out your problems (crazy enough, everyone has problems with the bathroom, not just our family!) WE’ve noticed a ute change in the atmosphere there is great!
Another family we are teaching is another example of this. Francimar & Elivania. She is less-active, he’s not a member yet. She is still married to another man so they are waiting for her divorce so they can get married so he can be baptized. Anyway we've taught them for longer than I’ve been here… which means they’ve received every lesson, full of detail, many many times, so we still visit them but we don’t teach the lessons just read with them and answers questions. They have an 11 year old who asks the strangest questions like “can I name my son Jesus” This last week we went over there and they were all gathered together, this cute little family and they were singing hymns, and they have a little calendar of what scriptures to read every sand and it was just so cute to see their little family growing in the gospel and he’s not even baptized yet.
All is well with me:-) I learn new things everyday also I’m teaching my companion English. Important things like “badonk-a-donk” and “Elder Thomas (our district leader) today a little boy bit me”, and she teaches me portuguese. We laugh a lot and we do crazy things like interrupt soccer games to preach the gospel. I won’t tell you all the dangerous things we do, suffice otto say that angels truly walk with us and we see the Lord’s hand protect and guide us every day.
Your prayers are working. Mom, remember how when I’d practice portuguese, I basically just said everything with an Italian accent? So everyone thinks I’m italian. It’s cool :-) If you haven’t sent me a christmas present, I probably won’t get it till January.
You all write me
Love
Sister Aleah Leonard
