And she's off!

Sister Leonard leaving the MTC... bound for Brazil

One Month Down

Oi!

It's been a really great week here at the MTC. I got to host on Wednesday and that was really really fun because i actually felt like i was helping sisters feel welcome. In other news we started teaching two new young men, hunter and Carlos. While continuing to teach Mateus and Stepherson. Hunter and Carlos are roommates with very different backgrounds and it's a little hard to prepare one lesson for two very different people, but luckily for us the Gospel applies to EVERY person's life. So Carlos accepted the invitation to be baptized, hunter is still learning how the things we teach can help him but he feels it is important and is very interested in learning more. Stephenson went to church last week and really enjoyed the family focused meetings. We taught him about why we keep the commandments and asked if he would keep the Sabbath day holy-- his work is very important to him but he said he would ask for Sundays off. And finally: Mateus, he has been on vacation for the last week but while he was gone he read the Book of Mormon and prayed to know if it was true. We asked him what it would mean for him in his life if these things were true. He told us it would mean that joseph smith was really a prophet and that he really saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. It means that they really did restore the Gospel to the Earth and that he needs to be baptized. So we are really excited about Mateus and we will be inviting him to come to Church on Sunday. So the work is going well! The language is coming slowly but surely. 

Things i learned from devotionals this week:

Sister Carol F McConkie:

-missionary work is not easy because Salvation is not a cheap experience.

-cast everything at the Lord's feet every fear, doubt, worry, concern, distraction, and give yourself more fully to the Lord.

Brother Steven B Allen:

-Satan hates missionaries, i make him really upset, and he wants me to fail

-trials temptations and difficulties -all apart of the growing process

Neil A Anderson:

-we sacrifice for the things we love and we love the things we sacrifice for

- the greatest sacrifice of all was that of God's Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. He suffered because he loves me; He suffered so I wouldn't have to

-Don't hold back, be bold.

So great stuff:)

Te amo

Sister Leonard

Sister Riding and Sister Leonard.  I forgot to mention Jen was my Sister Training Leader.  She is now been reassigned stateside awaiting her visa

The Orange Sisters before Devotional

Proof that it does rain in Provo!

Just a few more days

Not too much to report this week but we did commit hunter and Carlos to be baptized on the 20th of September so that is really awesome. This week has been really hectic with school starting, we are no longer teaching Stepherson or Mateus. And we got a new teacher Irmão Croskrey, he is replacing Irmão Dodge, and Irmão Hodson is still with us, he is awesome. Sister Reeve got her VISA so she will be my travel companion, which makes me really happy. Sister Francis got her reassignment today and will me in the Oregon, Salem mission, she is super excited, she leaves tomorrow morning so that is exciting. I’m really sorry i don’t have too much to say about this week. It was a really normal week. We hosted again on Sunday. 

It is really important to remember that the Lord is in the details, he knows what will make you happy, better than you do. Remember to pray and to rely on Him with all the Faith that you do have, even if you don’t think it is a lot, because when we exercise that faith it will increase. Read the Book of Mormon, it is true and will help you in your life no matter what you are going through. I’m kind of freaking out about going to Brazil, like I’m excited but freaking out but that only happens when I think about me. When i focus on the people of Natal and all the blessing the Lord has in store for then I beam ear to ear. This is the Lords work, He wants all his children to return to him and be happy. 

Thanks for all the love and prayers. I will post my address when i get it. You may not hear from me until the 16th or so, until then keep the faith and pray often.

Love you all

Sister Aleah Leonard

 

We love to visit the Temple.  Sisters Reeve. Leonard and Francis

We are all about doing service, even if it is cleaning bathrooms!

With my favorite Elder friends.  Elder Willams and Elder Kesler.  They left last week.

A Letter from Sister Francis

9-1-13

Dear Bro & Sis Leonard,

Oi!  I’m Sister Francis, one of your daughter’s companions here at the MTC!  We both thought it would be fun for me to write you a letter.  I don’t know what she’s told you about me, but I like writing letters, and thought it would be good to report on her.

You’ll be glad to hear that Sister Leonard is an awesome companion!  She’s hilarious – you have a very funny daughter and I love her.  The other night, when we were in the bathroom getting ready for bed, I said, “My foot itches.”  She said, “I’m on it” and came and started scratching my elbow.  Another time, not long after we got here, we were standing in the doorway of a classroom waiting for our other companion Sister Reeve, who was talking to a friend. I said, “Man am I tired all of a sudden!  It just hit me.” And she without hesitation turned and hit me in the face.  Good thing she’s fluent in sign language because I think she may have a hearing problem.  At least I know she’ll always be there for me if my elbow itches or if I need someone to hit me!

We have a lot of fun together. The MTC is a wonderful place, but it can get boring sometimes, so it’s good to have a companion like her to liven things up.  Sometimes we’re perhaps a little too lively, but we also work well together as we study, plan and teach.

She’s probably told you, but we’re doing really well here and we are very happy.  It’s impossible to be anything but happy for more than 30 seconds because the spirit is so strong.  I know it was hard for her when she found out about the death of her friend, but she really handled it well.  I’m grateful to have such a strong and faithful companion, and I think it would be awesome if we could be companions later in the field!

What else…?  Sister Leonard is always cheerful, even when things are hard.  Her Portuguese is coming along great too!  Anyways, good job on being good parents and raising such a good girl.  I’m sure it was a challenge, but congratulations—your perseverance and hard work have paid off.  I hope you had all your family are well and happy.  I’ll meet you in about a year and a half when I come to her sealing to Elder Wood, and I look forward to it!  I hear a lot of great things about Texas and I can’t wait to go there myself after the mission. 

I love this work and I know that this church is true.  I feel privileged to be able to serve the Lord fulltime, and I know that He is there to help all of us, no mater what our needs are.  Turn to him and you cannot fail!  The Lord loves you and so do Sister Leonard and I J

Sister Sydney Francis

I GOT MY VISA!

So i got my visa today. So no reassignment for me, because I’m the only person who wanted to be reassigned but not my will be done... I leave on Monday Sept. 9th (which is the day I was scheduled which is the day i was scheduled to leave the MTC anyway.) so I’ll go SLC to ALT, GA to São Paulo to Natal. woohoo strait to the field. I'll email more tomorrow for P-day but that is my exciting news:) 11ish days left at the MTC

Mom can you tell Sarah M to email me or give me her email. Also could you sent a camera case for my camera, So I can protect it or get Chan to get me one. Thanks you’re the best.

Sister Leonard

Halfway

It's official i am halfway done with the MTC. Our district has a goal to be speaking 100% Portuguese as of last Wednesday. I’m at like 80% which is much better than i expected:) umm not too much to report this week... we got two more investigators this week. Ben and calihan, they are roommates. Mateus is out of town so we will teach him more next week. Stepherson has agreed to come to church with us on Sunday, so that's really exciting, he seems much more open and willing to listen to what we have to say:). What else to write... it's rained the past two days, which is really great! Sprite came out my nose a dinner one day because i laughed too much. Oh Bob Dole was at the MTC on Sunday... i think that's how you spell it. Apparently people don’t know who he is... i really only know because Doug had that weird fascination with him when he was younger. Also sister Reeve is a fainting goat. If you startle her she collapses to the ground... kind of really funny:) i have a video I’ll try to send you a video i got of her in action. Umm Portuguese really messes up my English so mom, if you want to rewrite this and make it sound like my week was really exciting that's be great:) also half the time i don’t know what you want to know so if you want you can send questions... that's be cool. Well i love the work and i love being here:) love you lots:)

Tchau

Sister Leonard

 

Sisters Reeve & Francis & I at the temple

At the Marriott Center for Sunday Devotional

Irmao Godoy (Who was Elder Wood's favorite teacher/ the funniest teacher at the MTC)

The Girls and I