Aaaaaaaaaaand we're back!!!

So, as a lot of you know because I posted about it, on April 30th I got my reassignment to (drumroll please)........
The Utah Salt Lake City Mission!

It was a total surprise. I did not expect to go to Utah. But a few days later I got to meet my mission president on a Zoom session he did and I fell in love with my new mission. It covers the airport, Temple Square (but obvi that's it's own mission), Murray, Holladay, Park City, and the southwestern corner of Wyoming. It's an incredibly diverse mission. It's got 4 official languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese and Tongan as well as a bunch of Language programs, like South Sudanese, Chinese, Korean, Swahili, and Burmese. It's so cool. I was ecstatic to find out I had been assigned to the only Portuguese area in the mission. My mission president called me up one day when I was home to tell me that AND that I'll be training a Sister who was serving in Brazil!! I was so so happy.

I got to the mission on Tuesday and we spent the day in driving and phone trainings. Most of which I had already done before coming. I got to travel with Brynn (Sister Almond) from my stake which was fun! A group of 47 missionaries arrived with me on Tuesday but because of COVID, we had to be kept separate so I didn't see most of them. I was in a group of 6 sisters, 4 who were reassigned, and 2 who were just getting out to the field (this was their original assignment). We spent the day with 2 Sister leaders who were just the sweetest and I love so much. We all spent the night at their apt so it was blast. We shared lots of mission stories because our experiences have all been so unique. Brynn was in the Philippines, S. Uda was in Argentina, and S. Brown did MTC online so it was all super cool to hear about.

On Wednesday we got to our area. I'm in the Murray Zone, in the Winder Stake, in Winder 17th ward. The area had been closed for about 2 months because the elders who were here got sent home and transferred. What's it like opening an area while training in a mission you just got to?? It's a good time, that's all I'm gonna say. There's a lot of stuff we had to catch up on, like being in a car mission, and using the Area Book App. Plus, this mission has a lot of extra rules because we're surrounded by members and literally the prophet and apostles so we've gotta be on our best behavior 24/7. We basically made a list of all our questions and would ask our STLs (sister training leaders) and district leader. We had a lot to learn but I think we're doing a pretty good job.

My companion is Sister Davidson from Sandpoint, Idaho. She was in the São Paulo Interlagos Mission for 3 months (or 1 transfer + MTC). She is awesome and I love her so much. She went to Utah State before the mission and ran there. We've been running every morning (she kicks my butt) but we have a super pretty park near our house so I love it. She's super on top of things and her Portuguese is amazing. It's so fun figuring everything out with her.

Our area is amazing. The ward is HUGE, like 500 members. The members are AWESOME. They give referrals left and right and are the sweetest. When we arrived, we called and met the bishop, ward mission leader and RS president. And like 20 members texted us, welcoming us, saying how excited they are to have sisters (bc sisters are just better), and offering to help. They're incredible.

We exercise for an hour in the morning and have 2 hours of "outside time" aside from that where we can walk or just sit outside. We do everything missionary-work-related through our phone just from our apartment. Having smart phones is the best and makes things so much easier. Also, the area book app is like my favorite thing ever. I don't know how I survived having a paper one. Also, we have a car because our "area" literally covers anyone who speaks Portuguese in the mission. Or we can even go outside the mission if we get permission. It's wild.

We've been getting in touch with referrals from members and had some awesome lessons this week. On Wednesday, we met Mauricio, who's from Recife and is an exchange student here. His host family are members and he's been meeting with the missionaries. He is AWESOME. He really wants to get baptized, but can't as part of the exchange program rules, so he will be in June when he goes back. He even wants to serve a mission!! Then, we've got Michael, and like most of his friends are members and returned missionaries. He's been to church a few times and liked it, but still has some doubts. We had a super awesome lesson with him today about recognizing the Spirit and how we can receive answers to our questions. He's super open and TOTALLY felt the spirit in the lesson. When he prayed at the end, he thanked God for sending us to help him open his "olhos espirituais" (spiritual eyes). Guys, it's the best.

We've had little miracles each day and it makes me so happy. I'm glad to be back in the swing of things. I'm so glad to be teaching again. That's what I missed most about the mission. I'm excited for what the future holds. I don't know how much longer until we'll return to normal proselyting. I don't know when or if I'll return to Brazil. But I do know that, for now, I'm supposed to be here and that there is a purpose for me here and there are people for me to find here.

Here are some pictures of us with our car, in front of our apartment, is having some outside time at the church, and a fun hike we went on today with 2 sisters in our district. S. Spencer is from Gilbert, AZ and S. Tupou is from Tonga.

Beijos,
Sister Dobbs

Hey guys!!

So much has changed in the last week.
On Tuesday our mission got smartphones, something we've been waiting for since forever and it's been life changing. I think the best part has been having WhatsApp because it's sooo much easier to communicate with people. Our other phone was just able to make normal phone calls. Lots of people don't have phone plans, so often we can't call them. Or if their number is outside the area code, we can't call them They always ask us to send them a message on WhatsApp. Well, now we finally can! The ward has been loving it and our bishop sends us GIFs and it's way easier to coordinate our lunches.

On Wednesday we bought a 14-day food supply in case the markets close. We had to seran-wrap it and send pics to our mission president's wife. It was a good time.

Well, on Thursday we were told that we could no longer eat lunch in the houses of members so now we just go to their houses to pick up our lunch in tupperwares.

On Saturday, we were told we had to stay inside and only go out for necessary things, aka to grab our lunch or go to the store. Well, it was a huge blessing and divine design that our smartphones arrived when they did because we could continue teaching people through technology. #AObraContinua This work WILL go forth!

We've seen so many miracles. So many answered prayers. I have no doubt that the Lord is watching over us. He loves us and will protect us.

While we may feel worried because we don't know what will happen, or fearful about the future, I know that as we turn to our Savior and let Him know how we feel, He knows how to comfort us. He knows us intimately well. He can heal us and bring us peace in any circumstances.

The Book of Mormon is full of lots of stellar missionaries. Last week I was reading Alma 8 and I recommend it to all. Alma the Younger faced a LOT of hardship on his mission. He was rejected, ignored, cast into prison, smitten, but through it all, he continued trusting in the Lord and calling the people to repentance. And finally, in Alma 15, he has a lot of success. I've seen this pattern in my mission a lot. The miracles come AFTER the trial of our faith (Ether 12:6). But they do come. And our faith grows as it's tested.

Also, I learned why missionaries are called "elder." It's a title that only apostles and missionaries have. I learned that we are an extension of the 12 Apostles. The Great Commission to preach the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20) was initially given by Christ to the apostles after He appeared to them as a resurrected being. It's pretty cool if you think about it.

Being a missionary is the best. I love teaching. I love testifying. I love talking to people in the street. But now that we're staying inside, teaching over the phone is kinda fun. And we're officially a Facebook Mission now so it's been fun to figure that out.

For the safety of the missionaries, we sadly will have to return to our home countries and will be reassigned to other missions. But, something my mission president always says is that we are called to the work, not to a specific place (D&C 4:2, 80:3). Well, I'm still called to the work and I'll go where He wants me to go.

I don't know what'll happen, but that's okay. Because He knows and He has a plan and things are gonna work out.

I love you all!!

Sister Dobbs

Mateus's baptism this week!!

Splits! And really good hot dogs from a food truck

I made these awesome cookie bars on Saturday

This has been without a doubt the wildest week of my mission, maybe even of my life. Lots of exciting stuff coming to you from POA so stay tuned...

 Fabiana and Ademir were baptized yesterday and it was so special! I don't know if this left anyone confused last week but I should explain. Ok, so for people to be baptized, if they're living with someone, they have to get married. Many people opt not to get married because it's expensive. Well, way back in December, two missionaries found Fabi and her family. Sister Richardson and Sister Martins. This family is incredible. They said the first time they went to church, they felt at home. They recognized something was different about this church. Their son, Lucas, was baptized in December but Fabi and Ademir had to get married first. But, she had no interest whatsoever and said it just wasn't for her. Well, after almost 2 months of working with this family, and largely thanks to the persistence of Sister Martins, who like I said last time is a lawyer (she's 24 years old and graduated young and lives in Rondônia, Brasil), Fabi finally decided she'd get married. That was when I got here. Me and Sister López helped with the papers and this couple got married last Friday. They've been going to church every Sunday for 3 months now. And guys, literally everything happened that could have prevented them from going through with it, BUT, miracles are real and it finally happened. It was a testament to me that the adversary is real and will do anything he can to stop us from doing what he knows is right. When everything is going wrong, that's when we need to exercise our faith and show the Lord that we will do what He's asked of us. It doesn't matter what is (or isn't) happening in our lives, we need to be faithful to Him. And we will be greatly blessed.

As many know, all church services and activities were temporarily suspended because of coronavirus, so it was a very small, very simple baptismal service. But there was a really special spirit. We also had the chance to partake of the sacrament in a member's house and with an investigator yesterday.

It was a historic Sunday and everything that's happened this week has strengthened my testimony that our prophets and apostles are inspired men and called of God. They have been preparing us for these last days because they are like watchmen on the tower; they see things we don't. Trust in their counsel. The timing of this pandemic is not coincidental. We were prepared last year for a home-centered, church-supported learning experience and the church has always taught about self-reliance and having a food storage. I know that we don't need to panic, but we can trust that everything is in the Lord's hands. He will protect and guide His saints until we reach the harbor. This week, when my instinct was to freak out, I prayed for comfort and to know that everything will be okay. And it will.

I'd just like to include this legendary picture that I have titled "The Feet of Sister Missionaries" that shows the price we pay for laboring in the Lord's vineyard: lots of fun tan lines.

I love you all. Stay safe.
Sister Dobbs

This week was a blast!

1) Fabiana and Ademir got married! Largely thanks to a missionary named Sister Martins who's a lawyer and is very convincing, the couple who said they'd never get married, finally did it. Pictures of their baptism are coming soon.

2) Our friend Mateus came to church and loved it! He's progressing really well and is excited for his baptism this Sunday!

3) It was International Women's Day and Fabiana's Birthday! And it looks like Sister López will stay with me one more transfer (woo-hoo!).

Eating a hot dog

What I'm learning is how to feast on the "words of Christ." The scriptures and the words of modern prophets are our daily bread, as Elder Bednar taught and we need to constantly nourish ourselves spiritually. As we prepare for general conference, I invite everyone to treasure up the Book of Mormon and read it every day because I know that it will help us we come to know Him, the Savior of the World.

I love you all!
Sister Dobbs

Carnaval e Conferência de Zona

Soooo this past weekend was Carnaval in Brasil! It's a national holiday, but I have no idea what it's celebrating. The celebrations include parades (desfiles), crazy costumes, lots of glitter, loud music, lots of alcohol, and it's basically a big party. Here in Venâncio, Saturday night (the 22nd) and Monday (the 24th) had parades. It's pretty wild, so, as missionaries, we stay pretty far away. Even in a tiny city like Venâncio, it can get dangerous. So I'm just imagining what São Paulo or Rio must be like. As we were going home on Saturday, we accidentally got stuck and couldn't get around the parade path, but thankfully, a security guard let us pass. As a missionary, I felt very out of place amidst a lot of craziness. But, it was fine. It all worked out in the end.

The following day we had Zone Conference which was AMAZING! It was of course very spiritual and very uplifting, and it was super fun to see everyone.
We spent the night in Santa Cruz before the conference and had a slumber party with 8 missionaries. In this zone, everyone is really spread out, so we take buses to the city the night before to not be traveling super early the morning of conference. You all can imagine us 8 girls spread between only 3 mattresses. Also, imagine 8 girls getting ready in the morning with only 1 bathroom. It was a blast. We ate lunch in Santa Cruz (it was hard to find a restaurant because everything was closed because everyone had been out partying the night before), and we took pictures at some fun spots, including a mini Statue of Liberty. We had interviews with president which were awesome, too. Please enjoy all the pics!

Here is Yerlin, Carlitos and Saraí, a family of Venezuelans who I love a lot plus a Bathroom Sunday Selfie

Us on the bus ride home after conference at night plus all the things we had to carry with us because of conference: a box of book of mormons, a new water filter and a package

Zona Santa Cruz

Sister Maxwell!!

We hit 9 months on the mission so we took fotos de gravidez ("pregnancy" pics), lol!

All in all, a great week. I know that our Savior lives and He wants us to be saved. He's rooting for us. He will never turn us away. He's here for us. So, turn to Him.
Beijos!!
Sister Dobbs

This week we had splits and it was an adventure. First, our sister leaders are in Cachoeira do Sul, a city that is a 3 hour bus ride from us. Where I'm at, things are really spread out and it's lots of tiny cities in the middle of nowhere. But it's really green and pretty. So on Wednesday night, we took a bus at 7pm to their area. We got there at about 10:30pm. We were hungry so we made Brazilian pancakes and a cake (because they had a cake mix so we wanted to use it). We studied in the morning and Sister Feliz made healthy french toast (whole wheat bread and without cinnamon because we didn't have any) and we studied the scriptures at a round table while enjoying our breakfast. It was so wholesome and I felt like I was in a book club. And I realized the power that we have, 4 young people dedicating their lives to serve their Savior and learn more about Him every day. We saw lots of miracles that day in splits. At night, we talked about why we came on the mission and it was super special. I'm here because I want to share the joy I have with others and because I know that there are so many people who don't have the knowledge we have about our Heavenly Father's plan. I'm grateful that I know that we have a Savior who died for our sins, our pains, and our difficulties and that because of Him, we will live after we die and we have the chance of returning to live with our Father in Heaven. Because of Him, we can have hope even in the most difficult of circumstances. Because of Him, even though we're imperfect, one day we can be whole.

Love you all,
Sister Dobbs

Sister Felix and Pena

His Love and His Timing

This week was great! For Valentine's Day (which by the way, they celebrate in June here), we made cookies again and now Sister López is a pro and she'll bring my mommy's recipe back to Colombia. In exchange for teaching her how to make cookies, she taught me how to dance.

We found this sign on a random light post and it says: The Bible says we didn't bring anything with us to this world and we can't take anything with us, so seek God and read the Bible. Brasil é muito crente.

A Venezuelan Family, Ender and Yesnia, had us over last night and made arepas. 

#selfiesunday (idk if people even still say that but I'm in the mission bubble so I wouldn't know

This is xis. It's basically a flattened burger but with a fried egg, lots of mayonnaise, corn and peas. And it's yummy. 

Our church is so pretty!! (E é verdadeira, também)

I love the mission. It humbles me every day. I often want things to happen in MY timing, but I'm learning to trust in HIS timing. Trials teach us patience and other Christlike attributes.  The mission makes me realize how blessed I am to have the gospel in my life. I know that Jesus Christ is our personal Savior and He died for us, even knowing that most people wouldn't accept His sacrifice. He will forgive us as many times as we sincerely repent. And I'm so grateful for that.

This week, make a goal to draw closer to your Savior, in some small way, and thank Him for what He did for you. Then, go and share the Savior's love with someone else. Send someone a text about what you learned or felt at church on Sunday, talk to a stranger in the grocery store or at the bus stop about the gospel. Share this message of love with others. It's almost like we're being selfish if we don't.

I love you all!
Sister Dobbs